July 27, 2009 - Croke Park DUBLIN

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so....for people who have been....was Vertigo Tour louder than 360 Tour? I got the impression that this tour (360 gig) would be unusually loud....guess not? :hmm:
 
Alma, what section was your seat last night? I really lucked out on both nights. I never had one person get up a go to the restroom during the shows. First night it was just me and a guy in a row, the second night I was in a full row and near the end of it and no one got up to go to the bathroom or leave early and I did not have obstructed views at all. I guess I hit the jackpot.

I think you did, Iris. I think if you get upper tier but unobstructed view, it will still be better than my lower tier seat. I was in section 332 last night. That's The Edge's side. There were a few seats that didn't get filled last night, but I was too chicken to move. I doubt the view would be better. I think I would have been able to see Larry if I'd moved, but wouldn't have been able to see Adam.

It's weird because going by the setup from the arena shows, I always like the sections that are not completely perpendicular to the front of the stage. Because I thought it would be better to sit at a slight angle, to see the band's front. And in Elevation and Vertigo it was like that. But now it's almost as if the section that's directly perpendicular to the stage is better, because although you get to see their side profiles, you'll still be able to see the entire band. Sitting at an angle from the stage runs the risk of being obstructed by the claw! Then you're really screwed!

Oh well, I still love my seat better than GA though. Although GA gets me unbelievably close to the band, by the time they were playing the 15th song, I could barely move...
 
Well, one of the arm claws did obstruct my view on night two when I was in the upper tier but it was hardly a big deal. I just looked at the screen, if I could not see. You can tell by my pics how much of an obstruction I had and once again with the GA, I am planning on showing up at 6:30pm and happily taking my spot towards the back of the pitch. Tampa may be a different story, it depends how my friend Jon wants to tackle this. He is full on nuts right now about this tour, so he may want to squeeze his way to towards the front but at least I know he does not want to be in the pit.
 
Some pictures of the claw with the rainbow over Croke Park... unbelievable... there might be a pot of gold at the end of it too... and who knows, maybe a leprechaun...
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so....for people who have been....was Vertigo Tour louder than 360 Tour? I got the impression that this tour (360 gig) would be unusually loud....guess not? :hmm:


I been to both multiple nights Rob33 and I could swear Vertigo was alot louder!!!!

I also missed 1 gig on both tours and from listening to them from different places, I could hear Vertigo pretty well miles and miles away! and as I said earlier on the 360 Tour I walked about 10 mins from the stadium and the sound could barely be heard!

Also a bit dissapointing that the guys finished up at exactly 11 (curfew time)

Last time on Vertigo I think they played a few mins over the 3 nights!

Bruce Springsteen played 2 gigs at the start of July in the RDS and he played from 8 till 11:30 both nights (30 songs!)!!! he did get fined €50,000 for going over time, but you could really tell he loved been up there, and there really was a sense he wanted to give the fans there moneys worth, this vibe I missed at the U2 concerts!
 
here's a very special experience from the Bell X1 myspace blog. Bell X1, by the way, is the second Irish band to name themselves after an American military airplane;)

"After a while gawping at The Edge’s guitar Emporium, ducking into the belly of the Claw, feeding at the catering trough, striding the hallowed turf of Croke Park, (where The Bomber Liston, Henry Shefflin and Neil Diamond did tread), watching the ‘2 run through “I Will Follow”, we got to play in the sunshine for half an hour at half past six.
Gremlins out in force – acoustic guitar dead for the first 2 tunes, interference in the ears wrecking Rory’s buzz, flatuulent bass guitar…but we settled into it with 10 minutes to go…
Spanning a bit of the half-back line, we looked out onto the magnificence that is Croke Park, and kinda forgot to enjoy it, I think. I think I’m enjoying the memory of it more than the actual gig. Very surreal. They have umbrellas that cost $400000 that pop up out of the stage if it starts raining. The have 200 trucks between the 3 Claw stages that are bunnyhopping around the world.
And yet. Bono’s guitar was dead for most of “One”. Watching that from the start of the stage, him roaring at his tech to fetch him another…made me smile. Sure it happens the best of us.
“Unforgettable Fire”, “Streets”, “Ultra Violet Light”….glorious. Truly magical, as the sun went down and Croker was a sea of stars.
Special mention to U2’s crew, who were very helpful and interested, courteous and receptive to courtesy…
The band sent us a very sweet note, Guinness and champagne. Lovely lads, they’ll go far"
 
I been to both multiple nights Rob33 and I could swear Vertigo was alot louder!!!!

I also missed 1 gig on both tours and from listening to them from different places, I could hear Vertigo pretty well miles and miles away! and as I said earlier on the 360 Tour I walked about 10 mins from the stadium and the sound could barely be heard!

Also a bit dissapointing that the guys finished up at exactly 11 (curfew time)

Last time on Vertigo I think they played a few mins over the 3 nights!

Bruce Springsteen played 2 gigs at the start of July in the RDS and he played from 8 till 11:30 both nights (30 songs!)!!! he did get fined €50,000 for going over time, but you could really tell he loved been up there, and there really was a sense he wanted to give the fans there moneys worth, this vibe I missed at the U2 concerts!

Yip I wholeheartedly agree.
These were the quietest outdoor concerts I have ever attended.The volume was very low .Too low .
The sound was at 65% of other venues on this tour due to complaints by residents.:angry:
I remember approaching the ground on Sat night when the Kaiser Chiefs were playing and u couldnt hear then until within 200 yards of the ground.

Very disappointed U2 didnt do an extra encore Mon night.
 
Reposting from the "July 24, 25, 27 Croke Park" fan gathering discussion thread:

Beyond Amazing*
Experience of a Lifetime*
Best show I have ever been to (including sat, croke 2)*

The above accurately describes ours and, more importantly, his, experience queuing and being in the pit for the Monday, July 27th Croke 3 show. The asterisk denotes that it was not without some trouble at times......it was hard, hard work and not all fans were as courteous as we were hoping.

We left our hotel at St. Stephens Green (The Shelbourne) shortly after 5:15 am on monday morning and walked the way to Croker with a 6am arrival. When there we were already given numbers 111-113 by whomever was doing the fan-run numbering/line system. (French fan club??? not sure) This was done excellently......they were vigilant on making sure that everyone was given proper numbers. They were extremely fair....I didn't notice any favoritism going on, no hanky panky......everything was done on the up and up and really made things go well and smooth from my perspective. By 8am or so there were upwards of 300 people checked in.

The rest of the day in queue was tough, as the Stewards *really* and I mean REALLY crammed us in the barrier created lines. It was difficult to even sit down.....However, the weather in Dublin is so pleasant that it wasn't so bad at all. 64 degrees and sunny with a shower here and there really made it not so bad. Our son just spent most of the day playing little games with my wife and myself, having a snack here and there, drinks sparingly and napping. He has the amazing ability to nap anywhere and under any conditions and this really worked out well for us (and him) while queuing in line for 10+ hours. He occasionally asked about "how much longer?" but never complained at all.

We had one minor mishap at our last porto-potty session at 3:30 right before being let in after 4.......he was attempting to climb over the barrier to get to the toilet line and someone in our line area oblivious to him attempting to climb over leaned back onto him which resulted in him being pushed over the rail and landed right on his knee (I heard others in line stating that he had fallen on his head and all other sort of nonsense.....but no, just his knee). He was hurt initially but is a tough sort of kid and after a few minutes was up and going again. Kudos go to security as they were VERY good about tending to him. They got a doctor and everything to check him out.....all quite unnecessary.....they were beyond nice and helpful. Also, the local dubliners in line were great. A local with a Red Sox Pedro Martinez jersey on was especially nice and chatted a bit with my son and us......good guy..... Met a couple of people from the Boston area right in front of us....good people as well.

Sound check was wonderful..... New Years Day, I Will Follow (instrumental, without Bono), and Electrical Storm (real treat). You knew something special was about to happen that night. They sounded good.

Getting from the queue to the pit was a tough experience. After letting in the first 100 people the scanners up and quit and they stopped everyone else from going in. This delay lasted for about 5 mins or so and seemed to have many people anxious......we were literally right in the front of the line when this happened so yeah, it was a tough wait. When they finally fixed things and let people through, well, this is where things got a bit dicey. I had a firm grip on my son's hand once we got through the turnstiles and we listened (as did most dubliners, it seemed) to the instructions of the stewards for everyone to "walk....keep it slow....NO RUNNING, OR YOU WILL BE TAKEN OUT!" It seemed, however, that others did not heed this warning (and also that security wasnt going to follow through with their threat) and really did make a mad dash to the pit. At one point, one individual literally attempted to push down the kid......he held his own and I gave him hell for it. When he had realized what he had done, he slowed down for a moment.....almost seemed apologetic for an instant but then moved on.

We managed to still get a slightly off-center first row back rail spot, but not without controversy. People to one side of us were attempting to actually "save" spots for friends that were in the line much later and hadn't even arrived yet. There wasnt anyone there in the spot against the rail.....and we took it.....not sure how someone can feel as if they are entitled to save spots on the rail for people who were in the pit line much further along than we were. For example, the person attempting to save several spots had a number of 160 something (we were 111-113...so that tells you something about how quick they were moving to their spot) and the people they were trying to save spots for didnt even have numbers. There were words exchanged, some unpleasant comments and eventually they attempted to start pushing......but whatever. These people were not Irish......

Once we got our spot on the rail it was work to try and keep it.....especially with my son. Some people (mostly very late-comers) would try to take advantage of his small size and attempt to bully their way into his spot...but he was well protected. Myself on one side of him, my wife 2nd row right in front of him and this very nice Irish couple to the other side of my son 1st row rail who held their spots well. She turned to me at one point and said "there are people next to us and they are really trying to push us down....we're doing the best we can to not budge to help your son out". Really, really considerate the Irish are.....when security was handing out water, she even gave us hers. Additionally, we met a wonderful member of security (many pit regulars seemed to know him) who spent a really large amount of time chatting with me and my son about the support bands, his time in college and a whole list of other subjects. He promised that he would look out for our son the whole night and make sure that he was well taken care of......great, great guy. Again, the Irish were wonderful. I forget his name, but he's in a couple of the pictures I just put up in the gallery.

By the time the band came on, all troubles had been forgotten (although being vigilant was still needed against many people who tried to bully into the 1st row when the band walked around the catwalk) and my son was in absolute awe of what he saw. He was clapping, drumming and singing along with the songs he knew. It was an absolutely amazing experience......as wonderful as Saturday's show was, being this close in that atmosphere, with the sound and performance as good as it was, easily made this the best concert I have ever been to.

The setlist was wonderful with the "40"-intro version of "Bad" being an absolute highlight......Bono looking over at the Edge telling him stop his intro guitar part and then slowly softly lead into it after a few verses of "How lonnnnnnggggg" were gone through, was just amazing. Goosebump moment for sure....among many. "Unforgettable Fire", "Walk On", "Streets" and "Ultraviolet" were other goosebumpers as well.....such a great set list.

At the end of the day we all felt as if a freight train had hit us (especially after the walk back to St Stephens Green), but overall it was worth it for the experience. I was beyond proud that my son fared as well as he did.....he held his own, as I knew he would, and literally had a lifetime experience as the only kid in the pit that night.

As we walked back and I asked him what he thought of the whole thing he only said this "it was the best night of my whole life, dad.....only next time we come to Croke Park to see them, we need to camp out."

He made me tired and proud just listening to him say that
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^ You were almost right behind me. I was 98th in line. I have brown hair and had the 360 zipup and the Croke Park t-shirt on. I had a blue ponch when it was raining.
 
^ You were almost right behind me. I was 98th in line. I have brown hair and had the 360 zipup and the Croke Park t-shirt on. I had a blue ponch when it was raining.

Ah, ok...... I read how you had mentioned that things were nice and calm as you entered the stadium due, possibly, to the scanner malfunction. Lucky you.....things got decidedly *less* civil after that......lol ;)

Can't say which show was a better performance, Monday or Saturday's show......but our experience down in the Pit (had seats for Sat) certainly made it much better for us.
 
That security guy in the picture above is Derek (I think that's his name). A great bloke, who took care of us on the second day.
Yes, security was (mostly) excellent, quite friendly and all.

:)
 
Ah, ok...... I read how you had mentioned that things were nice and calm as you entered the stadium due, possibly, to the scanner malfunction. Lucky you.....things got decidedly *less* civil after that......lol ;)

Can't say which show was a better performance, Monday or Saturday's show......but our experience down in the Pit (had seats for Sat) certainly made it much better for us.

I got in right as they were stopping the line. We stood in the stadium in our spots for about 5 minutes till everyone else came running in.
 
I did the GC queue thing for each of the 3 shows I went to- although I was definitely not there as early as some folk here were (10am, 1pm and 2pm)- respect to those who got there at 6.30am...

I had no problems at all with anyone else in the GC- we moved around a bit on Edge's side on Friday but had a catwalk spot on Adam's side on Saturday and no-one tried to push us off- it was all very civilised- we got the same spot again on Monday which I actually gave up to this young lad who'd been dragged there by his parents- so at least he could see more

I avoid the front rail thing for many of the reasons on this thread- I've neither the desire nor the endurance to spend 5 hours squashed up against the rail- as I've said elsewhere I was happy with GC and being round the sides- more relaxed, certainly alot more room and could see probably as much as anyone else

as for the sound- well I was near the stage and it sounded just fine to me, it doesn't have to be at ear splitting volume to be good- nor does it need to be heard 5 blocks away- it's for the fans in the stadium- as long as they can hear it that's the important thing

and the curfew- well if U2 are going to do more Euro shows next year they'll probably want to play Dublin again so there's nothing to be gained by pissing off the locals too much now is there (and they were pissed already)???

overall I had a great time at each show- was totally knackered by the time I got home yesterday, but it was all worth it- there's no better place to see U2 than Dublin

have a few weeks to recover before it happens all over again at Wembley
 
To everyone saying last time was louder, they had to quieten it down, new EU regulations I believe on safe sound levels.

To be honest I was very glad - I have hypersensitive hearing, and as a musician it's the most important thing to me, so at the last U2 gig in 2005 I was scared to death that I'd wake up the next day with a permanent tinnitus affliction. It wasn't like that this time, it was enjoyable loud enough to dance to, without being so loud that you have to cover your ears the whole time. More like nightclub style volume.
 
To everyone saying last time was louder, they had to quieten it down, new EU regulations I believe on safe sound levels.

To be honest I was very glad - I have hypersensitive hearing, and as a musician it's the most important thing to me, so at the last U2 gig in 2005 I was scared to death that I'd wake up the next day with a permanent tinnitus affliction. It wasn't like that this time, it was enjoyable loud enough to dance to, without being so loud that you have to cover your ears the whole time. More like nightclub style volume.

:wave: I was in the red zone and thought the sound was perfect. Loud and yes the bass did give off vibrations :)ohmy:) but there was no distortion and could even hear Bono clearly when he spoke. I found all the shows I saw on vertigo, some stadiums and some indoor arenas, were all far inferior in the sound. Possibly louder but always distorted.

To me the sound was spot on this time so :applaud: to Joe.
 
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