God Part III said:
You were a great audience!
Thanks!!!
I send my review to the administrator of this site, dunno if it will be post. So, here it is:
U2 live in Milan - July 21, 2005.
What a night! July 21, San Siro Stadium could have been lighted just by the energy of the fan that were there (so many!) and of four Irishmen that shouted, played, gave all they can to the audience and lead us all through a memorable night, so full of funny, touching and hard moments, that will be fix in my memory for a very long time.
This city, Milan, is at the moment scared by the menace of terrorism -- as a lot of other cities in the world. But the night of July 21 we were all together with one aim: celebrate a common joy and say goodbye, for now, to our band-of-hope.
The stage was so big and the field of San Siro was getting more and more crowded as the hours went by!!
At 18.30 Feeder starter playing, followed by Ash, while the public just rehearsed waves and shouts. My sector (first ring green) was also playing with a big beach ball!
Short after 21, the moment arrived. You have to know this was my first U2 show and I was a little scared. I mean, I heard some other review and not all were that enthusiastic. I dreaded that going to the show could, for some reason, made me love less this band.
I just want to say that the opposite happened. Now, I know with no doubts U2 will always be my favourite band!
As I was in a point where you could see the part from whom U2 took the stage, I was so lucky to see them arriving and approaching the stage. I shouted as loud as I could when I saw U2 going on stage. It was incredible! They took their places and Bono said hello, before kick starting with “Vertigo”. Bono and some staff members spread water to the people close to the stage, who were jumping and shouted and waving. Just after that, Bono started walking on stage and said: “Stanotte, noi facciamo l’amore” (tonight we make love!) and grab a banner reading “Bono=sexy person”. He walked for a little while reading out loud the banner and then tried to pronounce his name as we Italians do -- and that was sooooo funny!!! Than he took a camera from one fan and made a pic of them before returning it! All the stadium was laughing as if we were going out mad! While we were trying to understand what the man dressed in red and black leather was doing, the band dived into the past with “I will follow” and “Electric Co.”, followed by a great Elevation, as usual played with a long part without drums.
Than came the time for Edge to deliver his gift, playing the piano for “New Year’s Day”. “Beautiful day” followed, perfectly sung with just one voice from the fans.
Joshua lovers had their great moment with a wonderful “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”, that turned into an emotional “All I want is you”. Bono pulled a girl on stage and dance and played with her for a long time. Even if I was not that close to the stage, I could see she was so shy and shocked for what was happening!
After some instants, to let us clap our hands, one of the most brilliant part of the show arrived with “City of blinding lights”. The light show was fantastic: so many colours, so many changes and flashes… wow! And from were I stood I could see the great wave made by the arms directed to the stage during the choir “Oh you look so beautiful tonight”.
A tender version of “Miracle Drug” was performed after that, dedicated to “the scientists that keep us alive”.
Time for going toward the emotional “Sometimes you can’t make it on your own”, with Bono hitting the highest notes perfectly. The song ended with Bono singing “Vedi il mare quanto è bello/Spira tanto sentimento”, that is a traditional song, linked to the area of Neapolis. (It means more or less: Look at the beautiful sea/It gives you such a feeling). I wonder why he sung that -- you know, there’s no sea in Milan… -- but the stadium approved and made all Milan knowing that with an incredible shout!
Then U2 lead us through a speed and joyful “Love and peace or else”: all the stadium was dancing and shaking around.
I read reviews of other shows telling about the “social” part of the show, but I couldn’t imagine it was that powerful! Larry left his place for a short while and went to the extreme part of the cat walk on the right, followed by Bono, while Edge and Adam went on the left part.
Bono covered his eyes with the white strip reading “Coexist”, and with the symbols of the three monotheistic religion, Christian, Jew and Muslim. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” was irresistible: I’m personally connected to this song and having it played live, with the part “no more, no more” really took me to another place! Bono also spoke a little about the importance of making religions and people coexist in peace, and called out for Father Abraham to look to all his sons “Jesus, Jew, Mohamed … is true”. Also “Bullet the blue sky”, with snippets of “Johnny comes marching home” and “The hands that built America” was great, with Bono that played a drum with an incredible strength and had us silent for a while, as he was using all his force to strike the white drum.
The night had fallen on San Siro, and U2 people were trying to absorb the great moment we just saw, when Edge and Adam lead us through a slow and sweat “Miss Sarajevo”. You can’t imagine the reaction of the crowd when Bono performed the part in Italian. I couldn’t believe my heard when he hit the highest tenor notes usually sung by Pavarotti. I had a look to the people around me: lights and tears everywhere, arms entwined, head against heads: it was wonderful.
When the song ended, a long applause broke down, then the great screen behind the stage show a woman reading the declaration of human rights. I am a member of the Italian Section of Amnesty International, so I think you can understand my feelings of that moment!
U2 may have thought it was enough for tears, so the show speeds up with a great “Pride (in the name of love)”, that really was a duet between Bono and the fans -- at a certain point, Bono almost left us alone singing and just looked at us. I am sure he rally enjoyed the moment. The rendition of “Where the streets have no name” thrilled us all, then Bono talked about “a man you knew, and I met once. I gave him my fly shades, and he wears them” and he made an imitation of the face that pope John Paul II made when he wore the sunglasses. Another big applause filled the stadium, as Bono took off the rosary, kissed it and showed it to us, before starting plying the guitar and singing
“One”, that was dedicated to the victims of the attack in London of July 7. towards the end of the song, Bono took out and wore a t-shirt with the symbol of the London Underground: I couldn’t help bursting into tears, while he repeated “Coexist, coexist”.
The lights went of, but just for a couple of minutes: the electric notes of “Zoo station” and “The fly” arrived, while the screen showed a lot of catch phrases and faces of the powerful governor of our countries.
After that, U2 gave us another oh-so-romantic moment with a tender and vibrating “With or without you”. Lights went off again, but just to let the orchestra reach the front of the stage to perform “Original of the species”. This was the only moment that doesn’t went well: maybe it was because of the place where I was, or maybe there was some technical problem, but the only thing we could hear was a too loud guitar and Bono’s voice too much amplified. This is a pity for me, I just hope people nearer to the stage heard it better than me!
After that, Larry, Edge and Adam took the power and gave life to “All because of you”, while the crowd started again to dance, shout and jump.
All of a sudden, a wonderful full moon showed up in the sky: it was so luminous and big that it caught Bono’s attention. He said: “wow, look, there’s the moon, how you say it…” the crowd suggest the world “Luna” and Bono repeated it and said “la luna… bellissima”. This was the start to the emotional ending part that started with a version of “Jahweh” full of love and tendress, that really sent me knock down.
This could have been a wonderful end, but U2 wanted to give more, so they performed “Vertigo” again. Before leaving the stage, Bono thanked the people who had sent messages for the campaign to stop poverty, and the screen showed some of the messages people sent with their cell phones, before the red writing “The end” appeared.
Beautiful, energetic, strong, touching, funny, sad, moving to tears, romantic: a wonderful show, sustained also by an audience that gave all its love and strength. I am so happy you too will see this show thanks to the DVD!!!
As people left the stage you could see big smiles and happiness everywhere, and you could hear the “ooooooh ooooooooooh ooooooohh” of Vertigo repeated from one group of people to the other!
Ps: to all Larry lovers: no, he never smiled during the show!
ps2: Can't remember during what songs, but Bono kicked a BIG white beach ball with the writing "Vertigo" at a certain point!!! Sooooo funny!!!