June 26, 2011 - Spartan Stadium - East Lansing, MI

[liz9640]

The whole experience was fantastic, got in Saturday spent a good chunk of the day hang around the stadium with all the other people there.
We got back to the stadium at like 5:30 that morning. Was number 13 in line, so even though MSU wasn't "honoring" the numbers that were assigned seemed to end up being close to what the official numbers were.

I'm sure I met/saw several people here.

We ended up going to the outer rail pretty much at the center of it. It was great, the whole show was great! I was so happy the played The Fly and Stay which is my favorite song period! I heard it at the 2nd Chicago show, but this was different since there was not a bridge blocking the stage.

That was only my 4th show, but it was by far the loudest and most energetic one. Chicago and Pittsburgh crowds better be as loud as that.

Anyone else see the cop they had in the pit? That seemed silly. I should have taken a picture of these but they had little signs place around saying no purses or bags, they were very close to the ground. It was almost like they didn't want people to know they couldn't have 'em.

To quote one of my friends "U2 puts on one hell of a show".

 

[ck256]

The whole experience was fantastic, got in Saturday spent a good chunk of the day hang around the stadium with all the other people there.
We got back to the stadium at like 5:30 that morning. Was number 13 in line, so even though MSU wasn't "honoring" the numbers that were assigned seemed to end up being close to what the official numbers were.

I'm sure I met/saw several people here.

We ended up going to the outer rail pretty much at the center of it. It was great, the whole show was great! I was so happy the played The Fly and Stay which is my favorite song period! I heard it at the 2nd Chicago show, but this was different since there was not a bridge blocking the stage.

That was only my 4th show, but it was by far the loudest and most energetic one. Chicago and Pittsburgh crowds better be as loud as that.

Anyone else see the cop they had in the pit? That seemed silly. I should have taken a picture of these but they had little signs place around saying no purses or bags, they were very close to the ground. It was almost like they didn't want people to know they couldn't have 'em.

To quote one of my friends "U2 puts on one hell of a show".

We were standing next to the cops in the pit - they had GUNS and TASERS on them. "REally?" One drunk gets ahold of the gun and starts popping off . . . not good.

You have any pix of when Bono was in front of you? We were just left of center on back rail, pit.

Great show!

 

[ck256]

Pics

Okay - here's the start of my contribution. I'll have more shortly. Not sure I'm doing this right, but here goes . . June 26, 2011 - Spartan Stadium - East Lansing MI - Interference.com Photo Gallery (U2 Photos, U2 Concert Photos, Member Photos)

 

[Laracious]

Awesome show! Showed up kinda late around 3:30, was like #905 in line (not that it would have mattered, but they were passing around the pen still). I had gone to Target on my way to the stadium and bought a passport carry thing that my sister put around her neck under her shirt, and security didn't even notice! At least we had somewhere to put our id and stuff. We got in the pit, about 4 people deep of the rail on Edge's side! I got some great pics with my camera too Had a laugh at the Amish people way up in the stands and the guy was actually dancing during the set! It was kinda awesome to see, looked like he was churning butter or something
Loved the setlist compared to the 2009 shows. The Fly was freakin' amazing! Adam bouncing during crazy was cool too, he was really into it.

Can't wait for Montreal next!

 

[The_acrobat]

My 9th U2 show, and it was great! Definitely in my top 3. A few things-

-EBTTRT was a great opener IMO. However, the crowd seemed to react to it the same as they did Breathe in 09. "Don't really know what this is, but oh well, U2's onstage, I'll cheer anyway" kind of vibe to the place.

-The AB 4 at the beginning was great. However, the fact that it was still complete daylight really took away from this part. In fact, the sun didn't fully disappear until about Zooropa or so.

-GOYB is actually pretty decent live.

-I'm glad they dropped Magnificent.

-Stay was a perfect moment.

-The crowd's reaction to Streets was unlike anything I've ever witnessed at a concert.

-Zooropa, as much as I loved the song, was kind of the "dud song" of the night. I feel they could present it in a little bit more of an exciting way.

-I wish Scarlet was longer.

-Forgot how much I love IWF, SBS, Pride, BD, Elevation, Vertigo, ISHFWILF, WTSHNN, WOWY, One, MW, and all the other warhorses, until I see them in all their glory played right before me.

-The stadium layout was unusual. I'd say there were probably more people behind the stage than in front of it, if you don't count the people on the floor... which there were surprisingly few of.

 

[DesiresFire27]

I had a Beautiful Day yesterday at Spartan Stadium! I met some amazing U2 fans while hanging out in hopes of meeting the man. The concert was stellar! Florence and the Machine was Epic, and U2 was amazing! I wish the band did tours more often! I don't travel to see them, so I only get to see them every three years. Thanks to the band for Rocking East Lansing! If Spartan Stadium had a roof it would have blown off! Thanks to the crew that set up that 360 structure! Also it was nice to meet you Dennis!

And last but not least: Thanks to the fans! To the lady with the cowboy hat and the Larry Mullen Band Shirt for offering me here extra stands ticket in case I didn't feel better after waiting to meet Bono for hours in the sun! Thanks to Amy for the bottle of water, Thanks to the lady in the (red) red shirt and her son who offered to buy me food because they didn't take atm cards on the field. You guys showed me Kindness in a moment of need, and how good the fans are of this band!


Love

Kristie

 

[ck256]

My 9th U2 show, and it was great! Definitely in my top 3. A few things-

-The crowd's reaction to Streets was unlike anything I've ever witnessed at a concert.

How so? you mean like mind blowing that the crowd went crazy for the whole song and standing O for like 5 minutes after?



Zooropa was kinda down, but I took it that they were hiding behind the technology/blending in with it and doing an "art" song. Unusual, but those LED jackets were freaking cool - I've never seen Zooropa played live and personally didn't care much for the album, but feel like I have to go find the disc and dust it off.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!!

 

[DesiresFire27]

U2 Brothr I loved your outfit yesterday! I wanted to tell you but you didn't hear me! Where can I score that kick ass Bono Shirt? I really want to see the guys again this tour but I don't know if it will happen.

 

[2morrow]

Did you meet me? I was on the rail right in front of Edge... were you right behind me or close?

We didn't meet, but I was maybe 10 people to your left in the circle and saw you a few times during the show. I was wearing a green t-shirt that said "U2" (got it custom-made downtown a few hours prior to the show!). It was really awesome seeing you get a picture with Dallas that morning!!!

What was up with the lady who pushed to the rail during Zooropa? Security kept repeating "We told you three times already." and the guy in front of me poured water on her once she refused to leave their rail spot. Anyone know that story??

 

[liz9640]

-The stadium layout was unusual. I'd say there were probably more people behind the stage than in front of it, if you don't count the people on the floor... which there were surprisingly few of.

MSU would only allow 3500, or 3600 GA tickets to be sold for saftey reasons.

 

[jd45177]

We arrived late afternoon on Saturday and stayed at a motel in Howell, about 30 minutes from the stadium. The reason I mention this is that there was a hot air balloon festival taking place on the grounds of the local high school. We watched the launching of 42 hot air balloons. It’s not something one sees everyday and it added to the magic of the weekend.

We arrived at a parking garage about 1:00 Sunday afternoon and walked up and down Grand River Avenue. Miro, my son thought the record store you mentioned was great. He bought a couple of vinyls that he said were obscure, saying he was surprised he found them there. Heard the sound check going on and headed over to the stadium. I walked around and met Mark, listened to a guy arguing with the Christians and chatted with a few other people.

Based upon the hype over security and the stadium policies, my eighth show was by far better than I was expecting. Florence was okay, with her set not taking off until the middle of it.

I don’t think I’ve ever been barraged as I was with the opening AB in-your-face salvo! Hearing those songs in succession was a dream come true. It was fun watching my son bee-bopping to IWF. The image of him bouncing at the knees to the same song at his first-ever concert ten years ago when he was 11 is burned in my memory. This was the first time I heard EBTTRT and HMTM live and they were better than I imagined. IMO, EBTTRT is a perfect opening song. Of course, I was disappointed with the video mishap at the beginning of BD. I was also disappointed with the snippet, or lack thereof, for Vertigo. Zooropa was killer; I never thought I would ever hear it live and it was one of the highlights of the night for me. Also as previously mentioned, it was fun seeing Adam getting down during Crazy Tonight. Bono sounded as good as I've ever heard him. I thought he was going to skip the band introductions but he got them in at the end. I think the setlist was about as good as one could hope for; definitely better than the ’09 shows.

As someone mentioned previously, the GA crowd was rockin’ all night long. They were loud and boisterous and I am sure many of them were sore this morning from their non-stop bouncing. Even though we had decent seats, we were in Section 8, Row 23, I was wishing I was in the middle of the throng. My opinion of the crowd in the seated sections is that they were DEAD! Yes, they came to life for many of the songs but I have never seen anyone sit down during a U2 show. They did not sit for just one song, but several - Stay, MS, Zooropa and One. When I saw just a smattering of people standing during those songs, my jaw dropped. This may not have been the case for the entire stadium but it was that way for as far as I could see. It was one of the oldest crowds I have seen at any concert, maybe that’s why they sat as they did. It was as if they were at a Yanni concert or something. It seemed everyone enjoyed the show but I don’t think there were as many fans as I have seen at the seven other shows I have been to. It was obvious that many people were not very familiar with their songs. My son commented about all of the d-bags with their trophy wives. I also thought that it was probably a good thing to keep alcohol out of the hands of some of those people. Still, it was a great, great night.

 

[The_acrobat]

I was in the seated section, and yeah people sat down for the songs they didn't know (Stay, MS, Zooropa). I sat down too, as I didn't want to be the only asshole standing and blocking somebody's view. But this is usually common practice at every concert I've ever been to, U2 or other. Unless you're on the floor with the other hardcores, you're gonna be surrounded by casual fans who are going to sit down for the songs they don't know. This was my show to just sit/stand in the $90 section and watch the show. Pittsburgh is going to be my wait in line and get a good spot against the rail show.

One other thing: after the show, my wife and I were walking to our car when the band's motorcade left the stadium. There were only about 15-20 of us walking down this particular sidewalk at this particular time, and Adam rolled down his window and waved at all of us. That was awesome just to see him for that small amount of time. None of the other band members awknowledged us .

 

[hand0lotion]

Pictures!















Overexposed due to Adam's smile!

Wow, I'm blinded by that smile and those pants! How did you manage to see Edge's guitar trunk sitting outside the stadium like that?


ps: Anyone knoe anyhing about a certain Bono-Adam moment during GOYB?

 

[2morrow]

As someone mentioned previously, the GA crowd was rockin’ all night long. They were loud and boisterous and I am sure many of them were sore this morning from their non-stop bouncing.

My calves are killing me from all that jumping but it was so worth it! I'll be in GA-rehab for the remainder of the week...

 

[The_acrobat]

lol Adam and Bono touched forheads while Bono sang in his face... for quite a considerable amount of time too! I had never seen this before. They seemed to be giving each other some sort of staredown. Clayton was rather rambunctious last night, at least in the early part of the show.

 

[hand0lotion]

^what's that supposed to mean, that he's slowing down with age? only joking!

I'm glad you guys showed the boys some GA pit love! People always complain that the pit in America is too dull.

Here, I found a video-screen view of the Adam-Bono staredown:

YouTube - ‪U2 "Get on your Boots"‬‏

 

[jd45177]

My calves are killing me from all that jumping but it was so worth it! I'll be in GA-rehab for the remainder of the week...

I feel for you. When I saw Arcade Fire and The National in Indy in April, I could hardly walk the next day. And we didn't hit the max on the bounce-meter like you guys did last night.

 

[Laracious]

Posted some of my favourite pics in the tour gallery!

 

[canedge]

Clayton was rather rambunctious last night, at least in the early part of the show.

I noticed that as well. I was on Edges side when he was on the ramp and he did Bonos walk forward, walk back routine. He did not as smoothly of course.

 

[canedge]

My calves are killing me from all that jumping but it was so worth it!

I also suffered immensely last night. I know exactly how you feel. Worse than in a really long time. Funnily enough, only getting 15 min of shut eye can relieve the pain at least for the moment.

 

[U2BROTHR]

U2 Brothr I loved your outfit yesterday! I wanted to tell you but you didn't hear me! Where can I score that kick ass Bono Shirt?

Little do people know, the dress up is my version of the MirrorBall Man 2.0.....taken from of course Bono's MirrorBall Man idea. I've been dreaming this one up for a while since people have dressed up in the past with devil horns and belly dancers. The shirt is from the Popmart era. Gotta check ebay. Very hard to find.

Mark, those are ridiculously awesome pictures!!!! Thanks for sharing them! I am so sad now that I don't get to see you at another show this year (are you going to Minneapolis by any chance? )

No Minneapolis for me. That would be a plane ticket or a 16H drive. Next shows are Chicago, Montreal x2, Toronto (hometown show) and maybe Pittsburgh!

Mark, great pictures!!! Edgefest, so happy you got your moments too! I can't wait to see you both in Montreal/Toronto.

See you soon!



What's everyone talking about no love for Zooropa. Here is my facebook video.

This should work. Check out Bono dancing his ass off behind the screen.

http://www.facebook.com/v/10150662969965447

 

[GraceRyan]

Little do people know, the dress up is my version of the MirrorBall Man 2.0.....taken from of course Bono's MirrorBall Man idea. I've been dreaming this one up for a while since people have dressed up in the past with devil horns and belly dancers. The shirt is from the Popmart era. Gotta check ebay. Very hard to find.



No Minneapolis for me. That would be a plane ticket or a 16H drive. Next shows are Chicago, Montreal x2, Toronto (hometown show) and maybe Pittsburgh!



See you soon!



What's everyone talking about no love for Zooropa. Here is my facebook video.

This should work. Check out Bono dancing his ass off behind the screen.

http://www.facebook.com/v/10150662969965447

Awesome video. I clicked out of somewhere and did I see a photo of you as DJ Lance??

 

[canedge]

MirrorBall Man 2.0.....taken from of course Bono's MirrorBall Man idea.

Its serendipity that both MBM 2.0 and the ZOOTV setlist, visuals have returned!

 

[Anu]

Great pictures. Really.

 

[liz9640]

What's everyone talking about no love for Zooropa. Here is my facebook video.

This should work. Check out Bono dancing his ass off behind the screen.

http://www.facebook.com/v/10150662969965447

I was hoping someone had video of Bono dancing during Zooropa!



Get to do the GA thing all over again in a week!

 

[staylorz]

E. Lansing, June 26, 2011

What an awesome show. Here are some of my photos. I was right behind you, U2BROTHR.

U2, E. Lansing, June 26, 2011 - a set on Flickr

 

[EdgeFest]

There's me and Dallas - sweet of you guys to know how special that was ((HUG))

An example of a few of those beautiful Edge photos I got... I honestly don't need to take my camera again for the rest of the tour!

I did take a pic of the other guy.. just this one. (Joking, I took a lot more).

See?

More later.... need to do laundry -UGH!

 

[ClaytonsKitten]

Here's my photos on Facebook!
Facebook


And YES, Adam was super-rambunctious during the early part of the show. I was bouncing right along with him up in my seat. And that Bono/Adam staredown during Boots. UNF. UNF. UNNNNNNNF.

This is by far the best show I've seen yet! It'll be hard to top this one!

 

[U2BROTHR]

Awesome video. I clicked out of somewhere and did I see a photo of you as DJ Lance??

Um yes....

As a U2 fan you need two valuable attributes in order to do GA and meet the band.

1. Patience.
2. No shame

As you can tell.....I have a lot of the second one.

 

[EdgeFest]

Um yes....

As a U2 fan you need two valuable attributes in order to do GA and meet the band.

1. Patience.
2. No shame

As you can tell.....I have a lot of the second one.

AHAHAHA!!! THAT IS HOT. You need to wear that in Toronto.

I often lack #1, but I'm right there with you for #2.

Here's some more pics from my collection:

The full gallery is here

East Lansing - June 26/2011 - edgefest's Photos