18 September, 2010 Stade De France, Paris

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Awesome gig!!! Band on top form, great energy, great crowd, full stadium, great vibe! Personal highlight: my 12-yr--old-U2-ambivalent daughter joining me on the steps to dance and scream of her own free will lol
 
Getting into the stadium was a nightmare when they opened the gates - at our entrace (U), at least. Everyone in the back of the queue surged forwards and we were pushed into each other and, when we got close enough, against the turnstiles. Not to mention some guy tried to duck down and get in front of me at the last minute; I had to put my arm down by the machine to stop him. Added to the personal crisis that my ticket wouldn't scan and I was then separated from my group for the whole show, it didn't start off very well.

However, I ended up among some really great people - a group of French fans who queued at gate X. There was one guy, Antoine, who spoke both French and English, so he explained my situation to everyone else and they all made me feel really welcome (I felt like I'd intruded until that point)!

The show itself was AMAZING. I've seen U2 twice before (Dublin both times, Vertigo and 360) and this blew both of them out of the water. The crowd was mental and we all jumped, screamed and sang along the whole way through. The energy and atmosphere this created was incredible; I think that's why this show was so much better. The 360 at Dublin (1st night) just felt flat because there was one portion of the crowd that was really into it and the rest was just ambivalent. Here, though, the audience participated in everything - the songs, the hand movements, the chanting back, you could tell everyone there was having a good time.

As this was the first (and possibly only) show I've seen of 360 2010, I had no idea what to expect. I hadn't searched any setlists and I didn't know what songs they'd be playing. I was told beforehand that they were playing the new songs Mercy, Glastonbury, North Star and Return of the Stingray Guitar, and out of those I'd only heard Mercy before. One girl did play a bit of Glastonbury on her phone for me, though. It was still a complete surprise, however, to hear the new ones, and the proverbial icing on the cake was the addition of HMTMKMKM (which I've never seen live before) and I Will Follow - Bono using the steering wheel microphone as a swing seat was new! :D

The whole show was brilliant, though. Everything was just perfect, the whole band was on fine form, the audience was up for everything that was thrown at them and I had a simply amazing experience! As I said, it's taken pole position for best U2 show (and therefore, best show) I've seen so far. I even managed to find my group again once the concert had ended! ;)
 
Getting into the stadium was a nightmare when they opened the gates - at our entrace (U), at least. Everyone in the back of the queue surged forwards and we were pushed into each other and, when we got close enough, against the turnstiles. Not to mention some guy tried to duck down and get in front of me at the last minute; I had to put my arm down by the machine to stop him. Added to the personal crisis that my ticket wouldn't scan and I was then separated from my group for the whole show, it didn't start off very well.

However, I ended up among some really great people - a group of French fans who queued at gate X. There was one guy, Antoine, who spoke both French and English, so he explained my situation to everyone else and they all made me feel really welcome (I felt like I'd intruded until that point)!

The show itself was AMAZING. I've seen U2 twice before (Dublin both times, Vertigo and 360) and this blew both of them out of the water. The crowd was mental and we all jumped, screamed and sang along the whole way through. The energy and atmosphere this created was incredible; I think that's why this show was so much better. The 360 at Dublin (1st night) just felt flat because there was one portion of the crowd that was really into it and the rest was just ambivalent. Here, though, the audience participated in everything - the songs, the hand movements, the chanting back, you could tell everyone there was having a good time.

As this was the first (and possibly only) show I've seen of 360 2010, I had no idea what to expect. I hadn't searched any setlists and I didn't know what songs they'd be playing. I was told beforehand that they were playing the new songs Mercy, Glastonbury, North Star and Return of the Stingray Guitar, and out of those I'd only heard Mercy before. One girl did play a bit of Glastonbury on her phone for me, though. It was still a complete surprise, however, to hear the new ones, and the proverbial icing on the cake was the addition of HMTMKMKM (which I've never seen live before) and I Will Follow - Bono using the steering wheel microphone as a swing seat was new! :D

The whole show was brilliant, though. Everything was just perfect, the whole band was on fine form, the audience was up for everything that was thrown at them and I had a simply amazing experience! As I said, it's taken pole position for best U2 show (and therefore, best show) I've seen so far. I even managed to find my group again once the concert had ended! ;)

oh my god you poor thing! it was pretty much the same last year re. gates/GA, only i was lucky as my gate was one of the first to open... i've read a few horror stories, some fan knocked out a security guard at gate entry apparently...

i had seats this time, so avoided the stresses of GA, so enjoyed the show from a different angle compared to last time...

have to say this was the best U2 show i've seen so far (i've only seen a handful anyway from Achtung Baby to present)... was absolutely fantastic...
 
Paris, and Stade de France especially, is always the horror. I've heard so many bad things from so many people and a lot of them said: Never again. That's what has kept me from going there. I have heard of total chaos at the entrances and security fuck-ups, and also of a lot of brutal and rude behavious by people in GA. I'm sorry to hear some of you had bad experiences and couldn't enjoy the concert properly. I've experienced some pretty bad stuff at various concerts myself, but nothing like what people are telling here and on other boards about Paris, ever.
 
Paris, and Stade de France especially, is always the horror. I've heard so many bad things from so many people and a lot of them said: Never again. That's what has kept me from going there. I have heard of total chaos at the entrances and security fuck-ups, and also of a lot of brutal and rude behavious by people in GA. I'm sorry to hear some of you had bad experiences and couldn't enjoy the concert properly. I've experienced some pretty bad stuff at various concerts myself, but nothing like what people are telling here and on other boards about Paris, ever.

we went to Paris this time- I'd also expected it to be horrific- but it really wasn't- we were outside D entrance by 4.30pm milling around with everyone else- there was a brief bit of chaos when the gates opened and everyone moved at once- but past that it was fine. We even managed to get into the inner claw again- which was somewhat unexpected

coming back out was fine- I feared the worst with using the train- but we only waited about 15 minutes at the station and then we were on the train and back at the hotel within an hour of the show ending- which is less time than it usually takes to get out of Birmingham NEC car park

as for the show itself- the new running order works much better than in 2009- the first dozen or so songs really get the crowd going. good to hear some new stuff as well, although I did miss TUF- that was my highlight from 2009
 
I`m afraid I fall into the category of never again will I go to Paris :down:

Gate x was a nightmare. So much pushing, they took the barriers down around 230pm then it was worse than a rugby scrum. Queued from about 1030 and ony just got into the pit - under the bridge at Edge`s side. The outer catwalk was about 10 deep by then too. Plus only about 15 portaloos for thousands of GA people inside the stadium? With no lights in them! I went early on - hate to think waht they were like by the end of the night :angry:

I have to say I found Paris in general to be a dirty smelly city, the people unhelpful or just rude. No I`ll never go again even though the Holiday Inn Hotel at Gare L`est was wonderful - the staff fantastic.
 
Well I will certainly go to Paris again!! Both to a concert AND the city (Probably not GA, though - sounds outrageous). Anyway, was seated in block T6 and experienced the best concert this year!! (Been to Horsens I and II and Vienna, all GA). Heard the BEST versions of BD, Mag., MW and Miss S. Didn't know what to expect from a seat - I mean you can't sit down at a U2 concert ... which we didn´t. The whole section jumped, screamed and had a blast. It was a very emotional night - haven't been this touched since Berlin last year. Amazing, amazing ...!!!:drool::applaud::applaud::applaud:
 
The GA queue was absurdly mismanaged : fences were taken away about 2.30, and from 4.00 onwards until the gates opened ten minutes late at 5.40 it was more crowded than it actually was inside the claw. Very poorly organised, with a completely uncaring approach as well as openly not giving two hoots about pushing, or shoving, both at the GA entrances and at the gates leaving into the Claw.
 
Also went to Paris. It was my fourth show this tour (Milan,Amsterdam 2x). The show was excellent. I was really hoping for HMTMKMKM because i had seen ultraviolet the other three times. Also Mercy was a highlight for me. Bono´s voice sounds great all tour and this night was no exception. For me amsterdam 2 was even better because the premiere of until the end of the world (on 360) and the fact that they played bad (the song i mean). Such a shame they dont play bad more often, such an epic live song. I´m hoping for another return to europe (im also hoping to win the lottery for a long time now) so i can do the fos thing because that adds value to any U2 show.


Sound like the chaos is mostly a problem for the ones queing early to be in the front section. We were in the stadium pretty late but still managed to get a decent view (french people are shorter than the dutch i quess, while normally there is always at least one person taller in the way now i had clear view).
Staff at the stadium were pretty nice and everything went pretty smooth. I found it remarkably easy to get out of the stadium and into the trains. Which i kinda feared since we were in a hugely overcrowded train on the way to the stadium. I though french police had a really good control on that. I hope people who are wanting to do the front of stage thing dont let themselves be put off by those stories. I did it on the vertigo tour in Amsterdam twice and that was no problem at all. Very friendly people who got a long great both in the que and in the stadium. The space you had was also not that bad. And like i sad earlier it does add a lot of value to the experience since you are really in the show instead of just lookin at it (which is also no punishment)
 
Also went to Paris. It was my fourth show this tour (Milan,Amsterdam 2x). The show was excellent. I was really hoping for HMTMKMKM because i had seen ultraviolet the other three times. Also Mercy was a highlight for me. Bono´s voice sounds great all tour and this night was no exception. For me amsterdam 2 was even better because the premiere of until the end of the world (on 360) and the fact that they played bad (the song i mean). Such a shame they dont play bad more often, such an epic live song. I´m hoping for another return to europe (im also hoping to win the lottery for a long time now) so i can do the fos thing because that adds value to any U2 show.


Sound like the chaos is mostly a problem for the ones queing early to be in the front section. We were in the stadium pretty late but still managed to get a decent view (french people are shorter than the dutch i quess, while normally there is always at least one person taller in the way now i had clear view).
Staff at the stadium were pretty nice and everything went pretty smooth. I found it remarkably easy to get out of the stadium and into the trains. Which i kinda feared since we were in a hugely overcrowded train on the way to the stadium. I though french police had a really good control on that. I hope people who are wanting to do the front of stage thing dont let themselves be put off by those stories. I did it on the vertigo tour in Amsterdam twice and that was no problem at all. Very friendly people who got a long great both in the que and in the stadium. The space you had was also not that bad. And like i sad earlier it does add a lot of value to the experience since you are really in the show instead of just lookin at it (which is also no punishment)

yep me too re. the trains after the gig - i was so impressed with how the police handled things - we headed back to RER D hoping it wouldnt be as packed as RER B... we legged it out of the Stade the second the concert finished and got out the stadium concourse super-fast (it's a NIGHTMARE if you get stuck in there - you can't move for absolutely ages with people pushing and shoving you in every direction) so that was great! things slowed down to a standstill as we reached the underpass, but soon started moving slowly again at least, and luckily the police had blocked the other entrance to the underpass so as to avoid any scary crushes... and we made it to the station, and literally dashed straight thru the ticket styles, and ran down the ramp to an empty train - fantastic!

GA is always hit and miss in France... when it goes well it is awesome, but when it goes wrong it goes really wrong, and i feel so bad for those who had a tough time... hopefully the concert itself made up for it... i'm still on cloud 9 here! :heart:

also, i was very happy to hear B comment on France's current human rights crisis (re. Roma deportations), telling France to be careful and to remember what it is meant to stand for... i wondered if and how he would mention it... :up:
 
For Paris concertgoers: What was Interpol like as opening band? I only know some of their albums, I'm not really fond of their latest one, but I'll get to see them opening for U2 in Rome and I'm currently considering going to their concert here in Vienna in November. I cannot imagine that band to play in a stadium setting. Were they any good?
 
Amazing show, phenomenal audience but still very annoyed at the GA mismanagement. Our gate was the furthest away and opened last so that even though we had been queueing since early morning, by the time we got onto the pitch, not only the circle but the first 10-15 rows of people outside the catwalk were already completely full. Thank God we didn't arrive even earlier, because it would have just been a waste of time and gotten us no closer.
 
Did fear the worst for the GA queues when we arrived at the stadium, didn't get there until about 4.30pm but still able to get in to the inner claw (happy to stand off at 90 degrees on Adams side where it doesn't get crowded even if we can't see much of The Edge). Shame for those who were aiming for the front row, it looked like a disorganised mess (the complete opposite of shows at the Bercy).

As for the show itself, great atmosphere as I've come to expect in Paris. Hearing IWF again is always nice, such a great live track. The whole opening sequence of songs just seemed to lend itself to firing up a stadium crowd. Miss Sarajevo another highlight, winding back to Elevation / Popmart who could ever have imagined Bono pulling that off?
 
For Paris concertgoers: What was Interpol like as opening band? I only know some of their albums, I'm not really fond of their latest one, but I'll get to see them opening for U2 in Rome and I'm currently considering going to their concert here in Vienna in November. I cannot imagine that band to play in a stadium setting. Were they any good?

They were, actually; much better than I had expected. All the people I was talking to there were all very pleasantly surprised by their performance. The songs sounded similar at times, but in terms of holding the crowd I'd say they definitely succeeded.

Amazing show, phenomenal audience but still very annoyed at the GA mismanagement. Our gate was the furthest away and opened last so that even though we had been queueing since early morning, by the time we got onto the pitch, not only the circle but the first 10-15 rows of people outside the catwalk were already completely full. Thank God we didn't arrive even earlier, because it would have just been a waste of time and gotten us no closer.

I met a couple of people who camped out at A gate the day before, which I'd imagine, as the Claw was off to one side of the pitch, was very far away as well. I have no idea whether they got their places or not, but I'd be gutted for them if they didn't. I managed to make second row outer circle, just slightly left of centre stage, by sidestepping people who weren't moving and had left huge gaps of space in front. By that point the U, X and I think G gates (there were some rushing forward from the back of the stadium when I got in) had been opened. I really don't see how they can't organise a synchronised opening of the gates, though. Why not have the whole crowd at one gate if it's impossible to open all gates at the same time? Anyway, I just counted myself lucky to have a fighting chance at a good position. What also bugged me when I heard about it afterwards was that people in the inner circle sat down as soon as they arrived, leaving less space for other people to get in there. Apparently some members of the audience had to be taken out because they were so distressed at the ensuing crush. I can understand the need to sit down (I needed to do it as well) but not as soon as you get in. It'd be much more considerate to wait until your area's filled, and then sit down to rest your feet.

I can't comment on getting to the trains, as I hung about afterwards to find my group; as such, it was after midnight before we even attempted to get the metro! But I'm glad to hear that most think it was well managed.

All the let-downs by the SdF management were overshadowed by the show, though. It really was an incredible experience; I don't know if I'd go and do the GA again, but after having seen the show there, I'd definitely be tempted to go back.
 
What also bugged me when I heard about it afterwards was that people in the inner circle sat down as soon as they arrived, leaving less space for other people to get in there. Apparently some members of the audience had to be taken out because they were so distressed at the ensuing crush. I can understand the need to sit down (I needed to do it as well) but not as soon as you get in. It'd be much more considerate to wait until your area's filled, and then sit down to rest your feet.

From my previous Paris experiences (admittedly at the Bercy and not for U2) it has been standard practise for people to sit down once they get in. There was plenty of space in the Inner Circle off to Adams side though as we made our way in The Edge's side was looking much busier. That could be as simple as having more entrances on that side of the stadium - people tend to get in and plot as soon as they see the stage (I have seen this happen so many times, Brussels on Vertigo was the worst for that - absolutely rammed on Adams side by the entrance and plenty of space on Edges side. Created a horrible crush at the end of Snow Patrol as people tried to get out to the toilets before U2 started).
 
I'm used to people sitting down once they arrive in the circle, we always sit down, not only in the circle, but in the pit in general. It helps to prevent people from getting crushed because if everyone kept standing, it would be much too tight, I've experienced that a couple of times. It's also very tiring to stand for hours and hours before the show starts. It's very common that most people keep sitting until the opening band comes on stage. The only problem I have often experienced myself is that there are a lot of people who try to come to the front after the opening act has finished, so it can get a little rough and tight before U2 actually hits the stage. There were many occassions where I simply did not understand why security didn't just shut the inner circle to prevent people arriving at the stadium at 8 p. m. from getting into the inner circle and push the ones who had been waiting all day aside. That can be really annoying.
 
sounds like we were lucky with our GA experience- I'd not intention of queueing all day out there so was down to luck that we made it into the claw.

Once we're in the claw we wait until it's full and then go back out till the support bands start- or sit down round by the entrance/exit. There's always plenty of space on Adam's side- that's fine by me I don't like being squashed at these things
 
For Paris concertgoers: What was Interpol like as opening band? I only know some of their albums, I'm not really fond of their latest one, but I'll get to see them opening for U2 in Rome and I'm currently considering going to their concert here in Vienna in November. I cannot imagine that band to play in a stadium setting. Were they any good?

I didnt really like them. The music was pretty cool but the voice of the singer made it all kinda sound the same (would be cooler if it was just instrumental..:-
)). But i have to admit that i really didnt know any song from them. I know some people who also think all coldplay songs sound the same (which i think is not true, so i might just be ignorant about interpol).
My conclusion...The pre-show of my other 3 shows (Snow Patrol) was much better...

btw. How coool you're going to Rome, thats gonna be one hell of show for sure...have fun there
 
mhh sorry to hear about the GA chaos, but it was kinda predictable I think, since France and especially Paris is not the best organized city in the world lol.
I was around 19h at gate Z, which was kinda late ... (metro line 2 did not work , so had to take the bus, which was totally overcrowded; then decided to walk to gare du nord, b/c parisians get so incredibly agressive when the metro does not run lol)
Then I had to wait ca. 20min in line b/c of this stupid ticket scanning thing and ended up right in the middle of the GA section. I think I have never ever been so far away from the stage lol. Usually I line up to get in the pit. But there were some nice people, no pushing, and it was great to see the show and the claw as a whole from this point. :)
I will follow was awesome to hear. :applaud:
Mercy is not really my thing.
Oh and girl on stage lol...:hmm:
We were laughing so much about B talking french and he had no clue what he was actually saying there lol. And also Larry at the end of the show was kinda funny....notre beau gosse hahaa. I enjoyed this relaxed atmosphere.
Getting home after the gig was easy, compared to frankfurt for example.


LU, interpol is ok I think. They seem to be some nice people. But I liked Kasabian better and also SP ! ;)
 
Good to hear you enjoyed the concert, Anna :wave:

I'm curious about Interpol and will reserve judgement until I see them in Rome.

And what DID Bono actually say in French? :lol: Obviously, Larry didn't understand it.

Btw, I listened to the Paris bootleg at work today, sounds like an amazing audience. Concert-wise I still prefer Munich, but that's probably because I was there. I just think most of the music sounded better in Munich, but Paris seemed to be a great show, too.
 
I am in the never do GA in Paris again. I was there at gate U from about 4:30am and the queue was fine until the gates open. Nearly went under the push from behind - thank you to the lovely Dutch man who held on to me and helped me forwards. I saw people with blood injuries in the inner circle and we all just sat there shocked at what happened. I didn't suffer the hell of the toilets as I was wearing an old redzone wristband from Germany and the secuirty thought it was from there so I was sent to the posh toilets!!
But the show was out of this world - Even being awake for almost 36 hours by the time they came on stage didn't take anything away from it. Here's hoping for some dates next summer!
BTW - Hello all!:wave:
 
Good to hear you enjoyed the concert, Anna :wave:

I'm curious about Interpol and will reserve judgement until I see them in Rome.

And what DID Bono actually say in French? :lol: Obviously, Larry didn't understand it.

Btw, I listened to the Paris bootleg at work today, sounds like an amazing audience. Concert-wise I still prefer Munich, but that's probably because I was there. I just think most of the music sounded better in Munich, but Paris seemed to be a great show, too.

:wave:
he just introduced the band. I guess no one understand anything, larry was like...ok whatever hahaa.
 
Listening back to "Elevation" from the show, when Bono inhaled from one of the many balloons he quoted some dialogue from the film 'Blue Velvet'. Strange man.

"My name's Frank!"
 
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