Gotta be a real quickie of random notes and observations from Sao Paulo 1.
I was in the seats in the top tier behind the stage with Marty from Holland (who’s usually a front-railer). I had my first bit of commercial success in South America before the show (obrigado to Nick and Karina for pimping me), and had been indulged with wonderful Brazilian generosity (megabrigado a Beca for the ticket). So Marty and I indulged a few cervejas before the show, and I had a very merry glow when the show started.
Matt from Muse has become the first support artist to make it out onto the bridges during their set. He walked halfway out onto each of the uncovered bridges during songs, (uncovered perhaps cos of the rain during their set). I was egging him on to go the whole way to the outer stage. Someone suggested to me afterwards that perhaps he ain’t allowed to, but if his lyrics are anything to go by, that’s hardly going to stop him.
There was lightning before and after U2, which made for a very dramatic setting. And I haven’t noticed such a constant barrage of camera flashes being maintained throughout the entire show before, from photo-frenzied crowd . The ‘play-a-local-hit-before-Space Oddity’ theme carried over from La Plata, with a samba song providing the stadium sing-a-along. I finally clicked that the new porthole on the video screen during the opening is related to the spaceship theme.
The field didn’t look as wild and in such a sweeping tumult as it did in Argentina, perhaps as there was an extra barrier across the width of the field beyond the outer rail, and another barrier down the centre of the field, so everyone was broken up in different sections. They couldn’t create a heaving mosh, but the Sao Pauloians could create a fearsome noise. I found myself nudging my earplugs deeper into my ears to protect my hearing from the manic roars around me.
It also seems very weird to remember that people in Europe and Australia sit during the show, no chance of that here. This felt like how U2 concerts should be, with fans roaring for each song, and more fans here recognising Magnificent, for example, than in other places. I was surprised that they also knew the words to In A Little While and Miss Sarajevo, which was almost the perfect version. (Bono didn’t have a girl onstage with him after IALW so he was able to have a sip of water before instead of during the song.) Actually, Bono’s singing was superb throughout.
There was mad excitement around the stadium during the day, especially when the gates opened, when fans began chanting and bouncing their way onto the field, with the frenzied sprints obviously. Some fans passed out green and yellow balloons after Muse. I blew mine up and released it during Stingray Guitar, I should have kept it for Streets as that was the planned flash mob which was pretty cool.
Bono made a reference to “13 years old, St Patrick’s Cathedral” with a bell-ringing gesture during the “ring those bells” part of UTEOTW. I’m not sure where that church is from my patchy memory of Dublin. Was he revealing a secret past hobby as a ... oops, what’s the proper name for people who ring bells in churches? (Just checked Google, a ‘campanologist’ apparently.)
Larry carried his djemba drum right down to the bottom of the steps behind the stage during Crazy Tonight, to show off to all the samba lovers present. But strangely, Crazy didn’t really take off, most people watched instead of bopping along. (Bono name-checked DJ Redanka who was present.) And perhaps the Brazilian culture is influencing me, but I thought the visuals during Mysterious Ways were getting a bit more, um, intimate than before.
There was a hilarious prolonged scene of hundreds of people in the pit bowing down to Adam in a “we’re not worthy” manner during Sunday Bloody Sunday. He stayed put for the whole song.
I discovered an amazing new trick to enjoy slower parts of the show, to stop my attention from wandering: closing my eyes and just listening to the music. This really revealed just how luscious the tones in Scarlet are, but Bono doesn’t alf spoil it with what a Scottish friend of mine calls “his speechifying”. It’d be lovely to hear it played through as on the album. One was also even more powerful with the eyes closed effect. And it was especially stunning to keep my eyes closed during With Or Without You for a minute or so, and then open them to see the spectacular beauty of the Claw and stadium all lit up. Although it was too intense to keep my eyes closed during Moment of Surrender after Bono’s dedication to the children killed in school in Rio on Thursday. A very moving, choked-up version.
I’m ticketless for tonight as yet, but hope to score one outside ...
Have fun!
all is forgiven.
