Tonight's fantabulotous show was back to U2 live business as usual, compared to watching the gig in Turin through a "Is Bono gonna be alright?" prism. I completely forgot about Bono's injury for 90% of the show, it'd be hard to tell he'd had any back surgery just a few months ago! He was swinging on the steering wheel mic like a kid during the encore.
And as much as I loved the emotion and drama of the first-gig-back concert on Friday, tonight was just a bloomin great U2 concert. The German crowd were completely and raucously up-for-it, the whole stadium was bouncing, clapping and singing along from the start. I was in seats on the lower tier, slightly to Adam's side, at the end of the stadium directly facing the band. Fantastic seats for €41 each! (I only got them online last night so I suspect they may have been moved down a few price categories to shift them.)
My couchsurf host here in Frankfurt brought a pair of quite powerful binoculars with him so we were able to take turns watching the boys onstage in stalker-like detail. It was lovely to spy on some of the little band interactions that are usually impossible to spot from a distance, especially Larry's little smirks and laughs with Bono, Adam and occasionally with his techie Sam.
Actually Larry got up and gave Bono a very hearty standing ovation just after Bono's Lord Of The Prance around the outer stage during that new instrumental opener. So Bono gave Larry an ovation back.
Whilst it almost goes against standard U2 policy not to open (properly) with a song off their most recent album, Beautiful Day does get the entire stadium rocking from the start in a way that Breathe never could. And New Year's Day was an inspired second choice, pumping some more fuel into the fire, with some extra Polish passion added to the mayhem in the pit. Six Poland flags were hoisted by fans in different parts of the pit, one was thrown onto the stage, and Bono draped it over one of his monitors where I think it stayed for the rest of the show.
The German crowd were LOOOOUD, very, very loud, and fully into the show, with the full stadium on its feet, singing and clapping along to ISHFWILF, and bopping away happily to Mysterious Ways.
The big highlight tonight for me was Miss Sarajevo, especially when Bono strains for and hits that astonishing operatic solo. And I'm finally starting to see what others rave about for UTEOTW, it is a superb bit of rock opera, with Edge dredging some filthy sounds from his orchestra. Streets had a lovely long intro (and the white lights even worked tonight too).
I'm sure Moment of Surrender has a new arrangement at the start, it sounds different, more melodic, to me. It still builds intensely, but why do they drop the third verse ...? Bono dedicated it to the people who died at the Love Parade in Germany recently. It was a slightly awkward dedication, I thought he'd bonovoxed himself into a corner for a second, but he got out of it eventually. But the crowd certainly appreciated the dedication.
I must say, the light show and production looks incredible from the lower tier at back of the stadium. I allowed my eyes to sorta diffuse into the video screen, the towering Claw and the light show, and blurry eyed some songs are gorgeously lush.
There were a few flubs, but nothing too flubby. Least fav songs for me are Elevation, SBS, and Mysterious Ways, but they're three stadium blockbusters so I suspect they ain't going anywhere. I'm still not sure about Glastonbury yet after only two listens. Bono called it a 70s style rock out, I'm not convinced yet. I think they need to put on some wellies and tie daisy chains in their hair first
