What was the single worst show in Europe this year?

[4U2Play]

Yes, U2 shows vary in quality. They might never perform a truly bad show nowadays, but some shows are definitely worse than others.

What was the case in Europe? Which U2 show did you attend turn out worse than the other shows you saw, and why?

Was it Brussels?

Either of the Manchester shows?

What about the show in Berlin?


All reasons are valid and welcome

 

[JulioArca]

I ll go for Oslo, because of the crap stadium. Its just a huge concrete ice rink and its really a rubbish venue for concerts. And it doesnt get dark and they have a tendency of getting stuck in lemon they cant get out of at that stadium.

 

[Popmartijn]

Of the seven European shows I attended (Brussels, all three Dublin and Amsterdam shows) I thought the one in Brussels was the least good. It seemed that especially Bono had to get used to playing in stadiums again. That show didn't have a good flow yet.

Still, it was a pretty good gig (with I think the only time when the first five songs played were all from different albums).

 

[Axver]

Still, it was a pretty good gig (with I think the only time when the first five songs played were all from different albums).

I think you're right about that.

 

[thelaj]

I heard less than positive things about Manchester 1..but that was mainly due to the flat crowd apparently.

 

[lisa2004]

I heard things about Manc 1 as well - but I was at that gig and where I was stood the crowd were great - really into it!

The only thing I would say is that Bono ranted on about Africa for longer and that meant that the intro for Streets did not have the impact it had on me at Twickenham.

Lisa

 

[ruffian]

I only attended 5 in Europe--2 in London, Glasgow, Croke 3, and Cardiff. Cardiff was a good show musically but the GA experience was the worst I've ever experienced. People were running/pushing down steep stairs in the dark, then they kept one side of the stadium in trapped in a small turnstyle area for about 10 minutes while the other side of the stadium poured onto the pitch (we got there at 5 in the morning and were not even on the rail because of that) The pushing was so bad I thought I was gonna get crushed to death, and there was nowhere to move. The stadium had a retractable roof and they left it closed but it got incredibly hot. Arena and U2's security spent all night carrying out fans who'd passed out. It was really insane.

 

[Muad'zin]

For me it was Munich. It rained on and off all day, the fans made no attempt to form an orderly waitingline, just a mad push against the gates. And security did nothing but make things worse all day. I could have made it into the inner GA circle if those 2 stupid assclowns in my line didn't make it their business to make sure to frisk absolutely everybody when their collegues in the other lines where just letting everybody through unchecked. So by the time I did got there they just closed the entrance off. Even though their were insane amounts of free space left.
And to add insult to injury this was the show when U2 saw it fit to ditch All I want is you from their regular setlist and replace it with nothing.

 

[chrissybaby]

manchester 1 only felt bad after manchester 2, which was a great show where the 'magic' happened. In isolation Manchester 1 was a good gig.

 

[thelaj]

I really thought Manchester 2 was great! But then, this is the wrong thread for that.
I think most of U2's european shows went really well according to what I've heard and read.

 

[God Part III]

I talked with this insane guy (he attended 23 of 33 shows) that also said that Brussels, exactly as Popmartijn puts it, didn't have the flow yet, and was the worst of those he'd seen.

 

[L03VIk]

I ll go for Oslo, because of the crap stadium. Its just a huge concrete ice rink and its really a rubbish venue for concerts. And it doesnt get dark and they have a tendency of getting stuck in lemon they cant get out of at that stadium.

Yes, Valle Hovin is the ugliest stadium in Europe, but that has little to do with U2's performance.... The late summer sun gave the show a different feel, but weatherwise it was a lot better than the Gothenburg rain 2 days later I can tell you!

No way Oslo was worst... Bono was vocally insane in Oslo and Gothenburg... way better than the Copenhagen show, where he had a big hangover ;-)

I think there must be a worse show than that too however...

 

[God Part III]

way better than the Copenhagen show, where he had a big hangover ;-)

NO WAY! Copenhagen was great! His voice was lacking, agreed, but we had the best Streets of the Scandinavian tour, and our Zoo Station eats yours anytime. Gothenburg had the best Vertigo2 though. May be the best Vertigo2 I've heard yet. Hei då!
Seriously though, he wrote a verse for us in Beautiful Day. It was a great concert, and they were in great form.

(Scandinavian rivalry at its best!)

 

[edge_2125]

manchester 1 only felt bad after manchester 2, which was a great show where the 'magic' happened. In isolation Manchester 1 was a good gig.

Manchester 2 was brilliant indeed. The crowd - inside the front enclosure especially - were great. They came on 45 minutes late but played a very tight show. Bono kept it pretty short on his speeches as well, which from what I've heard is a bit... unusual. But it certainly kept the night moving.

Man 2 also had the tour debuts of All I Want Is You and I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, both of which were extremely well received.

There were definitely a few magical moments that night.

Still get goosebumps thinking about how amazing that day was...

 

[tarquinsuperb]

manchester 1 only felt bad after manchester 2, which was a great show where the 'magic' happened. In isolation Manchester 1 was a good gig.

I must be odd I thought it was completely the other way around. I thought Manc 1 was superb and Manc 2 an anti-climax. Listening to the boot now I still think this was the case, personally I thought they'd raised their game that little bit on the first night because it was the opening night in the UK.

 

[thelaj]

the bootleg of manchester 1 sounds better than 2, but i think thats due to where they were recorded. I would no way say Manchester 1 was superior. Though the Manchester 1 MS>WOWY was cool.....

 

[KUEFC09U2]

the bootleg of manchester 1 sounds better than 2, but i think thats due to where they were recorded. I would no way say Manchester 1 was superior. Though the Manchester 1 MS>WOWY was cool.....

the manchester 1 version of both MW and WOWY way possibly the best i have ever heard, at the end of MW when bono was singing in a sort of churchy type fassion and it faded into WOWY with snippets of transmission and love will tear us apart

 

[lcfcok]

hahaha, Man 1 was my first ever U2 show, trust me to get the dud... nah it was good, but i do agree, night 2 was amazing, i was on the tip of edge's b stage night 1 and right in the middle (about 5 people back) 2nd night, 2nd night pissed on 1st

 

[Leetah]

For me it was Munich. It rained on and off all day, the fans made no attempt to form an orderly waitingline, just a mad push against the gates. And security did nothing but make things worse all day. I could have made it into the inner GA circle if those 2 stupid assclowns in my line didn't make it their business to make sure to frisk absolutely everybody when their collegues in the other lines where just letting everybody through unchecked. So by the time I did got there they just closed the entrance off. Even though their were insane amounts of free space left.
And to add insult to injury this was the show when U2 saw it fit to ditch All I want is you from their regular setlist and replace it with nothing.

Amen.

this was absolutely the worst GA experience I've ever been through. it was so horrible that I couldn't enjoy the show at all, so I guess that makes it personal but it was my worst show ever.

 

[jackbauer]

I only went to Glasgow. I thought the band were fantastic, but the crowd could have been a lot better. Especially when they're playing a song like Zoo Station and Running to Stand Still and hardly anyone knows what it is.

 

[Karlonthe2nd]

Yeah i only went to the Glasgow show as well. As JackBauer said the band were great but the crowd were a little subdued at times. It was still the best night of my life though.

 

[adele]

If like me, you are only lucky enough to go to 1 U2 concert on each tour, I suppose you've got nothing else to compare it with. I was at the Manchester 1 show, which I thought was very good apart from we missed out on the lighting/video effects as it was still very bright in the evening. I was sat in the 2nd tier, good view, but noticed a lot of people around me not really getting into the spirit of things! But, hey, each to their own, I think it sounded & looked a lot better than the Chicago gig on the DVD!!!!!!!

 

[RA-D]

Of the two manchester shows, Manchester 2 was awesome but, even though it was my first U2 show, there was something not right with the first night.

I'm pretty sure this was due to the bad atmosphere generated by the stadium staff (from one entrance) keeping the wristbands for the ellipse and selling them at stupid prices. That gate was also let into the stadium after the other gate, which meant that people that had gotten there at 3 or 4 in the afternoon were stood in front of me and we'd been first and second in the queue at our gate.

(Luckily for me, I was with a good-looking woman at the time so we wrangled a couple of wristbands for free, but were still several rows back)

 

[Val]

sounds like a u2 gig...not matter... where is fine!

 

[TRI2004]

I was at 4 shows on tour, including Dublin1, and the Glasgow show was by far and away the greatest. The band were the best I've seen them and I don't know how you can say the crowd wasn't very good. The atmosphere in the queue for the zone at the front was electric all, helped by it being the hottest day of the summer! The crowd reacted much better than either the Dublin, Manchester (and judging by any DVD releases, every American crowd). Best gig, by any band, I've ever been at.

 

[Ellay]

I was at Manchester 1, the performance was 100% quality.

But it was just let down by some idiotic people in the crowd, and the disorganisation of the stadium staff.

 

[lisa2004]

I had a great time at Manc 1 but the way the gates opened still baffeled me.

I was at the front of gate Y and was second person though and when I got to the pitch it was full infront of the stage and my mates and I took the last spaces on the rail on the walkway by Edge's side.

I have spoken to people at gates P and B and they have the same account - very very strange

A great gig though

Lisa

 

[KUEFC09U2]

manchester show was amazing, but as already said let down by the staff on gate b, people who were there earliest and at the front of the que still ended up quite a distance behind, simple because gate y was open first and the people from the back of our line ran to get into gate y as they were told you could enter via any gate, we also had people pushing there way into the front of the line as there were no barriers,

 

[wtonis]

threads like this are so useless.....
..it's all about personal opinions.....

 

[adele]

threads like this are so useless.....
..it's all about personal opinions.....

WELL GO AND START YOUR OWN THEN