December 1, 2010 - Etihad Stadium - Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Thread starter Sicy
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AchtungGirl219
Acrobat
I've only ever had seats once... and I'm never getting seats again either... !
Though my sister had seats up on Level 3 and still loved it... except for the fact that she and her friend were told to sit down by the people around them when they got up to cheer and dance during 'Streets'! How can you sit down during Streets? Or tell others to sit down? That's ridiculous!!!
Though my sister had seats up on Level 3 and still loved it... except for the fact that she and her friend were told to sit down by the people around them when they got up to cheer and dance during 'Streets'! How can you sit down during Streets? Or tell others to sit down? That's ridiculous!!!
intedomine
Rock n' Roll Doggie FOB
Wednesday: front and centre on the rail (late decision to not go in the inner circle itself was a very wise one - best position, best view in the house in my opinion). My mate next to me got a high five from Bono during COBL, lucky prick. One of the best nights of my life.
Friday: Sitting up the back, level 3, surrounded by drunks and precious older couples. A great show (great to see the lighting in all it's glory), but it just wasn't the same as the intimacy we experienced on Wednesday.
Friday: Sitting up the back, level 3, surrounded by drunks and precious older couples. A great show (great to see the lighting in all it's glory), but it just wasn't the same as the intimacy we experienced on Wednesday.
annabelle
New Yorker
annabelle
New Yorker
I would loved to have been in the inner circle with the real fans, I think I would have just had a smile overdose.
Update: Friday...oh yeah!!!
under the bridge as Bono sang MW directly above my head...could not believe it...some things are worth waiting a whole lifetime for! lol
kennerado
Refugee
This night was awesome, I'm uploading a bunch of pics to the gallery.
cobl04
45:33
this is really long, but it would be cool if some of you could read it
November 18, 2006 was and still is the best night of my life. I finally got to see U2 live, something I wasn't sure would ever happen, and I still have very few (or far too many) words to describe it. So I felt apprehensive: how could this gig possibly compare? Spoiler, it didn't. But it was still a phenomenal, spine-tingling, breathtaking, moving, humbling, awesome experience.
I was nervous on Wednesday: the same type of butterflies that you get when you're starting a new job, or going on a blind date, or when you've swallowed a jarful of butterflies.
The night before I caught up with Danny and Ali and Ax and Charlotte and a few others whose usernames I've forgotten. We ate at Lord of the Fries, a "Melbourne Institution" I was told, but sometimes deep fried doesn't hit the spot.
On the way home I blasted Achtung Baby. It's an amazing record that does not have one song that could even be called ordinary.
I knew some quite good looking girls that were going to the gig, but I'm not good friends with them, and Danny and Ali were lining up far too early for me to even consider, so at about 1pm I rolled out of my driveway with my brother and three of his mates in tow. As I had listened to AB the night before, I was in the mood for Jay-Z so The Black Album became the soundtrack to the trip.
Arron instructed me to a barren, decrepit parking lot which offered 24-hour parking for just $6. There was broken glass everywhere and the machine did not like my debit mastercard, so I had to drive nearly to Footscray just to get coins. But as we parked and began the all-terrain hike to Etihad Stadium, any annoyance disappeared as the sounds of the techs soundchecking City of Blinding Lights filled the air. It's a song I have barely listened to in recent times, so in a lot of ways it was like catching up with an old friend ("That's so gay," is what my friends would remark).
After trekking over man-made hills and through office and apartment blocks we arrived at gate seven at about 2:30pm. I saw Danny and chatted to him briefly before joining the GA line, which already had roughly a thousand people in it.
Time passed surprisingly quickly; the iPhone, Jay-Z rehearsing, and innate-but-entertaining chatter with other U2 fans helped greatly.
It rained for about an hour or two, and looking around found plenty of interesting ideas for cover: newspapers, cardboard, jumpers and the surprisingly less popular umbrellas and ponchos. Secretly I was hoping it might rain during the gig but it never did.
At 5:30 the gates opened and the butterflies in my stomach began to rage as the line picked up in both pace and volume. The last of my paranoias, whether the tickets would scan, proved to be fleeting as we entered Etihad and jogged down the stairs to the field, and there, in front of me, was the "biggest thing I have ever seen", the claw, monstrous really in its grandeur.
I took off towards the Inner Zone, which wasn't all that packed as many people either thought it was the Red Zone or went for the outer rail. Once inside I spotted Danny and Ali and and remained just behind them for the next six hours. Not bad considering I joined the GA queue about five hours later than they did.
The hour-and-a-half before Jay-Z came on passed quickly. I took a few photos of the claw, got increasingly frustrated as my brother and his mates began an unfunny and unnecessarily loud game of Eye Spy. A bald man with glasses and a navy blue tracksuit in front of me asked, "who's excited for Jay-Z?" I yelled, "woooo!" (all my inhibitions disappear completely at concerts) and went for the
, but he just gave me a look of disgust and I thought I might have to throw down some fisticuffs.
Songs played over the PA were good - The Reeling, by Passion Pit, 1901 and Lisztomania by Phoenix and Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine, among others.
The claw's first activity was a 15:00 countdown timer, to which the crowd reacted positively. The PA music was turned up significantly and included some downright hip-hop classics: No Sleep Till Brooklyn (Beastie Boys), Hypnotize Me (Biggie) and a personal favourite, Hail Mary (2Pac), featuring the timeless opening lyric, "I ain't a killer but don't push me / revenge is like the sweetest joy next to gettin' pussy". Viva La Vida was also played to the delight of the crowd, and an abridged Smells Like Teen Spirit was the last song before Jay-Z's full live band - an awesome and highly commendable sight given most hip-hop artists perform with just a DJ - came to the stage.
Now I was already a fan of Jay-Z, so I was one of the very few who was just beyond excited when I heard he was the support act. That's virtually a double bill for me. Dressed in black, and sporting those Ray-Bans, he began his set with some tunes from The Blueprint 3 (one was D.O.A.) that I didn't know, before he bought sidekick Obleek (sp?) on stage. My first moment of absolute enjoyment was when Obleek asked Jay, "what level do you think we should turn it up to in here?" and Jay replied, "99", as the band launched into a frenetic 99 Problems. His set was terrific, perfectly mixing newer stuff with his big hits and fan favourites. Public Service Announcement, possibly my favourite Jay-Z song, was blistering, and Izzo (H.O.V.A.) took me back.
He repeatedly asked us to form diamonds with our hands (I'm not sure what this was, a bigger fan will know) and the aforementioned idiot in front of me thought it would hilarious if he used his middle fingers instead.
Those who were originally enraged at the idea of Jay-Z opening for U2 (among those, "wtf get fkn Jet m8") were won over by his final three songs. The first was a singalong of Forever Young with rap verses interspersed (I was pretty meh towards it), the second, Empire State of Mind, was introduced with "let me take you to my home" to almost unanimous cheers, and the final was Encore (backed by In The End, not The Black Album version) which morphed into an absolute beast over the final 20-30 seconds as his backing band rocked all the way to the back of level three. Shawn and the band then gave thanks and hyped up the crowd for U2, "a small band that might have a shot at success", but not before Jay adlibbed over a pre-recorded Radiohead's Everything in its Right Place, which sounded fantastic with the live instrumentation. (The nerd in me came out as I shouted "kid a, kid a" akin to the album version.)
I was blown away by his set - and much to my great pleasure the crowd response was very good, and even if you don't like hip hop it would have been a lie to say he was a poor performer. His most recent albums may not have sent the critics drooling, but his live show is unparalleled in the hip hop world.
~
I went to sit down for 20 minutes or so, but I'd inadvertently stepped on one of those split-in-two squidgey packets of mustard, so there was nowhere for me to sit. Luckily for me, a clock appeared on the video screen, again to the delight of the crowd. (Being a first-time 360er, it took me a good 10-15 minutes to realise it was running fast.) Danny, Ali and I debated as to when the clock would stop - 3:00 (in the morning, it's quiet, and there's no one around), 3:33 (when the numbers fell of the clock face), 6:00 (in the morning, you're the last to hear the warning), 9:05 (man at the doorbell rings), 11:00 (tick tock), 12 (midnight is where the day begins), surprising ourselves as to just how many specific time references there have been in U2 songs. The crowd counted down the final ten seconds and then cheered excitedly as the second hand broke away the lines. Alas, the clock signalled nothing, as there was still another 15 minutes or so before Space Oddity began.
This was a thrilling moment for me, as I knew what it meant, but had not seen the band take the stage, having barred myself from watching the Rose Bowl DVD. "Liftoff," Bowie sang, and smoke began to billow from the central spire of this beautiful beast of a structure. Cheers took up from the $40 as they spotted the band entering the arena, and then slowly progressed forward as Paul, Dave, Larry and Adam wandered on stage. My heart was pounding so loud at this stage I could hear it - think about that for a second.
Their new intro, Return of the Stingray Guitar, rocks. It's a lot of fun, and that wobbly squeak that Edge plays is pretty cool, and as always Bono is at his infectious best when he's running around warming up the crowd. "G'day!" he greeted us with as he finished right in the centre of the outer walkway, facing the outer zone.
I knew what was coming next, and the crowd cheered as loudly as you'd expect them to, but Beautiful Day isn't a strong opening song... I think it works better as the first "hit" of the setlist, in the opening quarter of songs, the position it's been in since Vertigo. It fell a bit flat considering the response it should get.
An absolutely BLISTERING I Will Follow came next. 30 years old this song is, and yet it still slays live. The breakdown and Edge's loud guitar were the highlights for Boots, a decent song that nonetheless failed to capture worldwide attention a la Vertigo. I've never been a fan of Magnificent - I think it's a song the band could have written whilst sleeping - and it gave me a chance to get my breath back.
I had a feeling that Mysterious Ways followed it in the setlist, but I wasn't sure. Even so, it popped into my head straight away and it segues very well out of Magnificent. In terms of sequencing (for those who live and die by it) it's a very strong part of the setlist. But it was a slight bummer for me, for two reasons. One, it's the song I noticed that Bono seemed to be singing in a high-pitched tone... (he seemed to sound like Tutu at some points!) and that bothered me for the next 20 or so minutes, Two, WHERE THE HELL IS THE SOLO??!? Mysterious Ways was one of the innumerable highlights in '06 due to that huge solo, but I think it was missing. I'm pretty damn sure!
Elevation was fun in GA, but gauging reactions I'd heard from others, I thought it was going to go off a lot more than it did... perhaps on its third consecutive tour everyone has lost a bit of enthusiasm for it. Still, I shredded that solo along with The Edge, and it was at this point I noticed the short girl standing next to me was becoming annoyed with my behaviour, jumping around, screaming, etc. But fuck her.
Few recognised the intro for UTEOTW (whatever it is, I'm still not sure), a song I was hoping would remain in the setlist as U2 played it on the 19th in 06, the show there was still tickets for at 530pm the same day but Dad wouldn't let me go (I may never get over it), and it was fucking awesome. I still (just) prefer the album version, but it doesn't get much more exciting than the solo, the final verse, the "love-love-love-la-la-la-love-la-love-love-la-la-la" bit and the inevitable Bono/Edge clash at the end.
Next was Still Haven't Found, and I was blown away by this one. Why? Because it has been one of the more complained about songs this tour, with many judging it to be flat, monotonous or not worth of each-night status. It was close to the highlight of the first nine songs... and I got my first bout of the tingles as Bono let the crowd sing a fair portion. The way we were going I thought we could have song the whole thing. Whether they've found what they're looking for I'll for the nitpickers to debate; a truly great moment.
~
"This is a new song, so if we screw it up, *smilingshrug". It's called Mercy." This was the most I had gone off since Public Service Announcement; and I immediately drew the attention of those around me, who were perplexed at my reaction to a new, unknown song. How did I know the words? Fools.
The verses were AMAZING, truly. Edge's guitar gave me tingles for the second time, and Larry's pounding drums give it more spine than the 04 version. But sadly, the bridge, one of the best parts, is gone, and the chorus, perfect in its original form, has been replaced by this stilted "because-because-because" bit. But I won't cry over spilt milk... I sang what I wanted to, the verses remained amazing and we'll always have our version.
On the 19th in 06 I stayed up late to follow the setlist. Already fuming at missing the inclusions of UTEOTW, Still Haven't Found and The First Time, imagine my reaction when I read that Bad had been played after Kite. I knew Bad was rare, and I knew that it had been even rarer on this tour, but I was hopeful of getting it. But I never would have predicted it on the first night. As the synth loop took up (I have always liked the album version better though, as I prefer Edge's guitar being the focal point of the song musically) I was caught in this awkward position between
and :cornflakes: that left me somewhat in the lurch. It was just as amazing as I always imagined it would be, maybe even more so. "To let it go / and so to fade away / I'm wide awake / I'm not sleeping" took over my brain and body. Mercy into Bad worked very well, a highlight for "seguists". But it was kinda draining, so I wasn't bothered that IALW was up next. I like the studio version, the bridge in particular, but live, on this stage and in this tour, it felt somewhat incongruous. People have expressed annoyance at Bono taking girls on stage during this song, I thought it was the highlight of the performance! I just imagined what it would be like if I was a girl and that was me. And then I felt weird. And then Edge started playing piano as Bono stood singing on the bridge; and it felt just as intimate as it would have without the 50 metre steel structure. I'd prefer Running to Stand Still, as it's one of my very favourite U2 songs, and we got Miss Sarajevo in 2006 as well. But it's hard to argue with once Bono takes up the opera part. My GOD does he absolutely nail it. This is an extremely obscure song relatively, but you get away with it live because Bono takes the crowd with him as he sings, "l'amoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooorrrrreeee giungerar' / l'aaaaaaaamooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeee e non so piu..."
~
For the first time during the show the claw really came to life during City of Blinding Lights. I obviously love this song - it was my favourite U2 song for about two years, is my username and was my avatar for a year or more, hence the current throwback. It was slightly ruined for me in 2006 but people's unenthusiastic reactions in the level three side-on seats, but boy oh boy was that rectified on Wednesday night. With those video screens fully descended the visuals were phenomenal, and I think COBL is very deserving of its "modern-day Streets" title. Joining all of GA as threw our hands forward for each "oh" "you" "look" "so" "beautiful" "tonight..." felt simply incredible. And for all the shit that Vertigo cops, it is an absolute (who's counting along??) fucking monster live. The band filled every nook, cranny, crevice, crack, hole, seat, molecule of the stadium with the noise from this one. "Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah" has been ruthlessly mocked, but it was thrilling to hear as we watched shots of each band member spin viciously around the video screens.
One of the more comical moments of the night came when each band member's head appeared bobbing on the screen to this awesome remix of Crazy Tonight. This is something usually reserved for the dance/techno/house musicmakers of the world, not 40 (50?)-something rockers. Not many people were able to decipher the song until Bono began the chorus, but it hardly seemed to matter as the energy from COBL and Vertigo flowed seamlessly into this cool remix. The "Relax" snippet makes it even better and I have to say that if you prefer the studio version to this one, then you need to check yourself in for a frontal lobotomy.
A relatively flat Sunday Bloody Sunday followed, and I must have been one of the very, very few who felt that Jay-Z actually improved the performance. It's a song that in my opinion needs a bit of reinvention and I thought Jay-Z did a great job.
I didn't look at the New Zealand setlists, and I had forgotten about MLK so as Bono blathered on about Aung Sun Suu Kyi I again annoyed the chick next to me by reacting very excitedly when they sort of half-played Scarlet. That was a MASSIVE suprise, and I'd love for someone to tell me how the forum reacted when they first played it, because it doesn't even appear in people's joke/dream setlists. And whatever you think of Walk On, I don't mind, I thought it was fantastic and very cathartic.
~
Danny and Ali laughed along as Desmond Tutu took up his speech. I was reminded of
which made me laugh. His enthusiasm, even in video form, is infectious and the crowd cheered HUGE when he said "ONE!" as the backing music began.
Here's another song that has become the "whippingboy" of this forum in recent times, and yet I don't think it should ever be dropped. I particularly loved the visuals, which included clips from Corbijn's video, which made it seem more poignant somehow. The guitar is as achingly beautiful as ever, Bono still sounds great and its climax nearly drove me to tears. I was only let down by the non-inclusion of the "do you hear us coming lord?" verse, which takes it into the stratosphere live.
You all know what's coming. I was sort of dreading it in a way; it's such a draining song, emotionally and physically. The butterflies were back. The sheer power of the cheer as Bono sang "...was blind / but now / I see..." whilst the video screens turned that red was as heart-filling a moment as you're ever likely to experience. I loved Streets on Vertigo in 06 - the crowd drowned Bono out and he was suitably impressed - but some complained about his refusal to shut up over the intro, and the flags of the world in lieu of the red. Those arguments have their merits because the singular red is so powerful. The way I felt during Streets was just indescribable. The intro had massive tingles going all over me, and I sang my heart out with Bono. "Love, love, love..." with the burst of light yellow/gold lights... And at the end of the song Bono was actually visibly pumped up. He had adrenalin coursing through his veins and he yelled and screamed and jumped up and down and swore he was that pumped up by the crowd's response. Something I will never, ever forget.
~
I heard the Gone sirens, I swear. So imagine my disappointment when I jumped about three feet in the air ready to rock out to Gone when HMTMKMKM began. Don't get me wrong, it sounds fucking awesome live, but I like Gone better and I swear those were the sirens from Gone. The dirty guitar and dirty vocals however were
It didn't lead well into WOWY though. For all the set up that the final encore took, that cartoon on the video screen and the vibe of HMTMKMKM, WOWY didn't really fit as the next song. But I didn't seem to mind. It didn't move me as it did four years ago, but this forum's constant complaints about Bono going through the motions and the performance being lacklustre were thankfully exaggerated. U2 had us eating from the palm of their hands by the end of it.
Bono began Moment of Surrender with the "oh oh ohs", which worked well, and I had heard that this song was a real dud to close the concert out (again from this fourm) but luckily it was anything but. At least from where I was. The crowd seemed reasonably captivated, and I can't help but feel that had this song been released 15, 20 years ago it would be huge. Maybe it might have worked slightly better in earlier in the set? Maybe it's a smarter idea to close with something more traditional. Whatever the case, it worked, and as the band left the stage, the crowd took up the "oh oh ohs" again, and we were so good we almost convinced Bono to bring the band back on stage for one final song. They were tempted, you could see it, but then Bono tapped Larry or Adam on the shoulder as if to say, "nah, we'll just leave now, it's been a great show". Danny tongue-in-cheek booed, and then the crowd oh oh ohed some more before Rocket Man finally indicated that the show was indeed over.
I was bowled over. I have to admit I left a smidge disappointed (I wasn't a fan of the sound but that might have been due to being so close) but that was more to do with comparing it the 06 show I saw, where I couldn't wipe the smile off my face for a good half hour, where I was on a high for days afterwards. I just had to accept the fact that maybe nothing will ever top November 18, 2006.
Danny, Ali and I talked briefly about the show, all of us agreed it was incredible. I began the trundle out of the stadium, trying to get my aching body parts moving again. I paid $10 for a bottle of water and a coke, completely ignoring the exorbitant prices because I was almost delirously thirsty. We ran into Dad outside gate seven, who said it wasn't as good as Acca Dacca so I walked off. The ride home put me in a bad mood because there was a massive traffic jam due to the bridge out of town having three of its four lanes closed, so it clogged us up for an hour and a half and I swear to GOD we were never as annoying as 16yos as my brother and his mates were, loudly quoting lines from movies, singing loudly, saying stupid things to people in adjacent lanes, trying to get truck drivers to toot their horns. So I just played Protection by Massive Attack and Aquemini by Outkast and tried to focus on the music.
I'll post about Friday (it will be much more brief, I've been writing this for about two hours) tomorrow. I've had a massive weekend and I need some sleep probably. I hope you enjoyed my review I enjoyed writing it
November 18, 2006 was and still is the best night of my life. I finally got to see U2 live, something I wasn't sure would ever happen, and I still have very few (or far too many) words to describe it. So I felt apprehensive: how could this gig possibly compare? Spoiler, it didn't. But it was still a phenomenal, spine-tingling, breathtaking, moving, humbling, awesome experience.
I was nervous on Wednesday: the same type of butterflies that you get when you're starting a new job, or going on a blind date, or when you've swallowed a jarful of butterflies.
The night before I caught up with Danny and Ali and Ax and Charlotte and a few others whose usernames I've forgotten. We ate at Lord of the Fries, a "Melbourne Institution" I was told, but sometimes deep fried doesn't hit the spot.
On the way home I blasted Achtung Baby. It's an amazing record that does not have one song that could even be called ordinary.
I knew some quite good looking girls that were going to the gig, but I'm not good friends with them, and Danny and Ali were lining up far too early for me to even consider, so at about 1pm I rolled out of my driveway with my brother and three of his mates in tow. As I had listened to AB the night before, I was in the mood for Jay-Z so The Black Album became the soundtrack to the trip.
Arron instructed me to a barren, decrepit parking lot which offered 24-hour parking for just $6. There was broken glass everywhere and the machine did not like my debit mastercard, so I had to drive nearly to Footscray just to get coins. But as we parked and began the all-terrain hike to Etihad Stadium, any annoyance disappeared as the sounds of the techs soundchecking City of Blinding Lights filled the air. It's a song I have barely listened to in recent times, so in a lot of ways it was like catching up with an old friend ("That's so gay," is what my friends would remark).
After trekking over man-made hills and through office and apartment blocks we arrived at gate seven at about 2:30pm. I saw Danny and chatted to him briefly before joining the GA line, which already had roughly a thousand people in it.
Time passed surprisingly quickly; the iPhone, Jay-Z rehearsing, and innate-but-entertaining chatter with other U2 fans helped greatly.
It rained for about an hour or two, and looking around found plenty of interesting ideas for cover: newspapers, cardboard, jumpers and the surprisingly less popular umbrellas and ponchos. Secretly I was hoping it might rain during the gig but it never did.
At 5:30 the gates opened and the butterflies in my stomach began to rage as the line picked up in both pace and volume. The last of my paranoias, whether the tickets would scan, proved to be fleeting as we entered Etihad and jogged down the stairs to the field, and there, in front of me, was the "biggest thing I have ever seen", the claw, monstrous really in its grandeur.
I took off towards the Inner Zone, which wasn't all that packed as many people either thought it was the Red Zone or went for the outer rail. Once inside I spotted Danny and Ali and and remained just behind them for the next six hours. Not bad considering I joined the GA queue about five hours later than they did.
The hour-and-a-half before Jay-Z came on passed quickly. I took a few photos of the claw, got increasingly frustrated as my brother and his mates began an unfunny and unnecessarily loud game of Eye Spy. A bald man with glasses and a navy blue tracksuit in front of me asked, "who's excited for Jay-Z?" I yelled, "woooo!" (all my inhibitions disappear completely at concerts) and went for the
, but he just gave me a look of disgust and I thought I might have to throw down some fisticuffs.Songs played over the PA were good - The Reeling, by Passion Pit, 1901 and Lisztomania by Phoenix and Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine, among others.
The claw's first activity was a 15:00 countdown timer, to which the crowd reacted positively. The PA music was turned up significantly and included some downright hip-hop classics: No Sleep Till Brooklyn (Beastie Boys), Hypnotize Me (Biggie) and a personal favourite, Hail Mary (2Pac), featuring the timeless opening lyric, "I ain't a killer but don't push me / revenge is like the sweetest joy next to gettin' pussy". Viva La Vida was also played to the delight of the crowd, and an abridged Smells Like Teen Spirit was the last song before Jay-Z's full live band - an awesome and highly commendable sight given most hip-hop artists perform with just a DJ - came to the stage.
Now I was already a fan of Jay-Z, so I was one of the very few who was just beyond excited when I heard he was the support act. That's virtually a double bill for me. Dressed in black, and sporting those Ray-Bans, he began his set with some tunes from The Blueprint 3 (one was D.O.A.) that I didn't know, before he bought sidekick Obleek (sp?) on stage. My first moment of absolute enjoyment was when Obleek asked Jay, "what level do you think we should turn it up to in here?" and Jay replied, "99", as the band launched into a frenetic 99 Problems. His set was terrific, perfectly mixing newer stuff with his big hits and fan favourites. Public Service Announcement, possibly my favourite Jay-Z song, was blistering, and Izzo (H.O.V.A.) took me back.
He repeatedly asked us to form diamonds with our hands (I'm not sure what this was, a bigger fan will know) and the aforementioned idiot in front of me thought it would hilarious if he used his middle fingers instead.
Those who were originally enraged at the idea of Jay-Z opening for U2 (among those, "wtf get fkn Jet m8") were won over by his final three songs. The first was a singalong of Forever Young with rap verses interspersed (I was pretty meh towards it), the second, Empire State of Mind, was introduced with "let me take you to my home" to almost unanimous cheers, and the final was Encore (backed by In The End, not The Black Album version) which morphed into an absolute beast over the final 20-30 seconds as his backing band rocked all the way to the back of level three. Shawn and the band then gave thanks and hyped up the crowd for U2, "a small band that might have a shot at success", but not before Jay adlibbed over a pre-recorded Radiohead's Everything in its Right Place, which sounded fantastic with the live instrumentation. (The nerd in me came out as I shouted "kid a, kid a" akin to the album version.)
I was blown away by his set - and much to my great pleasure the crowd response was very good, and even if you don't like hip hop it would have been a lie to say he was a poor performer. His most recent albums may not have sent the critics drooling, but his live show is unparalleled in the hip hop world.
~
I went to sit down for 20 minutes or so, but I'd inadvertently stepped on one of those split-in-two squidgey packets of mustard, so there was nowhere for me to sit. Luckily for me, a clock appeared on the video screen, again to the delight of the crowd. (Being a first-time 360er, it took me a good 10-15 minutes to realise it was running fast.) Danny, Ali and I debated as to when the clock would stop - 3:00 (in the morning, it's quiet, and there's no one around), 3:33 (when the numbers fell of the clock face), 6:00 (in the morning, you're the last to hear the warning), 9:05 (man at the doorbell rings), 11:00 (tick tock), 12 (midnight is where the day begins), surprising ourselves as to just how many specific time references there have been in U2 songs. The crowd counted down the final ten seconds and then cheered excitedly as the second hand broke away the lines. Alas, the clock signalled nothing, as there was still another 15 minutes or so before Space Oddity began.
This was a thrilling moment for me, as I knew what it meant, but had not seen the band take the stage, having barred myself from watching the Rose Bowl DVD. "Liftoff," Bowie sang, and smoke began to billow from the central spire of this beautiful beast of a structure. Cheers took up from the $40 as they spotted the band entering the arena, and then slowly progressed forward as Paul, Dave, Larry and Adam wandered on stage. My heart was pounding so loud at this stage I could hear it - think about that for a second.
Their new intro, Return of the Stingray Guitar, rocks. It's a lot of fun, and that wobbly squeak that Edge plays is pretty cool, and as always Bono is at his infectious best when he's running around warming up the crowd. "G'day!" he greeted us with as he finished right in the centre of the outer walkway, facing the outer zone.
I knew what was coming next, and the crowd cheered as loudly as you'd expect them to, but Beautiful Day isn't a strong opening song... I think it works better as the first "hit" of the setlist, in the opening quarter of songs, the position it's been in since Vertigo. It fell a bit flat considering the response it should get.
An absolutely BLISTERING I Will Follow came next. 30 years old this song is, and yet it still slays live. The breakdown and Edge's loud guitar were the highlights for Boots, a decent song that nonetheless failed to capture worldwide attention a la Vertigo. I've never been a fan of Magnificent - I think it's a song the band could have written whilst sleeping - and it gave me a chance to get my breath back.
I had a feeling that Mysterious Ways followed it in the setlist, but I wasn't sure. Even so, it popped into my head straight away and it segues very well out of Magnificent. In terms of sequencing (for those who live and die by it) it's a very strong part of the setlist. But it was a slight bummer for me, for two reasons. One, it's the song I noticed that Bono seemed to be singing in a high-pitched tone... (he seemed to sound like Tutu at some points!) and that bothered me for the next 20 or so minutes, Two, WHERE THE HELL IS THE SOLO??!? Mysterious Ways was one of the innumerable highlights in '06 due to that huge solo, but I think it was missing. I'm pretty damn sure!
Elevation was fun in GA, but gauging reactions I'd heard from others, I thought it was going to go off a lot more than it did... perhaps on its third consecutive tour everyone has lost a bit of enthusiasm for it. Still, I shredded that solo along with The Edge, and it was at this point I noticed the short girl standing next to me was becoming annoyed with my behaviour, jumping around, screaming, etc. But fuck her.
Few recognised the intro for UTEOTW (whatever it is, I'm still not sure), a song I was hoping would remain in the setlist as U2 played it on the 19th in 06, the show there was still tickets for at 530pm the same day but Dad wouldn't let me go (I may never get over it), and it was fucking awesome. I still (just) prefer the album version, but it doesn't get much more exciting than the solo, the final verse, the "love-love-love-la-la-la-love-la-love-love-la-la-la" bit and the inevitable Bono/Edge clash at the end.
Next was Still Haven't Found, and I was blown away by this one. Why? Because it has been one of the more complained about songs this tour, with many judging it to be flat, monotonous or not worth of each-night status. It was close to the highlight of the first nine songs... and I got my first bout of the tingles as Bono let the crowd sing a fair portion. The way we were going I thought we could have song the whole thing. Whether they've found what they're looking for I'll for the nitpickers to debate; a truly great moment.
~
"This is a new song, so if we screw it up, *smilingshrug". It's called Mercy." This was the most I had gone off since Public Service Announcement; and I immediately drew the attention of those around me, who were perplexed at my reaction to a new, unknown song. How did I know the words? Fools.
The verses were AMAZING, truly. Edge's guitar gave me tingles for the second time, and Larry's pounding drums give it more spine than the 04 version. But sadly, the bridge, one of the best parts, is gone, and the chorus, perfect in its original form, has been replaced by this stilted "because-because-because" bit. But I won't cry over spilt milk... I sang what I wanted to, the verses remained amazing and we'll always have our version.On the 19th in 06 I stayed up late to follow the setlist. Already fuming at missing the inclusions of UTEOTW, Still Haven't Found and The First Time, imagine my reaction when I read that Bad had been played after Kite. I knew Bad was rare, and I knew that it had been even rarer on this tour, but I was hopeful of getting it. But I never would have predicted it on the first night. As the synth loop took up (I have always liked the album version better though, as I prefer Edge's guitar being the focal point of the song musically) I was caught in this awkward position between
and :cornflakes: that left me somewhat in the lurch. It was just as amazing as I always imagined it would be, maybe even more so. "To let it go / and so to fade away / I'm wide awake / I'm not sleeping" took over my brain and body. Mercy into Bad worked very well, a highlight for "seguists". But it was kinda draining, so I wasn't bothered that IALW was up next. I like the studio version, the bridge in particular, but live, on this stage and in this tour, it felt somewhat incongruous. People have expressed annoyance at Bono taking girls on stage during this song, I thought it was the highlight of the performance! I just imagined what it would be like if I was a girl and that was me. And then I felt weird. And then Edge started playing piano as Bono stood singing on the bridge; and it felt just as intimate as it would have without the 50 metre steel structure. I'd prefer Running to Stand Still, as it's one of my very favourite U2 songs, and we got Miss Sarajevo in 2006 as well. But it's hard to argue with once Bono takes up the opera part. My GOD does he absolutely nail it. This is an extremely obscure song relatively, but you get away with it live because Bono takes the crowd with him as he sings, "l'amoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooorrrrreeee giungerar' / l'aaaaaaaamooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeee e non so piu..."~
For the first time during the show the claw really came to life during City of Blinding Lights. I obviously love this song - it was my favourite U2 song for about two years, is my username and was my avatar for a year or more, hence the current throwback. It was slightly ruined for me in 2006 but people's unenthusiastic reactions in the level three side-on seats, but boy oh boy was that rectified on Wednesday night. With those video screens fully descended the visuals were phenomenal, and I think COBL is very deserving of its "modern-day Streets" title. Joining all of GA as threw our hands forward for each "oh" "you" "look" "so" "beautiful" "tonight..." felt simply incredible. And for all the shit that Vertigo cops, it is an absolute (who's counting along??) fucking monster live. The band filled every nook, cranny, crevice, crack, hole, seat, molecule of the stadium with the noise from this one. "Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah" has been ruthlessly mocked, but it was thrilling to hear as we watched shots of each band member spin viciously around the video screens.
One of the more comical moments of the night came when each band member's head appeared bobbing on the screen to this awesome remix of Crazy Tonight. This is something usually reserved for the dance/techno/house musicmakers of the world, not 40 (50?)-something rockers. Not many people were able to decipher the song until Bono began the chorus, but it hardly seemed to matter as the energy from COBL and Vertigo flowed seamlessly into this cool remix. The "Relax" snippet makes it even better and I have to say that if you prefer the studio version to this one, then you need to check yourself in for a frontal lobotomy.
A relatively flat Sunday Bloody Sunday followed, and I must have been one of the very, very few who felt that Jay-Z actually improved the performance. It's a song that in my opinion needs a bit of reinvention and I thought Jay-Z did a great job.
I didn't look at the New Zealand setlists, and I had forgotten about MLK so as Bono blathered on about Aung Sun Suu Kyi I again annoyed the chick next to me by reacting very excitedly when they sort of half-played Scarlet. That was a MASSIVE suprise, and I'd love for someone to tell me how the forum reacted when they first played it, because it doesn't even appear in people's joke/dream setlists. And whatever you think of Walk On, I don't mind, I thought it was fantastic and very cathartic.
~
Danny and Ali laughed along as Desmond Tutu took up his speech. I was reminded of
Here's another song that has become the "whippingboy" of this forum in recent times, and yet I don't think it should ever be dropped. I particularly loved the visuals, which included clips from Corbijn's video, which made it seem more poignant somehow. The guitar is as achingly beautiful as ever, Bono still sounds great and its climax nearly drove me to tears. I was only let down by the non-inclusion of the "do you hear us coming lord?" verse, which takes it into the stratosphere live.
You all know what's coming. I was sort of dreading it in a way; it's such a draining song, emotionally and physically. The butterflies were back. The sheer power of the cheer as Bono sang "...was blind / but now / I see..." whilst the video screens turned that red was as heart-filling a moment as you're ever likely to experience. I loved Streets on Vertigo in 06 - the crowd drowned Bono out and he was suitably impressed - but some complained about his refusal to shut up over the intro, and the flags of the world in lieu of the red. Those arguments have their merits because the singular red is so powerful. The way I felt during Streets was just indescribable. The intro had massive tingles going all over me, and I sang my heart out with Bono. "Love, love, love..." with the burst of light yellow/gold lights... And at the end of the song Bono was actually visibly pumped up. He had adrenalin coursing through his veins and he yelled and screamed and jumped up and down and swore he was that pumped up by the crowd's response. Something I will never, ever forget.
~
I heard the Gone sirens, I swear. So imagine my disappointment when I jumped about three feet in the air ready to rock out to Gone when HMTMKMKM began. Don't get me wrong, it sounds fucking awesome live, but I like Gone better and I swear those were the sirens from Gone. The dirty guitar and dirty vocals however were
It didn't lead well into WOWY though. For all the set up that the final encore took, that cartoon on the video screen and the vibe of HMTMKMKM, WOWY didn't really fit as the next song. But I didn't seem to mind. It didn't move me as it did four years ago, but this forum's constant complaints about Bono going through the motions and the performance being lacklustre were thankfully exaggerated. U2 had us eating from the palm of their hands by the end of it.
Bono began Moment of Surrender with the "oh oh ohs", which worked well, and I had heard that this song was a real dud to close the concert out (again from this fourm) but luckily it was anything but. At least from where I was. The crowd seemed reasonably captivated, and I can't help but feel that had this song been released 15, 20 years ago it would be huge. Maybe it might have worked slightly better in earlier in the set? Maybe it's a smarter idea to close with something more traditional. Whatever the case, it worked, and as the band left the stage, the crowd took up the "oh oh ohs" again, and we were so good we almost convinced Bono to bring the band back on stage for one final song. They were tempted, you could see it, but then Bono tapped Larry or Adam on the shoulder as if to say, "nah, we'll just leave now, it's been a great show". Danny tongue-in-cheek booed, and then the crowd oh oh ohed some more before Rocket Man finally indicated that the show was indeed over.
I was bowled over. I have to admit I left a smidge disappointed (I wasn't a fan of the sound but that might have been due to being so close) but that was more to do with comparing it the 06 show I saw, where I couldn't wipe the smile off my face for a good half hour, where I was on a high for days afterwards. I just had to accept the fact that maybe nothing will ever top November 18, 2006.
Danny, Ali and I talked briefly about the show, all of us agreed it was incredible. I began the trundle out of the stadium, trying to get my aching body parts moving again. I paid $10 for a bottle of water and a coke, completely ignoring the exorbitant prices because I was almost delirously thirsty. We ran into Dad outside gate seven, who said it wasn't as good as Acca Dacca so I walked off. The ride home put me in a bad mood because there was a massive traffic jam due to the bridge out of town having three of its four lanes closed, so it clogged us up for an hour and a half and I swear to GOD we were never as annoying as 16yos as my brother and his mates were, loudly quoting lines from movies, singing loudly, saying stupid things to people in adjacent lanes, trying to get truck drivers to toot their horns. So I just played Protection by Massive Attack and Aquemini by Outkast and tried to focus on the music.
I'll post about Friday (it will be much more brief, I've been writing this for about two hours) tomorrow. I've had a massive weekend and I need some sleep probably. I hope you enjoyed my review I enjoyed writing it
coolian2
Blue Crack Supplier
how funny, the 2010 shows i saw had space oddity start at midnight.
cool read, enjoyed it!
AchtungGirl219
Acrobat
Oh wow, COBL04! What an amazing review! I don't have much time to respond now, but just wanted to let you know that someone has read your review! And it was as if I had written it myself!! Everything you said, I would have to agree with... you captured every moment perfectly. Thank-you for giving up your time to post this.
Oh.. and the 18th and 19th November 2006 are two of my favourite nights ever, as well!
Oh, and I wish they would have played Running To Stand Still at some stage as well... *sigh*
Thank-you for giving up your time to post this. Oh.. and the 18th and 19th November 2006 are two of my favourite nights ever, as well!
Oh, and I wish they would have played Running To Stand Still at some stage as well... *sigh*
AndrewCowley
Refugee
Possibly the longest review ever. Thanks!
AchtungGirl219
Acrobat
this is really long, but it would be cool if some of you could read it
People have expressed annoyance at Bono taking girls on stage during this song, I thought it was the highlight of the performance! I just imagined what it would be like if I was a girl and that was me. And then I felt weird.
Hahaha! I 'lol'-ed at this!
Vlad n U 2
Blue Crack Addict
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 28,386
Very nice review. Enjoyed reading it. 
cobl04
45:33
Yeah I really had nothing better to do Andrew haha, I also forgot to mention that I was surprised and really disappointed that One Tree Hill didn't cross the Tasman, but overall it didn't affect my enjoyment of the concert.
Thanks peeps!
Thanks peeps!
I admit on Wednesday I maintained a "don't care, I'm here to see U2" attitude but on Friday I did get into it a bit more. Friday's set had Hard Knock Life in the set and when the crowd were cued into singing it by themselves the reaction was hysterical. I don't think many people were game to attempt the high pitched bits so there was just this sort of awkward silence and then everyone laughed
dazzlingamy
Refugee
A Brief review
Overall : awesome - that claw is incredible!
We arrived at about 12:30 and went quickly from slapping on the sunscreen to being drenched and sheltering under a bit of cardboard!!
Inside we made it to just off the outside rail, inside the pit, almost straight in front. People right next to us had lined up at about 8am so seemed like a bit of a waste to have gotton there first thing.
Highlight was Bad for sure, we must be lucky in Melb as they dont seem to do it live that often! Was also hanging out for Ultraviolet, so hopefully get that tonight - have seats on level 1. Comparing to the last Melbourne shows - about same distance away on the floor for Vertigo I and seated for Vertigo II - I thought the sound was poorer and that Bono's voice was nowhere near as strong as it was then? I dont think anyone else has mentioned that, so maybe a result of the sound in general?
It did seem that often there wasnt much reaction from those in the stands, but everyone in the "pit" seemed to be having a great time.
Look forward to tonight to be able to take it in from another perspective - without the aching back and feet! (all worthwhile of course!!) I think the ears have finally stopped ringing so ready to go!
How was the view from this spot? I am GAing in Perth and was thinking oh getting the inside rail of the circle facing the band but at the back of the inner circle (does this make sense?) ahaha
just working out what i need to do to get there and if its a good view? hehehe
fun!!
mrnathan15
Acrobat
WOW amazing review! Thanks for re jolting my memory of the show, glad you enjoyed it! (ps I felt awkward during Mercy and Bad as no one seemed to know what was going on, but if it is done in Bris I'm not going to spare any energy ). Oh and I was standing next to Jordan Lewis and Jarrod Roughead from Hawthorn, who my friend (wasnt a fan before) wouldn't shut up about! I mean, Bono's that way!
Thanks for re jolting my memory of the show, glad you enjoyed it! (ps I felt awkward during Mercy and Bad as no one seemed to know what was going on, but if it is done in Bris I'm not going to spare any energy ). Oh and I was standing next to Jordan Lewis and Jarrod Roughead from Hawthorn, who my friend (wasnt a fan before) wouldn't shut up about! I mean, Bono's that way! 
Purplereign
Loungeroom Dancing Queen
Danny . . . I didn't think a) I'd be able to read up about Melbourne after the disappointment of not being able to make it, b) that I could get much more excited about the shows that are coming up for me c) get goosebumps from a review . . . just read yours . . . thankyou 
bono_man2002
Blue Crack Addict
coolian2 said:
I think it was a bit less than 15 minutes...
The clock reaches midnight, then seemingly "destroys" itself (so there is nothing on the screen) then space oddity starts soon after.
Ad yeah, a great review Danny
That's not a review, that's a legend! Thanks for sharing it!
Gotta watch out for those squidgy mustard sachets
cobl04
45:33
cheers! good meeting you friday as well! i too noticed the rather apathetic reaction to Bad, which was strange considering, well, IT'S BAD!!that's fucking awesome. though i probably would have felt more self-conscious next to them. my brother's girlfriend's mum was next to Jim Stynes in the red zone.WOW amazing review!
mrnathan15
Acrobat
next to Jim Stynes, that's cool! I think they had to leave early though, probably a club imposed curfew my friend thought...surely Mr Clarkson would understand the occasion and let them off for one night!
4U2Play
Refugee
Hey cobl04, I like the part where the old man said,
"who's excited for Jay Z?", and you yelled, "woooo!",
and the old man gave you a dirty look hahahaha
"who's excited for Jay Z?", and you yelled, "woooo!",
and the old man gave you a dirty look hahahaha
cobl04
45:33
4U2Play said:
I wasn't happy because a) he wasn't excited for jayz and b) he made me look like a dickhead... not that I cared.ultraviolet92
War Child
hahah cobl04 i could of been near you because there was this enthusiastic young guy behind me the whole time and i had this girl always looking behind at me and then you looking kind of annoyed which pissed me off.
and this young guy new every freakin word to mercy and i was impressed hahaha
so it may of been you
oh what a conert!!!
and this young guy new every freakin word to mercy and i was impressed hahaha
so it may of been you
oh what a conert!!!
4U2Play
Refugee
I think for the next tour, U2 should have a special section just for the nutter fans like us.
To get into this special zone, you'd have to know the words to Mercy.
That way, we can sing all night long and cheer for the opening act and not have people stare at us and make us feel like dickheads.
ultraviolet92
War Child
You weren't on Edge's side 10 rows or so back by any chance, were you?
i was about 10 rows back but more in the center in front of bono but slighty to edge's side
And a special ultra-hardcore section for anyone who knows all the words to Elvis Presley & America and every single Discotheque remix
That sounds pretty close to where I was. If you saw someone in a white Vertigo 2006 shirt jump up and and down like a nutter when Bad started that was probably me
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