Seats: General Admission – Front Row Centre
After a five hour wait in the pit, and an emotional sending away of Snow Patrol (it was their last show of the 360 Tour), U2 came on to a sold out crowd of over 111,000 screaming fans. There were quite a few highlights to this show. A full version of All I Want Is You was performed, with Bob Dylan’s Worried Blues added at the end where Bono confesses that he drank a little too much tequila on his birthday. During the song, a fan right behind us was begging for water, and the security refused to give him anything to drink and told him he had to leave the pit to get water himself! Unreal. In desperation, and with a bit of hilarity, the fan tried to appeal to Bono during All I Want Is You by gesturing for water. Needless to say, Bono was too involved with the song to see the fan’s appeal for something to drink. It was a sad, but funny moment. Some fans literally do see Bono as their saviour!
This scene was followed by Love Rescue Me, another rarity of a song to be played in its full version. I see a lot of shows, and it’s moment likes these when a rare song is played that makes the concert stand out. I’ve been lucky to hear Love Rescue Me at the two other shows they played it in Sydney and Perth, Australia. It’s a great sing-along-song with lyrics that resonate well for those who struggle with their faith.
Zooropa, of course, was outstanding. On a technical note, you may have noticed that the screen comes down so low that it covers most of the band. Because of it’s metallic structure, it must cause some interference with the microphone transmission. I noticed the band techs slipping huge portable receivers for the Edge and Bono under the screen to pick up their signals. I’ve always wondered why my cellphone signals are always poor when I am at the front. The big massive screen may be the explanation as to why I can not tweet or make too many calls when I am there.
It was raining pretty hard while we were waiting in the pit. Under such stormy conditions, there is usually a rain reference in the show. After One and before Where the Streets Have No Name, Bono sung a bit of Radiohead’s High and Dry. It was a bit emotional at the end, and it was clear that the band were having a lot of fun during the show. It was the last show of the Latin American leg, and it was rather appropriate that the pit began to sing Cielito Lindo Huasteco. Picking up the festive mood, Bono chanted, “Ay, ay, ay, ay…” and the entire stadium sung the remaining chorus, “canta y no llores, porque cantando se alegra, cielito lindo los corazones…” Electrifying.
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