by Billie

When the European dates of the Elevation tour were announced last March, I was nnot surprised to see that Greece was not incuded. So, my U2-lunatic friends and I had no option but to hit the road! After an intensive hunt we finally got our tickets. Destination: Berlin!We flew to Germany on Saturday 28th July, an unusually hot day for Northern Europe...We obviously had no clue of what Mr Weather had in store for us!
On the day of the concert we woke up to find that it had rained earlier in the morning. Yet, the sky was clear and the temperature was rising. Devoted fans as we are, we arrived at the concert site early at 11:30am. Early enough to make it to the Heart later! All we had to do was sunbathe for a few hours. Or so we thought...An hour later it started to rain! We didn't lose heart but...the hail had yet to come!I had never seen anything like that!The deluge lasted a little less than 5 hours-with two brief intervals. We were all just soaking wet, dripping from head to toes, but guess what!Nobody moved! We all stood there in the rain waiting patiently and singing...'how long to sing this song'...The rain seemed unstoppable but when the gates were finally opened, somebody waved a wand, the clouds vanished and the rain stooped at once.
I rushed down the slippery,mud-covered steps of the Waldbuhne and...yes! I was in the Heart!By that time, I was shivering, my fingers were completely numb and my legs had sterted to feel too heavy!So what? I had travelled all the way from Greece and nothing seemed to stop me!It was definitely time for some Elevation!!!When U2 appeared on stage I forgot about my numb fingers and wet clothes and I caught myself screaming out loud like a teenager!Highlights?So hard to tell!'Sunday Bloody Sunday' was surely a highlight and so was 'New year's day'-especially as Bono altered the lyrics from 'under a blood red sky' to 'through the thunder and the rain' in order to fit the situation! 'Stay' was the song we all waited for:'London, Belfast and...BERLIN!' I wonder if anyone remained silent during this!Don't ask me how I felt when Bono picked a girl on stage. Of course I was green with jealousy but...what the hell? You can't have it all!And then, THE moment of the concert:'Where the streets have no name'. As the Edge played the magical intro I turned to my friends.Ecstatic!!This was not a night to remember. This was the night of our lives!'One' was once again the essential highlight and how couldn't it be?Thousands of lighters lit up as if to say:'We are here, we love you, WE'RE ONE!' I must confess, I was in tears!
I am a young U2 fan. I have only seen their early days on video and I had only seen them once before Berlin-that was in Salonica in 1997. So, I was really amazed and pleasantly surprised to see a band that looked more like the Boys from Dublin and less like the untouchable, Pop Mart, rock superheroes. U2 do not need fancy costumes and mammoth screens to touch our hearts!Their music is more than enough! Uplifting, warm, touching...That simple!And they can be so close to us as they were in Berlin. It's an exchange of heart and soul, not just entertainment and money. So, if you ask me what was the real highlight of that show, I will surely say:The warmth of their music and the smile on their faces. That's the best thing they can give us!And we thank them!

Billie

P.S:I know it's been a long time since Berlin, but it's never too late for good memories!Keep up the god work!

Return to previous page | Post a Review of this show!