20 July 2009 Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam, NL

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Finally I've made it back home....but WOW!!!!!! What a show!

The Arena had almost a lift off....the energy of the band was enormous. Maybe because Bono's grandmother was in stands? All 4 guys were smiling during the whole concert....

Highligts for me personally were, Get on your boots,Mysterious ways, Vertigo, Unforgettable Fire, and the crazy remix(turned the place into a disco.
Bono's LED jacket was only working on the left side during ultra violet..that was a shame, and they didn't use the smokemachines during Ultra Violet as much as in previous shows.

Tommorrow back to the Arena for part II ! :drool:
 
Yeah, a fabulous show! Bono told the audience the trick was to turn the stadium into a smaller venue, like the Paradiso where they played as teenagers, and they damn well almost managed it. I got to my seat just before the end of Breathe and, because the roof was closed, I was hit by the heat when I entered the arena - it felt as hot as a small sweaty venue.

I love the Unknown Caller / Unforgettable Fire sequence, it's the highlight of the show for me, closely followed by Moment Of Surrender, NLOTH and MLK - the songs that showcase Bono's voice. The whole audience seemed to go into a deep general trance during UF, hypnotised by the dazzling light display on the lowered video wall which causes the band to become almost invisible, or very hard to spot at least, so you're hit by this wall of music seeming to come from nowhere.

But Bono's voice is simply astounding, especially on MoS. The band seem to appreciate his singing too as they all applauded him or gave him pats on the back after In A Little While.

The crowd were great too, very raucous, very enthusiastic. I think Bono said a few things in Dutch too, which got the biggest cheer.

Bono also sank to his knees and murmured a fairly long prayer at the end of MoS which I didn't catch, before singing a few lines of 40. Someone in the pit had been holding up a sign saying 40 during the show. The band all waited with instruments poised to see if Bono would call them to play it, and I was silently urging them to, but alas he didn't.

But a great concert, it's lovely to see the band seem to really enjoy playing together and interacting with the audience from the walkway and the bridges.
 
First, I had my doubts about the I'll Go Crazy remix, but now that I've seen it live it turned out to be one of the highlights of the show. Very great to hear that Bono has got a much better voice than he had in the Vertigo tour.
 
Wow, what a night. In the inner circle between Bono and Edge, great place to see the show. Indeed, the Crazy Remix rocks beyond belief, it definitely brings the house down. Highlights include No Line, Boots, Moment of Surrender, Ultraviolet, the sequence from Unknown Caller until Crazy Tonight is magic:drool::love:

The "Classics" sounded fresh as well.

Goosebump moments:
1) Larry appearing on-stage
2)Edge and Adam crossing the bridges simultaneously just before Get on your boots' bridge (pun not intended :wink:)
3)The link between Magnificent and Beautiful Day
4)Desmond Tutu shouting like crazy at the end of his " speech" /followed by the famous red lights
5)Bono's voice during Ultraviolet and Moment of Surrender:applaud:

All four of them were having great fun, and were on the top of their game, but Bono might just have been the " best band member"

It was also good to see the band pay attention to the people in the back, they were going crazy as well and it was very nice to see this.:up:

All in all I would rank this show above the Vertigo Tour shows I saw (Brussels and Amsterdam 1) certainly production-wise but also performance-wise. I'm ready for the second night and praying for ES or Stay :hyper:
 
fabulous night

probably the best u2 show of the decade that i've seen

awesome performance, awesome sound, awesome crowd
 
That's a good point about the sound. I'd read the many posts on the other thread about the crap sound in the Arena, and most people I met at the stadium said it would probably be shit. I was behind the stage on Adam's side and the sound was great: chunky and clear, with all the parts of the music easily discernible.
 
The concert was awesome! I liked the mix. Well it all was so great. Bono's voice was very good, and it seemed that they had a lot of fun. And so did we!

Here 1 pic!

DSC04573-1.jpg
 
Bonoa, With GA tickets the sound was also good! But i heard from people in the back of the stadium that the sound was bad and that they heard everything 3 times:hmm:
 
the last couple of concerts that i have seen in the Arena had great sound (Stones, Springsteen and now U2), especially as compared to the crappy sound that the Arena had in the early days which really was horrible (it was built in '97 i believe). I think that technicians have learned how to deal with this place. :hmm:
 
The sound was decent. A little high, and when Bono was holding a speech it was hard to understand. But we didn't have an echo.

Germans are doing better la olas. ;)
 
Vincent Vega said:
The sound was decent. A little high, and when Bono was holding a speech it was hard to understand. But we didn't have an echo.

Germans are doing better la olas. ;)
Click to expand...

oh I'm glad to hear the sound was ok for you! :up:

:hmm: I remember a section that never joined the la ola in berlin...haaha.
 
It was the same here, and the boos followed. But apart from that the timing and all was a bit better in Berlin. And more people joined.
Funny thing was, it was the same section as it was in Berlin.
 
Didn't you see me dancing and singing along and jumping and cheering? I guess I had. Oh right, you were just taken by Bono. :D
 
Great concert, great crowd. Both my non U2-fan friends very much enjoyed the show as well. We were 3 m from the catwalk. Unfortunately the sound - esp. Bono's voice started Ok but went very shrill as the show progressed. I'll take a note to the mixing desk tonight, whatever they did during the show don't do it again. Oh damn, I have a seat tonight - can't reach the desk :(
 
Vincent Vega said:
It was the same here, and the boos followed. But apart from that the timing and all was a bit better in Berlin. And more people joined.
Funny thing was, it was the same section as it was in Berlin.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that particular section is known for being a massive party pooper :tsk:



:wink:


Good to hear you had a great time in Amsterdam. I was a bit worried when I heard they closed the roof. I know the Arena and I know what it's like with the roof closed. Good to hear sound was ok and you still had enough air to breathe. What were the impacts of the indoors setting at the light show and visuals?
 
Ageeth said:
Bonoa, With GA tickets the sound was also good! But i heard from people in the back of the stadium that the sound was bad and that they heard everything 3 times:hmm:
Click to expand...


Sounds like our stadium :lol:
It has a massive echo.


But good to hear the sound was ok after all :up:
 
Oh, and Edge, Larry and Adam of course.

I think the stadium setting didn't do the effects show any bad. Of course the roof was reflecting the lights but the effects still came through. But as I said in the Berlin thread, I didn't see too much of it. Was just focusing on other things. The roof was closed. I would be curious how it were if the roof were open.
Cant the band just request the roof be opened or do the sound technicians don't think it's gonna change much?
 
Vincent Vega said:
Oh, and Edge, Larry and Adam of course.

I think the stadium setting didn't do the effects show any bad. Of course the roof was reflecting the lights but the effects still came through. But as I said in the Berlin thread, I didn't see too much of it. Was just focusing on other things. The roof was closed. I would be curious how it were if the roof were open.
Cant the band just request the roof be opened or do the sound technicians don't think it's gonna change much?
Click to expand...

And a certain someone else, too :wink:

I don't think they open the roof a lot in the ArenA, most of the time it's just closed I think :hmm:
 
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