Originally posted by iTim:[..]
The future of concerts.
Originally posted by iTim:[..]
The future of concerts.
Originally posted by DutchU2Fan:Is this the first time The Fly is singing One?
[YouTube Video]
Originally posted by WideAwakeBadBoy:[..]
I remember thinking this at the time but did Edge's guitar malfunction for the start of Zoo Station? Bram came in first and it sounded a bit jolted when Edge came in
Originally posted by WideAwakeBadBoy:[..]
Exactly the same for night 2 - will be interesting to see if what's going on it an iem ever comes out
Originally posted by LikeASong:[..]
He probably forgot to take the Fly glasses off lol. It feels out of place. The previous night he had already changed to the Lennon glasses at the beginning of One:
[YouTube Video]
Originally posted by zaqarya:Review
MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR THOSE HOLDING OUT
A very long ass review now that I’ve had time to gather my thoughts. I guess the below could apply to both the first 2 nights although the band was a lot more relaxed and effortless the second night, as usually happens early on in a tour.
Overall, 2 amazing nights which will live long in the memory. Undoubtedly one of the best things the band has ever and will ever do. Whether you initially hated the idea or refused to come or get involved solely on principle, I’m sorry to say, this gig was something truly special.
It seems as though every previous u2 tour, with whatever new innovation being introduced at the time, was actually leading up to this moment when the band would have the power to supplement their songs with a show that allowed them to do whatever they pleased on screen. The ensuing results were often spectacular.
It had the feeling of being a live event that every previous u2 tour has been leading up to. It had the songs from Zoo TV, the massive screen from Popmart (and then some), the musical maturity of Elevation, the oomph of the Vertigo tour and the grandeur of 360.
It’s almost as though the band has been teasing their final live incarnation through the decades until the technology caught up. I think it’s safe to say that we are at that moment now.
Some have been saying that the screen wasn’t used enough but I thought, with a couple of exceptions, that it was used brilliantly when its full scope was taken advantage of. I guess we were the lucky ones to be there for the debut of something which will inevitably change not just the world of music but entertainment as a whole. That’s how much of a game changer this venue is in my opinion and I’m proud that our boys were the first act to bring it to life.
Intro/Zoo Station - Spine-tingling start to the show with Bono’s soaring vocals. When Bram kicked the beat in to gear, you realised that we were about to get a real world visual metaphor for what the band has always done and aspired to, breaking down walls.
For the previous 2 hours before the opening song, the audience had been staring at what looked like a massive concrete wall. Looking straight up would reveal that it was topped off by a very Roman Pantheon-esque, self supporting dome opening but in short, it was a very plain image that gave no hint of the mayhem which lay behind it.
With each stomp of the kick drum once Zoo station started, the wall started crumbling apart. U2’s whole career has been about breaking walls down but this was happening before our eyes in a very literal and palpable way.
Surprisingly, the wall didn’t fall apart, it opened up very neatly in to a cross shape to unveil the familiar Zoo TV era static. By the end of the song, the images had expanded to widescreen hinting at the grandiose imagery yet to come and suddenly we were ready for liftoff.
An opening song needs to grab your attention instantly and despite all the conjecture about which song would open these gigs in the best possible way, I think few would now disagree that the choice of Zoo station was not just obvious but close to perfect too.
The Fly - throwback zoo tv visuals again as the band launched in to one of their heavier tracks. As much as I was enjoying the Zoo TV reincarnation, I was starting to ask myself at this stage if we were going to be having this same type of retro/callback visual backdrop all night.
I needn’t have worried. As the guitar solo kicked in, we saw the first truly breathtaking/ jaw dropping moment of the night. The screen lit up with blue, then red, then multicoloured Matrix like code which kept rising, and rising and rising to the top of the sphere’s considerably sized screen until eventually it came crashing back down and turning the sphere in to a cube (or maybe dice seeing as we’re in Vegas).
As much as I’ve tried, words don’t really do this moment justice, it was awe-inspiring to see it in person and made you realise that this was something you had never truly experienced the likes of before. Easily in the top 3 moments of the night.
EBTTRT - the visual innovation continued with the next song as the full size and scope of the screen was again showcased thanks to very artsy, vertically rolling, vegas inspired pop art which gave the viewer the illusion of confused movement : are we moving or is it the screen?
The sensory overload was very real at this point as I truly didn’t know where to look, there was information coming at you from everywhere. Those who were lucky enough to see that original tour 30 years ago probably felt the same way then but never like this. There’s sensory overload and then there’s sensory overload. I was staring up to the roof, down to the band, to the left, to the right, at the audience. A real feast for the eyes as the imagery was stunning as well as overwhelming.
It was good to see the original live version of the song back again. Not quite Mexico 97 standards but great nonetheless.
Mysterious ways - another great performance of one of the bands’ grooviest songs. This was an opportunity to see how the new (temporary) rhythm section and Bram in particular, would get on.
Bram clearly has his own style but was very much in the pocket in not just this song but throughout the night which for me is 90% of a drummer’s total responsibility. At times you forget he’s there which is also a compliment of sorts I guess.
Larry is obviously special to all lovers of the band but I was quite excited to see what kind of dynamic Bram added to the group and I have to say, I like it, it feels like a slightly different energy which I think is refreshing at this stage of the band’s career.
With all due respect to Larry, a new style of drummer can take years off a band and Bram definitely brought that vibe.
During mysterious ways, he showed he could gel with Adam to the point that we may have to give them a cheesy sobriquet to represent the rhythm section like BRADAM or something. Apologies in advance.
The visuals took a back seat this time as there was a simple back drop in comparison to the first 3 songs. I would have liked to have seen the spinning woman from zoo tv again but I would guess that the band and Willie are trying to strike a balance between audio and visual and saw this as an opportunity to let people catch their breath.
One - great version, the band sounded tight again. Bono’s vocals sounded fresh and Edge was imperious as ever. The backdrop was again simple but effective, this time with multiple lights illuminating a night time landscape. A simple image in any other venue but just a bit more pleasing to the eye in a venue of this size.
Love me tender/UTEOTW -
We all know that Bono is obsessed with the man so there was always going to be an Elvis reference (and there were a few throughout the show), but using one of his most romantic songs to lead into one of U2’s most apocalyptic was a nice touch and interesting contrast for me.
The disappointment here was the visuals. The lightning bolts used were too intermittent, banal and not effective enough for me, I expected more in terms of its visual representation. Having said that, the outro with the image of a flag of fire igniting is truly stunning, it just felt that despite that strong finish, more could have been done with the song visually as a whole.
Musically, it was on point, Edge again smashing the solo but I felt it was a missed opportunity to have a truly great high point in the show. The song is one of the band’s most cinematic and the sphere provided an opportunity to go full on Hollywood with this one but alas, not to be.
Wild Horses/ TTTYAATW -
I would have given anything to have seen the classic and epic segue of UTEOTW in to New Years Day happen again but instead, the first AB/Zoo TV set was rounded off by 2 more fan favourite tracks from the album. Visuals this time were again simple but effective for both songs with a clever and nice touch of bringing a girl on to walk the animated balloon. Very Bedknobs and Broomsticks for those old enough to get the reference 😂
The Rattle and Hum quartet -
I don’t think many expected a mini homage to another album in such a way but it was a nice surprise to slow things down with. Before Desire, Bono asked Bram for a few words and he made a lovely gesture by making the moment about Larry instead. He’s gone up in my estimation even further.
I’m not gonna lie, I had to go for a piss break during love rescue me. I knew the big hitters were coming so it had to be then. To be honest, I don’t think I was the only one and by that point I have to say the show was threatening to stall a little musically as all we’d heard till that point was AB and RAH.
There’s rumours that this will be the interchangeable portion of the shows but the band continued with the same set list on the second night too so maybe it’s here to stay.
Although I understand that every u2 show needs the acoustic/b-stage/ middle bit to help build up the energy for the finale, I think this could be an opportunity to play some real fan favourites like Bad, Running to stand still or unforgettable fire. The visuals were minimal for this section too so there shouldn’t be an issue there either. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out but there’s definitely room for improvement in this portion. Always great hearing Angel of Harlem though.
The AB second set - I’m not sure what the thinking behind playing AB tracks as an 8 and a 4 is but since some of the less played but much loved songs from the album were going to be played together, I was quite excited for this portion of the show. So cruel and Acrobat were fantastic with Edge again sounding great.
Next was the biggest disappointment of the night in my opinion. For a show called U2:UV, Ultraviolet should have been the centre piece of the whole concert for me and I certainly expected as much.
Instead we were treated to lame and uninspired visuals and a song that kinda fell flat. They really could have done so much more with this song and I felt it had the promise of being a truly spectacular audio-visual feast. Instead, it seemed like they took the easy route with it.
Thankfully, they redeemed themselves next with Love is Blindness. Edge’s solo again was goosebump inducing and for the first time after a while, it felt like the screen was being used to its fullest and most innovative way again.
The insects on the blue backdrop is very Depeche Mode like but really works for the song. The eery feeling the band managed to create between the song and the screen images was very visceral. The fact that this ended the main set with the band quietly walking off only added to that feeling.
Encore/Greatest hits -
Elevation/Atomic city/Vertigo did what they said on the tin. I always love a proper balls out version of Vertigo but for me Elevation only ever worked as a tour opener on the tour of the same name but the band clearly see it as an opportunity for a sing along with the fans hence why it’s always in the set lists these days.
Atomic city was ok, the visuals of the Las Vegas strip were probably more interesting than the song for me.
The next 3 songs were when the show really reached its full potential visually. I’m guessing it’s a telling choice that they saved the best visuals for some of their biggest hits/ most well known songs.
Streets - Backed by a stunning image of the Nevada desert which inspired their most famous album and the song which opened that record, Streets was again a highlight as it has been at so many shows over the years.
There was something very familiar and heartwarming about the moment. Maybe it was the beauty of the 16k ultra real image which made you feel a certain way ( it almost felt like we were in an amphitheatre out in the desert during the day) or the fact the song never fails at any U2 show. The only thing missing was the lights coming on full blast during the first drop but the image was stunning enough
to make this very special regardless.
With or without you - this was probably the highlight of the whole show for me. A song that made the band ultra famous in America now provided them with the soundtrack to the most stunning moment of the night in this very visually obsessed American city.
The initial image on screen is beautiful enough, a small, simple sphere in a body of water but as the song comes to its sweeping crescendo, the screen zooms into the middle of the small sphere which starts to come to life and then lights up in truly astounding fashion with magical white light and what seems like sculpted 3D imagery of wildlife.
The moment was so stunning you could hear people all around going through a whole host of superlatives. It must be great to know that you’ve got this in your locker to round off the show with. A real wow moment that leaves you tingling. It has to be experienced to be believed.
Many assumed that this was the end of the show as after this, Bono went on a lengthy list of thank yous, however, they finished off with Beautiful Day which utilised the same imagery from the previous song with it being colourised this time, leaving a great sight as they walked off stage for a final time.
Throughout there were snippets and shout outs since there was a who’s who of music royalty, including Paul McCartney, at the gig. You sense they were there as they knew they were about to witness something potentially very special and I think u2 totally delivered in that respect. I’m assuming they will all be lining up to negotiate their own residencies at this point.
All in all, I’m so glad that I took the (very expensive) plunge to be in Vegas. Ironically, Vegas and U2 are arguably not what they used to be but they may have found a perfect marriage late on in their lives to remind people of why they keep going back to them.
How long will this residency last in the long run? Who knows. I’m glad they ticked this off though, just another example of u2 being able to do magical things given the right set of circumstances.
I’d still like to see them back on tour and going to the people rather than the people going to them. If only they could work out a way of wheeling the Sphere around the world. I don’t think any other venue in the world is going to cut it anymore unfortunately.