by MonicaS

This was my first U2 concert, having been an on-and-off fan since the mid-1980's. My friend contacted me a few months ago telling me she got tickets and asked if I'd go with her. While I had not listened to much of their music since Rattle and Hum, I agreed it would be a fun thing to do on a "Friday night".

A couple of weeks ago she informed me that Friday became Wednesday. I was still okay with it, but that made it a bit more challenging, given the fact that I had to work a full day (I usually get to leave work at 2pm on Fridays) and go to work the next day.

Anyway, being a U2 concert novice, I thought it was a great show. I thought they sang well, and communicated with the audience adequately. They didn't sound like they were delivering rehearsed material. One thing of interest was that after a while Bono kept shouting out "New York" instead of "New Jersey". The last time he said it he did add "New Jersey" as if it were an afterthought.

I liked the performances, and with binoculars from our nosebleed seats I had a great view of them on stage. :) At times I wished I had my SLR camera, because there definitely were some Kodak moments there.

I'm going to blaspheme myself, being someone who lives and grew up in NJ (since I was 10), but I am not a Bruce Springsteen fan. That said, I thought it was nice that Bono sang that song. Ironically, being that I only know a few of Springsteen's songs, it sounded to me like Bono was singing "He's the One" and not "She's the One". LOL!

I did get bored at times, but I often blame it on the fact that we were in the nosebleed section, which often gives me a removed feeling at concerts. I also blamed it on my lack of familiarity with the new songs, despite listening to them (once) a week or so ago.

However, after reading the reviews on here by die-hard fans, I realize that one additional reason was the playlist. Not so much the songs themselves, but the order they were played in. As one or two reviewers noted, the order seemed haphazard and disorganized. I agree. I'd get motivated for a song, but it was fleeting. I stood for most of the show, but there were times I didn't feel like it and would sit back down.

I also noticed that some of the songs seemed shorter than I remembered. I made a point of not listening to old favorites so that I could be pleasantly surprised while watching the concert. So I had wondered if my memory of them wasn't as good. That was until I read a couple of reviews on here that said they shortened some of the songs. Yeah, I agree that added to my lack of motivation. I felt like I was hearing a sample, but again blamed it on sitting so far from the stage. Now I know it wasn't the only reason.

I thought the second encore was a waste. I've been to plenty of concerts and no matter how tired a band might be about playing their old hits, this is what's usually reserved for the encore. It's also supposed to be one of the most rousing moments in the show. Not so the two that night. I can't recall being at a show with 2 encores before, but when the first one is slow and the second one slower, it's just painful. People around me were shouting, "Pride!" over Bono's speech.

I didn't mind the funky microphone or the studded suit in the last encore. I thought it was nice, but the song selection was just dull for me. Maybe if it was on a Friday night, when we could have sat and enjoyed the show without thinking about getting home with enough time to sleep before work the next day, I might have liked it better. Or perhaps not.

The stage was impressive, but nothing new. I was disappointed to see in Rattle and Hum (which I hadn't seen in years and forgot much of, but caught on Palladia the other night) that they had a curcular platform in that tour as well. So it's not like they introduced anything monumental. As for the "spider legs", they were nice, but not anything innnovative. I was told there would be lasers, but that seemed reserved for the lights that shot up into the sky for one song. That was disappointing.

The screen was interesting, but I think it hindered the view of the performers when it expanded to that honeycomb look. It was difficult to see anything on it when it was shaped like that, and it had extended so low onto the band that from where I sat it looked like they were all going to be squashed by it. I used the binoculars often during those honeycomb moments.

For some reason I thought the "lightening rod" the center was going to "lift off" at the beginning, especially since they did the "T-minus" countdown as the concert started. It didn't, and I was a bit disappointed in that.

I had read an interview with Bono who said that the stage was in the center. That was far from it. I'm not sure how hard it would have been to have centered it. There still would probably have to have been sections of the floor reserved for access and the sound and lighting boards, so it's questionable whether a stage that large would have worked in the center. If I suspect more views would have been obstructed if that were the case, though I agree the rear seating was most likely a waste of money.

I do agree that they would have been better in a more intimate setting.

That said, they did give a pretty good show.

I thought Muse were great once I stuck tissues in my ears. They were cranked up too loud, so once my friend and I stuffed our ears, we actually enjoyed the music. :)

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