cobl04
45:33
I'll take the artwork over the song. Colour me thrilled they've come up with another shit new song that I'll have to hear live over their classics
Acrobat.
I'll just say...Acrobat was massive. Why did it take them so long to play it?!?!
I'll just say... the new drummer is better than the old one [emoji54]I'll just say...
The new drummer sounded really good that one.
I'll just say... the new drummer is better than the old one [emoji54]
last night's version was *much* better than the versions i heard from the SOE tour.
I am not going to speculate on what the hell happened here but I do think the photo speaks for itself. I thought U2 fans were better than this.....
The second has to do with the venue/Vegas itself. I've been to Vegas like 25 times in my life, at least, and I don't need to be told about how debauched that city is - that's part and parcel of what makes it Vegas. But, to me, there are limits, and certainly those limits should be applied to something as tame as a U2 concert, Vegas or no Vegas. That being said, I saw some shit before, during and after the show that I could not believe nor possibly completely list here. But, here is a photo of something I observed before the show - this was by where the GA people had been lined up. By the time I took this picture, they had been inside for about 45 minutes. I am not going to speculate on what the hell happened here but I do think the photo speaks for itself. I thought U2 fans were better than this.....
I was in the 200's both nights. The seats for the 2nd night were better, though, dead center stage and a few rows closer. I walked all over the venue, and, to me, the 200's are the best of both worlds - you are not too far from the stage, but you are distanced and high up enough to take in the entirety of the visuals. There are many seats in the 100's that have a better (but not amazing) view of the stage, but, you cannot see the entire screen behind the band. I mean, that's fine and all, you don't HAVE to see the screen but, I if you're gonna go see a show at Sphere, you might as well take the whole thing in.
As for differences in the performances, only two things jumped at me, really. I'll spoiler both but that is probably overkill:
The first is musical
and it's just that the performance of So Cruel on night two seemed a more intense, like Bono was feeling it more. I could be imagining that of course, but that's how it seemed to me.
The second has to do with the venue/Vegas itself. I've been to Vegas like 25 times in my life, at least, and I don't need to be told about how debauched that city is - that's part and parcel of what makes it Vegas. But, to me, there are limits, and certainly those limits should be applied to something as tame as a U2 concert, Vegas or no Vegas. That being said, I saw some shit before, during and after the show that I could not believe nor possibly completely list here. But, here is a photo of something I observed before the show - this was by where the GA people had been lined up. By the time I took this picture, they had been inside for about 45 minutes. I am not going to speculate on what the hell happened here but I do think the photo speaks for itself. I thought U2 fans were better than this.....
My review for the October 5th show:
Well, for somebody who is an Achtung Baby / ZooTV fanatic, and who was too young to see that tour, this show was in many ways a dream come true. It was an ideal combination of intimacy and spectacle. I should emphasise as to how much of a small club experience that GA feels like, which was just as impressive as the bombastic production. Standing very close to Edge while he was playing his Love is Blindness solo - his greatest in my mind - is easily my U2 concert highlight.
A lot has been said about the venue and it truly is an intimidating, colossal and dystopian monstrosity. In a good way. I do think the band smartly utilized the screen, not letting it to overshadow and overpower the music. One random impression - I love the fact that the Achtung Baby sound effects followed you through those black hallways all the way to the bar or the toilet.
Gigantic screen notwithstanding, what matters is the playing and I think the band has approached this smartly. It is good to see Bono truly focused on the songs. Scripted Broadway speeches are thankfully gone. Long-ass political or campaign introductions are gone. A song like One sounded fresh because the focus was on the song and only the song. The Hear Us Coming verse was sadly missing, but Bono made up for it in trying to replicate the album falsetto climax. Sure, the Boner was talkative, especially during the acoustic set, but I never had the feeling it derailed the show, and it felt like it was honestly reflecting his enthusiasm.
As soon as that I Could Have Lost You intro started, I knew the show was going to be special. A minor flub or two notwithstanding, the band went through that first Achtung Baby set with tremendous power. The visuals were insane, especially during The Fly and Even Better Than the Real Thing. My one big complaint is Mysterious Ways should always, always have the slide guitar solo. Bram van den Berg was being faithful and respectful to Larry's drum parts, and what was possibly missing in Larry's unique groove was made up by his energy. Those drums were punished severely during the night.
Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World was always a big live favourite for me and I was happy to see that this live version was similar to the ZooTV one. While Bono was doing his bit with the fan, Edge was doing some nice guitar improv parts. The only nitpick was that his guitar felt a bit low in the overall mix. The sound was in general very crisp and clear, even though the band might have overhyped the quality a bit in the promotional campaign. At least in the GA, it did not sound that revolutionary as advertised. But excellent sound nonetheless. Maybe some of you who had a seat had a different impression?
The acoustic set was the best one of the U2 acoustic sets I've seen (not there is that much competition there), simply because it was full band. I have enjoyed listening to Angel of Harlem for the first time live, and Bono dedicating All I Want is You to Eddie Vedder - who was having a lot of fun on the balcony with his wife and Javier Bardem - makes this a delight, since Pearl Jam is my other favorite band. It was bizarre to hear and see Love Rescue Me - possibly my least favourite pre-2000 track - but it was a nice little version, and it is cool to see Edge on bass. In terms of pacing, this part of the set might have been a tad too long. But I still vastly prefer that to I Still Haven't Found / Pride / MLK alternative. This was my first show without Pride and I have not missed it at all.
What followed was likely the highlight. So Cruel was done very well, and the masterful transition to a very powerful Acrobat showed that the band's moody and heavy dark side is one of its strongest. This culminated in a masterful version of Love is Blindness. I was trepidatious they might neuter the song a bit, but no, this was the ZooTV arrangement in its full glory, and Edge was just demolishing that guitar. I was never as emotional on a U2 show as during that song.
The encore was expectedly a crowd pleaser, just like the JT '17 tour. As much as I would like to hear anything other than Elevation as the encore opener (I think Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me would be ideal here), one has to admit it gets the people going, and the casuals probably deserved it after being subjected to the set from Love Rescue Me to Love is Blindness. The visuals during With or Without You were downright stunning. I did not mind Streets coming after Vertigo - as in the case of One, I think the song itself was in the foreground, and it is an excellent song even without a big intro or segue. Closing the show with Beautiful Day might seem weird, but it does make sense when you are there and you see that crazy screen doing its thing.
Overall, it was a special show and it made me far less cynical about the band. Those Achtung Baby songs are always incredibly powerful live and one can see how exquisite of a talent The Edge is in particular. If Larry was there, I would call it easily my favourite U2 show I've been to so far. Maybe it is anyway.