Here are my pictures from Friday:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/125395939@N03/albums/72157697843169812
… and from Saturday:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/125395939@N03/albums/72157700773116084
The last Friday was my 11th U2 show, the first time I was at the opening night of a leg of a tour. I will not write much about the organization, which would deserve its own review and will only say that the organization in front of the arena was a total mess, which was very surprising, since it is Germany we talk a bout :-) and the I+E shows in 2015 we brilliantly organized there.
After we were finally let in at 6.30 p.m. after hearing that bags larger than A4 were not allowed about hundred times, it finally all got fine and even though it was my first show on this tour and I avoided watching YouTube clips (I knew the setlist though), the familiar stage and the arena where I saw all 4 shows in 2015 made it feel like a homecoming.
Once again on this tour U2 have the best support band ever - no support band. The intro, new for this leg, started at 8.30 and straight into Blackout, an amazing opener. I will say this at the very beginning - the new songs are totally amazing live (okay, I could live without Summer Of Love) and the only letdown is that there is not more of them. If it was up to me, I would love the new album to be played in its entirety. Blackout is truly the best opener in a long time, sharp and energetic with great visuals. Read Flag Day is perfect and so is Get Out Of Your Own Way. The Best Thing is done acoustically on the "e" stage and as much as I am usually not a fan of acoustic versions of songs, I have to admit that this one really works. And finally the best one - Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way. An amazing song. An anthem. This one and The Little Things are my favorites from the last album. I will never understand why The Little Things are not part of the set, the song worked so well on the Joshua Tree tour (until they butchered it with the acoustic version) and it would fit in this show absolutely perfectly.
Now, there are one or two things that are let's say controversial. Of course the four songs that are taken directly from the I+E tour. Don't get me wrong, I think Iris and Cedarwood Road are beautiful songs and are done really well and Until The End Of The World is of course one of the absolutely best U2 songs and I would take it any day in any form. It just feels a bit like a wasted opportunity just to do the "copy - paste" thing. Plus the current (and 2015) version of Sunday Bloody Sunday just doesn't make this great song justice.
And then of course Elevation and Vertigo - two songs that most fans would like to see making room for something else (I personally really like Vertigo though), two songs that make any arena totally wild every night. I guess I understand they just have to play them, but dropping Streets and keeping Elevation? No, I will rather not go into this…
Okay, so much for criticism...hold on, one more thing - Bono speaks A LOT in between songs. Even for his standard... okay, now I am done.
Let's skip into the middle of the show, when after a brilliant dancey version of Even Better Of The Real Thing they play THE song. Acrobat. For 27 years fans wanted to hear this one live, for 27 years the band kept on repeating that they didn't know how to play it live (while some revival bands have been doing more than a decent job on this one). And here we are in 2018 and this 1991 song just becomes alive. And it is dark and it sound dangerous and Bono is totally into the Macphisto impersonation...it took them 27 years to get here, but they totally deliver. The only bad thing (for me) is, that it is done in the "e" stage and being in the second row by the main stage I had to watch it across the whole arena...
From the rest of the songs I have to mention New Year's Day, surprisingly not one of my favorite songs, but I have enjoyed this version a lot (I could live without the EU flag though). One is a song that has been played to death, but I am sure if I hear it another thousand times, I still won't be tired of it. Please play it no matter what, it is enough that Where The Streets Have No Name has been dropped. I honestly still feel like it is not a proper U2 show without Streets. I am perfectly fine without Still Haven't Found and With Or Without You, but Streets is just a signature U2 song and I hope it will be back for the next tour (well, it is pretty much certain, isn't it?) City Of Blinding Lights is really NOT the new Streets...
I already wrote that Love Is Bigger is totally amazing and the show ends with beautiful 13. The moment when Bono leaves us in the darkness with the light bulb is just...heavy.
After the show we gathered with some fellow U2Statrters for Remy's webcast and while generally being excited, we mostly concentrated on the controversial aspects of the show mostly described above. The general agreement was that it was a good show, but nothing special as far as U2 shows go. We probably shouldn't have done that, because the next night we somehow got what we wanted - an extra special show that will be remembered not only by those who were there.
If I am not mistaken, the Saturday show was the shortest regular concert in U2 history, the only time when a U2 concert got interrupted and then cancelled after a couple of songs.
The show started absolutely great. On Blackout, Lights Of Home and I Will Follow Bono sang even better than the night before. Then, during Red Flag Day he let fans sing the chorus. There would be nothing wrong with that, except for that look on Bono's face. He stood right in front of me and he was totally taken by surprise by his inability to sing. He immediately started to silently thank and apologize to fans. He sort of sang during verses, the whole arena carried him during the Oooooos and choruses. It sounded absolutely fantastic, but Bono looked totally devastated. After the song he said he didn't know what to do, that he had lost his voice. He was hiding his insecurity behind a smile, joking that he was singing like a bird ten minutes ago. Edge smiled, probably not believing the seriousness of the situation, while Adam looked actually horrified. Bono: "Let's try Beautiful Day. Fuck It..." As much as Bono really tried, as much as everybody sang the whole song and as much as it actually sounded like a great party, it was obvious, that the show could not go on like this. After Beautiful Day Bono didn't smile any more and in all seriousness said that it wouldn't be right for the fans, that he was sure it was nothing serious and that the band would take a 10-15 minute break to see what could be done.
The band left the stage with applause and we waited. After about 20 minutes an arena representative came on stage and asked for patience, that they tried to go on with the show. The longer we waited the more positive I felt that it would be okay. Of course, they needed some time to give Bono some treatment. Plus Larry's tech came on stage several times, adjusted something on the drums and then he always waited by the drum set as if for Larry to come. And I believe he actually did. Then he went backstage...and returned...and again...and again. And then, after another 30 minutes the arena guy came again. His first "So..." sounded optimistic. For a second I knew the band was returning. Then "...leider..." and the show was over. We were asked to hold on to our tickets and follow the social media for an announcement.
What was really nice was how calm people remained. During the waiting, during the announcement and during leaving the arena. Later I heard and read that some people were cursing and calling names, but I haven't experienced anything like that. Everything went absolutely peacefully and a lot of people were actually smiling, taking pictures of themselves in the arena.
Now, a couple of days later, when we already have a replacement date for the show and when most importantly U2 have already played 2 gigs (3 and 4 days after the canceled one), it is safe to say that things are most likely back to normal. And so I will do one more trip to Berlin that I didn't plan and after seeing the opening night of the European tour, I will quite likely also see the final one. Plus I got one super special mini show. Can it get any better? Well, after craving for "something special" after the first show, I am more careful about what I whish for and I would say: "Gimme a regular boring U2 show and I will be perfectly happy." :-)
