Getting into the stadium was a nightmare when they opened the gates - at our entrace (U), at least. Everyone in the back of the queue surged forwards and we were pushed into each other and, when we got close enough, against the turnstiles. Not to mention some guy tried to duck down and get in front of me at the last minute; I had to put my arm down by the machine to stop him. Added to the personal crisis that my ticket wouldn't scan and I was then separated from my group for the whole show, it didn't start off very well.
However, I ended up among some really great people - a group of French fans who queued at gate X. There was one guy, Antoine, who spoke both French and English, so he explained my situation to everyone else and they all made me feel really welcome (I felt like I'd intruded until that point)!
The show itself was AMAZING. I've seen U2 twice before (Dublin both times, Vertigo and 360) and this blew both of them out of the water. The crowd was mental and we all jumped, screamed and sang along the whole way through. The energy and atmosphere this created was incredible; I think that's why this show was so much better. The 360 at Dublin (1st night) just felt flat because there was one portion of the crowd that was really into it and the rest was just ambivalent. Here, though, the audience participated in everything - the songs, the hand movements, the chanting back, you could tell everyone there was having a good time.
As this was the first (and possibly only) show I've seen of 360 2010, I had no idea what to expect. I hadn't searched any setlists and I didn't know what songs they'd be playing. I was told beforehand that they were playing the new songs Mercy, Glastonbury, North Star and Return of the Stingray Guitar, and out of those I'd only heard Mercy before. One girl did play a bit of Glastonbury on her phone for me, though. It was still a complete surprise, however, to hear the new ones, and the proverbial icing on the cake was the addition of HMTMKMKM (which I've never seen live before) and I Will Follow - Bono using the steering wheel microphone as a swing seat was new!
The whole show was brilliant, though. Everything was just perfect, the whole band was on fine form, the audience was up for everything that was thrown at them and I had a simply amazing experience! As I said, it's taken pole position for best U2 show (and therefore, best show) I've seen so far. I even managed to find my group again once the concert had ended!