When the Vertigo tour rolled into town in November 2006, the public were so relieved and starved of the band, and U2 themselves so desperate to perform well that nothing could have ruined the shows. They were almost militaristic in their precision. The sound was tight, the set was a clear nod to the abandoned Elevation tour plans, and they methodically went about their business, wowing all those lucky enough to attend.
2010 has put Vertigo to shame.
With nothing to prove, no scores to settle, ledgers all squared, U2 arrived in Sydney determined to make these shows special. They were instantly more relaxed. The music, the production, and the vibe in general were worlds ahead of the Vertigo dates. Most importantly, the band had FUN.
They hit the stage about 15 minutes late on the Monday night (technical issues), which gave the crowd more time to raise their voices and beckon their heroes. As U2 walked to the stage, waving to the crowd and accompanied by David Bowie, there was a genuine sense of celebration; there were no cancellations or delays due to hardships within the band, economic crises, or conflicting schedules. They were plainly enjoying their time in Australia, and were ready to show their gratitude.
Despite the 360 sound system being one of the loudest in stadium rock history, the crowd just about drowned out the opening notes of Return of the Stingray Guitar. Only a handful of diehards would have heard the song before, but everyone was jumping. When the house lights went down, and Beautiful Day kicked off, it was taken to another level. The pace was frenetic as the band rolled through I WIll Follow, Get on Your Boots, Magnificent, Mysterious Ways, Elevation and Until the End of the World. Finally, there was pause for breath, and all Bono could muster was “wow!” He told the crowd that tonight was their office party. He described Edge as the IT wizard of the office who “while everyone else is out drinking, he’s staying back and fixing the photocopier.”
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For included snippets of Never Tear Us Apart and Do They Know It’s Christmas. Bono then dedicated Stuck In A Moment to fallen friend Michael Hutchence. While the song was clearly under-rehearsed, there was a genuine quality that rarely shines through in music; they had cut through the illusion that bands show up and play songs they play hundreds of times a year. It seemed instant and honest; the perfect introduction for Bad.
Forgive me for editorialising, but Bad was the one song I had wanted to see them play. They haven’t played it much since the Elevation tour, and I had believed I was out of luck. The next 6 minutes passed and I have no idea where I was, or how I got there. Aural euphoria is the only way it can be described; it was a genuine highlight of the stay in Sydney.
The rest of the set rolled on as expected, but with an energy I haven’t heard a great deal of on any tour. They were genuine, and they were having a blast. Bono dedicated One to anyone who had lost someone to HIV, and sang the Hear Us Coming verse. Before Moment of Surrender he was lost for words, eventually blurting out that they “didn’t want to go”. You got the impression that they would have played all night.
Night 2 coming up.
. . . I particularly love the pics of the screen and the shots of Edge in the red glow 
. . . and the shot of the band entering the stadium is great too . . . love the looks on the faces of the fans . . . oh and those of Bono in Sunday Bloody Sunday are fantastic too 
. . . seriously dude! 
~ got home and read your post properly ~ no sydney date loving on the t'shirts yet as far as I can see either 
