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TyronneU2 Rock Telstra Stadium
November 16th 2006 00:48
It was early December in 2005, and Australians everywhere geared up to purchase tickets to what would be sell-out concert in record time. U2 was coming to Australia for the first time in eight years. Then, weeks before the concert was due to begin, U2 cancelled, citing a death in the family of one of the members, pushing the concert back eight months to November of 2006.
Personal expectation weren't high - after all, it was the Telstra Stadium, the former Olympic venue that is hardly the best place for music. The supporting act seemed to support this notion - none other than Kanye West, fresh from his his stage-invasion at the European Music Video Awards the week before.
His entire act cried of a lack of effort. The sound was horrible, the stage completely bare save a backup singer, a DJ, and a strings quartet. When I wasn't struggling to hear what he was rapping about, I was embarrased to find myself listening to the first "wave your hands in the air like you just don't care" line since Backstreet Boys' "Everybody (Backstreets Back)" nearly a decade ago. Thankfully, his set lasted for only five songs, the most enjoyable moment of which was a decent transition by the strings quartet from Gnarls Barkleys' "Crazy" to The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony," a pleasure shortlived by Kanye's unfortunate rapping cameo.
An hour later and U2 finally graced the stage, a strange opening, considering that the band had to enter the stadium itself before even being able to get behind the stage, all the while fans screaming. Nevertheless, the lights darkened and U2 exploded into "City of Blinding Lights," with beautiful sound, an instant personal revelation that perhaps Telstra Stadium isn't all bad.
From there on, U2 continually amazed, quickly knocking off their later non-sensical songs like "Vertigo" and "Elevation" to quickly make room for the classics. The majority of their set was derived from their 80s collection, a clear indication that they were there to please the fans. Bono's political views would inevitably emerge at some point during the concert, and it was little surprise that it first occured during "Sunday Bloody Sunday," certainly one of their greatest political songs.
The political side of the concert ranged across various topics and using various styles. From straight-out preaching to the use of song, Bono enamoured the crowd with his political agenda, at one point entering the stage wearing a headband boasting symbols representing Christianity, Islam and Judaism. His attempt to engage the audience with the chant "Jesus, Mohammed, Jew, it's true" was a little wierd and many were hesitant to join in. Perhaps the wierdest, however, was a recording on the huge screen behind the band of an African woman declaring an end slavery. Not so wierd in itself, but for some reason, the band then decided to interrupt her, breaking into the upbeat, "Where The Streets Have No Name," the woman cutoff mid-sentence and her face quickly fading from the screen. Perhaps a glitch, but wierd nonetheless.
For the most part, the band's set was immaculately executed, each band member slowly making their way out onto the arms that extended from the main stage into the crowd. Even drummer Larry Mullen at point made his way onto one arm, with a set of toms, which he used to play some of their 80s classics before Bono stepped in and smashed the hell out of the drums.
After playing on stage for little over an hour, U2 left the stage, and in true rock'n'roll fashion, waited at least ten minutes before beginning their first encore. Bono then re-emerged dressed in cop outfit seemingly borrowed from the Village People, and the band continued to play from their earlier catalogue. The extended set even included "With or Without You," the song everyone had been waiting to hear. Bono even broke somewhat into the lyrics for Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart," before exiting the stage once again. Their second encore was a surprise, but cause for little fanfare, as they played "The Saints Are Coming" - their recent collaborative effort with Green Day - and left the stage for the last time that night.
Despite the rain, the concert bettered any previous experience, including Coldplay. With a stage presence the likes of U2, it's no wonder they managed to sell out a 75, 000 seat stadium for three nights. Even better than that, their crew managed to make an otherwise acoustically horrible sporting stadium sound good, a feat that many have tried and failed at. Their newer catalogue may not be the best thing out there, but with songs as good as their 80s classics, it will be a long time before U2 truly disappear.
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U2charist Links
http://www.stmatthews.org.nz/?sid=290
David Buckna
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