Pre-Show:More to follow, sorry but the details of this are less likely to slip away. Anyways I was IN THE BOMB SHELTER. 4 rows back, slightly on the Bonoish side of being in front of The Edge. Things just kept getting better and better. You just need patience, faith, and a few friendly faces. FYI - This was my birthday!
Feeling that getting there early would be pointless due to both the massive scalper presence in LA as well as the "roulette of doom" from the night before, I showed up a bit after noon. Turns out they released tickets that morning around 10am - seats and some GA! Bah!!!
Got a spot in line then cruised the area looking for some solidarity! Someone near me in the line last night had a spot in line near the front, and if she got GAs the second would go to me... with me a decent way behind a staggered "ticket buddy" thing seemed a great choice. The line wasn't moving at all though. Another fan offered me a nosebleed at face if I wanted it. He noticed me the night before (I kind of stared at him as he walked by as he looked a bit like a bearded Aaron) and said he wanted to make sure it went to a fan. Very cool. Leftover ticket karma from the elevation tour perhaps? Met up with some of the u2la/exit band crowd later that afternoon / evening though we were all in a similar boat (though most of them had seats and GAs would have just been a bonus).
A bit after 7pm someone else I was hanging out in line with came back and said he could get me a floor seat for $100 - the girl near the front had given up (low money and even if she got in she wouldn't see too well being shortish, and had great spots the previous shows) though a replacement was there. After debating for 10 seconds I said screw it - the day before I would have bought a seat for $98 and damned if I'm gonna spend my birthday in line for 9 hours then go home empty handed!!!
We ended up entering the arena around 8pm, I made sure to have my driver's license ready in case someone else got in and I could plead to be the third to enter. After seeing others in my group get the "please proceed to the floor" MY ticket brought up some little red/black block graphics on the laptop.
I stared at it.
The staff said I got in, and who did I want to bring with me.
I stared at it some more, then started spinning around in circles! Some of the u2la crew were hanging around the outside of the area and started cheering for me, and the group I went in with called for the guy who helped me out with the ticket to come back and join me. We went to a little side table, got an extra wrist band and a little punchy thing on our tickets, then were free to go.
Instead of entering the arena around 2-15 minutes before the show I got to see the last few Kings of Leon songs. Good bassist but the band didn't do much for me overall. I snagged a spot 4th back from Edge's mic, a little towards Bono, and waited for the evening to commence. From nosebleeds, to backish of the floor, to 15 feet away from Mr. The Edge.
Wonderful. The night was magic, the people around me were great (more on that on another post) and I jumped, twisted, punched the air, and generally came as close to dancing as is possible for me. Wow.
Now on to the set!
Show:Not the same setlist. Some basic thoughts to follow, based around songs but more "personal" I suppose. Overall Bono was much more talkative than the night before.
update: jeez I ended up talking about nearly all the songs so I might as well fill it out eh?
COBL - I missed the pretty lights, up close the LED curtains aren't all that useful. But dang the confetti stuff is REALLY cool if it is fluttering around you as opposed to just viewing from afar. That alone makes me accept it as the opening song, such a cool mood! Party time, haha.
Vertigo / SFB - Bono's timing is really getting better on this song, spot on - it used to be he'd get thrown off by the syncopated rhythm stuff at times. The crowd was really into things.
Elevation - The crowd needed no prompting, we "ooh oohed" our little hearts out. At the end of the song Bono was repeatedly mouthing "wow. wow." to Edge. Not quite the magic of San Jose 2 last tour, but something was there. Great as the crowd the night before was dead.
Electric Co - During the little extended bit where he ad-libs Bono borrowed someone's chapstick from the audience (taking some out with his finger, I suppose he was concerned about having someone treasure it as a kissed item or something) then adapted that into his send in the clowns bit. He made odd little faces related to it.
The Ocean - Nice.
I heard a snippet of it after a (LA? show) last tour after One, but dang. Bono made up a new lyrics/melody bit towards the end, probably more due to the length of the song than him forgetting. The crowd reacted really noisily to the song at the end, Bono looked a little surprised honestly... that bodes well for future setlists.
New Year's Day - An interesting place for the song, not as thematic but perhaps to pick up the pace with a known favorite.
BD - A verse of RHCP's "Under the Bridge" was tagged onto the end of this one. I can see something here being added on a normal basis - Anaheim 2 it seemed like he made it up at the time, he kept guiding Edge w/ hand gestures.
Miracle Drug - Bono was much more talkative than the night before, his joke about looking into the Pope's eyes and feeling guilty (i'm half catholic you know) was amusing and different. I like how he tags the "I don't agree with everything he stood for, but he stood for something and he had an air of truth about himself" into his speech.
Sometimes - A strong performance, nothing all that out of the ordinary. Bono seemed to be using the catwalk more this show.
LAPOE - They've really nailed this song, the transition is smooth and while I miss the fighter jets and them walking with the flashlights etc as an opener it's a real solid song. Edge actually uses a acoustic/electric guitar with a shiny silver finish. It IS nice going into SBS from this one. Amusing note - Larry flubbed the drum encore in SBS. He kind of sat there for 5 seconds and then started it up again, none too pleased.
BTBS/Hands - Bono sat down during the solo and put the bandana over his eyes then raised his hands and crossed the at the wrist - the captured Iraqi pose (he did this Anaheim 2 but not LA 1). He was muttering something then kind of collapsed towards the end of the solo. He almost missed the mic, he brushed the side of it while walking blindfolded, then sang into it with hands raised. Seeing that up close, not just goosebumps, more like shivers bordering on shudders. Intense. Same THTBA/Johhny Come Home lyrics.
RTSS - Again, the emotion is palpable, he dedicated it to the brave men and women of the US military. One lyrical change I've noted before was:
And so she woke up
Woke up from where she was
Lying still
Said gotta do something
About where
I'm going
Step on a
tube train
Seeing this song as sung by a member of the armed forces, seeing comrades blown apart by IEDs or taken out by snipers etc and what that can turn a person towards really shook me. The "I" in the second verse is suddenly much less abstract.
Zoo Station - He finally remembered the lyrics. The show in general was pretty flawless in this respect compared to earlier ones. Kind of neat on the lyrics guy's birthday!
the FLY - wowowow. I looove this song live. Couldn't read the words worth crap being so close, but a small price to pay.
MW - Not having a captive child to bring up earlier in the show Bono dragged a girl up on the catwalk to slow dance with him. Maybe a half minute later another girl comes up. This one has apparently had plastic surgery and there wasn't much of a shirt covering up her enhancements. She started taking the role of the bellydancer temptress (someone near me said they saw her outside the venue the night before and she was a stripper) weaving about seductively while Bono kind of drew back with the original girl. After a bit Bono grabbed the girl he originally dragged up and started running along the catwalk behind the stage. Hilarious!
Security tried to nab her as she came about the pure back, but Bono was considerate and said "It's ok, I was just a bit (frightened?) before" and let her come up, he then had one on each arm as he paraded around the catwalk some more. Eventually he let them go and the second one started crawling after him, then turned around and shook her booty at him. He just went back to the main stage... after the solo bit sang "It's alright" kind of in a 'well who am i to judge' then had a more secure 'well who cares, it's all in fun' "it's alright" after that.
Needless to say the band wore grins through this ordeal at Bono's expense.
Pride - We're not singing with technique, we're semi-screaming. We can't keep those high "oh oh oh oh" going for two-three minutes while you talk Bono. He kept stopping and then motioning for the crowd to give him a background. I'm sure it was due to dry throats and wanting to hear what he said rather than lack of participation, this audience needed much less "cuing" than last nights.
Streets - MASSIVE energy and participation. Bono once again mouthing "wow. wow." at the end of the song. I think it was this song that he turned his mic around and sang at the people behind him for a full verse or two.
One - the usual turn off the lights to see cell phones. At the end he said to turn them all off except Edge's (pointed at him). Bono was just strumming in the dark when Edge soloed, Bono kind of walked up towards him while doing so and had the most amazing expression. With his hair kind of floppy and just watching Edge solo he looked like a kid, just really happy. Can't describe it any better.
Unchained Melody - Damn! First time anyone's gotten a follow up to One this tour. Bono started off playing, Edge joined in for guitar support. Audience was singing along, so Bono motioned for Edge to stop playing guitar and kind of stopped mid song. The audience just kept on singing, after a while it kind of died down and he restarted the next section while walking back, a very nice way to end the main set and somewhat reminescent of "can't help falling in love"'s role in zootv. Really cool moment - he stopped guitar, then stopped singing without any grand "sing along now" thing - he knew the crowd would carry it.
ABOY - I don't care for the album version much, but the song is getting a lot better live. Given the energy of the show so far this song really was a celebration. The excitement in this song bubbled over into the next one.
Yahweh - Bono started off kind of wiggling the tambourine around. He seemed to get a kick out of this, and the first verse was something like "take this
jingly jangly
??." He goofed the first verse the "take this soul" started with a "take these...." he was kind of grabbing his shirt from the last line and couldn't think of anything to insert so just stood there grinning for 15 seconds or so while we kind of good naturedly cheered. When he came back in it was in an amusing style with broad grand hand gesturing. Fun.
The part where he had the band stop for a bit last time he used to insert some new lyrics/melody something like "help me to
??" "make me into the man that I want to be" "?
" dunno. Might have been covering something but seemed original, a very nice touch.
40 - Adam's guitar part was audible. Very well executed. Bono has been flashing one of the hand spot lights into the audience (where the always do the wave, hehe). This time he placed it down on the ground near his mic stand after he was done, shining up to the rafters. He took out his rosaries/crooked cross (requiring some untangling from his earpiece monitors) kissed the cross, and then draped it on his mic stand so it dangled in the light of the beam.
Overall - I'm tempted to think Anaheim 2 had more spirit than LA 1, if a little sloppier execution at times... but LA 2 was one of those shows with "magic." Not to say the others were in any way bad. Really great to progress from nosebleeds across center (see the lights, the overall stage dynamics, etc) to back of the floor (never really been there, in Elevation I was in the heart or a few rows off along the outside railing - better sound and I could see the TV screens / backdrop better) to the Ellipse which is best sound and seeing their actual expressions, having Edge solo 10 feet away etc.
What a note to end my involvement in the tour on!
[Edited on 2005-4-9 by Carl]
