Were you There?

U2 and Youtube? Well I was certainly really hyped to see this, for two reasons: one because the concert was one of the best experiences I have ever had, as you can read from my ecstatic blog entry. Secondly, because the whole live twitter feed with user reactions was very intriguing. The reason I say this, is because at the live concert, its such an overwhelming experience, everyone around you seems to be in the same zone same moment as you, so it feels like a collective experience. Here live on youtube, you are connected with thousands of people around the world who are all watching from the comfort of their homes or something similar, the collective feeling is there but in a broader sense, however it is an individual experience and this individual experience is what intrigued me with the live twitter updates.

Due to bad luck I ended up missing the concert, but thanks to rebroadcasts I am watching it as I write this and I can safely say that nothing compares to the real thing and the gap is not even close. First of all, the live concert was just so much harder hitting. The sound here seems so weak even at particularly large volumes. Larry’s drums are hypnotically driving, Adam’s bass doesn’t want to make you groove to the feel with the crowd around you, Edge’s guitar doesn’t feel like a textured wall of sound hitting you and lastly Bono’s urges throw your hands in the air don’t seem compelling…

U2 were in absolutely top form when they hit Toronto. Although as I write this, Mysterious Ways is sorta rocking but the opening songs were disastrous. I’ll admit that they are weaker songs to begin with but U2 drilled them into your heads, made you rock out. I think Bono’s changed his mic by now, which makes the sound a little better on this side still it lacks the oomph. His voice is really bad today, he can barely hit the high notes which he was nailing on that night, for most of the night. Edge’s guitar isn’t really clear either, thats more of the mixing of the stream and considering this is a first, its justifiable. Just noticed that they just went into Beautiful Day but this is so different from the insane pop the crowd gave when Edge hit the first few chords.

Lastly and most importantly, the stage. It is really the main attraction of the show, it is the stage, the show and the spectacle all at once. Massive in person, truly massive and with these cameras it seems dwarfed as the cameras are rightfully focussing on the band so you’re not really free to observe the gorgeous transforming screen and the different lights that come up on the stage. The closest it comes to that are the long shots which look great really during the “Stand by Me” snippet as they show the entire crowd framed by the stage. As much as I appreciate this free live streaming concert, I’d still say you’ve not seen U2 live until you’re there in that stadium right there. This cannot and will never replace that feeling when you’re screaming at the top of your voice just to add this collective chorus of sound which is all around you. Luckily, they have announced that they’ll be here again next year! I am not sure if I’ll be able to make it but I damn well will try my best. I’m interested to know how you all found it, if you did manage to tune in? I will watch the complete show when I have the time, so this was based completely on initial impressions.

Okay they’ve hit into “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” which will sound amazing anywhere. I find myself adding words to this entry just to delay stopping the concert. The chorus is amazing that they get in this song, you have to experience that! It truly feels uplifiting, in a spiritual way almost. This is one of U2′s most straight up spiritual songs and it sure seems like a hymn sung by thousands and yourself in this building…one large mass, one large collective prayer going up to the heavens…

Bonus VideoClip: U2 were bad ass back in the days…how awesome was this amazing random live performance while being shut down… “There’s a part of you that wants me to RIOT”

The show has been called many things, from one of the greatest live shows this decade to an over-the-top extravaganza. Let me tell you it was all that and much more. There were so many things about this night that made the show as special as it was, and it was the combination of all these things that came together so well which made the experience so brilliantly unique.

The main thing hype about this tour has been the stage, which is dubbed the “Claw” and Bono called it many different things through the night including “this monstrosity”, “our dream”, “our spaceship”. I remember watching the DVDs of the Zoo TV Tours wishing I could’ve seen those lavish setups, but this was pretty close if not better. I had seen the stage on the website before and a few of the videos from other cities but walking in to Rogers Centre and seeing it for yourself, you realize how gigantic the structure is. It was right there in the middle and towered really high above the circular stage. It has these 4 legs/arms which clamped down on the ground and it looked like a giant 4 legged spider.

U2's Monster

All over it were lights, more lights and speakers. The centre stage had three moving bridges which I didn’t notice until the show started but they connected to another circular riser in the middle of the crowd (which was right where our seats were!). Finally on top of the big structure were large screens which wrapped around the body. Upon taking a closer look the screens were made up of smaller screens which actually came apart to form a big cone upon which they could display all these awesome visuals. Although the show wasn’t slated to start until 7:30, I knew that we needed to get there early since we had floor tickets and its standing room only, so being late meant being stuck at the back of the crowd. We got there around 5:15 and the lines were so long already! I was panicking about not getting a good spot and when we finally did get a spot, I thought it was pretty decent as it was close to the barrier separating the GA areas from the Red Zone. Little did I know that the barrier was separating the GA from the riser where the band members could and did walk out to be in the middle of the crowd! As you can probably see from the pictures, they were pretty damn close and it felt awesome.

I’ve never been to an open stadium concert and this was the first time in around 10 years that U2 were playing an open air concert. I think Zoo TV was the last time they did it, so I lucked out there again. They had the Rogers Centre roof open, which also I heard was a rarity, in fact The Star says that the only other time it happened was for Bruce Springsteen. Through the roof you could see the CN tower looming over the stage and coupled with the futuristic looking stage, the CN tower actually seemed like it was a part of the show. I have good reason to believe that it’s partially true because I haven’t seen it light up the way it did that night. I tried to get some of it on video not sure how well that came out. The open dome not only gave the place a good atmosphere, it also helped the sound. This was the first concert where my ears weren’t ringing from the noise, it was loud but not crazy loud yet you could hear every instrument crystal clear.

Lastly, the crowd was so friggin’ great. I’m not sure what it’s about Toronto crowds, but I’ve heard many bands say that this is one of the best cities they play in because the crowds are really great. We met all these great random people. Biggest coincidence was that the person I purchased the tickets from was standing right next to me! I looked over and I asked him if he remembered selling tickets to me and we had a good laugh about it. There were these other girls whom I met and they were really great to talk to and I remember they were sobbing during Amazing Grace and With or Without You, (yes I did offer a shoulder ) When the entire crowd would sing in unison you could feel this rush of energy which was so damn satisfying.

The band was really good even though this was the 2^nd night they were playing. I was wondering how Bono’s voice would last throughout the concert and although there definitely was some fatigue in the end, it wasn’t really noticeable as the crowd were acting as backup singers. Bono is 49 and he obviously can’t sing like he used to but he kept up pretty well throughout the show, his energy was great and his voice was more or less pretty solid. He was running around the crowd, swinging on hanging microphones wearing laser equipped jackets (yes you read that right!) and talking with the crowd. He’s been doing this for 28 years now and you expect him to be a master at this. Edge played some great solos which I haven’t heard from him and that was a good surprise. Larry and Adam were really tight although that’s how they’ve always been, the new record has some really neat bass lines and being all the way up close you could feel the bass right in the middle of your chest, and it was so groovy. Adam is a really cool character on stage, he is just so chill doing his thing. He had a really great feel for the night and he kept adding these little things in between the regular bass lines which was like icing on the cake.

Song: Moment of Surrender

Snow Patrol were opening and they were alright.  I thought they should’ve opened with Open Your Eyes or Chasing Cars because that would’ve grabbed everyone’s attention but they chose some song I wasn’t sure of and they didn’t really sound pretty good until they played Run, which is one of my favourite songs from the band and that made me pay attention to them again. They did admit that they don’t remember much of last night and were a little rough around the edges, lol.

Chasing Cars

They went on to play Chasing Cars, Hands Open and some other song that I can’t remember to finish their set stronger. I think as an opening act they were alright, they did their job in warming up the crowd slightly (the lead singer tried to make everyone sing, but people only gave a half hearted effort). However during the 2^nd part of their set they seemed like they were having a lot of fun being out there and I enjoyed the selection of songs there.

I am splitting this post into two parts because it is getting really long and I don’t want you all to scroll forever! Look for Part 2 for a summary of the entire U2 setlist along with moments that I thought stood out in my memory along with a few more pictures! Here’s the setlist from yesterday:

Just look at that setlist? Freakin’ awesome. 2 encores with all major hits in the middle! Part 2 should be up by tonight!

Also, I am not able to put up the videos that I have, but here’s one from Youtube and this is pretty much the same spot that I had on that night. Just to show you some of the awesomeness from the show!

1. Jack Johnson – Better Together (Hawaiian Version)

This is a great version of an already good song. Jack Johnson hasn’t been one of my favorites but I do like two of his songs, this one and Sitting, Waiting, Wishing. The intro to this Hawaiian version sets the mood so much mellower. I was reading the email with this in the background and it reminded of easier times, like in high school. The days seemed longer, there might not have been something going on, but come to think of it now, there was so much chilling during that time. I’d love to get those summers back when it was actually warm and you could idyll walk around T-Park listening to songs and talking about dreams and stuff…

Better Together – Jack Johnson

2. The Verve – Valium Skies

The Verve have always been one of my favorite bands and their Urban Hymns record is probably in my top 10 best albums of all time. I had heard that they were coming out with a new album and I saw their Glastonbury videos and I was excited. However I didn’t get a chance to actually listen the album until recently. I haven’t been able to stop listening to this song. It’s not the best song in the album but I don’t know why but I feel this song. Ashcroft does a brilliant job of sounding so mellow and sad, and then in the chorus says “She’s got all I need” and then paints a picture with the line “When it comes to my Valium Skies, she don’t mind if I cry…” The reason why I feel in love with the Verve was that they had this airy epic sound to them which gave you so much space to add thoughts into that sound. It let you explore so many different feelings, such as sadness but different levels of sadness in that one song. I can feel lonely yet hopeful listening to this song and that’s why I’ve been listening to this song a lot since I got the album.

Valium Skies – The Verve

Lastly, there have been so many Michael Jackson songs playing recently that finding this song on my mp3 player while having a smoke was a pleasant surprise.

3. Mariah Carey – I’ll Be There (Unplugged)

I think that along with “Hero” this was one of Mariah Carey’s finest and truest performances. Taking this great song and singing it with all the beauty and conviction to make it great cover that showcases her own style and singing ability. If the original version was sung with Michael Jackson’s innocence, this version captured Mariah Carey’s ability to sing straight to the heart. Listening to this song made me remember the pain that came along with waiting for someone who wasn’t quite ready yet, but all that was forgotten when you could look the person, hold their hand and say “I’ll be there…”

Anyways, I often mean to share a couple of songs that I am listening to, but I am too lazy to type out the actual post. So maybe this will be give me motivation to write some more!

I\’ll Be There – Mariah Carey

I remember being in Grade 6 and although I can’t remember why but I was standing in front of my class about to sing “Heal the World”. Everyone’s eyes were on me and I was really nervous. I started to sing and as soon as I got to “…and you know that IT is love” my voice cracked and I being totally embarassed I ran out of the class. It’s still funny when I think about it, but after my teacher had instilled some confidence in me I went back and tried again. I nailed it this time and I remember everybody clapping. That feeling never gets old.

Today I was listening to a live report on the passing of Jackson while Heal the World was playing in the background and it made the situation sadder than it was. All the child molestation scandals aside, all the facial reconstruction put aside, the man’s music was great. From the being the kid in Jackson 5 crooning “Ben” to “Billie Jean” to the groundbreaking “Thriller”, there was nothing you could predict in the music. The moonwalk, the glove, the extravagant stage shows, the Neverland ranch. Michael Jackson never failed to surprise which is why I was curious about his comeback album, but I guess we will never know now.

After a life where he was always under the public eye, after all those troubled final years I guess we can all say Rest In Peace Michael Jackson.

I have to rant about something that I find is quote ridiculous. I hate products that are US only. So many times you come across some awesome services such as Pandora, Hulu, Slacker etc that would be great if only they would work for you! 

New Beginnings.