God, what can I say?????

U2 did it again, a near perfect show! Bono, the megalomaniac he is, he played the audience in a perfect way.....and let's be honest: because he's Bono, we buy it!!!

This must have been one of the best stadium-concerts I've ever been to, this band deserves it!!!!!

Hits from then & now passed by (you name them!), some acceptable political messages (he's Bono!!!!).....it was all there!!! What a band!!!!!....because let's not count out the rest of it!!!!!

Personal highlight: 'City Of Blinding Lights'.....('You are so beautiful toniiiiight.....')

anyone else there tonight?
[Edited 7/13/05 16:40pm]

Went again the second night:




























[Edited 7/16/05 2:03am]

I guess I was the only orger at this show!!!!





I must say, this show is up there with any Prince-show I have ever seen, maybe it was even better!

abierman said:

Glad you enjoyed it!


Yup, I was VERY jealous when you said you were off to see U2



I saw them once and once only - At Wembley Stadium, London, on the POPMART tour.. I hadn't listened closely to U2 for a while at the time, the POP album didn't really excite me and I had long since been "into" the band in a big way...


HOWEVER..what a show! Great sound, great songs, great performance....HUGE video screen...


That was the moment my interest in U2 came back


Check out, if you haven't already, the U2 Go Home- Live At Slane Castle DVD

rocknrolldave said:

I never was a real U2-fan, don't own all of their cd's....but i always respected them for who they are, what they have achieved. Also, Bono is an intrigueing character. They have always been on my 'must-see-live'-list. Now I have seen them and I must say that I never thought that they would make the impression on me like they did last wednesday.

Tonight, me and a buddy will go to the Amsterdam ArenA hoping to score tickets for tonight's show! It must be possible, I am willing to spend some money on it!

I have been to one of the Dublin concerts, just fantastic!!

I agree with you 'City of blinding lights' is one of the highlights of the tour... but also 'Where the streets have no name' and 'Zoo Station' are pretty amazing!

AndreC said:

I was pretty much stunned at the light-show when they kicked in 'Pride'. For some reason the whole stadion & the show was black & white during that song, at least that's how I remember it.

2nd night was just as cool!

Noepie was there too, as was my sister and her hubbie.

Kewl pics, mate!

Thanks

Looking fierce!

How did good ol' concrete dungeon Amsterdam Arena sound?
That's what kept me off checking the concert (that, and the sold-out situation, though that normally does not stop me).

Ikaros said:

not too good, I must admit. Especially when Bono was talking (preaching) it was hard to understand everything. The Edge's sound was clearer, Larry's drum's often just fell away, Adam's bass as well. The ArenA sucks, I don't understand why the roof wasn't open which I think would have helped!

Great pics!



Now I am more jealouserer than ever!

abierman said:

I think I read, though I am not sure, that the decision was made by U2 and management. Not sure how the sound would benefit...

If I keep hearing these stories, I might never make it to the Arena for a concert. Never had any major issues with acoustics in Ahoy, for example.

Ikaros said:

Ahoy fits about 15.000, the ArenA about 50.000.....so there you go....

I think one on the reason why they weren't in the KUIP was because it get dark very late here in Holland around this time of the year.....the lightshow would not have come out as well.....

I will not be returning to the Arena anytime soon, hoping Prince will never play there!

abierman said:

When the then rumoured European leg of the Musicology-tour would supposedly be visiting the Gelredome,
I had already decided to skip the mainshow and go with the aftershow. Had there not be an aftershow,
it would have been a very tough decision.

U2 of course is not going to play an aftershow (unless in the suite at the Amstel Hotel), so then
it is either in or out. So far, public and critics alike hail this tour as if it is the second coming.
I wonder if U2-fans would bicker over U2 'playing the hits every bloody time'.

I went to the show on saturday and I didn't think it was that good.
When you're going to see a band like U2 you expect the best and I didn't get that.
I liked Zoo TV and (even) Popmart better.
As for the ArenA...
...All artists should ban this horrible place.
During the "hard" songs it all just sounded like a lot of noise.
I'm hoping that they will come back later during the tour in a different venue so i can see them again and maybe change my opinion.

noepie said:

were you standing in the field?? I don't know, but I heard that the sound there, while standing on the ground, was horrible. My seats, on both both occasions, were pretty much in the back. Except of the timegap between vision & sound, it was pretty alright. Also, I was thrown over by the immensity of the stage-show (the huge screen, and visuals), maybe you could not oversee that while standing more in the front?
Except for Coldplay a week earlier, who (compared to U2) look like a bunch of boys who really don't know what to do with 50.000 people, I had not been to stadion-concerts since Lovesexy in '88.....(okay I did not count Marco Borsato last year.....they held a gun to my head!).

I thought it was great! (and I've seen many concerts, this year (which is a good one!) and before)

abierman said:

Interesting that you mention the delay between the pics on the screen and the sound..


I have found that a number of large concerts suffer from this.

When are they gonna realise that, for the screens that are further back, by the delay towers (hell, the name even gives it away) they need to artificially delay the pics as well as the sound, so it's all in sync...?!

Ikaros said:

I wonder if Prince would take the risk of not selling out the Gelredome or Arena, in this stage of his career! Ahoy is fine for him I think.