Yes, I haven't reported on any of these concerts (8 in total), so I will now simply put them into one big Tour Report post instead. First off, here is the show listing, complete with info on where I was in the venue:
2009:
24 July, Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland - GA, inside inner circle, backs to catwalk rail, Edge's side
25 July, Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland - GA, on the rail outside catwalk, Adam's side
27 July, Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland - Seat, Hogan Stand upper level, opposite the Claw and backstage
3 August, Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany - GA, steps at the back of the arena
2010:
6 August, Olympic Stadium, Torino, Italy - Seat, behind stage to the right, on lower level
15 August, Casa Arena, Horsens, Denmark - GA, on the rail outside catwalk, center section
16 August, Casa Arena, Horsens, Denmark - Seat, at the very back of the venue
22 September, Roi Baudouin Stadium, Bruxelles, Belgium - GA, in the middle of the crowd, center section
First off, as you can see, I've had a lot of different vantage points on this show. And I've gone with lots of different people, family and friends, and I've gone alone. A U2 tour is always a great excuse to go visit someone or to meet up with people in Dublin (because ultimately that's where everyone wants to see them play, and Croke Park is one of the best places to do that).
The show did change a lot between 2009 and 2010 - some of the songs from the new album were no longer played quite so much, but it left room for older favorites and for completely new songs to be added. In Torino, Bono asked for all lights to be turned off for the first-ever performance of a brand-new song called 'North Star', which has yet to see official release. It was an amazing experience to sit in a stadium lit only by the audience's mobile phones, hearing U2 play a song none of us had ever heard before.
But I have to say, I did miss 'Unknown Caller' in 2010 - it was very clear from the 2009 shows that they were having a ton of fun playing it live - Bono enjoyed himself immensely telling Croke Park over and over 'you know your name, so punch it in' all the while stabbing the air with his forefinger as if he were typing something. The whole karaoke aspect to the visuals employed for 'Unknown Caller' probably helped too.
The Claw had to be seen to be believed - I know I've said it before on this blog, but there really were no bad spots to be anywhere on this tour. Upfront you could see the band well, but you could only really see the Claw from below, so there were a lot of 'fireworks' that you simply were unable to see properly. That was certainly not the case if you had a seat, but then the band of course were far away. Even at the back of the venue, the view of the full spectacle of the Claw could only ever be described as awesome.
Then there was the powerhouse triad of 'Ultraviolet', 'With Or Without You' and the show-closer 'Moment Of Surrender'. I have never experienced a sequence so powerful as those 3 put together. The sometime replacing of 'Ultraviolet' with 'Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me' just didn't pack the same collective punch, although 'Hold Me' is fantastic live (and it had been missing from the Elevation and Vertigo tours, so it had sure been a while since I'd heard it). It made sense on its own, also given the setup with the circle mike that Bono had to play with, and the laser jacket and everything - but after I'd gotten used to 'Ultraviolet' I just found myself missing it more than I was enjoyed being held and thrilled etc. Here's a picture from that part of the show, so you can see what I mean.
And one of the songs from 'No Line On The Horizon' did become a permanent fixture on setlists throughout the tour - the remixed version of 'I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight', which is very different from the recorded version, and infectious as hell. It also saw Larry take his turn on the catwalk with his drum, joined by Adam and Edge, while Bono stayed on the main stage.No 'Mysterious Ways', 'Elevation', 'City Of Blinding Lights', nor even 'Where The Streets Have No Name' can compete with this one for party mood! I get all jumpy just thinking about it :)
Of course, there were lots more memorable moments. On 27 July 2009, I was walking towards Croke Park from city centre, and I could hear U2 soundchecking from far away, and once I got up to the stadium, they launched into full versions of first 'Drowning Man' and then 'Electrical Storm' (none of which made the show, unfortunately).
I had never really imagined that they would play 'The Unforgettable Fire' (it's from their 1984 album of the same name), but that also became a setlist mainstay, and always followed by 'City Of Blinding Lights' (another great combo).
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