By Amanda Cunningham, London Correspondent
U2 iNNOCENCE and eXPERIENCE TOUR 2105 – London O2 Arena-October 26, 2015
The London O2 arena, took host to 20,000 U2 fans for a six day, sell out tour, the bands first indoor UK concert for 14 years. Fans queued all day to secure a spot in the general admissions queue, claiming the floor space required for the best view, for many, this was ‘normal’ practice for any U2 super fan!
The Dublin lads, formed in 1976, Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen, put on a show that was highly expected of the supergroup. The 360 audience, teamed with two stages linked by a large walkway stretching the length of the arena, killed the requirement for large projection screens, ultimately, providing the entire band to all 20,000 fans RAW! Also, uniquely, the lads didn’t require a support band to ‘warm up the fans’ , the atmosphere was switched the moment they stepped on stage, a huge lightbulb swung just above Bono’s head for the first few songs, uniquely, a simple set-up, the sort of placement not associated with such a supergroup, stripped back and exposed!
Bono did what Bono does, he thanked, he embraced and of course, he was on form vocally, albeit with a new orange/yellow hair-do! Then, what appeared to be a very simple set up, was about to change by a huge rather impressive LED structure, a cage with see through LED video screens surrounding it, Bono positioned within it, we saw a projection show reflecting the power and emotion of Sunday Bloody Sunday ending with Larry Mullen beating a single drum as a car bomb exploded on the screen above him.
The LED cage was vastly impressive, creating a visual reincarnation of the power and emotion behind the many of the bands influential songs.
Impressively, the boys dragged the ‘big stadium feel’ kicking and screaming to what is probably considered a more intimate gig, the O2. Belters such as, The Streets Have No Name, Pride and With or Without You, this band are back and after a very controversial year, also not forgetting Bono’s accident, the luck of the Irish have pulled it out of the bag and seem to be stronger, bigger and more current than ever.
PHOTO GALLERY
U2 – “I Will Follow”
U2 – “New Year’s Day”
Setlist:
- The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)
- Gloria / Van Morrison’s Gloria (snippet)
- Vertigo
- I Will Follow
- Iris (Hold Me Close)
- Cedarwood Road
- Song For Someone
- Sunday Bloody Sunday
- Raised By Wolves / Psalm 23 (snippet)
- Until The End Of The World / Love And Peace Or Else (snippet) / Words (snippet)
(Intermission – The Fly)
- Invisible
- Even Better Than The Real Thing
- Mysterious Ways / Burning Down The House (snippet)
- Elevation
- New Year’s Day
- Every Breaking Wave
- October
- Bullet The Blue Sky / Ode To Joy (snippet) / 19 (snippet)
- Zooropa
- Where The Streets Have No Name / California (There Is No End To Love) (snippet)
- Pride (In The Name Of Love)
- With Or Without You
encore(s):
- City Of Blinding Lights
- Beautiful Day / I Remember You (snippet)
- Mother And Child Reunion (snippet) / Bad / Get On Your Boots (snippet) / Patti Smith’s Gloria (snippet)
- People Have The Power
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