by Patrick

Just arrived back in Manchester after a triumphant night for U2 in Madrid last night. We had a great view from up in the seats directly in front of the band. Franz Ferdinand played superbly and really warmed up the Madrid crowd, not that it needed warming up, the temperature was in the mid eighties as we enjoyed some drinks on the Plaza Mayor during the afternoon. Beautiful weather and a beautiful city to host U2. Outside the stadium there was a great friendliness amongst the crowd, people standing, talking and drinking down the Paseo de Toledo and around Piramides. Wonderful vibes. U2 didn't come on stage until 9.50pm by which time most people were getting pretty excited. When they did appear, there was a tremendous roar from the capacity crowd and it was straight into the first version of Vertigo. I will Follow brought the house down and Electric Co was played with real passion. The great thing was to see the band enjoying themselves and smiling so much. They were obviously very taken aback by the fervour and the sheer passion of the crowd. Bono seemed choked at several points and just stood there looking at the crowd singing ole, ole at him! It's been a long time since I've seen a crowd so excited by a performance. It was so different to the last show I saw in Munich last week ( where I suppose the torrential rain had something to do with it). Bono has grown so much as a singer with this tour. You can't help but be overwhelmed when he sings Miss Sarajevo ( when he starts the line "dici come il fuime trova la via al mare.."), it's worth the admission price alone. Similarly, Miracle Drug, Yahweh (how amazing is that?) and of course the high notes in Sometimes. It just gets better and better. I was interested in what Shaun said about enjoying the War set in San Sebastian. Fair play but I think SBS has had its day and needs to be put to bed. Btw, Shaun, your reviews of this tour have been superb, thank you.Bono spoke about the importance of Madrid on PopMart. He dedicated a song which I can't remember to those who died in the London bombings this year and of course Atocha last year. Powerful, necessary words in dangerous times. It's difficult to describe how good Madrid was, I sometimes just found myself watching the crowd jumping up and down in unison, it was that celebratory. Anyone going to Lisbon, you are in for a treat. Btw anyone heard the rumours about a concert in Malaga next year? I think we'll see some set list changes on the next US leg of the tour. Far better than Manchester or Munich, inspiring stuff.

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