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U2
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catscradle Apr. 21st, 2005 12:55 pm)
catscradle Apr. 21st, 2005 12:55 pm)I'm always really bad at articulating about things I like. It takes me a while to absorb it all and come down off the high of having experienced it and by then the moment has passed and I"m still at a loss for words. I'm going to attempt something like a review of last night's U2 concert, but I'm telling you it can be better summed up in two words: religious experience.
Seriously, I have no other term for what was experience last night. Um, yeah it was good. More than good, it was mystical. No hyperbole. I definitely went into an altered state of consciousness.
To start, the opening band... didn't quite suck. I recall from an old David Letterman top ten list on Top Ten Attractions at the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame - number 5 "Get the Hell Off the Stage: A Tribute to Opening Acts." 'Cause, yeah. The music was great. I could get into the music. But as![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
_darlingnicky_ keenly pointed out, the lead singer was a cross between Steven Tyler and all of the Georgia Satellites. It didn't work. It grated on my nerves. This sucked because I really liked the music. I wanted to enjoy it. I couldn't. We should have waited to go in till 9pm like all the smart people. Ah well. Live and learn.
One strange thing was the giant Canadian flag floating above our seats. Next to it was a much smaller American flag. Did we lose the war? Did I miss something? Was another Baldwin killed? No hockeye games going on at that time. At any rate, I thought it would be fun if as a group we all sang O, Canada instead of our own national anthem, but they didn't play it. Also, "o" and "Canada" are probably the only two words any of us knew of the song, so it's probably better it never came up.
U2 opened with Peace & Love or Else. I love this song. I love it more live. U2 should always be live. Their suckiest song is good if live. They rolled it in to Vertigo and the crowd went wild. Nice visuals. My eyes were on overload. I should mention here that our seats were on top of the world. Literally. Crows Nest. THE very last row. It was impossible to be in that arena and further away from the band. I wasn't kidding before, Bono could have a restraining order agaisnt me and I'd legally be able to attend this concert. I'm one of the poorer fans. But we were dead center, so we could see everything perfectly. Thank God the band is way into flashy lights.
They launched into Electric Co. Pleasant surprise. Then a song that for the life of me, I had no idea where it was from. I thought myself a U2 guru and I failed to recognize this song. How can this be? I'll move on. They went into Sunday Bloody Sunday, which was nicely variant from when I last saw them in 1987. Then it was a slower, sadder beat that sped up later in the song, here it was just pounded out. This song needs to be heard live in as many ways possible. I don't like the recording on War or Under a Blood Red Sky, but both live version were spectacular. You feel it within.
They rolled directly into Bullet the Blue Sky and infused it with When Johnny Comes Marching Home. And God. I didn't tear up, but I found it difficult to breathe. I heard about 60 variations of this song and I've never heard it sung like this. If they had said goodnight then, it would have been worth it.
But they kept on going. It was a two hour concert and all four of them remained on stage the entire time. Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - BEST RENDITION EVER. But you sort of needed the light show with it to get the full effect. At the risk of alienating some people here, if you don't like this song, you have no soul. Hate the group. Think Bono is the Antichrist and a bore. But this song IS music. My opinion. Let's see, they sang Elevation, One, New Years Day, Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own, Miracle Drug, Yawheh, City of Blinding Lights, Beautiful Day, Zoo Station, The Fly, Mysterious Ways, Running to Stand Still, She's a Mystery to Me, all of which had the house soaring. It wasn't just the music or the lights, it was the spirit in the house. The vibes were a high all their own.
At the end of the night he pulled out an old closer. From what I know of the band they retired the song after the Joshua Tree tour. They revived it for Vertigo. They closed with 40. Maybe we werea all just a bunch of thirty-somethingers reliving a moment of the 80s, but there's something magical when everyone starts singing that song as the band members leave the stage one by one. Larry drums alone. I love him.
Well, I'm a total fan, so what do I know? Luckily I had_darlingnicky_ with me, a self proclaimed causual listener of the group (read: whenever I say "Hey, Listen to this!"), to gage the concert's coolness factor. Blown away. Totally blown away. Go read her review for more details.
I've left out just about everything in this review. I told you I suck at writing about things I love. I'm reading this over and it can be summed up in "I heard a bunch of old songs I liked." You slogged through eleven paragraphs for that. Sorry. It was the best concert I've been to aside from the 1987 Joshua Tree tour. See them if you have a chance. The End.
Seriously, I have no other term for what was experience last night. Um, yeah it was good. More than good, it was mystical. No hyperbole. I definitely went into an altered state of consciousness.
To start, the opening band... didn't quite suck. I recall from an old David Letterman top ten list on Top Ten Attractions at the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame - number 5 "Get the Hell Off the Stage: A Tribute to Opening Acts." 'Cause, yeah. The music was great. I could get into the music. But as
_darlingnicky_ keenly pointed out, the lead singer was a cross between Steven Tyler and all of the Georgia Satellites. It didn't work. It grated on my nerves. This sucked because I really liked the music. I wanted to enjoy it. I couldn't. We should have waited to go in till 9pm like all the smart people. Ah well. Live and learn.One strange thing was the giant Canadian flag floating above our seats. Next to it was a much smaller American flag. Did we lose the war? Did I miss something? Was another Baldwin killed? No hockeye games going on at that time. At any rate, I thought it would be fun if as a group we all sang O, Canada instead of our own national anthem, but they didn't play it. Also, "o" and "Canada" are probably the only two words any of us knew of the song, so it's probably better it never came up.
U2 opened with Peace & Love or Else. I love this song. I love it more live. U2 should always be live. Their suckiest song is good if live. They rolled it in to Vertigo and the crowd went wild. Nice visuals. My eyes were on overload. I should mention here that our seats were on top of the world. Literally. Crows Nest. THE very last row. It was impossible to be in that arena and further away from the band. I wasn't kidding before, Bono could have a restraining order agaisnt me and I'd legally be able to attend this concert. I'm one of the poorer fans. But we were dead center, so we could see everything perfectly. Thank God the band is way into flashy lights.
They launched into Electric Co. Pleasant surprise. Then a song that for the life of me, I had no idea where it was from. I thought myself a U2 guru and I failed to recognize this song. How can this be? I'll move on. They went into Sunday Bloody Sunday, which was nicely variant from when I last saw them in 1987. Then it was a slower, sadder beat that sped up later in the song, here it was just pounded out. This song needs to be heard live in as many ways possible. I don't like the recording on War or Under a Blood Red Sky, but both live version were spectacular. You feel it within.
They rolled directly into Bullet the Blue Sky and infused it with When Johnny Comes Marching Home. And God. I didn't tear up, but I found it difficult to breathe. I heard about 60 variations of this song and I've never heard it sung like this. If they had said goodnight then, it would have been worth it.
But they kept on going. It was a two hour concert and all four of them remained on stage the entire time. Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - BEST RENDITION EVER. But you sort of needed the light show with it to get the full effect. At the risk of alienating some people here, if you don't like this song, you have no soul. Hate the group. Think Bono is the Antichrist and a bore. But this song IS music. My opinion. Let's see, they sang Elevation, One, New Years Day, Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own, Miracle Drug, Yawheh, City of Blinding Lights, Beautiful Day, Zoo Station, The Fly, Mysterious Ways, Running to Stand Still, She's a Mystery to Me, all of which had the house soaring. It wasn't just the music or the lights, it was the spirit in the house. The vibes were a high all their own.
At the end of the night he pulled out an old closer. From what I know of the band they retired the song after the Joshua Tree tour. They revived it for Vertigo. They closed with 40. Maybe we werea all just a bunch of thirty-somethingers reliving a moment of the 80s, but there's something magical when everyone starts singing that song as the band members leave the stage one by one. Larry drums alone. I love him.
Well, I'm a total fan, so what do I know? Luckily I had
_darlingnicky_ with me, a self proclaimed causual listener of the group (read: whenever I say "Hey, Listen to this!"), to gage the concert's coolness factor. Blown away. Totally blown away. Go read her review for more details. I've left out just about everything in this review. I told you I suck at writing about things I love. I'm reading this over and it can be summed up in "I heard a bunch of old songs I liked." You slogged through eleven paragraphs for that. Sorry. It was the best concert I've been to aside from the 1987 Joshua Tree tour. See them if you have a chance. The End.
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Yes, yes, yes. Best live band I've ever seen. There's just this incredible connection. *vicariously happy*