November 2, 2015 – London
Location: South-side, near I-stage, on catwalk rail
I don’t say this very often, but perhaps London 5 was show I enjoyed the least. I think this opinion was partially informed by the facts that I had developed a cold, my body was exhausted, and that the GA entry was not as smooth as it could have been.
Nevertheless, there were silver linings. I do not take for granted the opportunity to get to know new people and see my favourite band. In the queue, I got to know Ingo and Dirk from Munich and Hamburg, respectively. They were immediately behind me in the queue. I developed a deep respect for them since they managed the queues in Berlin; and at least in my previous experiences, I have always thought German lines were well run, having seen U2 play in Munich and Berlin before. We shared a lot of laughs and jokes, as well as our concerns about how security were managing fan entry. In the end, I was really happy I was beside Ingo and Dirk during the concert (south-side, front-end catwalk). I remember Ingo and I had to fight off a drunk fan during “Pride (In the Name of Love)” who kept shoving himself into us and repeatedly yelling at poor Ingo, “Where are you from? Where are you from?” Somehow suggesting that because of Ingo’s German accent, he didn’t belong in an English speaking concert. Shameful. Luckily, we got the security to come and compel the drunkard out.
The show itself seemed a little subdued. I reckon it is because U2 were partying the night before for Halloween and Larry Mullen Jr.’s birthday. We did get to hear Volcano, which made its tenth appearance on the tour. I last heard it on July 19, 2015 in New York. It’s a song that splits opinion among the fan base, but nevertheless, good to hear a tune not played often.
Brian Eno was in the crowd, prompting shout-outs during the show, including “Brian Eno right in front of you” during “Beautiful Day”. We also heard various rumours of another special guest to perform, but that did not happen. Nevertheless, Jimmy Page was also in attendance, which cued a “Black Dog” snippet during “Bullet the Blue Sky”.
According to u2tours, “Get On Your Boots” was snippeted for the first time, as Bono sung “let me in the sound” a few times between “Volcano” and “Every Breaking Wave.”
According to a One campaign volunteer I spoke to before the show, U2 played “Two Shots Of Happy, One Shot Of Sad” before the show, but that song was not played tonight. Seeing the video below, it appeared that Bono and the Edge pre-recorded it at the O2 for CBS’ Sinatra 100: An All-Star GRAMMY Concert.
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