// U2
// Sydney Nov 11, 2006, Telstra Stadium
// Support: Kanye West
// City of Blinding Lights / Vertigo (She Loves You) / Elevation (Spinning Around) / Until the End of the World / New Year’s Day / Beautiful Day (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Blackbird) / I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For (In a Little While) / Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of / Sometimes You Can’t Make it On Your Own / Love and Peace or Else / Sunday Bloody Sunday / Bullet the Blue Sky (Johnny Comes Marching Home-The Hands that Built America) / Miss Sarajevo / Pride (In the Name of Love) / Where the Streets Have No Name (All You Need is Love) / One (My Sweet Lord) ///
// Zoo Station / The Fly / With or Without You (Never Tear Us Apart-Love Will Tear Us Apart) ///
// The Saints are Coming / Desire (Not Fade Away-Gold Digger) / Kite //
It was different experiencing the Vertigo Tour in an outdoor setting. The quality of the sound was not as bad as I had thought it might be, but I guess the sound may be related to where you are. The seats were actually better than I had expected and were a great vantage point from which we saw the band get back into the cars at the end of the concert. I now get goose-bumps every time I hear Wake Up (The Arcade Fire).
The biggest difference for the Pacific Leg of the tour and perhaps no surprise is the number of songs from ‘All that You Can’t Leave Behind’ returning to the set. So far, Kite, Stuck in a Moment, In a Little While (a snippet) and Walk On (sadly not for our show) have been added to the staples Beautiful Day and Elevation), and that they are playing The Saints are Coming (a cover of The Skids song). I found it interesting that there were only four songs played from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.
One of the highlights of seeing U2 live is hearing how they combine songs (if you’ve seen the bands ZooTV and PopMart videos you’ll know what I mean), and the various snippets of other songs that Bono sings, for example he previously has included Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division) in With or Without You and Amazing Grace (in Running to Stand Still on the Vertigo Tour and previously in The Electric Co.).
A word about Kanye West, I was not that taken with him. Perhaps it was because we came in about half way through his performance, but his mix didn’t really help. Hearing him in a stadium is not the best way to be introduced to his music.
U2 opened the show with City of Blinding Lights; Bono came on stage wrapped in an Australian flag. Vertigo followed next and was an energetic affair concluding with a snippet of the Beatles’ She Loves You. Elevation was a great; from our vantage point it was awesome watching the crowd bounce around, (the song concluded with a bit of Spinning Around).
Following the combination of Until the End of World and New Year’s Day, was a strong version of Beautiful Day, finishing with snippets of Sgt. Peppers’ Lonely Hearts Club Band and Blackbird.
During the introduction to I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, Bono spoke about how all the family was doing very well tonight, and I think he said the Edge’s family was at the concert. After a brief snippet of In A Little While, the band dedicated Stuck in a Moment to Michael Hutchence, and followed that with Sometimes You Can’t Make it On Your Own.
The section from Love and Peace to One; is perhaps the sermon section of the concert. Love and Peace or Else is growing on me. Bono dedicated Sunday Bloody Sunday to those who lost their lives in Bali said his prayer was that we do not to become a monster to defeat the monster. I quite liked the new arrangement of Bullet the Blue Sky. The three songs Love and Peace, Sunday and Bullet flow beautifully into each other, and a stunning Miss Sarajevo tops it off. Miss Sarajevo was dedicated to those Australians serving overseas in Iraq. Every time I hear Bono sing the part usually performed by Pavarotti, I am blown away. I have to admit, this was a song that I thought might have been dropped for our leg of the tour. But as I found in the US, people would talk or talk bathroom breaks during this song. (Note: I think it is worth buying the deluxe version of U2-Eighteen for the DVD containing Miss Sarajevo and Original of the Species alone).
The African trilogy (Pride, Where the Streets Have No Name and One), followed and flowed from the reading of the Declaration of Human rights. Where the Streets Have No Name was fantastic as always. I quite liked the beginning where flags from the African continent scrolled down the screen and ended with the Southern Cross on the screen. The effect of having the mobile phones lit during One is beautiful.
The first encore pairing of Zoo Station and The Fly was amazing (both songs I hadn’t heard last year, but were otherwise played regularly). Like during Zoo TV, words, sentences and ideas flashed on the screen. After seeing those two songs I was reminded how great it would have been to see them during the Zoo TV tour. The first encore concluded with a beautiful version of With or Without You, (though I don’t remember Bono dancing with anyone?)
The second and final encore featured U2’s recent song – The Saints are Coming, (a rough and fun version of) Desire. The concert closed with a stunning version of Kite (dedicated to Cate Blanchett and featuring Tim Moriaity on didgeridoo). Although I knew the band had rehearsed it I was still surprised to hear it closing the concert. Seeing the kite lift off as the band concluded was awesome, (and they did say they’ll be back~!)
Overall, it was an excellent show. I think next time I’ll try and get tickets closer to the stage. I was intrigued that the older songs that got the loudest reactions. Bono did seem a little quieter than usual. Another thing that I quite like about U2 is throughout their career the meanings of their songs continue to evolve and can speak to people in different ways, at different times.
Sydney was the third show on the Vertigo tour I’ve seen. Each of the shows stood out for different reasons. Miami featured an acoustic version of Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, Miracle Drug, and the most songs from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (7), Sydney had the least (4), but included Stuck in a Moment (which I had heard acoustically in the two US shows) and The Fly, and Kite. The New York show included a cover of Instant Karma, the beautiful Original of the Species and finished with Bad. But I think push come to shove, the 11.21 show in New York was the strongest and most emotional for me. For those who are interested in set lists:
Miami: 11-13-05
City of Blinding Lights / Vertigo / Elevation / Mysterious Ways / Until the End of the Word / I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – In A Little While / Beautiful Day / Miracle Drug / Sometimes You Can’t Make it on Your Own / Love and Peace or Else / Sunday Bloody Sunday / Bullet the Blue Sky / Miss Sarajevo / Pride (In the Name of Love) / Where the Streets Have No Name / One ///
// Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of / Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses / With or Without You ///
// All Because of You / Yahweh / 40.
New York 11-21-05
City of Blinding Lights / Vertigo / Elevation / I Will Follow / I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – In A Little While / Beautiful Day / Original of the Species / Sometimes You Can’t Make it On Your Own / Love and Peace or Else / Sunday Bloody Sunday / Bullet the Blue Sky / Miss Sarajevo / Pride (in the Name of Love) / Where the Streets Have No Name / One-Ol’ Man River ///
// Until the End of the World / Mysterious Ways / With or Without You-White Flag-Love Will Tear Us Apart ///
// The First Time / Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get out Of / Instant Karma! (w/ Patti Smith) / Bad–People got the Power //
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