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  1. Originally posted by LikeASong:Glad to hear Dear Prudence got a great reception by the crowd, it's not usual that audiences recognise, like and response to Bono's snippets. Lovely

    Glad you had a good time too


    It was basically a mini-song in the middle of two songs and wasn't really attached to One or Streets so it stuck out. And Australians love their Beatles!

    One observation : Moment of Surrender was an anti-climax. Shouldn't have been the closer. A number of people commented to me that WOWY should have closed or something else. I've never really liked the song but obviously got into more than the casual fans and it looked like there were quite a few where I was. It's surprised me that MoS escaped the NLOTH cull that happened with the setlist after the 2nd leg in favour of other rockin tracks like NLOTH and Breathe.
  2. They all, specially Bono, feel very attached to MOS. It's a special song for them, and I wouldn't be surprised if they close all their shows from now on (ever) with it.
  3. After 4 hours sleep, we're back at Suncorp for another long day's wait and another night of magic. We're numbers 16-19 and there are only 4 people ahead of us who didn't camp out overnight. Suncorp has been an exceptional venue with great security and organization. As in Melbourne, they're working with the fan-numbering and we've already got our wristbands.

    As for last night's show...what do I say? It wasn't my all-time favourite setlist, but the guys more than made up for it with energy and good humor and butt-slapping fun. We had outside centre rail and once more it proved an excellent choice.

    Overall gig score: B+
  4. Originally posted by sonia_lastrega:After 4 hours sleep, we're back at Suncorp for another long day's wait and another night of magic. We're numbers 16-19 and there are only 4 people ahead of us who didn't camp out overnight. Suncorp has been an exceptional venue with great security and organization. As in Melbourne, they're working with the fan-numbering and we've already got our wristbands.

    As for last night's show...what do I say? It wasn't my all-time favourite setlist, but the guys more than made up for it with energy and good humor and butt-slapping fun. We had outside centre rail and once more it proved an excellent choice.

    Overall gig score: B+


    Enjoy!!!
  5. Originally posted by sonia_lastrega:After 4 hours sleep, we're back at Suncorp for another long day's wait and another night of magic. We're numbers 16-19 and there are only 4 people ahead of us who didn't camp out overnight. Suncorp has been an exceptional venue with great security and organization. As in Melbourne, they're working with the fan-numbering and we've already got our wristbands.

    As for last night's show...what do I say? It wasn't my all-time favourite setlist, but the guys more than made up for it with energy and good humor and butt-slapping fun. We had outside centre rail and once more it proved an excellent choice.

    Overall gig score: B+


    Yeah that's a fair call. Love Edge's quip about Brisbane "It's ok if you're into that tropical paradise thing" or something like that.

    Hoping they mix it up a bit tonight. Hold Me, Thrill Me... would be nice as would TUF.

  6. It was an early start and finish to tonight’s show due to a 10:30pm local curfew; Jay Z came on at 6:45pm, U2 at 8:20pm. Apparently ticket sales for Brisbane 2 have been quite slow. So a good performance was necessary at Brisbane 1 tonight to create hype around town to draw more punters in tomorrow.

    Most people would accept that supporting a U2 concert is a great opportunity for an artist to impress a whole new audience and create new fans. It hadn’t occurred to me that after 34 years, a U2 concert is also an opportunity for U2 to impress a whole new audience and create new fans. Of all the acts that have supported U2 so far on this tour, Jay Z is the most musically disparate from U2. I’d guess that not many fans of U2 will be big fans of Jay Z, and vice versa. Also, Jay Z has brought many of his own fans into the shows, the highest number of fans recognisably at the gig primarily for the support act.

    I was standing beside some Jay Z fans at the rail on the stadium concourse at the back of the first level of seats tonight, and it was great to observe their reactions to the U2 show. It was also great to benefit from their hospitality: one of them offered me a pint of beer out of the blue during Magnificent. And almost right on cue, when Bono asked the band what they liked about Australia before ISHFWILF, Larry described the Aussies’ ability to turn swearing into an art form, as well as their lavish generosity. Would you like a beer ya bastard? Absofuckinlutely!

    The Jay Z fans sang along to the big U2 classics like Pride and Elevation, and bopped along to others like Mysterious Ways, but they seemed curiously nonplussed about the Crazy Tonight remix. They asked me who Commander de Winn was after In A Little While, and they also needed reminding of Desmond Tutu’s name before Streets. Streets had one of them applauding enthusiastically above his head after it; the old Streets magic is still there for those seeing it for the first time.

    The Suncorp Stadium is a rugby stadium so it’s much narrower than the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne. The atmosphere was far better in Brisbane than in Melbourne, perhaps because of the smaller venue. There were some lovely, loud sing-a-longs for ISHFWILF, the Stand By Me snippet, and when Bono sang Dear Prudence before Streets. The general atmosphere seemed generally louder and more engaged here than Melbourne. (Although I think they’re still some way off the more raucous atmospheres in Europe during the summer.)

    A nice subtle touch was having Australia as the first country on the video screen at the start of, um, Miss Sarajevo I think. The image journeys through the southern hemisphere, passing through South Africa and South America, perhaps to tell the crew where they’re heading next.

    I surprised myself by reconnecting with some old warhorses tonight. Several fans have slated One and With Or Without You as being tired and lacking in emotion on this tour, but I thought both were stunning tonight. No complaints from me about a lack of passion from the band in those songs last night.

    A few minor gripes. Bono changed the lyrics during the first verse of Miss Sarajevo (as he did in Melbourne). I don’t know if he was ad-libbing, but he took a sip of water before the second verse, and then seemed to lose where he was, needing to check his prompt sheet. However he nailed the opera solo spectacularly again, impressing the Jay Z fans. I think most of the audience would prefer to see the girl who’s brought onstage on the video screen during IALW instead of floating astronauts. The biggest complaint about MLK used to be that Bono talked for longer than he sang. He was back on that train tonight when he cut Scarlet very short, taking away some of its impact. North Star was very lovely, although the ending was quite funny and fuzzy.

    My favourite moment of the show was during Streets when Bono walked to the back of the stage. Two girls down in the pit were jumping around, singing, and waving at Bono. He quickly leaned towards them and blew them a kiss. The two girls instantly jumped up to hug each other and then bounced off in an excited embrace. Two very happy bunnies!

    There was an announcement at the end of the gig that tickets are still available for tomorrow. A big performance was required and delivered. Job done. Great gig, great atmosphere. Let’s see if those tickets shift ...
  7. The techs just soundchecked Dirty Day with a recorded vocal. For a minute there it sounded like the ral thing. Much excitement.


  8. Dirty Day?!?!

    It would be awesome to hear it again...
  9. Oh man. Just another reason why this is hte best U2 tour ever. If they play this It'll make 2010 a fucking great year. Not that it hasn't been already
  10. Dirty Day? Noooooooooooo!!!!
  11. Literally....fucking....speechless...
  12. O.M.F.G. Finally something in the realm of jawdropping... PLEASE GOD LET IT HAPPEN