U2 360 Tour 2009 > Reviews (1)

What?

The 360 Tour is the latest record-breaking spectacle from (arguably) the world's greatest rock band show casing the musical talents of the Dublin foursome on an innovative stage affording views of the stage from anywhere in the stadium by effectively playing "in the round". Featuring tracks from the latest album "No Line on the Horizon", Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr, have devised a 2 and a half hour light and sound show unlike anything I have ever seen before.

The Band

Having been around for more than 30 years, chances are you know who these guys are by now. Bono sings lead vocals and writes lyrics, The Edge provides the musical genius behind the group on guitar and occasionally keyboards, Adam Clayton plays bass guitar and Larry Mullen plays drums. Old Father Time has been kind to these dubliners and they are still able to leap around and have a good time, working the crowd like the pros they are.

The Claw

The Claw is the defining feature of the 360 tour; a 166-foot tall, four-legged steel monster which straddles the stage, reminiscent of the tripods from War of the Worlds. Mounted in the £20 million claw are several hundred tons of audio and lighting equipment, an enormous lightning-proof mirror ball and a round video "wall" which displays live feeds of what is happening on stage in addition to graphics and lyrics. The screen is specially designed to afford anyone in the stadium a close-up view of the performers, but also to lengthen and shorten during the light show extravaganza (I've always wanted to use that word!). It is very hard to describe just how big this thing is and I strongly recommend you check out the links at the end of this piece to see why it is so hard to describe The Claw.

The Stage

Standing under the claw is the central stage upon which most of the action takes place. Running in a full circle around the central stage is an outer catwalk, joined to the inner stage by two moving bridges. Each member of the band, including Larry the drummer venture out across the bridges onto the catwalk a number of times allowing the audience to get a better view of the performers. Between the inner and outer stages is an area known as "The Pit" where 2000 of the most committed fans (those crazy enough to queue up over night) can get into the centre of the action.

The Red Zone

On each side of the outer stage was a special standing area called "The Red Zone". During the ticket sale period, an auction was run allowing people to bid on "special" tickets which would afford them access to these standing areas which negated the need to queue for 18 hours to be near the stage because a very limited number (300) were sold. Red Zone ticket holders were also treated to their own toilet block, pre-show seating, a dedicated refreshment section and loads of elbow room. My Red Zone tickets cost me £150 each and Ticket Thief (whoops, I mean "_Master_") were not allowed to rob me for a handling fee. Best of all, the entire proceeds from my ticket fee are donated from the band directly to the (Red) charity and I got a place on the rail next to the catwalk.

The Setlist

A mixture of old and new which pleases fans but tends to confuse those unfamiliar with U2's album tracks. Personally I was knew all the tracks and was happy to sing along although I did hear many other people there asking each other what was being played. The songs on offer were:

Breathe
No Line on the Horizon
Get on your Boots
Magnificent
Beautiful Day
Elevation
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
Mysterious Ways

and for encore...
Ultraviolet
With or Without You
Moment of Surrender

Highlights

Apart from the amazing Claw, the incredible volume of sound (I love to feel the music in my chest!) and the lightshow:

1. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
As soon as The Edge started playing the intro to this song, the record-breaking crowd of 88,000 took up vocals and sang the first verse leaving Bono (unusually) speechless and me with a shiver up my spine. To hear so many people singing a song of a spiritual journey briefly turned Wembley into a cathedral and reminded me that this is what church SHOULD be like!

2. Unforgettable Fire
Despite much of the crowd seeming to have no idea what was going on (there seemed to be a lot of people unfamiliar with U2's "early"(!) work there), Bono et al bashed this one out with a maniacal enthusiasm.

3. City of Blinding Lights
The video wall mounted under the Claw came into it's own at this point, extending downwards towards the stage and blasting out white light and filling the darkened stadium. Blinding Lights is a "new" classic and was greeted with great enthusiasm.

4. I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
A mental techno remix of the latest U2 single saw the entire band doing a lap of the outer stage, including Larry, who temporarily abandoned his drum kit in favour of a djemba allowing us all to get a glimpse of the reclusive drummer.

5. Walk On
Written in tribute to Aung San Suu Kyi, the imprisoned Burmese activist, Walk On was dedicated to said lady and the crowd were urged to put on masks of her face (which we had been issued with upon entry) as a form of protest against the tyranny of the Burmese government. U2 were joined on stage by a number of "volunteers" also wearing the mask. Seeing thousands of people in masks was kind of spooky...

6. Mysterious Ways
One of my favourite U2 tracks and one they chose not to play last time I saw them in 2005. Included as a highlight just because I love the tune!

7. Ultraviolet
Bono emerged onto the stage for the encore wearing a suit fitted with red lasers which sparked all across the arena as he leaped wildly and swung off a suspended microphone. A moment of ingenious theatre!

8. Moment of Surrender
Bono asked the crowd to take out their phones and light up the screens whilst all the lights in the stadium were extinguished; Wembley turned into a Milky Way of tiny lights from top to bottom.

Lowlights

Despite being an amazing event, there were some downsides:

1. The crowd.
I do not know what it is about English audiences but they are the most unenthusiastic, disinterested punters I have ever shared a concert venue with. Sadly this apathy is not restricted to U2 fans either as I have had similar negative atmosphere at The Killers (O2 - London) and The Who (Wembley Arena - London). If I see U2 again I intend to go abroad because at least the crowd seem "up for it".

2. The acoustics.
Some genius decided to close the roof of Wembley over the stage leading to some awful acoustics, the echoing sound drowning out Bono's frequent addresses to the audience and leading to a lot of puzzled expressions as everyone tried to figure out what he was saying. Apparently the roof was open for the concert the following night.

3. The price.
Ah yes, the price. Tickets ranged from the reasonable £35 for a seat at the far end of the stadium on the upper tier, to £150 for a seat close to the stage (middle and lower tiers). Once Ticket Thief have robbed you of another £15 for "handling fees", £165 EACH is quite pricey. Someone called LiveNation is doing very well out of the 360 Tour thank you very much.

4. The support acts.
The little known "The Hours" opened as the support act's support and proved that they will probably remain little known if they keep up the attitude and unwarranted swearing. The support act were current music industry favourites "Elbow" who, in my opinion, are overrated beyond belief and their music certainly does not fit a stadium setting.

Merchandise

Items for sale included a vast array of t-shirts, some hats, posters, programs and a flag among other items. T-shirts cost £22 regardless of size and the program was another £15, in all I spent £59 on shirts and a program for my wife and I which is pricey but we tend to collect t-shirts as mementos of the gigs we attend. Be warned that not all of the merchandise booths take payment cards and they do not put up signs to tell you that, the vendors wait until you get to the front of the very long queue.

Overall

It is widely rumoured that U2 will be returning for another European leg of the 360 Tour and as such I would strongly recommend you try and catch it if it does as I have never seen a spectacle quite like it before or since.

Key info

What did it cost? After combining travel, food, tickets and merchandise, about £470 (gulp!)

Would I go again? Definitely, but preferably somewhere abroad like Poland.

What did it taste like? Water - beer was too expensive.

What did it smell like? Sweaty concert-goers and dry ice.

What did it sound like? 88,004 people gathered together for a raucous singalong in one of the world's largest sports stadiums.

What did it feel like? Being punched in the chest by some of the greatest music ever written.

Overall what was it like? Like church should be - joyous, exuberant and most of all damn good fun!

Links

The Wembley gig at the BBC (including video): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment​/8202230.stm
U2's homepage: http://www.u2.com
U2 fan forums (and pictures of the Claw): http://u2.interference.com

© ben-lloyd 2009. This review may appear on other websites under the same user name.