A Rain Soaked Rock Show

**This post is over-due...stupid interwebs.**

What follows is video & pictures I took while at the U2 show in Moncton.


Saturday, July 30^th, 8am: Rain…lots of rain.

I awoke to the down-pour and set out to find my concert attire. Memories of the inaugural Fred Rock raced through my mind. (May my sneakers rest in peace.) I would be prepared for a soggy day at Magnetic Hill.

After donning our rain-gear, which made us look like bargain basement Ghostbusters, My father, brother & I boarded the shuttle at the Moncton Coliseum to set forth toward what had been predicted to be "The Entertainment Event of a Lifetime”. U2’s 360° tour was hours away from wrapping up in the Hub city and we were ready to make the best of it.


Ready for rain & U2 (As we walked through the gates, the rain stopped…naturally; but this attire would prove beneficial…especially later.)

As much as I love flip-flops in the summer, a rock show on a rain soaked grassy hillside is no place for loose - or white - footwear. So, boots on, we trudged through the mud and got our first glimpse of the huge space-ship stage set-up (The Claw) which U2 has been trucking around for just over 2 years.



World record for The largest concert stage structure.



We had seats in the rear grandstands, but as the opening band, Carney, took the stage, the video screen had yet to show anything and the band was facing away from us. So, we moved down to the GA area to get some pics.

We never left.

Carney was an impressive opener. The vocal abilities alone were outstanding, and their musicianship was equally impressive. I’d encourage you to check them out. They did a short cover of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, which is no easy song to sing.




He may not be Freddy Mercury, but, damn.


Next Up: Arcade Fire

They opened with the aptly titled Ready to Start and went directly into Keep The Car Running. It was fitting, as from the opening chord, they were a band that kept the engines rolling, and the energy never ceased. I’ve been vocal about my lack of interest in this band, despite the widespread acclaim they receive; their albums have just never really done anything for me.

Seeing Arcade Fire live is a totally different experience:




A superb live act, worthy of the praise they receive.

As Arcade Fire wrapped up, the crowd had swollen considerably. There was nary an empty seat in the grandstands (except our vacant three) and anyone on the ground near the stage was getting to know the person next to them very well.

A lot has been said about certain celebrities who may or not have been in attendance for the final show of the tour, but I didn’t see any. Apparently Pierce Brosnan was there…and so was Dion Phaneuf. Angie & Brad were not. Even still, there was one appearance I thought was especially cool: the F-18s.




This is the 2^nd of 3 fly over just before U2 hit the stage; quite possibly louder than the actual concert.

As the sun went down, David Bowie’s Space Oddity began to emit from the massive sound system and the lights went down. The crowd erupted. On the screen, making their way from the dressing-room, was U2. Bono flashed a peace sign into the camera and it went dark. The “Entertainment Event of a Lifetime” had just begun.





They opened a 26 song set* with Even Better Than The Real Thing from 1991’s Achtung Baby, and ripped into hit after hit, with various nuggets from throughout their 35 year career. Bono even sang a verse of The Ballad of Springhill, a song he hasn’t performed live in nearly 20 years.

The crowd was enthusiastically vocal all night. 80,000 people singing along is an unbelievable sound; The band themselves were an unbelievable sound; not so loud your ears would ring for days, but loud enough to carry to the entire crowd; and then some.

After 2 years of touring, U2 was a well-oiled machine, sounding even better than their recordings, and putting forth a seemingly effortless show. Bono’s voice held up pretty well for the nearly three hours on stage. Although, watching my video of With Or Without You, you can tell the night had taken its toll on his vocal chords, opting to let the crowd sing the final chorus.





The whole night was a spectacle: with an unbelievable light show. The huge video screen moved up and down, and expanded; and a video message of Commander Mark Kelly from aboard the International Space Station was a cool way to introduce a Beautiful Day.



The band seemed retrospective on their final night of the tour: “we’re a band from Dublin, this our first single” was how Bono introduced Out of Control, and as the band thanked the crowd for giving them a wonderful life and Bono popped open a bottle of champagne, I couldn’t help wonder if this might be the last time they tour.

The show ended with 40, from the band’s 1983 album War. It was a poignant way to leave the stage: one band member at a time, with Larry Mullen Jr. the last to go after stepping up to the mic and saying “We’ll miss you; Goodnight”;  the other members waiting off-stage for their band-mate and friend to join them.



As we walked past the abandoned beach towels and flip-flops on our way off the concert site, we reflected on the night and the show we had seen. It really had been something; a once in a lifetime kind of experience...

And we got to keep our shoes.

-Crash-





*The Full U2 Setlist:

Even Better Than The Real Thing
 The Fly,
Mysterious Ways,
Until the End of the World,
I Will Follow, Get On Your Boots,
 I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - Ballad of Springhill,
Stay,
Beautiful Day - Space Oddity,
Elevation,
Pride,
Miss Sarajevo,
Zooropa,
City of Blinding Lights,
 Vertigo,
 I'll Go Crazy (remix) - Discotheque,
Sunday Bloody Sunday,
Scarlet,
Walk On

ENCORE:
One,
Hallelujah - Where the Streets Have No Name

ENCORE 2:

Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me,
With or Without You,
Moment of Surrender,
Out of Control,
40