October 18, 2009 at Norman, OK

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This was only my second U2 show followed by Chicago 1. Norman was the better show. It was an amazing experience from the start. I live in Oklahoma and the only music anyone likes around here is twangy country music or bad emo music (which is why I was afraid for ticket sales) . It was refreshing to actually talk to people that knew more than Beautiful Day or Pride. Actually they don't know it's called Pride. They call it In the Name of Love... Case and point. I met so many people that knew about Zooropa and Pop it was just amazing. I love this band. I truly do love this band.

Initially, we were in the inner ring but my boyfriend and I are in the 5'3" range and the stage is really tall. Tall enough to make it difficult for us to see. So, we left the ring and went to the outer circle along the walk-way (Clayton's side). Right against the railing. My friend stayed in the ring though...She is taller but, we had a perfect view of everything. Bono was on fire and I couldn't believe Crazy's remix. When all the fellows were walking along the ring! They all stopped in front of us! It was so awesome. Clayton is my favorite band member so I kinda overloaded my camera with pictures of him but I did get lots of good ones of the other guys too.

I gotta say, the highlight for me was getting to meet other passionate fans. The people in the G.A. line rocked. I didn't get to have this experience in Chicago because we had reserved seating. I can't wait until next summer!:drool:
 
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MJMueller1 said:
-Security at the Venue was awesome...they did a great job
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Really? It took us an hour to go up the ramp to enter the stadium, and probably another 20 minutes to get up the steps to reach our seats, about row 50 on the east side. People were standing and sitting in the aisles, blocking everybody else from moving up, but you couldn't turn around and go back down either because of the crowd behind you.

People were pushing and shoving just trying to move. I was seriously afraid of a fight breaking out, people were getting so frustrated from not being able to move. And there were no ushers. No security in sight.

Worst of all, the bathrooms were literally being mobbed. After pushing our way into a men's room, my friends and I were trapped inside for about five minutes trying to get back out. I mean we literally couldn't get out the door because there was such a crowd trying to get into the bathroom that we couldn't push our way out. It was crazy and, frankly, a little scary.

The event staff simply didn't even try to provide crowd control. It was pathetic and inexcusable. We noticed from our seats that there were a lot of yellow jackets (event staff/security) on the floor, but none in the stands.

The show itself was great. Probably in the top three U2 shows I've seen, and I've been to more than a dozen over the years. But the security and staffing was the worst I've ever seen, by far.
 
Nothing new to add except I've seen U2 8 times and that was probably the best. Great show. GA was great. Amazing night.
 
I got a GA ticket outside for $20 around 7pm which was a bargain. A great gig, with a slightly extended setlist, and despite a few probs.

The sound was fairly patchy. I started off in the left stand (facing the stage) and the sound for Breathe and Boots was very flakey. The drums, guitar and bass would all intermittently fade, possibly cos of the wind.

After Beautiful Day I moved around to the front stand, which was really close to the stage cos the stage was turned sideways along the length of the pitch. (There were no stewards checking tickets so changing spots was easy.) The sound there was much better, although still very crackly for quite a few songs, like there was a cable loose somewhere.

Edge had quite a few probs, including a weird noise right from the very start when he was under the stage before Breathe. He also had some probs with the sounds coming from his orchestra in a few other songs like Unknown Caller, Unforgettable Fire, CoBL.

The audience only really came alive during the big hit singles, I don't think very many there had even heard Magnificent. And what is this thing about people sitting and watching concerts in absolute silence, and not even applauding after songs? Very odd.

Unknown Caller was really great, with a new video clip of Terry Lawless in the Underworld during his solo, when the camera slowly moving down from Bono's face to his feet and then smoothly segueing into footage of the area beneath the stage. Until The End of The World was fab, as was In a Little While.

There was some new video imagery of a map of the world with a radar-like line moving across it before Magnificent ("what time is it in the world?")

I watched the Black Eyed Peas from the pit (which was very packed), and they really got the college crowd jumping and singing with their show, although it's not my type of music - I don't like people with microphones shouting at me.

It was a cold old night by the end of the show. Before Moment of Surrender Bono got everyone on the field to sit down in a warm huddle before standing up together as part of some international world record stand-up-athon or something.

Why have they cut a few lines from Moment of Surrender? Bring it back!
 
what was it like having band play to only one side of venue. Also was it sold out?????
 
What a great show! My first and I am still trying to recover! I thought that the "Crazy" Remix was a highlight, I hadn't heard it yet, so it was great to have a Euro-dance number in the middle of a rock set. I thought that the songs from No Line were more engaging than the album. Those songs were definitely meant to be played outside.

It was also encouraging to see the band roll with the punches. Edge starts IALW a step too high, guitar out of tune? No problem, we can restart. Like pros they make light of it and go on. Watching Bono engage 70K was great, it made the BEP's look like amatures (they had to resort to over 30 Oklahoma shout outs to keep up energy).


Also, the line was great. We got there super early (8ish) and everyone we were around were great. The fans are as much responsible for a great experience as the band, so thanks everyone.
 
It seems like this may be the first U2 show in a long time they can't even technically call a sellout, but 60-70K is still far better than some might have feared when they announced this show, no Popmart Tampa--style embarrassment, glad you all had fun!
 
cathalmc said:
The audience only really came alive during the big hit singles, I don't think very many there had even heard Magnificent. And what is this thing about people sitting and watching concerts in absolute silence, and not even applauding after songs? Very odd.
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What section was this in? Just curious because when I looked around, I hardly saw anyone sitting.

I thought the crowd was really great - of course I was by some crazy, fun South American fans, so that might have made a difference :lol:

This show and Tampa were the best ones that I've been to this tour :up:
 
<div style="width:480px;text-align:right;"><embed width="480" height="360" src="http://static.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf?rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeed1018.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Faf309%2Fcortnil%2Ffeed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" /><a href="http://photobucket.com/redirect/album?showShareLB=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.pbsrc.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border:none;" /></a><a href="http://photobucket.com/cortnilawson" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.pbsrc.com/share/icons/embed/btn_viewall.gif" style="border:none;" /></a></div>
 
TooFree said:
Really? It took us an hour to go up the ramp to enter the stadium, and probably another 20 minutes to get up the steps to reach our seats, about row 50 on the east side. People were standing and sitting in the aisles, blocking everybody else from moving up, but you couldn't turn around and go back down either because of the crowd behind you.

People were pushing and shoving just trying to move. I was seriously afraid of a fight breaking out, people were getting so frustrated from not being able to move. And there were no ushers. No security in sight.

Worst of all, the bathrooms were literally being mobbed. After pushing our way into a men's room, my friends and I were trapped inside for about five minutes trying to get back out. I mean we literally couldn't get out the door because there was such a crowd trying to get into the bathroom that we couldn't push our way out. It was crazy and, frankly, a little scary.

The event staff simply didn't even try to provide crowd control. It was pathetic and inexcusable. We noticed from our seats that there were a lot of yellow jackets (event staff/security) on the floor, but none in the stands.

The show itself was great. Probably in the top three U2 shows I've seen, and I've been to more than a dozen over the years. But the security and staffing was the worst I've ever seen, by far.
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It was pretty cramped in the stands and I could see how it could be a problem if you were trying to get to your seats once the lights were out. I think the bench seating probably contributed to this. I got there really early and went to the restroom before the BEPs came on, but it was really crowded in the stands after that and I wouldn't have wanted to be trying to get to my seat in the dark. Some people stood in other peoples assigned seats/spaces in my section, but when they were asked to move by other concert goers, they were really polite and there was no arguing luckily. The only thing was that they had to wait to move out of the way until the break between the BEPs and U2 because it would have been too dangerous in the dark.

I didn't see any event staff in the stands either.
 
I feel bad for the guy who had issue with security in the stands. I guess I should have prefaced that the GA line security was great. It makes a big difference to wailt all day long in a nice, comfortable, spacious line with cool people, than a hot,cramped line, with security who don't know what they are doing.
 
mrpoptop said:
I posted all of my good pics that I took with my Nikon D90 w/ 50mm lense here:
2009-10-18 U2 - Norman
enjoy!
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Nice pics. Did they hassle you about your camera? I must have been about 5 people to the right of you, three off the rail. I was with a real tall guy that probably blocked people view, and 5 or 6 girls from Arkansas and Kansas.
 
Here's my take on the Norman show:

First and foremost, it was great to walk to a U2 show via a college campus rather than some municipal parking lot. The vibe in Norman was very cool and very laid back. The people were tremendous and everyone was very helpful. The venue, itself, was great, in that, the GA section was crowded (i.e. it felt like a show, not a fire code). From my vantage (floor on the Edge side), the crowd was appreciative and festive but not overly rabid. Everything seemed tempered. The band's entrance was stunning on screen, and that was part of the problem for me. The camera work on the screen was tremendous(panning shots w/ incredible definition); the dvd holds a great deal of promise. The band sounded great and they seemed to be in good spirits. Technically, I'm not sure there are words to accurately state what Mr. Williams has accomplished. It was an amazing presentation of light, sight, and sound. The set was effective and, hell, I was even moved by the "mask" moment, which I was dreading. The show did not reach an effective peak as in past tours (ZOO TV and Elevation) or perhaps the internet has tainted what once were unexpected moments. Either way, it was still a unique U2 experience and I enjoyed every bloody second. Ending w/ Moment of Surrender is still a head scratcher, but part of me is delighted that they're still going against convention. My only complaint was with the visible empty seating on the ends of the stadium. I'm not sure if they were "blindspots" but it was glaring from where I was standing. I only comment on this factor because other cities (ahemmm... further north) would have had standing-room only crowds which would have added to the experience. Seeing the band staring at empty bleachers was unfortunate (along w/ the Blackberry signs... which were very lame). I'm not "dissing" Norman (kudos, you landed the band and pulled it off) but U2 having just played Dallas may have kept the drive in crowd to a minimum, when college towns in different regions (such as Colorado, Minnesota, or Kansas) would sold out every square inch due to commuting crowds. Food for next summer thoughts, me hopes.
 
So, i'm just now getting around to writing this because I've been wrangling photos from my camera and recovering from going to bed at 4:00 A.M. on Sunday night (or Monday morning, actually). It was amazing! I was totally mesmerized by the whole spectacle the entire time. I had never seen U2 in person before and had to keep reminding myself that, yes, this is real and not a YouTube video that I was seeing in front of me. I just couldn't get over the Claw and how amazing it is!

We experienced quite a traffic jam on 35 trying to get through Oklahoma City around 4:00 P.M. The rest of my group were hungry, so we stopped at Quizno's on Lindsey Street; I just wanted to use the bathroom and was too excited to eat. I ended up ordering their tiniest sandwich and wasn't able to eat all of it. Suddenly, a motorcade of black SUVs with a police escort went by while we were eating. This was around 5:00; was it U2 or the BEPs? I was hoping it was U2.

We got to the stadium, got in, and got lost trying to find our way onto the field. We finally did, and a really nice security guy walked up to us and asked if we wanted to go into the Inner Circle (!). We said that we did, he pointed the way, and we marched right in there at 6:00, mind you, and got a sweet spot right in front of Edge about two-thirds of the way from the front rail. We had a perfect view. I never would have chosen to be there at 6:00, thinking that that would have been too late, but it worked out just fine.

The people around us were really nice. My brother - who was not familiar with U2 fans - commented that he was surprised at how clean and normal everyone looked. He said he was imagining drunk, shirtless people moshing and acting crazy like they do at most rock concerts. I was relieved that those near us were so civilized and polite, which confirms all the great things people say about the U2 fan community. Thanks, everyone! :hug:

This might sound weird, but I really wasn't there to hear the music, but to see the band up close and to take in the whole spectacle for the first time. I remember what they played, but I honestly don't remember much about the songs themselves. I was so absorbed in just being there and the fact that Edge was on a bridge above me just a few feet away, smiling down at us, made it even better. Little things like that are what stand out in my mind. All the giddyness and anxiety I had been feeling in worrying about getting there on time and about what might go wrong disappeared and all I felt was peace and contentment. The world outside didn't matter, because I was right where I was supposed to be, and it was the most beautiful feeling.

BonoandEdge2.jpg


Band2.jpg


Band3.jpg


EdgeandBonoMirrorball.jpg


EdgeBridge4.jpg


BonoandEdgeBridges.jpg


Claw4.jpg
 
MJMueller1 said:
Nice pics. Did they hassle you about your camera? I must have been about 5 people to the right of you, three off the rail. I was with a real tall guy that probably blocked people view, and 5 or 6 girls from Arkansas and Kansas.
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No problem getting the camera in.
 
Hallucination said:
It's not luck it's standard. Redzone people seem to be allowed to go anywhere they want. I'm all for the redzone and good job to those who paid for those tickets supporting the cause but in Toronto it was real unfortunate that the redzones basically emptied into the pit once U2 came on causeing the pit to be insanely overcrowded.
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so..that why its so freekin crowded..hmmmm..
 
a funny note, in the intermission between BEP & U2 we were heading into the restrooms when we went left the floor there were several cops/sherrifs deputies standing by the exit ramp taking pictures of the stage with their digital cameras. Never seen that before....
 
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