rita's dad
Babyface
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2004
- Messages
- 14
ok - so there were approx. 150-200 people outside the Sports Arena a little after 6pm L.A. time when a security guard came out and announced everyone would be allowed in if they put away their cellphones and cameras. as I had my dog with me, I stashed her and my phone back in my car and ran back to the Arena - I was the last person to get in.
everyone was directed to Section 16 and there were enough people to fill three sections at the side of the arena. Across the way, radio contest winners filled up two sections on the other side. Crew members and management, etc. sat in a row of seats in front of sound board or scattered in a section of seats behind the sound board.
The stage and catwalk are almost identical to the last tour.
At approx. 6:40 pm, the lights went off and all five sections cheered as loudly as possible.
Here's the setlist to the best of my memory:
City of Blinding Lights
Electric Co. (the band rocks this song hard)
An Cat Dubh
Into the Heart (these two songs are done seamlessly with Bono lying down on the catwalk during the transition)
Beautiful Day
Miracle Drug (Edge starts this one bare with just his guitar and Bono decided not to give the back story about this song because he knew the audience was made up of hardcore fans, "You all know the story anyway.")
Sometimes You Can't Make It....(dedicated to Mr. Hewson)
Love and Peace or Else (Larry is pounding a portable bass drum on the catwalk - when Larry goes back to his drum kit, Bono takes over pounding on the bass drum - this song is much better live than on the record)
Elevation
Stuck in a Moment (done with Edge on keyboards - Bono calls it a beautiful song that they messed up tonight)
Yahweh (done acoustically with Larry playing keyboards)
Bullet the Blue Sky
Running to Stand Still (done Joshua Tree style with Edge on keyboards - the smoke pours out at the end of this song a la the Zoo TV tour)
Zoo Station (the intro to this song is a video which concerns a U.N. human rights declaration of 1948 that is alternately read by a man and woman - Bono marches on the catwalk through the smoke during this song. He is joined by Edge on the catwalk)
The Fly (words are flashed on the curtains of light beads - you'll understand when you see the show - a la Zoo TV)
Vertigo (after the band finished the song, Bono had the band re-start the ending of the song as he put in lyrics from "Stories For Boys" - I kid you not)
encore break
Pride (I wish they would have done Gloria here instead. Bono talks about Dr. King's dream 40 yrs ago and has the crowd sing the vocals on Oh, oh, oh)
Where The Streets Have No Name (different nation's flags are scrolled on the curtains of lights)
One (Bono asks everyone to text msg their name to a specific number flashed on the video screen - and all the names will scroll across the video screen. He said that he wants to sign up 1 million Americans to the human rights cause)
All Because of You (Bono intros the song saying they're a band from Ireland called U2 a la his monologue in the middle of Out of Control on the last tour)
40 (the song is done identically as it was on the Joshua Tree tour with Edge & Adam switchings sides & guitars; Bono using the hand-held stage light to send a beam of light into the crowd and Larry pounding the drums before departing. Bono stops towards the end of the song and says that he's reminded of a t-shirt that he saw on Venice Beach which said, "There are no rehearsals" - so he said that tonite was show 1 of the Vertigo tour.)
At 8:40pm, Larry left the stage, the crowd continued to sing "How Long to sing this song" and the house lights came on.
Overall, I have different thoughts about this show. There's nothing new about the staging from the last tour. The lighting is interesting and unique with these curtains of LED beads that the band actually has to walk through to get on the catwalk. It's unbelieveable to me that songs 2-4 are from the early days - I have been to thirty shows since the Joshua Tree tour and I've never heard those songs done live. Bono doing bits of "Stories For Boys" was definitely a treat for the old-school fans. It's really weird to see the band do a full show with only five sections of the arena filled. I'm looking forward to seeing the band rock out with the energy of an arena filled with fans. I'm hoping the set list changes a bit on Monday night in San Diego.
everyone was directed to Section 16 and there were enough people to fill three sections at the side of the arena. Across the way, radio contest winners filled up two sections on the other side. Crew members and management, etc. sat in a row of seats in front of sound board or scattered in a section of seats behind the sound board.
The stage and catwalk are almost identical to the last tour.
At approx. 6:40 pm, the lights went off and all five sections cheered as loudly as possible.
Here's the setlist to the best of my memory:
City of Blinding Lights
Electric Co. (the band rocks this song hard)
An Cat Dubh
Into the Heart (these two songs are done seamlessly with Bono lying down on the catwalk during the transition)
Beautiful Day
Miracle Drug (Edge starts this one bare with just his guitar and Bono decided not to give the back story about this song because he knew the audience was made up of hardcore fans, "You all know the story anyway.")
Sometimes You Can't Make It....(dedicated to Mr. Hewson)
Love and Peace or Else (Larry is pounding a portable bass drum on the catwalk - when Larry goes back to his drum kit, Bono takes over pounding on the bass drum - this song is much better live than on the record)
Elevation
Stuck in a Moment (done with Edge on keyboards - Bono calls it a beautiful song that they messed up tonight)
Yahweh (done acoustically with Larry playing keyboards)
Bullet the Blue Sky
Running to Stand Still (done Joshua Tree style with Edge on keyboards - the smoke pours out at the end of this song a la the Zoo TV tour)
Zoo Station (the intro to this song is a video which concerns a U.N. human rights declaration of 1948 that is alternately read by a man and woman - Bono marches on the catwalk through the smoke during this song. He is joined by Edge on the catwalk)
The Fly (words are flashed on the curtains of light beads - you'll understand when you see the show - a la Zoo TV)
Vertigo (after the band finished the song, Bono had the band re-start the ending of the song as he put in lyrics from "Stories For Boys" - I kid you not)
encore break
Pride (I wish they would have done Gloria here instead. Bono talks about Dr. King's dream 40 yrs ago and has the crowd sing the vocals on Oh, oh, oh)
Where The Streets Have No Name (different nation's flags are scrolled on the curtains of lights)
One (Bono asks everyone to text msg their name to a specific number flashed on the video screen - and all the names will scroll across the video screen. He said that he wants to sign up 1 million Americans to the human rights cause)
All Because of You (Bono intros the song saying they're a band from Ireland called U2 a la his monologue in the middle of Out of Control on the last tour)
40 (the song is done identically as it was on the Joshua Tree tour with Edge & Adam switchings sides & guitars; Bono using the hand-held stage light to send a beam of light into the crowd and Larry pounding the drums before departing. Bono stops towards the end of the song and says that he's reminded of a t-shirt that he saw on Venice Beach which said, "There are no rehearsals" - so he said that tonite was show 1 of the Vertigo tour.)
At 8:40pm, Larry left the stage, the crowd continued to sing "How Long to sing this song" and the house lights came on.
Overall, I have different thoughts about this show. There's nothing new about the staging from the last tour. The lighting is interesting and unique with these curtains of LED beads that the band actually has to walk through to get on the catwalk. It's unbelieveable to me that songs 2-4 are from the early days - I have been to thirty shows since the Joshua Tree tour and I've never heard those songs done live. Bono doing bits of "Stories For Boys" was definitely a treat for the old-school fans. It's really weird to see the band do a full show with only five sections of the arena filled. I'm looking forward to seeing the band rock out with the energy of an arena filled with fans. I'm hoping the set list changes a bit on Monday night in San Diego.
Thank you so much for that! 
