HelloAngel
ONE love, blood, life
By Tim Hopkins
2006.11
As we took the final sprint train to Olympic Park on Friday night my head was running in circles. What would they play? Would it be as good as the DVDs? How would Bono’s recent spat with Australian Prime Minister John Howard affect his performance? Would Telstra Stadium dwarf the stage? Would my (non-fan) friends enjoy the show? Most importantly, where would we be in the general admission area given our tardy arrival? So many questions, so little time, as they say.
Arriving 10 minutes before opener Kanye West’s set I would never have expected to be five rows from the D barrier (the stadium equivalent of the ellipse). A cat fight broke out as an intoxicated girl pushed herself in front of a die hard fan. The stories of friendly U2 crowds did not come to pass; this was definitely a rock show.
West’s set was impressive considering his mediocre following in Australia. He managed to engage the audience with a real entertainer’s energy for hits like “Gold Digger” and “Touch the Sky.” As tradition on the Vertigo tour, Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up” hit the PA system signalling U2’s imminent arrival to the stage, the first drops of rain hit our heads, and by the time Bono appeared draped in an Australian Flag it was pouring. “Trust the Irish to break the drought” quipped Bono at one point.
A frenzied crowd swelled forward with “City of Blinding Lights,” singing the chorus and excitedly waving their arms. “Vertigo” was mind-blowing and demonstrated Telstra Stadium’s excellent acoustic qualities. It was “Elevation” though, that did the opening set justice. Surrounded by a heaving mass of people I couldn’t help but be thrust into the infectious rhythm.
The capacity crowd were awed by “Yahweh” but it was the tidal power of “Walk On” that, to coin a phrase, had to be believed to be seen. The pixel wall started the song with the Vertigo emblem of red and black concentric circles but instead of being solid (as for “Vertigo”) it was dotted in the traditional aboriginal style. As the first chords were struck, the emblem rolled off the screen treating the excited audience to brand new animated dot paintings courtesy of Balarinji Design (the people who did the dot painted Qantas 747 jet). Edge’s new guitar solo made this one of the highlights of the show.
“Love and Peace or Else,” “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Bullet the Blue Sky” were suitably Australianised with references to the Bali Bombings, Bono saying, “We’ve been through it as well,” “Don’t become a monster to defeat a monster,” and a fitting tribute to the Australian Military after “Bullet the Blue Sky.”
“Miss Sarajevo” was greeted with bemused looks from the people around me but the Pavarotti section drew wild applause. I can’t explain how good it is to hear Bono hit those operatic notes live with such mastery.
As “Pride (In the Name of Love)” segued into “Where the Streets Have no Name” the crowd exploded and the emotion was contagious. It had been so long since U2 played Australia and “Streets” really hit home considering how much Sydney wanted this gig. During the intro Bono spent some time surveying the crowd with a dumbfounded look. I think it was one of those “God walks through the show” moments, because his performance from “Streets” onwards was jubilant. He even received a 0.7% sign from the audience at the end of the song and took a bow acknowledging the controversy over his “preconditions” meeting with Prime Minister Howard.
The usual close of the main set routine was interrupted with the Edge telling us to, “Go home to your beds! But not to sleep!” Bono told Larry Mullen Jr. to say goodbye into the mic to which he jokingly countered, “Goodbye…from Bono.”
“Zoo Station” marked a whole different aura for the encore. We had had a great main set and now we could relax and have a bit of fun with the offbeat “Achtung Baby” songs. Edge’s guitar and microphone seemed to be suffering during “Zoo Station,” one of the only technical problems of the show. New single from “U218,” “The Saints Are Coming,” was a real treat for U2 addicts and casual fans alike. A blinder of a song, it really holds its own with the classics and, dare I say, doesn’t need the addition of Green Day.
The last of the Oz-ified songs, “Kite,” was perfect for so many reasons. An “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” song that we never would have heard otherwise, it got a complete reworking. Tim Moriarty (son of the founder of Balarinji) took to the stage with a didgeridoo for the intro and the rest of band gradually came in. After the 3rd chorus two amazing things happened: The Edge broke into an exceptional guitar solo and Bono ran out onto the B-stage to take control of a brightly-colored kite in the shape of a brightly-colored bird. (Aboriginal mythology regards the parrot as a transitional and metamorphic character, or a reminder and a prompt). Releasing the kite was not mean feat, with Bono employing his lighter, then his teeth and finally his brute strength to cut it free. What happened next will be remembered with the same fond embarrassment as the grand giant disco Lemon failure in Oslo. The bird trailed slowly over the crowd dipping and rising in the wind, finally crashing into the gargantuan stage video screen where it remained like some kind of environmental tragedy. The spotlight on the kite went out and we resigned ourselves to the fact that Bono’s beautiful prop stunt had gone horribly wrong. Bono remained staring at the kite for some time and then, with preternatural sense, he asked for the spot to be turned back on. The balloons caught a gust of wind and the kite pulled out and up and over the screen. The kite sailed off illuminated the whole time. The crowd response was deafening and continued until the house lights came on.
My early fears about the show were unfounded. U2 simply do not disappoint in concert. It’s all very simple.
U2’s relaunched Vertigo tour wraps up December 9 in Honolulu, Hawaii. “U218” will be released November 21 on Interscope.
2006.11
As we took the final sprint train to Olympic Park on Friday night my head was running in circles. What would they play? Would it be as good as the DVDs? How would Bono’s recent spat with Australian Prime Minister John Howard affect his performance? Would Telstra Stadium dwarf the stage? Would my (non-fan) friends enjoy the show? Most importantly, where would we be in the general admission area given our tardy arrival? So many questions, so little time, as they say.
Arriving 10 minutes before opener Kanye West’s set I would never have expected to be five rows from the D barrier (the stadium equivalent of the ellipse). A cat fight broke out as an intoxicated girl pushed herself in front of a die hard fan. The stories of friendly U2 crowds did not come to pass; this was definitely a rock show.
West’s set was impressive considering his mediocre following in Australia. He managed to engage the audience with a real entertainer’s energy for hits like “Gold Digger” and “Touch the Sky.” As tradition on the Vertigo tour, Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up” hit the PA system signalling U2’s imminent arrival to the stage, the first drops of rain hit our heads, and by the time Bono appeared draped in an Australian Flag it was pouring. “Trust the Irish to break the drought” quipped Bono at one point.
A frenzied crowd swelled forward with “City of Blinding Lights,” singing the chorus and excitedly waving their arms. “Vertigo” was mind-blowing and demonstrated Telstra Stadium’s excellent acoustic qualities. It was “Elevation” though, that did the opening set justice. Surrounded by a heaving mass of people I couldn’t help but be thrust into the infectious rhythm.
The capacity crowd were awed by “Yahweh” but it was the tidal power of “Walk On” that, to coin a phrase, had to be believed to be seen. The pixel wall started the song with the Vertigo emblem of red and black concentric circles but instead of being solid (as for “Vertigo”) it was dotted in the traditional aboriginal style. As the first chords were struck, the emblem rolled off the screen treating the excited audience to brand new animated dot paintings courtesy of Balarinji Design (the people who did the dot painted Qantas 747 jet). Edge’s new guitar solo made this one of the highlights of the show.
“Love and Peace or Else,” “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Bullet the Blue Sky” were suitably Australianised with references to the Bali Bombings, Bono saying, “We’ve been through it as well,” “Don’t become a monster to defeat a monster,” and a fitting tribute to the Australian Military after “Bullet the Blue Sky.”
“Miss Sarajevo” was greeted with bemused looks from the people around me but the Pavarotti section drew wild applause. I can’t explain how good it is to hear Bono hit those operatic notes live with such mastery.
As “Pride (In the Name of Love)” segued into “Where the Streets Have no Name” the crowd exploded and the emotion was contagious. It had been so long since U2 played Australia and “Streets” really hit home considering how much Sydney wanted this gig. During the intro Bono spent some time surveying the crowd with a dumbfounded look. I think it was one of those “God walks through the show” moments, because his performance from “Streets” onwards was jubilant. He even received a 0.7% sign from the audience at the end of the song and took a bow acknowledging the controversy over his “preconditions” meeting with Prime Minister Howard.
The usual close of the main set routine was interrupted with the Edge telling us to, “Go home to your beds! But not to sleep!” Bono told Larry Mullen Jr. to say goodbye into the mic to which he jokingly countered, “Goodbye…from Bono.”
“Zoo Station” marked a whole different aura for the encore. We had had a great main set and now we could relax and have a bit of fun with the offbeat “Achtung Baby” songs. Edge’s guitar and microphone seemed to be suffering during “Zoo Station,” one of the only technical problems of the show. New single from “U218,” “The Saints Are Coming,” was a real treat for U2 addicts and casual fans alike. A blinder of a song, it really holds its own with the classics and, dare I say, doesn’t need the addition of Green Day.
The last of the Oz-ified songs, “Kite,” was perfect for so many reasons. An “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” song that we never would have heard otherwise, it got a complete reworking. Tim Moriarty (son of the founder of Balarinji) took to the stage with a didgeridoo for the intro and the rest of band gradually came in. After the 3rd chorus two amazing things happened: The Edge broke into an exceptional guitar solo and Bono ran out onto the B-stage to take control of a brightly-colored kite in the shape of a brightly-colored bird. (Aboriginal mythology regards the parrot as a transitional and metamorphic character, or a reminder and a prompt). Releasing the kite was not mean feat, with Bono employing his lighter, then his teeth and finally his brute strength to cut it free. What happened next will be remembered with the same fond embarrassment as the grand giant disco Lemon failure in Oslo. The bird trailed slowly over the crowd dipping and rising in the wind, finally crashing into the gargantuan stage video screen where it remained like some kind of environmental tragedy. The spotlight on the kite went out and we resigned ourselves to the fact that Bono’s beautiful prop stunt had gone horribly wrong. Bono remained staring at the kite for some time and then, with preternatural sense, he asked for the spot to be turned back on. The balloons caught a gust of wind and the kite pulled out and up and over the screen. The kite sailed off illuminated the whole time. The crowd response was deafening and continued until the house lights came on.
My early fears about the show were unfounded. U2 simply do not disappoint in concert. It’s all very simple.
U2’s relaunched Vertigo tour wraps up December 9 in Honolulu, Hawaii. “U218” will be released November 21 on Interscope.
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