It Might Get Down: New U2 Doc Debuts
September 9, 2011
From all media reports, the Toronto International Film Festival (abreviated by Tweeters and just about everyone else as TIFF) got electrified by hosting the premiere of the new U2 documentary From The Sky Down.
Directed by the award-winning director Davis Guggenheim (It Might Get Loud, An Inconvenient Truth) and put together in a mere months, the film will debut to a wider audience on Showtime in October. The DVD will then get packaged with the 20th anniversary deluxe reissue of Achtung Baby, followed by a separate release of just the documentary.
About collaborating with U2 on this film, Guggenheim remarked, “They said from the beginning, we want you to make the movie that you want to make and they let me.”
An anniversary peek into the creative process of how U2 re-invented themselves with postmodern post-Joshua Tree promise, From The Sky Down should be a real treat for serious U2 fans.
The review of the movie in the Toronto Globe and Mail, however, questioned its worth as a standalone film, suggesting “this documentary on the Irish quartet U2 in creative flux at the end of the 1980s is not the significant film his others are.” For many others of us though, we will enjoy the backward, reflective gaze on the band’s process, or as the review puts it, seeing “special light thrown on the mysterious ways of musicians.”
360 Full Circle: U2 Ends Tour In Moncton
August 1, 2011
Not to start on a down note, but it is hard not to write an obituary. For many of us fans, U2’s 360 Tour stage, “The Claw,” has become an entity of its own. With the tour ending in Moncton, and the eventual fate of the Claws currently unknown, it is a little sad to think of the giant steel structure being disassembled for the last time. For more than two years, this engineering marvel has thrilled audiences around the world. Its arrival and assembly in town meant something cool and different was about to happen. It enhanced U2’s show without overshadowing them. It had a personality (if possibly only a projection of U2’s Willie Williams’ own personality) and some faults (legs that blocked some people’s views and a screen that increasingly lost some pixels). Such a presence will be missed, even if we know as fans that the band will return someday.
The end of a tour is both exciting and melancholy. U2 is able to relax and be a little more playful knowing that the demands of the tour will be over soon, but there also is an air of sadness with the eventuality of this production’s magic coming to an end.
Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada hosted this ending, and it did so well. With nearly 100,000 people in attendance, concerns about logistics in this smaller town were valid, and there were some glitches. Yes, traffic was somewhat difficult, but only those with unrealistic expectations could have been disappointed or annoyed. Moncton and its people embraced this event and should be proud of their efforts.
Carney kicked off the night with an ambitious performance. For me, too many cover songs marred what seems to be a relatively talented band.
The Arcade Fire took the stage for a performance that I had been anticipating for months. They played a fairly standard set, which is great for their long-time fans, but not immediately engaging for such a large crowd. The band has plenty of loud, catchy tunes to draw-in the audience, however it took almost 10 songs into their 12-song set for fans to be interested outside of the immediate Claw stage area. I had hoped that they might join U2 on stage at some point later that night like they had in Montreal on the Vertigo Tour. Unfortunately, as an Arcade Fire fan, they did not. Fortunately, as a U2 fan, it did not matter because Bono, Edge, Adam and Larry gave such a great performance without any special guests.
Many “ending” songs played over the stage’s speaker system before the band came out: The Rolling Stones The Last Time, REM’s It’s The End of The World As We Know It, etc. Also, two F-18 fighter jets made a few flyovers of the concert grounds before the show started. This may have thrilled the crowd more than either warm-up band.
Finally, U2 took the stage to the repeating opening riff of Even Better Than The Real Thing. As had been the case with previous shows, several Achtung Baby songs opened, then I Will Follow and Get On Your Boots. Bono continued the refrain, “Get on your boots, Moncton. Moncton… Moncton as opposed to Muck-Town. That’s not good.” –a reference to the incredibly muddy condition of the field. Most attendees were well-prepared for a wet evening since it had rained the entire day. Thankfully, the sky cleared up, and mud was the only annoyance to be endured. Bono referenced the rain as well saying, “Deep down, I know you like your rock stars wet.” I only can imagine that he was responding to any number of the signs that the die-hard fans were holding up in the Claw’s pit.
After crowd sing-along favorite I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, Bono performed a verse from Springhill Mining Disaster. A great cheer rose up as locals appreciated the small recognition from the band of the disaster that happened in nearby Nova Scotia.
Springhill Mining Disaster video link
Little flourishes throughout the night were reminders that this was a special show. Larry performed an extended drum solo at the end of Elevation. During the Crazy Tonight Remix, members of the 360 Tour crew replaced the usual faces of Bono, Edge, Adam and Larry on the video screen. Some of them mugged the way the guys usually do. Others smiled. Some looked embarrassed.
Much to the crowd’s delight, Bono belted out a beautiful and sorrowful verse of Hallelujah before the chiming guitar opening of Where The Streets Have No Name began. Streets always is a hit, but to see a mass of people in the General Admission section that flowed seemingly endlessly uphill from the stage clapping along was amazing.
The encore brought the usual trio of songs in addition to Bono’s multitude of “thank-yous” before Moment Of Surrender. As they played a particularly raucous version of Out Of Control, Bono, obviously enjoying the atmosphere, said during the middle section, “I’m not going anywhere without a bottle of champagne, so take as long as you want.” When he received the bottle, he opened it and began to spray the people in the pit. After a little discussion, Adam and Edge switched sides of the stage signifying they were going to play the traditional U2 show ending song, 40. While finishing his part, Bono removed his glasses and revealed his eyes welling up with tears.
It was a beautiful and emotional night. So many people in Moncton were seeing U2 and the 360 Tour for the first time, but as for myself and many others, we were seeing it for the last time. My U2 360 Tour spanned 12 shows in 9 cities in the U.S. and Canada, including the North American opener in Chicago and now the tour closer in Moncton.
Over the course of the tour, I have gotten to experience so many great things: meeting up with old friends, meeting new friends, visiting new cities, hearing new songs, hearing old songs redone, hearing songs I never thought I would get to hear live… just so many great things. It has been a wonderful ride. I would like to say a “hello” and a “take care” to all of my U2 AOL MB friends (you know who you are), my Interference friends (those I have met in person and those I have only met online) and to some of the random people I was fortunate to run into along the way: Chris and Stephanie, Alan, JJ and Katja, Audrie, Michel, Paul and others. I hope to see you again someday. I am so glad that we all took the time to introduce ourselves to the people around us. I am so glad we all met while seeing U2.
Bono added a long extra verse to the end of Stay (Faraway, So Close) Saturday night, and I think it is appropriate to close out the reviews of the 360 Tour:
“3 o’clock in the morning,
and the trucks roll out of town.
Ray Daniels, we’ll be thinking of you,
sittin’ on his cloud.
110 shows,
but strangely, this feels like home.
Glad my wife is here tonight.
It’s not a night to be alone.
Everbody’s lover,
everbody’s brother,
all came here for the show.
Some loves, some loves
are just so hard to let go.
3 o’clock in the morning.
It’s quiet. There’s no one around.
Just the bang and the clatter
As 360 leaves town.”
30 July 2011
Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
Magnetic Hill Festival Grounds
Setlist
1. Even Better Than The Real Thing
2. The Fly
3. Mysterious Ways
4. Until The End Of The World
5. I Will Follow
6. Get On Your Boots
7. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
(Springhill Mining Disaster snippet)
8. Stay (Faraway, So Close)
9. Beautiful Day
10. Elevation
11. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
12. Miss Sarajevo
13. Zooropa
14. City Of Blinding Lights
15. Vertigo
16. Crazy Tonight Remix
17. Sunday Bloody Sunday
18. Scarlet
19. Walk On
20. One
21. Where The Streets Have No Name (Hallelujah Intro)
22. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
23. With Or Without You
24. Moment Of Surrender
25. Out Of Control
26. 40
Review, photos and video by kramwest1
:rockon:
U2 Stand By MN
July 25, 2011
The only thing that tempered my excitement for U2 bringing their 360 Tour to my hometown was my fear of what the weather might bring. Getting soaked during the concert was not my idea of fun, but it did not dampen most people’s enthusiasm during the show. However, in the spectrum of unpredictable Minnesota weather, heavy rain is much preferable to hail, high-winds and tornadoes (lightning seemed to be a non-issue, mercifully). At least with an outdoor concert scheduled in July in Minnesota, a blizzard does not enter into the forecast.
I think the only way I can adequately review my Minneapolis U2 weekend is to break it down into three parts: the Friday night Interference.com fan club get-together, the concert itself and the overall TCF Bank Stadium experience.
Interferencers (Blue Craicers, whatever) are rabid fans. We have been chomping at the bit for almost two years to have our fan meet-up in Minneapolis. It is always exciting to meet people that you have connected with online, but there often is a little apprehension, too. The “What if they don’t like me? What if I don’t like them? What if no one shows up?” thoughts run through my head. As has been my experience for this tour, those thoughts are useless. The other Minnesota fans are cool, nice people, and as a huge bonus, many fans from around the country (and a few from around the world) came to Minneapolis for the meet-up.
The Leaning Tower of Pizza on campus could not have been better hosts. Great, friendly servers keep us in drinks and food. It also helps to have a gathering in a university bar because no one blinks twice when there are spontaneous sing-a-longs to the U2 blaring from the jukebox. It was wonderful to see familiar faces again and a joy to meet so many new people, whether they were new to Interference or new to me in a non-internet setting.
Our plans for the concert as fans spanned a broad range; Some were going to get in the General Admission (GA) line almost immediately after the Friday night meeting, many of us were going to get in the GA line sometime during the afternoon, a few were lucky to have gotten Red Zone tickets, and a few others were headed for seats.
Walking in to the stadium, it was hard not to just stare at U2’s “Claw” stage even if I had seen it 10 times previously. It filled the field more than I had seen at any other show. After my initial awe, my eyes kept looking up to the skies, even though I had made peace with the possibility of rain. The hiking jacket and multiple Ziploc bags I had helped to mollify that fear.
There is far too much time between when the gates are opened and when U2 finally takes the stage, but it’s nice to use that time to wait for your other friends to arrive and to meet those strangers standing near you. As has been my experience for all of the shows I have been to this summer, the people around us ranged from U2 virgins to U2 veterans. It’s great to meet everyone, and it reminds me why I like to attend so many shows.
U2 took the stage and played four songs from Achtung Baby. Mysterious Ways barely had finished before the rain began. Edge had some guitar issues during Until The End Of The World, presumably from the wetness. The band and crew obviously knew that it would rain, so while adjustments were made on stage, the U2 continued seamlessly.
I was glad that after Get On Your Boots, Bono acknowledged that Minneapolis at one point was intended to be the final stop to the 360 Tour. This would have been fantastic, but I understand that financial and other considerations led to the final show being in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. Final shows often are epic and slightly longer than a normal show. I am ecstatic that I will get to attend that concert as well.
Even without being the final tour stop, it is obvious that the guys hold Minneapolis in high regard. The Vertigo Tour show at Target Center was one of the few tour stops that was honored with a rare second performance of Vertigo as the final encore. I was wondering how they might show their love for my city this time and was glad when Bono combined this affection with a special recognition of our state’s large immigrant population from the Horn of Africa. (Minnesota is home to the largest population of Somalis outside of Somalia, as well as many Ethiopians and Eritreans.) Toronto performer and Somali native, K’naan joined the band on stage for wonderful performance of Ben E. King’s Stand By Me.
As the rain fell harder, the band played on. I had heard during the 360 Tour shows last fall in Europe that the band, especially Bono and Adam, like to play in the rain and get even more enthusiastic. I didn’t necessarily believe that until Saturday night. Bono was having fun despite an occasional glitch from his drenched microphone. And Adam, much to the delight of some fans, finally stripped off his wet shirt. The bare-chested 51-year-old showed off his ripped chest and stomach as he smiled and marched around with his bass guitar.
Sunday Bloody Sunday by Tim Newell (in the pouring rain)
^video link
Snippets of songs about rain were peppered throughout the balance of U2’s performance; The highlight being a crooning of Purple Rain by Bono surrounding Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah which led into an amazing Where The Streets Have No Name.
During his introduction of the band, Bono alluded to the type of force of nature he heard from each band member during the previous show in New Jersey. Concluding the introductions with himself, Bono said, “Then I heard the voice of God. He said, ‘If you think you’re having fun now, wait ‘til you get to Minneapolis.’” That was funny on many levels. Bono is well-aware of his detractors who dislike his seemingly messianic traits, but he doesn’t care. And also, he is so charming and silver-tongued that I cannot help but half-smile and half-smirk as he so blatantly plays to his current crowd. Bono’s personality certainly is a large part of why the band has had such longevity and appeal. He, Edge, Adam and Larry drank in the cheers and applause before leaving the stage after the final song, Moment Of Surrender.
I am pleased that I got to experience a U2 “wet” performance at least once in my fan history. I wish it had been somewhere other than my home city, but there is no doubt that the soaked TCF Bank Stadium crowd loved the show.
The lines into the stadium were handled well; the lines for the buses after the show looked very long and slightly confusing. Overall, I think too many GA tickets were sold. The field was very crowded and finding your way through it was difficult. I am glad there was a plan in place in case of severe weather, but it was hard to believe that there would have been anything other than chaos on the field had there been an emergency. Since this was the inaugural concert at TCF Bank Stadium, some forgiveness can be offered for a little poor planning. Hopefully, for future shows, the stadium management will realize that they need access points to the field from both ends, that some portable toilets are needed on the field itself rather than requiring a long trek to the outside of the stadium and that fewer GA tickets should be sold. These are not minor complaints. The extreme crowding distracted from the show, but given how great U2’s performance was, ultimately I can overlook the flaws.
23 July 2011, TCF Bank Stadium
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
Setlist
1. Even Better Than The Real Thing
2. The Fly
3. Mysterious Ways
4. Until The End Of The World
5. I Will Follow
6. Get On Your Boots
7. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
8. Stand By Me (with Somali native K’naan)
9. Stuck In A Moment (And You Can’t Get Out Of It)
10. Beautiful Day
11. Elevation
12. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
13. Miss Sarajevo
14. Zooropa
15. City Of Blinding Lights
16. Vertigo
17. Crazy Tonight Remix
18. Sunday Bloody Sunday
19. Scarlet
20. Walk On
21. One
22. Where The Streets Have No Name (Hallelujah intro)
-Encore-
23. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
24. With Or Without You
25. Moment Of Surrender
Review and Photos by kramwest1.
Special thanks to Tim Newell for his valiant video efforts.
Bono Sings In “Toronto In The Summer Sun”
July 14, 2011
U2’s lead singer took to the stage Monday night in Toronto, Ontario, Canada ready to enjoy himself. He had more than his usual swagger going; he was relaxed, but with a mischievous tinge to him.
Just after 7 p.m., the crowd in the Rogers Centre cheered as the first cracks of light appeared as the giant dome doors began to slide open. It was a warm day in Toronto, and there had been a good chance of thunderstorms predicted for the evening. Whatever weather or music gods chose to smile on the stadium that night, the fans were pleased. Maybe this was the reason for Bono’s jubilance. Maybe it was the relief of a job well-done in Montreal, where not only did U2 bring the world’s most amazing stage, the 360 Tour CLAW, but also they were responsible for building the temporary stage that housed it and 160,000 fans over two nights. Whatever the case, after Interpol left the stage, and the U2 360 crew prepped for the band, it was showtime.
Space Oddity Intro and EBTTRT video link
The same blitz of Achtung Baby songs started the night. Bono, Edge, Adam and Larry cranked their way through Even Better Than The Real Thing, The Fly, Mysterious Ways, and Until The End Of The World. The crowd loved the familiar hits. Following their new hit, Get On Your Boots, Bono took a moment to tell people what the band members have been up to since they last played in Toronto in 2009. “Adam has become a father,” said Bono, “Larry is playing a Camaro in Trainspotting 3, no, Transformers 3.” This drew a big laugh from the crowd. “Larry is starring opposite Donald Sutherland in a movie that’s coming out,” Bono corrected himself, “and Edge? Well, Edge has a new idea for a musical.” Bono clearly was amusing himself and slightly less so his bandmates as he continued rambling.
The good cheer continued as the crowd sang along with I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For. With a big smile on his face, it was obvious that Bono loves his fans and appreciates that they still care about his lyrics after all of these years.
Recognizing that this was becoming a special night, Bono modified the line in Stay (Faraway, So Close), “With Satellite television you can go anywhere. Miami, New Orleans, London, Belfast and Toronto in the summer sun.” Following Beautiful Day, he added to this by yelling, “I’m gonna take you higher still!” And with that he took a swig from his bottle, tipped his head back and sprayed a fountain of water into the air. Time hasn’t left him as he was, but time hasn’t taken the boy out of this man.
As if there couldn’t be any more playfulness and antics on stage, during Elevation, a fan threw a Canadian flag on the catwalk. Bono picked up the flag and tucked part of it in his back pocket, leaving most of the flag dangling out. Toward the end of the song, he sang, “I need a bridge to take me to the other side. I got Canada in my back-side.” Everyone laughed. He crossed one of the stage’s bridges and hung the flag from Larry’s drum.
Not as an apology for the flag joke, but in his most humble and sincere voice, Bono stated, “The world needs more Canadas.” After seeing threes shows in Canada over four nights and a fourth in Winnipeg this past May, I believe he meant every word of that and more. The guys in U2 seem to love this country, and it shows in their performances here. Whatever the current political situation in Canada and Toronto, from my perspective as a U.S. citizen, Canadians seem to conduct themselves with a wonderful mix of hard work, social responsibility and a passion for their free time. I agree that the world needs more Canadas. No one can be happy all of the time, but I saw a disproportionate number of smiles on faces, and people of all ages enjoying themselves. I’m sure it helped that U2 was in town, however I have felt this Canadian spirit before, and I hope to again.
The night continued with Miss Sarajevo. I had criticized Bono in my previous review for messing up the lyrics of this beautiful song. In Toronto, he nailed it with a performance of it that I don’t think I’ve seen since the Vertigo Tour. Zooropa and the high-energy trio of City Of Blinding Lights, Vertigo and Crazy Tonight Remix followed. The crowd loved Sunday Bloody Sunday, and Bono took advantage of their participation by circling his finger as he started Scarlet. The motion was to let the band and crew know that the crowd would be more than happy to sing “Rejoice!” and to keep it going a little longer.
City Of Blinding Light video link
Joshua Tree favorite’s Where The Streets Have No Name and With Or Without You kept the crowd singing to the end of the night. They loved Bono’s swinging on the circular microphone during Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me. He swung around more than I had seen at previous concerts. The playful Bono had many “thank yous” to deliver before finishing with Moment Of Surrender. A very happy band hung on stage and bowed and faced all directions, thanking the Torontonians for a special night.
Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
11 July 2011
Setlist
1. Even Better Than The Real Thing
2. The Fly
3. Mysterious Ways
4. Until The End Of The World
5. I Will Follow
6. Get On Your Boots
7. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
8. Stay (Faraway, So Close)
9. Beautiful Day
10. Elevation
11. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
12. Miss Sarajevo
13. Zooropa
14. City Of Blinding Lights
15. Vertigo
16. Crazy Tonight Remix
17. Sunday Bloody Sunday
18. Scarlet
19. Walk On
20. One
21. Where The Streets Have No Name
Encore
22. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
23. With Or Without You
24. Moment Of Surrender
Review, photos and videos by kramwest1
(Thanks Canada, see you in Moncton!)
Hallelujah Montreal!
July 11, 2011
I have been churning the thoughts of Montreal in head for the last day, trying to decide how to review the second night U2 show. The only benefit I can find to spending a far-too-limited amount of time in that great city is that my mind is not so crowded of memories of Montreal and its sites, so I still have U2 in my head. That city and Quebec deserve so much more recognition than I can give them here. I had a wonderful time, did not feel uncomfortable because I do not speak French, and I cannot wait to return. I will say again, the people of Montreal were so friendly, helpful and proud. They obviously enjoy life and want you to as well. They make ideal U2 fans, and being with 40,000 of them in the General Admission (GA) section at the Hippodrome was a wonderful thing.
(The easiest way to review the night is song by song with my thoughts intermixed. I’m not going to bother with any focus on security and poor event planning. My Friday night show review was enough of that. Moment Of Soggy, U2 In Montreal Night 1)
Interpol
I don’t know much of their music, but I can say that I don’t feel it translates well to a stadium setting. They are a tight band and play well together. I wish them luck, but they failed to inspire me and those around me both nights.
1. Space Oddity Intro – The crowd now knows that this is the lead-in to U2’s entrance and sing along in anticipation. It was very fun to feel it.
2. Even Better Than The Real Thing – U2 arrived on stage and ripped into this Achtung Baby hit.
3. The Fly –The CLAW came alive in a strobing mass. This song was kind of a dud when it was released as the first single off Achtung Baby. It was too “different” of U2. Now, it is a monster hit live and a favorite of many.
4. Mysterious Ways –The new video for this song fits well with Montreal’s Cirque du Soleil’s celebration of the human animal. The beautiful dancer is morphed and modified to match well with the songs lyrics. For a song I’ve heard live many times, this reinvigorates it nicely.
5. Until The End Of The World –The final string of Achtung Baby opening songs got the crowd pumped for the rest of the night. I was eager to hear what is next because I know U2’s second nights bring fun changes.
6. Out Of Control –U2’s first single sounds great, and they played it with good energy. It’s nice to hear a rare tune in the setlist on the tour because the band usually puts a little something extra in it.
Out Of Control Montreal video link
7. Get On Your Boots –A Sikh fan was pulled up on stage and didsn’t miss a beat with his shout of “I don’t want to talk about wars between nations!” Bono was impressed. I found out later that he is a long-time fan and well known among those that regularly camp out for U2 shows. That had to be one of the best moments of his life.
“Tonight we want to give you as a gift to the world,” says Bono. The show is to be simulcast on U2.com to subscribers. “When we were kids, joining U2 was like running away with the circus. Now, maybe we need to find another circus.” In the home of Cirque du Soleil, he takes this time to introduce the band members and speculates on what they would be in a circus:
Larry would be a fire-eater. A sword-swallower? World’s strongest man?
Adam would be the bearded lady.
Edge would be a trapeze artist. A high-wire walker. Edge responds with “a knife thrower.”
“And, I will play the clown,” says Bono modestly, a reference to the video of the next song.
8. All I Want Is You –Bono finished this beautiful song with some soft harmonica playing.
9. Stuck In A Moment –“For a great friend, Michael Hutchence,” states a saddened Bono. Hutchence was the long-time lead singer of INXS who took his own life in 1997.
10. Beautiful Day –This song has been popular and a tour staple since Elevation, but it has an extra richness and passion since this tour’s addition of Commander Mark Kelly’s introduction of it in the International Space Station and the dedication of it Kelly’s wife Gabrielle Giffords who was shot in the head in an assassination attempt in January of this year. I have seen this intro and song five times now, and it has never failed to bring me to tears. Thankfully, Beautiful Day is an uplifting song and raises my spirit and the crowd’s.
11. Elevation –As if they planned on keeping our spirits high, the band kept the momentum going with this simple, fun song.
12. New Year’s Day –Again, as with Out Of Control, this song makes a special appearance in U2’s show and has a reinvigorated feel to it.
13. Miss Sarajevo –The only possible negative thing I can say for this night is that Bono should stop singing this song. For two nights in a row, he messed up the lyrics of this deeply emotion tune. It deserves better than that.
14. Zooropa –The transition from Miss Sarajevo to Zooropa is a brilliant series of overlapping questions posed by different voices, including Stephen Hawking’s “Is history bound to repeat itself?” I love the transition and may forgive Bono’s mistakes. Zooropa is a precious gem of a song to me, and special to many of U2’s fans for its uniqueness and insightful damning of our consumer-driven world. Greatness!
15. City Of Blinding Lights –The complex and beautiful video screen that is the centerpiece of the 360 CLAW stage extended downward for Zooropa and lit up with bright, glowing colors, fittingly for this song.
16. Vertigo –Continuing the high they were put on by City Of Blinding Lights (COBL), Montrealers went crazy for Vertigo. The Hippodrome was filled with bouncing and singing fans.
17. Crazy Tonight Remix –This three-song grouping (COBL, Vertigo and Crazy Tonight) is the most energetic part of the night. The crowd needed no more motivation, but the dancing continued through this remix. I am proud and amazed that the band ever took such a risk with this. What easily could have been a flop has been the most memorable part of this tour for some and speaks to U2’s inventiveness and willingness to experiment and take chances.
18. Sunday Bloody Sunday –I am so glad to see the crowd absolutely devour this song. It holds very little meaning or interest for me anymore, so I am glad that I can enjoy other people enjoying it.
19. Scarlet –This is a rare track and an odd choice to include in a concert. U2 makes it work, especially tonight with an energetic Bono singing, “Rejoice!” The crowd was happy to join him.
20. Walk On –The freeing of Burma’s legitimately elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has transformed this from a song of hope to a song of celebration. We are reminded by the video screen that there are still many political prisoners in Burma, but we at least can take pleasure in knowing that one has been released.
21. One –In a triumphant video introduction Aung San Suu Kyi thanked the crowd for their activism, and reminded us that like us, she is a U2 fan.
22. Where The Streets Have No Name –I am not alone in wanting more of Bono’s beautiful intro of Hallelujah to Streets. Written by Montreal native son, Leonard Cohen, Hallelujah embodies the wonderful combination that U2 means to me: joy, hope, and yet a longing for more.
The band leaves the stage and a brief video of aliens and spaceships took us into the encore.
23. Ultra Violet (Light My Way) –This is one of my favorite U2 songs and certainly my favorite from Achtung Baby. The crowd was receptive, but didn’t seem to fully know what to do with it because Ultra Violet was not a big hit or a single from the band. I don’t care and thoroughly enjoyed it. I don’t mind being selfish for a moment in a crowd of 80,000.
24. With Or Without You –This is a closing favorite with so many U2 fans. I don’t know if Bono and the guys would get out of the stadium alive if they neglected to play it. As if he knew this, Bono added the special lyrics of “We’ll shine like stars in the summer night! We’ll shine like stars, it’ll be alright!” to the end of it.
25. Moment Of Surrender –What is surely the best version I have heard of this song closed out the night.
I enjoyed my time in Montreal, and sharing U2 with its people will be a great memory for life. I am fortunate to get to travel to see the band. I take this for granted sometimes. Meeting friends that I have chatted with online for weeks (or even years) at shows is a special thing. Seeing a U2 show with them and with new people that I meet is a great experience, especially when some are seeing the band for their first time. Hallelujah, Montreal. Merci.
Review, pictures and videos by kramwest1
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