5/12 – Vancouver, BC – BC Place

[jphelmet]

Thoughts from Opening Night (spoilers)

Just got back to my hotel after opening night. The show overall is really great and was wonderful to finally see so many songs I have wanted to see live.

Opening was cool, crowd loved sbs first and nyd. The pre jt songs were all on b-stage with no screen. Much like opening of ie tour, very minimalist.

Asoh was a personal highlight and sounded great. Reception seemed to be pretty good from crowd.

Pride->streets transition was better than expected but not great. Band walked back up from b-stage with red screen which was very cool. Very awkward to have streets so early in the set. Just didn't have same cathartic feeling as past shows. Screen was very impressive. Resolution has come along ways since popmart.

Wowy was very weak ending.
Bullet was great.
Running to stand still was good but he did too many lines spoken word.
Red hill was the weakest of the jt songs. I hoped they can get it fixed but piano plus canned horns was pretty weak. I was glad to hear it but was definitely disappointing.
Igc was solid but no doesn't measure up to 1987 versions.
Trip had some weird visuals but was a pleasant surprise.
One tree hill was solid but not as good as past versions.
Exit was highlight of show with great trump slight but not too over the top. They should play exit every tour. Rivaled until end of world for best U2 live rock song.
Motd was great as well.

Encore was good. Bd and elevation sounded great and well received. Not normally a fan of elevation but sounded great. Love to until end or fly take its place though.

Ultraviolet was really well done and tied in great with the visuals and theme.

One was much better than recent tours. Still not great but better.
Miss Sarajevo was a dud. Terrible song, the canned Pavarotti is just lame. I like what they were trying to do but to end the show with the one overly preachy part is a misfire. I totally agree with the message but needs to be earlier in show.

The little things was great. So cool to hear a fully developed new song live debut and they nailed it. Edge solo was incredible.

I will write more in the morning. Not their best tour by any metric but still incredible live. I loved he show overall and excited to see it again Sunday. Couple tweaks to encore and add a couple songs at the beginning and it would be great.

 

[Martinski]

Hope they rotate in some RH songs to replace Elevation and Miss Sarajevo, also make the show a little longer come Metlife.

Also they should close with Bad/40 at Metlife. After playing that new song.

The screen looks great even if its a bit toned down compared to vertigo/360 and the sound sounded great even through periscope.

 

[Mack_Again]

that new song man it was incredible.

can someone give me some vids to this performance? i couldn't catch the lifestream and all

 

[Martinski]

that new song man it was incredible.

can someone give me some vids to this performance? i couldn't catch the lifestream and all

Here is some stuff. https://www.pscp.tv/XL_Radio/1nAJEBwrNzaxL?

 

[dabiggestu2fan]

That was a great show overall! I took a nice video of the new song but don't know where to upload it to plus I am sure by now or tomorrow there will be tons of videos of it around the net. The only two things I hated about the show was the big fuck-up at the beginning with not letting people inside ( the venue appearently apologized and said there was a system glitch) which means I missed all of Munford act and the other thing was this loud annoying drunk guy behind me that kept singing and yelling when Bono was hitting his best notes. And he was trying to pick a fight with the guy in front of me. My friend and I were stuck in the middle of two idiots throwing stuff at each other and seamed like a fist fight any minute! Other then that, awesome show!

 

[dabiggestu2fan]

And the highlight for me was exit! Those visuals were freaking fantastic!!! Like a movie in real time! And bd had a really weird mix which I really enjoyed!

 

[Raid]

The GA line was an absolute fucking disgrace and partly ruined the evening for us. We got in line 2 hours before M&S took the stage and finally got in 10 minutes before U2 hit the stage. Oh but the fun didn't end there. Need to use the bathroom? Get in line again! How about a beer? Wait in line some more! No excuses BC Place you shit the bed hard. They knew how many GA ticket holders there were and still decided to half ass the process. I'll be demanding at least a partial refund and I encourage others who had to deal with that nonsense to do the same.

 

[jimyc]

The beginning of Streets from inside and from outside (during rehearsals) all the colour comes entirely from the video screen

BTW had a great time once I got inside. GA line was a gong show. I ended up on the rail (of the red zone) left of the b stage.

I still can't believe the did the first 5 songs on the b stage

 

[_underwhelmed]

Thoughts from Opening Night (spoilers)

Totally agree with Miss Sarajevo - what's the fan club recording where Bono really belts the opera part, U22 or edge's picks? Anyways, last night it never really took off. I am a little more charitable towards the second half of JT I thought it sounded pretty good.

I think Bono's age was REALLY showing last night. Fuck, a stadium stage set up is hard to run around on when you're in your 20s, let alone 30 years later. He was trying to get the crowd to do call and repeat kind of stuff that works better in a smaller venue. I hope the energy of the crowd is better going forward.

I don't think they should close on the new track. People were streaming out in droves from GA by the last track, then the band walked back to the A stage and it was awkward and the applause wasn't so strong? Idk. I fear this will demoralize them from finishing the album lol.

I posted some thoughts on Tumblr: http://velvet--dress.tumblr.com/post/160622813740/u2-joshua-tree-tour-thoughts


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I think the new song is great - but if they're not going to release is so that people know the song, then they need to add something else with some energy after to close the show it for reals.

I'd actually try flipping the portions... put the encore first, and the opening pre-JT hit parade as the encore

 

[Nick66]

Yeah, as much as I love Miss Sarajevo, its presence on this tour is...odd. As you said, ditch it for something from R&H, which is weirdly missing.

Of course, I've only seem clips from the videos on Axver's site, but a lot of the songs felt flat to me (Exit being the big exception). Like Bono was just going through the motions. I'm not quite sure about the synth on ASOH...but maybe it sounds better in person.

I think they're definitely on the right track with the stage set up, graphics, etc....and I'm sure they'll shake out what doesn't work over the coming weeks.

It goes without saying, while he's better than anyone else in the business at his age, Bono's not getting any younger. It's not the same and while I'm thrilled they're doing this tour, I'm glad I had the opportunity to see it the first time around.

 

[KUEFC09U2]

Totally agree with Miss Sarajevo - what's the fan club recording where Bono really belts the opera part, U22 or edge's picks? Anyways, last night it never really took off. I am a little more charitable towards the second half of JT I thought it sounded pretty good.

I think Bono's age was REALLY showing last night. Fuck, a stadium stage set up is hard to run around on when you're in your 20s, let alone 30 years later. He was trying to get the crowd to do call and repeat kind of stuff that works better in a smaller venue. I hope the energy of the crowd is better going forward.

I don't think they should close on the new track. People were streaming out in droves from GA by the last track, then the band walked back to the A stage and it was awkward and the applause wasn't so strong? Idk. I fear this will demoralize them from finishing the album lol.

I posted some thoughts on Tumblr: http://velvet--dress.tumblr.com/post/160622813740/u2-joshua-tree-tour-thoughts


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

Social media reaction to the new song has been really good, no chance it puts them off finishing the album, people leaving during the last song is the norm sadly

 

[jphelmet]

Thoughts from Opening Night (spoilers)

I think the new song is great - but if they're not going to release is so that people know the song, then they need to add something else with some energy after to close the show it for reals.

Absolutely. I actually heard several people say, "is that it?" I loved the new song and thought it was great, but not a good way to end at all. Even 40 back on the main stage would be a big improvement.

 

[KUEFC09U2]

Thoughts from Opening Night (spoilers)

Absolutely. I actually heard several people say, "is that it?" I loved the new song and thought it was great, but not a good way to end at all. Even 40 back on the main stage would be a big improvement.

Still a better closer than vertigo x 2 and I genuinely think this is a form of self promotion

 

[jphelmet]

Of course, I've only seem clips from the videos on Axver's site, but a lot of the songs felt flat to me (Exit being the big exception). Like Bono was just going through the motions. I'm not quite sure about the synth on ASOH...but maybe it sounds better in person.

.

Asoh sounded good although the synth was a different feel. I felt like it took off after the first verse and was well received by crowd.

The 2nd half of Joshua Tree was the struggle, and the crowd reaction was very subdued, especially oth and rhmt. The pacing of the show is the worst of any U2 tour because of all the giant hits on side a. I still think the show could be so much better by not playing the album in sequence.

 

[Raid]

The news reports keeps saying that it was a "new ticketing system to deter scalpers". Didn't they use this "new" method on the I&E tour?

 

[jphelmet]

that new song man it was incredible.

can someone give me some vids to this performance? i couldn't catch the lifestream and all

This is my video I took. Sound is pretty good.

https://youtu.be/7Kq17v8oVr0

 

[BoMac]

I understand the criticism of Miss Sarajevo, especially as the penultimate song. But it was always an emotional high when Bono sang the opera part and hit the high notes. You could feel it in the building. I wonder if they're trying to save Bono's voice this time around by using the canned opera vocals, which takes away from the song.

 

[_underwhelmed]

Absolutely. I actually heard several people say, "is that it?" I loved the new song and thought it was great, but not a good way to end at all. Even 40 back on the main stage would be a big improvement.

The walk back to the main stage with a kind of smattering of applause was odd...they didn't really say goodnight and it was a confusing end.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[Roland of Gilead]

I'll write more when I have time. The line chaos and such. It was bad. Showed up at 6:10 and entered venue at 820ish. Caught last two songs of M&S.
Anyways, I wanted to comment on Miss Sarajevo. It was a dud last night and I think it was clear they wanted to save Bono's vocal delivery for the new song. Just my take. They want to sell SOE, so they want Bono to sing it well. MS was a rest song for Bono.

 

[BoMac]

In January, Bono identified to U2.com Little Things as his current favourite of the new songs. Could be why they opted to debut this one:

Throw us a bone - give us the title of one of the new songs… and a lyric. Are you going to play some of the new songs on TJTT?

Might. My favourite at the moment is “The Little Things That Give You Away”. Here’s a couple of verses:

"The night gave you a song,
a light had been turned on,
You walked out in the world
like you belonged there
As easy as a breeze,
each heart was yours to tease
Is it only me who sees there’s something wrong here
It’s the little things that give you away
The words you cannot say
Your big mouth in the way
It’s the little things that reveal and betray
Has the hunter now become the prey
It’s the little things, the little things
That give you away
I saw you on the stairs
You didn’t notice I was there
That’s cos you were busy talking at me
Not to me
You were high above the storm
A hurricane being born
But this freedom, it might cost you your liberty
It’s the little things that give you away
The words you cannot say
Your big mouth in the way
It’s the little things that reveal and betray
Has the hunter now become the prey
It’s the little things, the little things that give you away"


There's a very big tangent at the end of this that’s very revealing – but that’s enough for now.

 

[Thora]

I'll echo the GA clusterfuck comments. It was bad. Got in line at 6:20pm and was in the building by 9:00pm. Disappointed to miss out on M&S, but at least we didn't miss U2. The lineup was moving so slowly at one point we were convinced we wouldn't get in at all. Tried to make the best out of the situation, but it was stressful and anxiety-provoking, especially when we saw two lines merging at the Gate C area, after having waited well over 2 hours by that point (the people we merged with had been waiting under an hour, as far as I can remember). One guy in front of us totally lost his shit at a security guard. I felt bad for the dude that was probably not paid enough to deal with all that screaming, but everything was chaos and the communication was non-existent for most of the time, so I'm glad he was making sure that they didn't have us move to another "lineup" somewhere else.

Despite the shitty start, we got in before U2 started and had time to use the facilities, get food and drink and find a great place to stand and watch the show that was not overly crowded.

ASOH was by far the highlight for me.

TTYW was awesome to finally see live. Miss Sarajevo was so powerful with the images of Syria, but I was a bit disappointed that Bono didn't do the operatic part. Beautiful Day was a funky different arrangement that I really liked. The visuals throughout were pretty stunning. Overall it was a fantastic show and it more than made up for the crappy beginning.

 

[jimyc]

Bono's voice seemed to be cracking pretty badly during the people power sing along thing. I think the cumulative effect of all the rehearsals took it's toll

 

[Yahweh_OMG]

From the videos I saw, it looked like a poor opening night... sorry for being negative but I have hardly seen Bono so weak vocally and where is the energy? (Beside his awful hair again). Exit and ASOH are worth 50 bucks each for sure.... but I expect more from U2

 

[nbelcik]

It sucks hearing about the GA problems because for those of us who were the first ones in, everything went so smoothly. They security checked us, checked tickets, and wristbanded us before doors opened. The process was way smoother than Rogers Arena two years ago. Sad to hear about the clusterfuck that happened after we got in

 

[KUEFC09U2]

From the videos I saw, it looked like a poor opening night... sorry for being negative but I have hardly seen Bono so weak vocally and where is the energy? (Beside his awful hair again). Exit and ASOH are worth 50 bucks each for sure.... but I expect more from U2

There have been much poorer opening nights add to that Bono is getting older, people need to realise this

 

[corianderstem]

Quick two cents, but I want to wait until Seattle show to form more complete opinions.

Quibbles aside, they played ASOH, so who the fuck cares about anything else?

It might have been our seats and the size of the venue, but the crowd often felt very flat. Friends and GA thought the opposite, so yay.

A lot of it just felt a bit ... off. Like first show jitters and uncertainty?

Encore is way too much of a bummer to end with. Nice that the new song got a little steam at the end, but after One and Miss Sarajevo, it was too much downtempo stuff to end on.

Gorgeous visuals, well done on that screen.

Looking forward to catching it from back of GA tomorrow.

 

[corianderstem]

The entry was fucked up for all, not just GA. No organization, so just masses of people going into gate entry, trying to squeeze into lines right before the door. Sounds like construction on the stadium also caused issues, as people couldn't easily walk around to other gates and just joined the one blob of humanity.

 

[jimyc]

Asoh sounded good although the synth was a different feel. I felt like it took off after the first verse and was well received by crowd.

The 2nd half of Joshua Tree was the struggle, and the crowd reaction was very subdued, especially oth and rhmt. The pacing of the show is the worst of any U2 tour because of all the giant hits on side a. I still think the show could be so much better by not playing the album in sequence.

I couldn't disagree more. The JT album......all of it was very well received by everyone around me. It was a struggle to get the energy level back after the encore after the encore break

 

[jimyc]

So it's the day after the U2 show. We went for beer and food after. It was a late night.

In the afternoon we're walking through Yaletown and we see this at the Tacofino restaurant

Vancouver seems to love U2 as much as U2 loves Vancouver. It made us smile. Later we decided to walk to Chinatown and we walked past the sky train station and in front of Chambar restaurant and then the unthinkable happened. We actually accomplished #3. We Found Bono! He was actually very approachable. In fact this picture was taken by his security guard.

How cool is that?