A fun, fascinating return to America last night, with a different perspective for me, and some new show elements.
This was the first of the shows that were rescheduled from 2010 because of Bono’s back surgery. Bono told the audience that “some of you were two years younger when you bought your tickets”. The immeasurably lovely Rosa told me during the day that she’d had her ticket for the Denver concert for 560 days. I’m sure for most fans it was more than well worth the wait.
The pent-up craving from US-based U2 fans was evident as it seemed that almost everyone that I met in America in 2009 had all come to opening night USA 2011. It was wonderful to catch up with many people who had travelled to Denver from all over the States to get their overdue U2 fix, especially the glamorously crazy New York and Los Angeles crews.
It’s bizarre how the only country in the world which prohibits fans from camping outside stadiums overnight before the show is ‘the land of the free’. Some fans started queuing the day before the show, but were moved on three times by three separate people who called themselves “head of stadium security”. There were pedantic explanations over exactly which part of the pavement near the stadium was public or private property, with an imaginary line even once being precisely drawn across. In the end, one of the fans who started the queue called the Denver police to clarify exactly which sidewalk fans would be permitted to sit on for 36 hours without breaking any regulations. It’s such a contrast to what happened at stadiums in Mexico, South Africa, Australia, South America and Europe, where the queues are not only permitted, but facilitated.
I was down in the pit for the first time this year (mega thanks to Alice for the ticket). Brad and I trailed a couple of helpful crowd-breakers through the inside of the pit’s perimeter rail during The Fray’s set. We stopped at a spot on Adam’s side around the 5 o’clock position about three rows in from the back rail, where we hoped we wouldn’t block anyone’s views (we’re both over six foot).
Unsurprisingly, the pit is the best place for a lanky git to see the show from, compared to the nosebleeds (I’m learning American), or the seats behind the stage, where I’d been for most of the Latin American shows I saw.
There was a good atmosphere in the pit around us, with many fans launching themselves into expressively enjoying the show. But there were quite a few statically observing arm-folders, mainly blokes. It seemed like anything more than a rhythmic nod of the head might be too much for them. Applause was eventually dragged out of most of them by the end of the show.
One measure of the difference between the atmosphere at the shows in Latin America and the show here in Denver was during Miss Sarajevo. When Bono sings “here she comes”, in Latin America the crowd would loudly sing back “oh oh”, whereas in Denver I didn’t hear the same response. Also, very many fans in Mexico knew the words to Stay, for example, and sang along. There were far fewer people singing along last night. But there was still a good atmosphere in the stadium, just not as nuttily frantic as south of the border.
The green n orange countdown clock didn’t appear before U2 hit the stage. Instead, the current time in cities around the world was rotated around the screen. And lots of eye-popping world facts were also displayed (“number of barrels of oil produced this year”, “amount spent on illegal drugs”, “births today”, “deaths today”, “number of Google searches”). These included “height of the 360 tour stage structure” which is clearly a misspelt anagram of ‘The Claw’.
I whinged after the La Plata shows about Even Better Than The Real Thing not being the most effective show opener. Anyone who has ever been in the pit to see it performed will profoundly disagree. It’s a fantastic, glitzy, boppy opener for fans down the front, it’s quite exciting and great fun. (But I still think its effect wears off quickly in further reaches of the stadium.)
The tinkering with songs continues. There was cool new flashing coloured “The future needs a big kiss” and “Let me in the sound” text on the screen at the start of and during Boots. I think there’s also a slightly longer intro too. It’s odd how I really love the dreamy, Balearic intro to Magnificent, but I’m still missing the old version of the song, although the band are still piling into it with the same old drive, especially Larry.
One of my favourite aspects of being down towards the centre of the pit is to be able to watch Larry up close. I loved watching him hammer several shades of sugar out of his kit during Magnificent, UTEOTW, Pride, Vertigo etc. Seeing Larry pound his drums so ferociously is one of the reasons that I never agree with some of the fans on the forums who claim that U2 sometimes “go through the motions” during a show, or “phone it in”.
And it’s also fab to see just how much Adam enjoys playing live, with his continual smiles, winks and nods to people in the audience, and his unique, dinky style of bopping around the stages.
UTEOTW was a big highlight last night. Bono dedicated it to the mad reverend who predicted the Rapture would be yesterday. He then proved that people were still firmly on the ground, and gravity still worked, by chucking loads of white roses out into the audience.
I tried the ‘keeping my eyes closed’ trick during All I Want Is You. I think the phrase ‘achingly beautiful’ was invented for this song. It's very powerful live. I think it’s also Edge’s best solo in the show. (Although I missed the Saturday night party atmosphere that Still Haven’t Found always catalyses.)
Bono made a heartfelt speech before AIWIY about his recovery from his back surgery a year ago, and then some hilarious band intros e.g. in a Broadway-topical blurb, Edge was introduced as a superhero bitten by a spider and turned into a nerd.
I was very excited when U2 played All I Want Is You, and Pride, as I believe last night’s show may have been the first 360 concert to include one song (or substantial snippet) from every album. Full career coverage is quite remarkable. The Discotheque snippet after Crazy Tonight was also even better down in the pit. They’ve just *got* to do the full segue, and play the full song. And play Please too.
Bono remembered Red Rocks at the start of Sunday Bloody Sunday, and said “her majesty at Croke Park ... beautiful” at the end. (The British army murdered fourteen people at Croke Park, the great symbol of Irish nationalism, on Bloody Sunday in 1920.) I completely agree. It was a great day for Ireland. In fact, I think she should go to Ireland far more often. I’d be very pleased if she could eventually make it to Derry some time for a pint of Guinness in the Bogside Inn.
Nick and I did the U2 pilgrimage up to Red Rocks on Thursday evening. There was a high school graduation starting when we arrived, with the school orchestra and choir warming up. It was a cold, dank, damp evening, with low-lying clouds smothering the hills, just like when U2 performed there in 1983. It was nostalgically weird walking around the amphitheatre, as watching Sunday Bloody Sunday from the Under A Blood Red Sky video is one of my earliest U2 memories. There was a lot of talk about that song, and that performance of that song was a big influence on my road to becoming a U2 obsessive teenager.
The Tutu speech has (finally) been replaced by a quietly inspirational speech by Aung San Suu Kyi to introduce One. It was my first time hearing her speak and I was surprised by her perfect English; it even sounded a little bit like Received Pronunciation (wot the Queen of England speaks). Bono was clearly very proud of the new video, introducing it as something he couldn’t have imagined possible two years previously. “Campaigning works” Bono said later.
Hold Me Thrill Me was another song much better seen from the pit, with Bono swinging out over the crowd. There is a stunning visual effect when the spotlights fighting through the thick dry-ice create ghostly triple shadows. Up to three wispy shadows appear like an ethereal aura around Bono and then quickly vanish as the smoke drifts away.
Before Moment of Surrender, Bono asked Dallas (the fifth most popular person on the U2 stage) to come up and take a bow in front of his home audience.
And then it was time to go and meet my Denver host Travis (who’s a punk fan) and hear his dazzled ravings about how incredible the show was. I love it when people (especially non-U2 fans) who have seen the show for the first time are so impressed. And rightly so.
Larry is one of the reasons I prefer to be on the outer rail than the pit. Because on the pit rail I could not have a view of Larry at all. From my spot on the outer rail I had a perfect view of everyone onstage. Even when the bridges came together...
) and not bored (except for the gal sitting in front of me, but they didn't stand much.
(I cracked him up right after as I completely lost my shit during the chorus and bounced around like a mofo 
