U2: Still the greatest show in town

360° Tour in Hampden Park, Glasgow, 18th August.


The Herald said:

U2's set was heavy with songs from new album No Line on the Horizon, which reached number one in 30 countries, but the band's impressive back catalogue formed the backbone of the performance.

A subdued start in the drizzling rain soon warmed up when Bono referenced the band's early introduction to Glasgow in the less auspicious Barrowlands venue before launching into hits Elevation and Beautiful Day. A string of memorable tunes soon had the vast crowd singing and dancing.

Bono claimed the 360 tour to be "intimacy on a grand scale" but the man who has been performing for nigh-on 30 years surely knows that intimacy is the last thing needed when projecting to the peanut gallery. Everything, from his grand arm gestures to the light display beaming from the Claw, had the Irish rock hero controlling the crowd - even during a worthy dedication to Aung San Suu Kyi.

While Bono may fancy himself to be part rocker, part preacher, the crowd were merely there to enjoy the band's litany of tunes, and for those who made the effort to crawl through the clogged traffic, the spectacle was more than worth it.

Though the sound failed during the performance of "Walk On", the show was as great as any other.

The Scotsman published:

THEY redefined the epic pop show with Zoo TV, they have emerged from inside a giant lemon and have already made the onstage phone call to the world's most powerful man on previous tours. So what is left for U2 to aim for in the concert arena?

The rather old-school notion of playing a gig in the round, as it turns out. This being U2, their 360 tour is a tad more ambitious.
U2 made a statement from the moment their fans arrived. To make the most obvious allusion, it looked like a massive cartoon spaceship had landed...

Sound problems briefly threatened to derail the juggernaut just at the point when Bono was singing his heart out in support of jailed Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi, but there were other ways to get the message of solidarity across, as the stage was ringed with supporters holding masks of her face, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu beamed in a personal message of hope to introduce One. There were other tricks still up their sleeve – literally, in the case of Bono's laser lightshow attached to his jacket and, prettiest of all, a mirrorball effect beamed from the apex of the spaceship during With Or Without You, before the foursome strolled off together the way they had arrived.

Setlist

1. Breathe
2. No Line On The Horizon
3. Get On Your Boots
4. Magnificent
5. Beautiful Day – Here Comes The Sun
6. Elevation
7. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – Movin’ On Up
8. Stuck In A Moment
9. Unknown Caller
10. The Unforgettable Fire – A Day Without Me
11. City Of Blinding Lights
12. Vertigo
13. Crazy Tonight – Two Tribes
14. Sunday Bloody Sunday
15. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
16. MLK
17. Walk On
18. Where The Streets Have No Name – All You Need Is Love
19. One
20. Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
21. With Or Without You
22. Moment of Surrender

source:www.theherald.co.uk//www.news.scotsman.com//pics:www.u2gigs.com