U2 Set The Stage Post by: Dan The Internut 20 December, 2010 - 10:26 AM

(Sunday night show review)

Well, U2 proved one thing at Patersons Stadium. That they truly are the biggest band in the world.

In one of the stranger support slots in recent history, Jay-Z had all the younger people in the audience rocking along, and all the slightly older people (ie: me) scratching their head. By all accounts, he converted a few people there and a damn fine job in warming up the crowd for what would be the biggest show Perth has seen this year. No question.

The 360 degree stage was nothing short of phenomenal. Four giant legs that rise up to meet at the apex, PA speakers and lighting rigs adorned the "claw" where they could. Even the camera set-up was extraordinary. Three camera operators in each of the four legs, moving and shaking with every movement the band made. Even the people in the "cheap" seats couldn't complain about the view :)

We knew the band were close when a clock appeared on the screen, oddly showing 8.30pm, which was 45 minutes fast. The joke was that maybe they were on Irish time? Turns out the joke was on us, as the clock got faster and faster. The whole "time" thing would become a consistent within the show, for reasons explained later.

Suddenly, the music stopped and out they walked. Larry, Adam, The Edge and of course, Bono. It's such a strange thing to see, usually the band covertly make their way on to the stage to surprise you. Not U2, the lights were up, the spotlights on and there they were.

A little instrumental set the night off before launching into Beautiful Day, which was ironic seeing that it had been raining cats and dogs only 40 minutes before.

Being at a U2 show proves my theory about the four types of U2 fans... there's the '80s U2 fan, the '90s U2 fan, the noughties U2 fan, and the diehard that loves everything U2. It seems that for every song they played, some sung along and some didn't. It wasn't until "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" that everyone truly united and sung as one... Mind you, with their back catalogue it was a fair chance it would happen more often or not... and it did, with "All I Want Is You", "Desire", "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "One", etc etc.

It's got to be said too, for a band that loves using sequencing and sampling to great effect in a live show, it was refreshing to see Bono tackle Pavarotti's part "live" in Miss Sarajevo. It would have been an easy win for the boys to play to a click track and have Pavarotti appear on the screen for that part of the song, but I was pleasantly surprised to see Bono tackle "opera". And you know what, he nailed it.

Bono did it in Sydney and he did it in Perth. During "All I Want Is You", he threw in a little INXS in the mix, with a snippet of "Never Tear Us Apart" and "Need You Tonight"... just why Bono did it in Perth, who knows? Maybe because half of INXS were born in Perth (The Farriss Brothers), maybe because INXS cut their teeth here when they started out? Bono and The Edge have often talked about their friendship with the late great Michael Hutchence, and after the amazing tribute U2 gave Hutchence at the last time they played Perth (a whole 12 years ago), to get referenced again in concert was an amazing gesture from U2. Mind you, considering I was the only one that "woo'd" when Bono sung "You're one of our kind", maybe the reference was lost on the masses? Maybe they just didn't care?

Speaking of gestures, it wouldn't be a U2 concert without some moving and timely references to certain injustices and causes in the world. A touching moment featured a dedication to Burmese politician Aung San Suu Kyi, who has now been released from prison. During one of the encores, Archbishop Desmond Tutu fills the screen to make a moving speech about the great that people can do in life. Tutu's speech segued beautifully into One, which the crowd absolutely loved.

I mentioned before about the whole "time" theme... The concept of time appeared all throughout the show. During "Miss Sarajevo", the consistent line in the song "Is There A Time", appeared consistently on the screen. During an encore break, we were asked "What time was it in the world?"... the answer...

Show Time!

The final encore saw a flashing red mike drop from the sky, a giant disco ball appear both at the bottom and the top of the claw, and the boys launch into a U2 song you probably thought you'd never hear live, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me". Being of the U2 fan from the '90s and noughties persuasion, personally, I was stoked. I'm not quite sure the crowd were though? All was forgiven when the band launched into perennial favourite, "With Or Without You". Seriously, on the ground level it was make out central... obviously for a lot of couples this was "their song". The band ended on a strange choice, "Moment Of Surrender" is not that well known and sort of got lost on the crowd.

It mattered not though. This was U2's night and the boys proved to one and to all... that they are, without doubt, the biggest band in the world. And you just have to love Bono's parting comment. "Let's try not make it 12 years before we hook up again".

Hear hear!!

Set List

1. Return Of The Stingray Guitar
2. Beautiful Day (Rain snippet)
3. New Year's Day
4. Get On Your Boots
5. Magnificent
6. Mysterious Ways (Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) snippet)
7. Elevation
8. Until The End Of The World
9. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (Happy Xmas (War Is Over) snippet)
10. All I Want Is You (Never Tear Us Apart snippet, Need You Tonight snippet)
11. Love Rescue Me
12. Desire
13. In A Little While
14. Miss Sarajevo
15. City Of Blinding Lights
16. Vertigo
17. I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (Discothèque snippet)
18. Sunday Bloody Sunday
19. Scarlet
20. Walk On
Encore:
21. One
22. Where The Streets Have No Name (Amazing Grace intro, All You Need Is Love snippet, Singing In The Rain snippet)
Encore 2:
23. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
24. With Or Without You (Party Girl snippet)
25. Moment of Surrender

Leave your comment

• andy rax says

  12 years, well it has been many more since i saw them under a blood red sky and they are every bit as raw now as they were then.

  Sunday night was not just a show, it was an experience, a roller coaster of nostagia and emotion.

  Fantastic show visually and the interaction made me feel i was closer than i really was. Where to look was the hard part.

  Thank you U2

  Posted Monday 20 December, 2010 2:37 PM
• Kasia says

  U2 truly are the ultimate entertainers. I've seen a lot of live shows but Sunday nights finale is by far the greatest concert I was privileged to experience. 34 years on and the end of an Oz tour and Bono's voice was nothing short of sensational Thanks guys, for a life time memory.

  Posted Tuesday 21 December, 2010 7:57 PM
• dance lessons ny says

  REAL performers don't have to constantly jump around to entertain! great performers can draw you in, just standing there - they engage with their audience, and U2 are true artists, as they did that, plus it showed that they love what they do (even after 34 years!).

  http://takelessons.com/new-york/dance-lessons

  Posted Saturday 15 January, 2011 5:12 PM