U2 rocks Unico Stadium on 360 tour: One fan’s experience

Cathal McCarron

I was behind the stage at the gig in La Plata last night, to see round two of what is for me a very perfect battle of the bands: U2 v Muse. Champion v challenger. Irish v English. It’s a perfect contest to watch as a fan of both groups.

I love Muse. They’re a spectacular live band. In Santiago they were very, very, good, but last night they cranked their too-short set up a few notches. Stockholm Syndrome is the most insane song ever played on the Claw. Listening to it being performed live is like being thumped relentlessly by a migraine headache trying to smash its way into your skull. It had me wanting to throw my arms out and plunge happily into the epic wall of twisted rock filth that Muse were churning out. Can I swear please? Fuckin beautiful.

Afterwards, I thought that U2 would really have to up their game to match Muse. They did. They picked up the white glove that Muse had noisily chucked at their feet, walked back ten paces, and then turned around to fight back with their own barrage. Bono was pumped up, and dragged the rest of the band with him. He had clearly shaken off the jetlag, hangover or whatever that had bugged a bit him in Santiago. And the Argentinean crowd were very partisan, and injected a huge dose of adrenalin, especially from the surprise new opener.

I suspected something new was up when I saw Dallas take a different guitar from usual out to Edge. Last night he was sporting a nice red n orange number. Space Oddity was back so I was expecting Stingray Guitar. The band walked out, but instead of their slow walk up the steps and across the back of the stage, they went into the underworld, and then did a 2009 Breathe-style, phased resurfacing to Even Better Than The Real Thing, which was a very big and fabulous surprise.

I loved the surprise, and it sounded like a cool new arrangement of the song (although Bono’s singing seemed quite muffled). But I didn’t like the song as an opener, probably because I was behind the stage. Previous opening songs have at least partly engaged fans behind the stage. From Bono’s little twirl during Breathe in 2009, then his parade around the catwalk during Stingray Guitar in 2010, and his brief venture out back during Beautiful Day this year, people behind the stage have always had some Bono-attention at the start of the concert. The first time Bono came out back last night was during Until The End Of The World – seven songs in. So when he finally popped past, he got an almighty roar.

The view out over the field from behind the stage was spectacular. It seemed like the entire field was jumping in unison to EBTTRT. I Will Follow caused an eruption, sending the stadium delirious. And the sight of the whole field swaying their arms to Mysterious Ways and pogoing to Elevation was also dazzling. South American fans may not understand the lyrics, so they express themselves in jumping around instead. Perhaps English-speaking countries still retain some ye olde English reserve. It seems like there’s far more than just oceans of water separating U2’s audiences in Australia and South Africa from South America.

It’s a new stadium, but there were old style football terraces with crush barriers behind the goals, and therefore the stage. People were sitting anywhere on the terraces, as there was no allocated seating. The entry to the terraces was from the back and top. Just before U2 came on, people were standing behind the fence at the top of the terraces. It was therefore difficult to see where the stairs were.

I stood at a spot at the back of the terrace, directly behind the stage, behind one other person. During Miss Sarajevo, I realised that there were people standing behind me. Clearly it had to be a cute doe-eyed girl, and her boyfriend. Being a lanky git, I moved back to allow them to move forward. I was then standing four rows back from the fence at the back of the terrace. I couldn’t see the stage nor the screen unless I stood on my tiptoes (and I’m around 6 foot 3 inches in my chunky trainers).

My view of the show pretty much ended then. I walked around the concourse behind the terraces and there were hundreds, possibly over a thousand people, standing four or five deep, and all straining for a glimpse of the stage or screen. Their exciting night out at the big U2 concert had turned into a frustrating evening of competing with each other for stolen glimpses of what was going on below them. We could hear the massive cheers, but had no idea what they were for.

Some fans had climbed up onto two little cabins selling Coke and hot dogs, at the back of the concourse. Others had clambered onto the lower parts of the giant metallic beams supporting the stadium roof. Many others had given up and were sitting behind the terraces looking very glum. I felt an odd mixture of sadness, frustration and anger. I really wanted to see the show but couldn’t, and I’ve been lucky to see quite a few. So I don’t know how all these people felt, being denied to take part in what we could all tell was a very fabulous concert.

I saw two people in wheelchairs (who would have had a great view from the top of the terrace) trying to find a spot. One guy with a prosthetic leg and crutches, was one of the first to leave after Moment Of Surrender, so I suspect he had been denied a seat. (Actually very, very few people were leaving during the encore and last song. They couldn’t see the stage, but they were going to stay till the end anyway.)

Some jobsworth police made the fans come down off the roofs of the little vending cabins. I couldn’t help thinking “Why don’t you spend more fucking time clearing the stairs so everyone can find a space to see the gig they’d paid for instead?” Other fans had climbed onto the scaffolding for the gantries for the spotlights positioned behind the stage. One very kind-hearted spotlight guy even allowed some fans to sit in the gantry beside him, whilst others were perched all around him.

So I missed seeing most of the show from City Of Blinding Lights onwards. I caught half of Sunday Bloody Sunday, and the band were still in full-power throttle. Before Streets, I climbed up onto a small space on one of those big equipment storing boxes that roadies push around. It was behind one of the spotlight platforms. I had one foot on the box, the other unsupported, and was holding on with one hand. It wasn’t particularly secure though so I jumped down during the song. (Strangely during the song, I turned around and yet again there was a cute girl, shorter than me, standing behind me on another box, lower down. They only do that when they want to steal my spot.)

I also missed seeing the encore, except for half of Moment Of Surrender. Bono went for a spontaneous walk across Edge’s bridge and around the catwalk stage during the song, which I found strangely exciting. “Where’s he off to? He doesn’t normally do that.” Bono’s stage position is very choreographed, down to individual parts of songs. There could be a fourth column on the setlist after ‘Bridge Position’ for ‘Bono Position’. His walk must have taken some of the crew by surprise too there wasn’t any light on Bono for part of it.

Anyway, enough whingy outrage. From what I saw of the first half, and heard of the second it was a great gig. Bono was fired up. And Larry seemed to be thumping his drums with even more gusto, perhaps after seeing Muse’s drummer in full flight. There was a fantastic shot of Larry smashing his way through his short solo during Streets on the video screen. Last night’s big flub was a mix-up between Bono and Edge for North Star, but sure it’s pretty difficult to navigate with it down here in the southern hemisphere.

So I’ve now got a dilemma. I’ve got a ticket to Sunday’s gig too, but I’ve since found out that Boca Juniors are playing a match on Sunday evening in Buenos Aires. Before last night I was tempted to skip Sunday’s concert and go to the match instead. I’d really love to see Boca play again, the atmosphere in La Bombonera is even more passionate and nuts than at a U2 concert. However, after last night’s phenomenal battle of the bands, it’s going to be a *very* tough choice …

La Plata, Argentina March 30, 2011.

Set List:

Even Better Than the Real Thing

I Will Follow

Get On Your Boots

Magnificent

Mysterious Ways

Elevation

Until the End of the World

I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For

Happy Birthday

North Star

Beautiful Day – Blackbird

In a Little While

Miss Sarajevo

City of Blinding Lights

Vertigo – Teenage Kicks

I’ll Go Crazy (remix)

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Scarlet

Walk On – You’ll Never Walk Alone

Encore:

One

Mothers of the Disappeared – Where the Streets Have No Name

Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me

With or Without You

Moment of Surrender

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