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Performance:
Always putting on a ripper of a show in East Rutherford.
In the early part of the Vertigo '05 tour, U2 were at the top of their game (well, as much as they can be). All the songs were played really well - Bad is always a surprise in any recent show, as is a snippet of Please. But seven songs from one album and none from others is kind of a let down; but you gotta flog your wares somehow. ; )
An excellent performance of Gloria is featured here and the little Zoo segment is always a nice surprise - Zoo Station, The Fly, Mysterious Ways...about Gloria, it's kinda funny how Bono says it's from the Boy album, then quickly corrects himself that it's from the second album (October), not played for around 15 years or so, and The Ocean to compliment that, another track not played for many years, possibly since the Boy Tour.
It just goes to show elaborate stage setups can't distract from well-performed songs. They certainly rocked the house.
Audience:
An unusually quiet audience, even for somewhere like East Rutherford. Maybe it's where the taper was situated, but apart from that, you don't have any annoying whistlers or very personal conversations like about hot dogs - there's more than enough of those on other recordings.
The quiet audience factor is great, because you get a better recording. Naturally, you can't capture a reaction of the audience through a taping, but what's here is excellent. If they'd done what they did the previous night at the end of the show, the reaction would have blown the floor apart (Larry drumming from ''40'' seguing into Vertigo, gradually getting faster).
Sound:
For an audience recording, it's excellent. No skips, jumps or stutters in the recording at all, and all instruments, lead and backing vocals and whatever else is prominent enough on the MP3 recording.
Apart from maybe seven or eight other audience recordings from this particular leg of the tour, this is one of the best (two are from Chicago).
Overall:
Worth a download and a decent listen. This show and the Glendale (April 15) show were my first two Vertigo shows, and even over two-and-a-half years later, I remain impressed by the enthusiasm U2 shows to impressing an audience.
A job well done.
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Performance:
One of the better first leg gigs you'll get here. An excellent setlist in that it was a fairly staple Vertigo menu but with a few nice surprises thrown in to keep the crowd on their toes.
The band had played East Rutherford the night before and appeared very comfortable in front of the New Jersey crowd. They had their setlist laid down quite well but flexible enough to cater for the likes of some rarities such as Gloria and The Ocean and their delivery was spot on for most of the night.
This was a pretty smooth sailing sort of gig in that each tune seemed to roll into the other. The band seemed to be in the zone from the opening City of Blinding Lights and the energy picked up another gear as we moved into Vertigo and Elevation. A blessing of the early gigs was Vertigo's best snippet Stories For Boys and it is captured well here in East Rutherford but the electric part of this bad boy is Bono's "J-J-J-J-J-Jersey" around the bridge.
That brings me to one of the show's highlights the Gloria/Ocean double which I never grow tired of. This was one of the first shows I ever downloaded and just keep coming back to this combo. Nowhere near as good as the Gloria of the 80's but still worth a listen every now and again and The Ocean is tailored very well for New Jersey which the audience clearly enjoy.
We then go into one of my favourite Vertigo sequences in Beautful Day - with its excellent Blackbird snippep - followed by Miracle Drug before we are treated to very solid War and Human Rights sets.
The boys then reappear for one of my favourite renditions of the standard first Vertigo encore - Zoo Station--->The Fly--->Mysterious Ways - all three are played exceptionally well here. Vertigo's Fly has never quite matched up Elevation's Fly for me (the chorus loses the magic) but this one stacks up.
The highlight of the last encore was local band The Bank Robbers' appearance on stage who joined the boys Still Haven't Found... Bono's repeated thank yous trying to get them off stage during the song was priceless and then we had it played heavy rock style which actually didn't sound too bad IMO. Bad/'40' to close it all out was a great finish to a great boot.
Audience:
They were an energetic bunch who got into most songs. Highlight for me was a dude during Bono's introduction to Miracle Drug when he was talking about guitar effects who can be heard clearly yelling out "Yeah, Rock 'n' Roll Bay-bay!" Gotta love that guy!
Sound:
Good. Very little to report here. A solid audience recording.
Overall:
I've kept this boot on my iPod since downloading. It's one of those gigs I keep coming back to from time to time. It was a classic Vertigo performance with all your standard Vertigo suspects with a bit of diversity which is what I always like to see in a U2 show.
Highlights:
Gloria--->The Ocean - One of the best Glorias you'll find out there from the Vertigo tour and Ocean is just a great little number to accompany it.
Miracle Drug - One of the best first leg Miracle Drugs
Love and Peace or Else - One of the best I've heard. Period. The boys just absolutely nail this one.
The first encore - All three are played with great energy.
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - Just for its silliness, Bono's repeated attempts to get the band off and the heavy treatment towards the end.
Bad/'40' - Just a great closer.
Download this one and check it out if you're after a good first leg Vertigo gig.
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Performance:
The band is really great! Awesome versions of Vertigo, Elevation, BD, BTBS, Pride, a beautiful Zoo-encore. And a extended, full-guitar version of ISHFWILF with The Bankrobbers. It's probably the only version of the song that I like! And the boot ends beautiful with a great version of Bad.
On the other side: they fuck up softer songs (Ocean, RTSS, Yahweh) and MW is just weak
But it's definitely one of the better Vertigo-gigs!
Audience:
They make the boot. Elevation, BD, BTBS and Bad are so awesome because the audience is so awesome.
Sound:
It sounds perfect for 99%...just a few moments it's a bit distant and the audience is slightly too loud at some points
Overall:
Must-hear
The band is on fire, the sound is perfect and the audience is really awesome. And ISHFWILF is really unique.
Down-sides: the softer songs aren't really great (RTSS, Ocean, Yahweh) and they fucked up MW, but that's all...
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Performance:
This part is only rated, not commented on.
Audience:
This part is only rated, not commented on.
Sound:
This part is only rated, not commented on.
Overall:
This part is only rated, not commented on.
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Performance:
I attended this show and the gig from the night before.Both shows were great,but I give the nod to this night.The band are very loose and are having fun.I love arena shows over stadiums.The band play some early classics here,Gloria,The Ocean.The block of 4 ZooTV tunes is great from One - MW.The great thing about the Vertigo tour,unlike 360,the band played alot of different songs,each and every night.This night they closed with Bad.Classic.
Audience:
My section,236 row 4,was great.Loud and into it.You cant capture that on a bootleg.Its too bad the band refuse to release their shows like Pearl Jam do.
Sound:
This is really a 4 1/2,but there is one real pain in the ass yelling YEAHHH WOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! before and after EVERY song.Iam like "shut the fuck up already".He almost ruins this great recording.Almost.It is not the tapers fault.You cant control who sits next to you.This guy is so loud.Listen to the very start of MW,I had this gig on my system,I almost jumped when he screamed WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! .Besides that...very good recording.At the end of side 1,the taper fades out.Well done.Also for the encores the fade in and out is nicely done.Just lower the volume between songs.Nice momento for me.
Overall:
Great show.I was lucky to have attended 4 shows from this tour.This show stands out,as well as NYC 10.07.05.But,the band played,Gloria,Ocean and Bad.So,an old diehard like me was very pleased.Every...Thing...You...K....K..KNOW...The Fly..Mint version....Bono is very into this show.I brought my daughter for her 11th birthday.It was her first U2 show.She loved it.She kept saying "Bono is having so much fun".Very true.ISHFWILF is wild.I remember thinking "what the hell??"..The band call up a couple of guys (The Bankrobbers) from the crowd to play and sing.It was a funny moment.Bono keeps saying "Thank You" after,but they wouldnt leave.They didnt kill the song either....As I said..very loose gig.
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