U2 - Concert

You know when you want to live in a moment forever? Or wish you could go back and live a moment over and over again. That was this past Wednesday night. I had waited 16 months for U2 after they had to postpone their concert last year due to Bono injuring his back at a rehearsal in Munich.

The day was great. It was a bit windy but really, it rained for about 15 seconds during the concert and that was about all that was not super about it and to be honest...I barely even noticed.

Let's get something straight because I've heard a few people in the week building up to the concert either not think it's a big deal at all or not even know who they were. So all of this feedback comes from a very, very biased stand point.I can't tell you why I love them so much. Perhaps the love was born because I wanted to be like my sister who went to the Pop Tour concert back in the '90s. Whether my motives were because I wanted to be like or completely annoy my sister - I fell in love with them. Their melodies and unique style set them apart from other rock and pop groups and genres altogether. They weren't about fluff. Though I can't say that I really started paying attention to what their songs were about until my stepmom questioned why I would listen to a music group who had songs named like Sunday Bloody Sunday. I couldn't explain the history behind all of their songs but I was able to tell her that they didn't sing about nothing. They wrote songs beyond lovey dovey stuff and that Sunday Bloody Sunday was actually written about an incident in Derry where British troops shot and killed a number of unarmed civil rights protestors (a day called Bloody Sunday).

There are few U2 songs that I don't like and I have a very hard time pinning my favourite song. I have a bunch. And all but one song (Desire) were played during the concert. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

The Fray started the evening off...half an hour late. I was really, really excited about seeing The Fray - more than if the Black Eyed Peas were to open. But I have to say I was pretty disappointed in their performance. I got the feeling like maybe their niche wasn't an outdoor concert...maybe it wasn't delivering a concert to 68,000 people...30,000 of which weren't even in the stands when they were on. They made a "How 'bout them NHL playoffs?" ... like that somehow had to do with the fact that people were more interested in getting merchandise and not being in their seats more than the fact that the majority of the people really just wanted U2 to get on stage.

AND they messed up their headline song, Over My Head.

They came, they played for 40 minutes, and then we waited for another hour for U2.

Que Countdown to Major Tom. And my tears. I was actually seeing U2. So, I guess I somehow, somewhere, in some little part of my mind, understand how all those little girls can bawl and cry when they get a glimpse Justin Bieber. U2 is my Bieber Fever.

It was AMAZING.

I mean, first of all...look at the stage...I mean, spaceship. I mean, MASSIVE. It was obviously there to benefit all of us folk who couldn't actually make out Bono onstage because we were half a kilometer away from the stage. But the light show was awesome. As it got darker, it got more and more amazing.

There were a couple of things about the concert experience that hindered that experience. Like the four 50 year olds that were completely smashed and hopped up on acid or LSD or maybe they just too many drugs back in the '70s. They were obnoxious all concert long but luckily we were one too many rows away from them to get any of their beer on us. Along with that...I'm a concert stander. I stand at concerts. So here's me, standing and singing and dancing for the first third of the concert and a get a tap on the shoulder. It's a dad from behind me saying that his 12 year old daughter is bawling because she can't see the concert.

I might not have been so choked if the section on either side of us were all standing and our section was the only one not standing. And maybe a large part of me was like...how could his 12 year old daughter even know half of the songs that they were singing. I sat down and sulked for a solid 30 seconds...aaaannnnnnnnnddddddd then I figured that I didn't want to remember U2 as a sulky concert. So I bobbed and sang and sat. I turned around for 5 or so songs that were my special favourites and asked if I could stand and they were okay with that. I think next time (and I'm hoping so much that there is) I will get floor tickets for the simple fact that everybody on the floor was dancing and having a blast...more my style.

Here's the set list from Wednesday night:

1. Even Better Than The Real Thing
   (Remix Version)
2. I Will Follow
3. Get On Your Boots
4. Magnificent
   (Remix Version)
5. Mysterious Ways
6. Elevation
7. Until The End Of The World
8. All I Want Is You
   (with "The Needle and the Damage Done" snippet)
9. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
   (Acoustic Version)
10. Beautiful Day
    (with "Heart Of Gold" snippet)
11. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
12. Miss Sarajevo
13. Zooropa
14. City Of Blinding Lights
    (with "Singing In The Rain" snippet)
15. Vertigo
16. I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
    (Remix Version)
17. Sunday Bloody Sunday
18. Scarlet
19. Walk On
    (with "You'll Never Walk Alone" snippet)
20. Encore:
20. One
21. Where The Streets Have No Name
    (with "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" snippet)
22. Encore 2:
22. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
23. With Or Without You
24. Moment of Surrender

If there were any songs I wished were different...I would have to say that I didn't like the remixes of I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight and Magnificent. They didn't have the epic build ups like their studio versions. I also have never been a fan of Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me - and I don't know if they just do it because it was a big hit because of one of the Batman movies or what but I would have voted for Desire ahead of that. I think my highlights were Sunday Bloody Sunday (which was what I was hoping for) and Where The Streets Have No Name.

Can I also say...24 songs? Seriously - they played for 2.5 hours. Unbelievable. I will live that concert over and over in my head. Absolutely unbelievable and I will absolutely go again if given the chance.

Thank you U2. Thank you.