(My photos are
here.)
Yeah the music was turned up very, very loud in there last night. Definitely the loudest I've heard yet.
London is calling but London Bridge is not falling! Or so said Bono. London was roaring and jumping.
I had a wee notion before the concert that the atmosphere might have a touch of the English reserve last night. And be affected by the UK / London (healthy) cynical attitude to most things. I live in London now and around 99% of my friends and colleagues have zero interest in U2, many actually professing a profound dislike of them.
I thought some of this might carry over into the gig but not a chance. The crowd were well up for it, there was a superb atmosphere. London is (another) one of the big shows on the tour, having a lot of media and music industry big wigs, and it was also an early home from home for U2, they have a huge core audience here.
They responded with a truly great performance. It had the emotional intensity of old friends becoming reacquainted: U2 and London, U2 and Wembley Stadium. Bono even joked about how U2 were older than Wembley at one point, I guess he may have meant the all-new shiny Wembley, compared to the all-dilapidated shitty Wembley from before.
Bono promised something special as London has been so good to U2 since they first got here with a demo tape aged 18. I initially thought it would mean a new surprise song like how The Auld Triangle appeared in Dublin 1, maybe they'd play London Calling! Or Roll Out The Barrels. But no, he just meant a special concert. And it was.
Wembley is a very, very vast and very beautiful stadium. (Can I say very vast?) And the whole place was rocking. It's almost like the bigger the stadium the bigger the performance. There was an Indian family in the row below me: mum, dad, gran and four year old boy. They spent the first four songs seated and watching. U2 had completely conquered Wembley when they were up and dancing and clapping during Beautiful Day and ISHFWILF.
Elevation was wonderfully pogotastic, Vertigo was massive, old-style Streets had the communal blast-off, Mysterious Ways had the English dancing to an Irish beat. Watch out Cuba!
Some random observations:
- Bono put an Irish tricolour and British Union Jack side by side on an amplifier on the stage during Sunday Bloody Sunday, a nice touch to show how far things have moved on since 1982
- I think there was a new little bass flourish from Adam during the choruses of Streets
- the show wasn't recorded for DVD, at least I didn't see any additional cameras like those boom cameras
- the early start time and curfew didn't affect the atmosphere at all I think, many people were drinking outside all day with carry outs
- it was the most multicultural crowd I've seen yet. Other shows have had a very international audience, but still mostly Caucasian. There were more blacks and Asians there last night than anywhere else
- when Bono thanked the audience at the end of Mysterious Ways, a girl behind me roared back "No! Thank YOU!" - which I thought was very English
- Elbow were really good, I love their last CD, they're not an obvious stadium band, but they're a superb live band and got the crowd going well enough
- met a couple of Interferencers. Adrian and Karina have been camping out overnight in the GA queue at many concerts around Europe, they got to be first place for yesterday's show. Also "met" Anji, well she said hello in the GA queue as I was trying (and failing) to do some plugging. Sorry I didn't stay to chat for longer!
- there was one guy jumping around like a complete lunatic for the whole concert on his own in the tennis court sized area behind the stage on Adam's side. He was playing air guitar, air drums, running around, twirling his shirt over his head, down on his knees, hands joyously spread over his head, the whole gamut of a guy in love with the music and having an amazing time, except he probably only caught glimpses of the band very occasionally. I then realised it had all actually been a very prolonged and elaborate mating dance. He was joined periodically by a young female of the species about an hour or so into the gig. I hope they're nesting
More again tonight please boys!