The whole point of this trip was to prove that I can. To prove to myself that going halfway across the world to see my favourite band, no matter how ridiculous the concept, was entirely within my reach. After seven long days of traveling and exploring, Paul and I were within 100 meters of the front entrance to Maksimir Stadium. We just didn't have our tickets in our hands.
When Paul bought the tickets back in March or April (whenever it was when they went on sale) he checked off to have them mailed to us, but they never arrived. A couple of frantic emails to Ticketmaster helped us learn that they would be waiting at the venue. We found the will call window. The tickets were under Paul's name. The woman looked through her file, stopped and looked up at us. My heart sank. This was not happening. She confirmed the name, and went in search again. I'll admit it, I was plotting my revenge on Paul at that moment. If those tickets weren't there, he wasn't going to find his way back to Canada. He wasn't going to find his way anywhere. Thankfully, she pulled out the envelope. "Enjoy the show!" We were in.
I made a b-line right for the entrance. I was going to get in early, and get up front. Paul suggested we hangout outside the stadium, but I would have none of it. After buying a couple of shirts (one for me, one for Lindsay) we entered the stadium. The stage for this tour is ridiculous. I can't describe it any better than that. It's a 164 foot tall claw, with a big cylindrical screen. It towered over the crowd.
We were right up front, but three hours early. It was hot out. Well over 30 degrees, and no shade to be found where we were standing. It was going to be a sweltering wait.
This show had two opening bands, first up was a band out of London called The Hours. They were high energy, they were catchy, they were good. Definitely worth checking out. Next up was Snow Patrol. Heading in I knew a couple of their songs. We don't have a station here in Regina that plays stuff like that, so I didn't know too much. (Hey, how about a Sonic Regina? Just saying) I now fully intend to learn more. The show they put on was terrific! But, it wasn't why we were all here.
The first two bands are done, and the crowd starts to get restless. Once again, like the other three times I've seen them, you start to feel this energy in the crowd. The excitement. The place is packed. I'm right up front, so I didn't realize exactly how full it had gotten. I pointed my camera back and took a couple of pictures. I was floored. 63,000 people were crammed into the stadium. This was going to be huge.
This is ground control to Major Tom.
David Bowie's classic hit starts blaring throughout the stadium. Fog starts to lift from the stage. The crowd's excitement grows. My excitement grows. We've come all this way, and here it was, the show was moments away.
Ground control to Major Tom: Commencing countdown, engine's on.
The crowd surges forward. While we were all tired from the heat up to this point, everyone in the building is full of energy.
Ground control to Major Tom: Commencing countdown engine's on
Check ignition and may god's love be with you.
Larry Mullen Jr walks onto the stage and starts drumming the opening beats to "Breathe" off No Line on the Horizon. It's probably my favourite song on the album. The crowd explodes. The Edge and Adam Clayton appear next, and launch into the opening riff. Everyone is screaming. We're all jumping. Bono appears, and the show is on. Breathe is the most U2-ish song on the album. A chant along anthem. One to sing at the top of your lungs. The guitar solo will lift you up. The perfect opener for the show. After that the band launched into another new track, No Line on the Horizon (the title track) and I was floored by how hard it rocks live. The track is fantastic on the album, but live gave me an entirely different view of it.
Their first song from a different album was Beautiful Day. Then into Mysterious Ways, where a local belly dancer was pulled out of the crowd to dance along on stage. The crowd was nuts. From there they went into "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." The Balkans of course have a rough history. A very bloody civil war was fought in the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990's, which led to the creation of several countries including Croatia. Bono referenced that past before opening this song, and the crowd took over from there. Incredible moment. This is the actual video from that night.
This crowd was amazing. I was so lucky to be a part of that. From there they launched into an acoustic version of Stuck in a Moment, which was also sung along by all 60,000 in the room.
The catchiest song on the new album has to be "I'll Go Crazy if I don't go Crazy Tonight." It's the song that is being used on the Blackberry commercials. They didn't play the straight up version of that song at the show though, they played a remix of it. You hear this remix beat echoing throughout the stadium, and the giant screen has the four guys bobbing their heads. Bono is on stage leading chants of the lyrics from the crowd, as the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr circle the B-stage playing the song.
The first real political moment of the show came on Sunday Bloody Sunday. The band showed images of the bloody crackdown against protesters in Iran. The stage was lit entirely in green as Bono opened with that line.
I can't believe the news today, I can't close my eyes and make go away.
That song was written about the killing of 27 protesters in Northern Ireland in 1972. Every tour it has a new meaning. The same thing keeps happening over and over again.
A few songs later, Walk On. The song was written for Aung San Suu Kyi, the jailed democratically elected leader of Burma. Masks of her face were handed out to the crowd, and everyone was encouraged to wear it during the song. It's a terrific song that sends shivers down your spine live. The show was flying by.
Song after song, each one everyone singing along, but nobody was slowing down. This show could have gone all night, but you knew you were running out of songs. From Walk On they launched into Where the Streets Have No Name. A staple of U2's live show since the Joshua Tree. To see that song performed live is something else. Up on the screen appears Bishop Desmond Tutu. He was a vocal opponent of apartheid in South Africa in the 1980's, and has spent his life fighting for human rights. He brought a message from Africa, about how much has been accomplished in recent years, and what it means to the world. It was the intro to One.
The band left the stage. The opening set was done, we knew we had only the encore left. The entire crowd started chanting "we want more!" I thought they would be chanting something in Croatian. How polite of them to chant something that I could join in on. The screen lit up with something that sounded like it belonged on ZooTV. A distorted voice. Glowing green squares. Out came Bono in a jacket with red lights shining in all directions.
Sometimes I feel like I don't know, sometimes I feel like checking out
Ultraviolet Light! A track off Achtung Baby that has the spacey quality perfect for this stage. For this show. The crowd went nuts again as the band launched into the encore.
Out the moody Ultraviolet Light came the familiar baseline from perhaps U2's most famous song. Another one to send chills down your back. Another one that everyone, whether they're a U2 fan or not, knows all the words to and sings along. With or Without You.
You know the end is near when With or Without You is over. We're two hours into an amazing show. Every word to every song sung along. Sure enough the next track was to be the last. It's another one off the new album, Moment of Surrender. It's one that really pushes the limits of Bono's voice, especially after two hours of singing. The crowd lifts the band up, and the band keeps the crowd going. The show was done. The band salutes the crowd. The crowd gives them one final cheer, and then it was over. Not unlike Popmart, this was an amazing spectacle.
When people asked me why Croatia, I simply responded why not? I figured the show in Europe would be different than it would be in North America, and it was. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" had a completely different meaning in Croatia than it does over here. I will never forget how it felt to sing that song with those people. People from all over the region whose countries were at war just over a decade ago. People who now just want peace.
It was a long road to Zagreb. As it turns out, it was a trip right on the cusp of another big change in my life. I came home with a sense that I can do anything. My buddy Paul and I made it all the way to Zagreb, Croatia to see U2. What can't I do?
(Set list)
Breathe
No Line On The Horizon
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Beautiful Day
Mysterious Ways
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Stuck In A Moment (You Can't Get Out Of)
Unknown Caller
Unforgettable Fire
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (Remix)
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Pride (In The Name of Love)
MLK
Walk On
Where The Streets Have No Name
One
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Ultraviolet
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender
2 comments:
Fantastic! And worth the wait! I wish I had half the memory of shows that I've seen as you do. I really hope to see U2 some day.
Mare
Dude very well described. During the With or Without You video why the hell can't you see either of us, the camera pans slowly by right where we were standing, I can make out the guys face that was beside me most of the show. I can see the girl I let in front of me because she was short but for the life of me I can't see you or me damnit thats annoying! I can't wait for Vancouver Oct 28th!
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