[kj] (NKJ) U2 at the Rose Bowl

[Brendan]

This guy served one to the Black Eyed Peas pretty well:

http://www.cracked.com/video_17618_black-eyed-peas-have-officially-written-w
orst-song-ever.html

-----Original Message-----
From: gathering-bounces at misera.net [mailto:gathering-bounces at misera.net] On
Behalf Of Karen Weil
Sent: Tuesday, 27 October 2009 5:52 AM
To: A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)
Subject: Re: [kj] (NKJ) U2 at the Rose Bowl

Excellent and fair-minded review, TB. I've heard similar thoughts about this
concert.
I've not seen U2 live in many years, but it just seems (and I hate to fall
back on this cliche), they are one supergroup that should have ditched the
"megatour" method (along with the insane sets, etc.) -- it worked for them
awhile, but not anymore. (I mean, the Trabbis on the '92 tour had their
charms, but that was it.) And the Black Eyed Peas? Good Lord ...

Cheers,

K.Weil
San Diego


----- Original Message -----
From: "The Mighty TB" <planetary at socal.rr.com>
To: "A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)" 
<gathering at misera.net>
Sent: Monday, October 26, 2009 10:41 AM
Subject: [kj] (NKJ) U2 at the Rose Bowl



> The short hit is that this show reminded me why I hate seeing concerts in 

> stadiums.

>

> Knowing what a clusterfuck parking and navigating into The Rose Bowl would



> be, I left at 3 in the afternoon yesterday for the show which was a smart 

> thing as although it took me barely an hour to get there, it took another 

> 1 hour to park in the huge golf course that doubles as a parking lot for 

> Rose Bowl events once I got off the freeway a mere 2 miles from the 

> stadium.

>

> After kicking back 'til 6pm, I went in the stadium, got wrist banded for 

> my GA floor access and checked out the massive stage.  I got lucky and got



> pit access but after hanging out there for seem of the otherwise wretched 

> Black Eyed Peas' set, I decided to leave the pit hanging out at about the 

> 50 yard line directly between the stage and the soundboard was the best 

> place to soak in the show until U2's encore when I went back into the pit.



> Amusingly, the people that paid the most for their tickets in the "Red 

> Zone" next to the pit on either side of the stage probably had the worst 

> view. The stage is so high off the ground that you can only see the bass 

> or guitar player and the top half of Bono and the drummer is mostly 

> obscured depending on which side you're on and you're under the huge 

> cone-shaped video screen so you have to look at it straight up.

>

> Speaking of the Black Eyed Peas opening set, admittedly a lot of people 

> were into their shtick but the Rose Bowl really came alive when (ex)Guns 

> n' Roses' Slash came out to play guitar and they did a decent cover of 

> "Sweet Child O' Mine" with the chick singer really doing an excellent job 

> singing the tune - easily the highlight of their set.

>

> U2 came on a little after 9pm opening with 3 songs off their last album. 

> I have to say, the show never really seemed to quite get off the ground. 

> A big part of it was the crowd who just didn't have a lot of energy much 

> of the show.  But the band shares a lot of the blame as well.  The set is 

> unevenly paced and the combination of 7 songs off the newest album (which 

> imo is easily one of their weakest albums ever) and 5 off "All You Can't 

> Leave Behind," notably dull momentum killers "Stuck in a Moment" and "In A



> Little While," there was a lot more valleys than peaks in the set.  Even 

> otherwise excellent and long-unplayed deep cuts "Unforgettable Fire" and 

> "Ultraviolet" which I figured to be highlights of the show kind of fell 

> flat.  The "remix" version of "Crazy Tonight" is terrible with drummer 

> Larry Mullen Jr playing barely audible bongos at the front of the stage to



> a heavily pre-recorded drum track.  Probably the low point of the show was



> when they played "Walk On," a bunch of dour-faced fans came on stage on 

> the ramp circling the pit with paper masks of Aung San Suu Kyi on their 

> faces to protest her continued house arrest in Burma.  Frankly, it was 

> cring-inducing and a perfect example of the ham-fisted approach U2 often 

> takes to some "political" issues.

>

> Bravely, the band isn't playing some of their biggest live songs this 

> tour - no Pride, Bullet The Blue Sky, New Years Day or I Will Follow among



> others. Unfortunately, it's a shame they aren't playing some other far 

> more worthwhile songs than much of the stuff they are playing especially 

> from the previous two albums.

>

> This is all not to say the show didn't have some high points - "Get On 

> Your Boots" works far better live now than it did when they first started 

> playing it. Mysterious Ways early in the set momentarily brought the crowd



> back into the show and the crowd seemed really into things through a great



> sing-along of "Stand By Me" tagged at the end of "I Still Haven't Found 

> What I'm Looking For."  During "Until The End Of The World" and later 

> "Vertigo," everything seemed to click.  And the last song of the show, 

> "Moment of Surrender," which is unquestionably the best song off the last 

> album, worked extremely well as a closer.

>

> The biggest problem with this tour is that the stage production completely



> overshadows the band and their music.  The stage is simply breathtaking 

> and the sound is easily the best I've ever heard in a stadium but this 

> "show" is by far the weakest U2 concert I've seen in decades.  It's like 

> the Pop tour jacked up to "11."  Even more awesome production, but even 

> weaker songs and setlist.  Not to mention, imo U2's playing has slipped a 

> notch since the last tour (although Bono's voice is *very* strong this 

> time around).  There were a lot of happy fans after the show but to a 

> person, every comment I heard focused on the production, not the band. 

> IMO, U2 is now at the same point the Rolling Stones were around the Voodoo



> Lounge album/tour.

>

> BTW, it took me a full 2 1/2 hours to get out of the parking lot after the



> show.  I will never see another show at the Rose Bowl.

>

> I understand they've annouced their early Summer 2010 North American dates



> last night which include an Anaheim Stadium show.  Even though that's a 

> much better stadium and only 15 - 20 minutes away, U2 will have to 

> drastically retool their set to get me back for another show.

>

> T.B.

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