April 18, 2024

by The G-man

I was delighted to see U2 in their first appearance in Perth since 1998. The crowd welcomed them with open arms and they delivered!

Jay-Z opened the night with an energetic set and although I’m not a fan, I was entertained. I was surprised at how many in the crowd knew his music and got right into it. Although I would’ve preferred an opener like, say, Muse (who Bono told us were ‘in the house tonight’), Jay-Z worked the crowd well and was more enjoyable than Kanye West who I saw open in Sydney in 2006.

The Claw was a magnificent sight from my vantage point on the field in front of the mixing desk (how good it was to see Willie Williams et al rock-out to Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ blasting through the PA before the show!).

U2 came on and hammered through the opening songs, in a crisp, faultless fashion. The set moved through without a hitch and the songs were poured out to us with feeling and intensity, nicely polished from a year-and-a-half of touring. I was happy with the set-list and I’m not going to complain about why they did or didn’t play a certain song. It was evident that they had worked on delivering a mix of songs to satisfy everyone from the casual fan to the die-hard believer. The sound was extraordinary, very loud and very clear – much better than the Vertigo tour. Edge’s guitar in particular was punching out at us, seeping its way into our souls, it was so so good!

When Bono introduced each band member, he likened them to past and present cricketing legends: Adam was Shane Warne - the lady’s man; ‘behind the stumps’ was Larry aka Adam Gilchrist (a West Australian); Edge was declared ‘Mr. Cricket’ - Mike Hussey’s nickname (another West Aussie) who is regarded for his knowledge and ability at all things cricket; then of course there’s Bono who announced himself as David Boon – an 80’s era icon of the game who is short and stubby and happens to hold the record of the most cans of beer consumed on a long-haul flight from Australia to England (45). This, of course, went down a treat with the crowd!

The show gave enough to satisfy, enough to want more, and the feeling that we had experienced something very special. Highlights of the night: Ultra-Violet, Magnificent, One, Streets, Pride, Walk On and the numerous mentions of Western Australia and my hometown Perth slipped into the songs!

A fantastic night, I’m so thrilled to have this one locked into the memory banks…and I get to do it all again tomorrow night!!

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