by The Goal is Soul

Great show - saw them 3 times on Elevation 2001 including the first Slane Castle show which takes some beating. This show came close in terms of musical content - and the band definately had the vibe we were looking for (unlike their disappointing 2nd Manchester show back in 2001 - when quite understandably Bono had other issues). Sound quality better than I've ever heard at a U2 gig. Adam's bass went right through your body!

U2's playlist was a treat - for old and new fans alike (see playlist for details). Best songs for me were I Will Follow, COBL, Miracle Drug, Love and Peace, Mysterious Ways (never fails) and the final Vertigo.

I had an issue with the Manchester crowd who didn't seem up for it - no singing or major jumping around. The poor girl in front of me (obviously no fan) congratulated me ironically on knowing all the words to the songs at the end of the show. Unfortunately my raw vocal coards could not muster a reply!

Lighting - which is also a key part to a U2 concert was affected due to the early start - 8:30pm in mid June! Bright sunshine! Hopefully the band will sort this out for later shows.

Only other gripe was the wrist band situation - I queued for Gate B from 12 noon and I felt sure I was within the 4,000 limit. People in our queue had been queuing all day and couldn't get a wristband. There were just none on offer. When we finally got into the stadium the pit was full. I then spent the next 6 hours watching some of these so called fans in the pit chatting to each other through the gig and not watching, sitting down, and it really rattled me! How hard would it have been for U2.com to have arranged through the membership fee to enable you to get hold of a wrist-band so that proper fans could be in there, or at least to sort out what appeared to be dodgy practice by the security staff who were rumoured to be selling these bands. Naughty naughty!

To finish on a high - this show takes all the best bits from the Zoo TV and PopMart tours in terms of visual technology (with no gimmicks) and the raw "back to basics" vibe that was Elevation. It was a 2 hour treat....

Can't wait for Dublin and Berlin shows...

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