by Liz Z

This was my 5th show on the 360 Tour, first GA experience for the 2nd North American leg (I had GA in NJ on the first leg). My husband and I arrived to the stadium around Noon and were around #620 in line. We met up with a long-lost friend and U2 fan whom I had lost touch with for 10 or so years but recently reconnected with. Catching up made the wait go by really quickly and so much fun. While we waited, we got to hear the crew soundcheck including a really long rendition of "Breathe." Later, the band arrived and soundchecked "Magnificent" which had been out of rotation for about a month on the tour, which was really exciting. It's my favorite song from the new album and I was sad that they had stopped playing it.

The weather could not have been better that day, but by the time 5pm rolled around and the doors opened, we were exhausted from the sun and dehydration from waiting in line. We ended up getting 2nd row center on the outside rail, which gave us an amazing view of not only the stage but the screens as well. The only drawback to this spot was the stadium security people blocking our view from time to time as they tried to get some people behind us to stop misbehaving periodically through the show.

As for the performance, this show was definitely in my Top 5 of all time (I've seen the band 20+ times since Popmart). Their energy was incredible and the band seemed to be in a terrific mood. My husband noticed Bono take out his earpiece several times to listen to the crowd. The band spent a lot of time on the outside rail and twice I locked eyes with Bono, which made me absolutely melt inside. He probably noticed me because we were fist-pumping, jumping up and down, and singing along at the top of our lungs every time they came near us. During "I'll Go Crazy/Discotheque," Adam and Bono came out on the rail and were singing/ smiling and I will never forget singing along all the words to them. Never in my life would I think a) that would happen or b) we would also hear "Zooropa."

We did indeed get to hear "Magnificent" and while I totally loved the song, I looked around and saw less of a crowd reaction compared to the older classics, but I was still happy to get to hear it again.

Another highlight was during "Until the End of the World." Someone thew a bouquet of white flowers up to Bono and he dramatically plucked them apart and threw them back in to the crowd during the song, and tried to hand one over to the Edge during the part where their respective bridges come together at the end of the song. It was the perfect dramatic flair for the song.

My favorite mental image from the show was during "Miss Sarajevo." Bono sang it from the bridge on Edge's side of the stage, and at that exact time, the full moon in the night sky shone directly above him in the open area between two sections of the stands in the stadium. It was perfect.

"Walk On" was especially memorable as the friend we were with is really active with Amnesty International. I almost cried, as I usually do at U2 concerts, thinking about how much of a difference in the world the band makes, and how Bono has shaped my world views so much. It was a great moment.

At the end of the show, Bono invited us to sing "Happy Birthday" for Nelson Mandela, which was surreal. I'm really hoping the clip turns up soon on U2.com, because it was incredibly special.

All in all, this was definitely the most fun I've had at a U2 show in my life. I was so happy to get to experience the GA section from where I did with the people I was with. It made the show so much fun. I had done GA once by myself on the 1st leg and was never able to get GA tickets for the last two tours, so this was an incredible experience for me, one I'll never forget. Thank you, U2 for giving it your all for us in Philly.

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