Two Nights in Portugal

First night in Coimbra...
North Star and Mercy among the highlights for first of two shows in Coimbra . I Will Follow was another surprise early on, while Hold Me Thrill Me returned in the final encore. Fifty four thousand packed into the Estadio Cidade  and what a noise they made.
'Briosa, Briosa' called Bono as the show opened, the chant of the local Academica football team, and everyone here sang it back to him with interest.

'Where are we going? Lisboa.. Porto... Braga...Coimbra!' What an ovation that received, welcoming the band for their first ever show in Portugal's main university town.

'If you'd gone to the University of Coimbra, what might you have been?' Bono asked Edge. 'I don't know if I would have lasted,' came the reply. 'But I would have fallen back on my original career plan - a male model.'

When Larry grows up, he revealed, 'I fancy myself as a professional musician.'

Adam, asked Bono, you've had time to think about this. 'I'd like to try my hand at chemical engineering.' 

As for the singer? 'Me? I am what I would have been... a travelling salesman. I sell songs with this group, my three best friends.'

'Thank you so much. Obrigado. This is Moment of Surrender...'

Setlist

Return Of The Stingray Guitar
Beautiful Day
I Will Follow
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Mysterious Ways / Let It Be
Elevation
Until The End Of The World / Anthem
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / One Love
North Star
Mercy
In A Little While
Miss Sarajevo
City Of Blinding Lights
Vertigo / Teenage Kicks
Relax / Crazy Tonight / Two Tribes
Sunday Bloody Sunday
MLK
Walk On / You’ll Never Walk Alone
One
Amazing Grace / Where The Streets Have No Name
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender

In the second show there was a surprise appearance of "Boy Falls From the Sky" from the musical Spiderman.

Bono said, 'In honour of last night and tonight... and the incredible welcome you have given us... we want to try something we have never played before. This could be interesting! This is Boy Falls From The Sky.'

After a day of heavy rain, the skies had  finally cleared in time for the band to take the stage for the second show here and although we'd all got soaked earlier, the receptionwas overwhelming.

'Thank you for making us feel at home, this  Irish weather is perfect,' reflected Bono. 'There’s been some bad weather in the economy for both our countries but it is not going to stop us being who we are and tonight is going to be one of the best nights of our lives.'

And so it turned out, all the way from a blistering version of The Return of the Stringray Guitar - what an inspired choice of opener that's become - to the final benediction of Moment of Surrender.

Bono lead everyone in the football chant ( Eferreá, Eferrié, Eferri-í, Eferrió, Eferriú) after Pride which was pretty special and the moving segue into Walk On: 'A message of love from Portugal, Coimbra all the way to Burma. Do not give up, one day freedom will be won. Until that day we'll stand by you...'


 

Setlist

1. Return Of The Stingray Guitar
2. Beautiful Day / Rain
3. New Year’s Day
4. Get On Your Boots
5. Magnificent
6. Mysterious Ways / Can’t Stand The Rain
7. Elevation
8. Until The End Of The World
9. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
10. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
11. Boy Falls From The Sky
12. In A Little While
13. Miss Sarajevo
14. City Of Blinding Lights
15. Vertigo / She Loves You
16. Relax / Crazy Tonight
17. Sunday Bloody Sunday
18. MLK
19. Walk On / You’ll Never Walk Alone
20. One
21. Amazing Grace / Where The Streets Have No Name
22. Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
23. With Or Without You
24. Moment of Surrender / Singing In The Rain

 Rumours went that Bono didn´t feel well in this show and had to stop singing during Magnificent to take some water (some said also some pills) while the other three kept on playing.

Picture gallery.


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