by Jon

After London and San Diego, this was my third show of the tour and by far the best. Reasons:

1) Discotheque! First Pop song on the tour and it blew me away.

2) The Ocean. This song about the powerlessness of the individual - even a rock star - has always hit me hard. I'd never heard it live before so a real treat.

3) Streets was delirium, my favourite song and so always a highlight.

4) Miss Sarajevo.

5) The crowd. Ok, this requires an explanation. Toronto is not exactly known for the wildest crowds. A thorough review of the tour reports on this web site will confirm this, e.g. "the crowd only got into it halfway through" etc etc. However, reading the reports from the other shows, this had to have been the best one. The crowd was great from City of Blinding Lights all the way through. You could feel the band feeding off the energy. I was on the floor, about two meters from the ellipse, which I'm sure made a difference in the crowd intensity when compared with the distant seating we had in London and San Diego. It's really hard to compare seating vs. GA in terms of intensity for obvious reasons. Never-the-less, credit is due to that crowd. I just can't wait for another 106 decibel Montreal crowd in November!

6) City of Blinding Lights is a sensational opening song.


Downside:
The one downside, and it's the same one as I wrote in my San Diego review (although it didn't apply to me in SD), is the GA random lottery system for deciding which fans get to go into the ellipse. This has got to be the worst GA policy I've ever heard of. I would like to begin this criticism by saying that I understand the arguments regarding people who "have to work" and "can't afford to line up all day" and how there is a need to make it more fair for these people. Those are fair points. However, that does not make the lottery system "more fair". More fair for them? Yes. But what about the fans that DO stand/sit/sleep outside all day and night? Not more fair to them. In fact, much less fair. Considering these inevitable and opposing feelings, it's my very strong opinion that although there is an argument to be made for those who can't sit out all night and/or day, the system should not be one that screws the fans who did make the sacrifice and who could make it.

Some will inevitably ask why you need to line up at all if it's a random lottery. The answer is that whether you do get in or not doesn't change the fact that you need to get there early if you want a good spot. All it tells you is whether you get a good spot inside or outside the ellipse. You still need to line up early if you want a good spot, even outside the ellipse.

Every non-reservation system in the world works on a first come, first served basis. Lines to get on your local city bus, busy restaurants (if they don't take reservations) , movie theatres, even your local McDonalds. These all understand that those who have been waiting the longest or who get there first should be served first. Many have argued that these are not the same as a U2 show due to high demand. How exactly does the level of demand change what is fair? U2 even sells their tickets on a first come-first served basis! Sorry, but there is no argument to be made there. It's out of complete self interest that arguments like that are made and frankly, I object to someone getting there 12 hours later than me only to end up getting a better spot. It's ridiculous and contemptible. We all pay the same for a GA ticket. What makes the difference in the quality of your spot should be whether you sacrificed to be there (U2.com members who paid US $40 - getting nothing - and/or spent 'X' hours waiting), not a machine telling you 'too bad, so sad'. The lottery system discriminates disproportionately against those who are willing to sacrifice the most and as such, it's a shameful system and I'm stunned that U2 and their management have allowed it to continue.

Anyway, that aside, great show!

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