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U2 live at the
Millenium Stadium, Cardiff
From the bus to Cardiff you could see traffic signs (not posters- but
messages from the highway patrol) along the motorway announcing the
U2 Vertigo concert at the Millenium Stadium. I thought that was weird,
but once I got into the city centre, every other person- young and old-
was wearing a U2 t-shirt of some kind. Elevation tour, ZooTV tour, all
proudly advertising the event of the year for the small seaside town.
The stadium was huge and 40 quid didn't get us very good seats, but we
had a better view than some people at the back in the ground floor stalls.
Like most big bands, U2 had two opening acts. Starsailor was solid and
their songs were tight, but sadly limp delivery. Too bad other U2 support acts like
Snow Patrol,
Franz Ferdinand and
Kings of Leon weren't available.
filling up
Only when The Killers came on the stadium started getting filled and moving. Kick-ass one-hour set with all the classics and ended with
"All these things that I have
done" my current favourite.
By the time The Killers finished, everyone was really up for more.
Mexican waves all around and the Welsh audience just kept buying
more and more alcohol. Apparently, Charlotte Church
and Midge Ure
were in the house too.
U2 finally came on at 8.30 and kicked off with Vertigo. I would give you a
blow by blow account of their entire set, but I don't think I could manage
to put into words the pure adrenaline that surged through all of us that
night.
When it comes to U2, songs become anthems and fans don't just sing
along, they somehow become hundred thousand strong choirs. Classics
like Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For,
One,
Where the Streets
Have No Name, I Will
Follow, etc. became thunderous hymns.
Like one giant machine, the stage, screens and pixel lights (a huge screen
made out of strings of lights) seemed to be part of the band - beating,
flashing and linking the entire stadium to the music. Never seen anything
like that before, except when I was at Micheal Jackson's History concert.
Bono did his stage antics, short audience pleasing speeches in between
songs and rapturous applause and got all of us to use our mobiles to
"light up the stadium" and send a Text with our name to Make Poverty
History. Later towards the end of the show, the names were flashed
across the screens. Talk about an interactive show, the next day, each of us got a text from
"Bono" thanking us for our text contributions to the Make Poverty History charity.
The set list was amazing. I didn't like stuff from "How to dismantle an atomic
bomb" but Vertigo
and Miracle Drug is now one of my U2 all time favourites. How many bands can play a song (Vertigo) twice in one concert (at the opening and closing) and still get such a strong response from the crowd? Anthems I tell you- no one else does it like U2. (Coldplay's trying to get into that kind of song-writing with their latest material, but still have a long way to go)
I was told that for this tour they hardly played
With or Without You so when the opening chimes of that song came on we were
ecstatic. Sappy, but it was the ONE song I really needed to hear them play live. Bono even pulled someone on stage like he did in Boston for the Elevation tour. but unlike that gig, he just gave the girl a hug and didn't do the song laying down with the her.
While bands like Metallica and
Radiohead might know how to really rock a stadium, no one MOVES a stadium like U2 - the emotional energy of their songs and adoration from their fans was amazing. I don't know how they manage to pull it off 160 times (and that's just for the Vertigo tour! we're not talking about all those other tours years ago).
U2 - what a circus, what a ride, what a phenomenon - and the best part is, up in the rafters, singing my lungs out with two close friends and waving my flag,
I was there.
Read the official review of the gig here :
[click]
set list
Vertigo
I Will Follow
Electric Co.
Elevation
New Year’s Day
Beautiful Day
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
All I Want is You
City of Blinding Lights
Miracle Drug
Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own
Love and Peace
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet The Blue Sky
Running to Standstill
Pride In the Name of Love
Where the Streets have No Name
One
Encore #1
Zoo Station
The Fly
With or Without You
Encore #2
All Because of You
Yahweh
Vertigo
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