Saw U2 last night, same venue as the Stones on the Licks tour,no comparison U2 were piss poor, apart from the first song (Vertigo).
Hi class Karoake, Bono's voice was abysmal,the Edge carried the whole band, was the drummer always so lame? Between songs he bashed the snare as if it was a soundcheck? Saw Robert Cray last week , what a class act, so Robert 1 U2 Nil is the score from me.

The Edge carried the band?

Well imagine a Stones show carried by the guitars...wow!

At least you can actually HEAR U2.

I saw U2 on the first of three concerts in the Amsterdam Arena.
It was a fantastic concert for a couple of reasons!!!!
1. I had a great "seats". I was standing in between the two catwalks some ten meters in front of the stage so i had a great vieuw.
2. The setlist. They opened with Vertigo. Great opener, i always like when an "old" band starts with there latest hit and that the crowd goes wild. Then two songs from there first album wich were great. The set list was very well balanced. They streched the warhorses out through the set list wich works (for me) better then when you play them songs after song in the end. They played a lot of new songs wich are, as always, great live songs. High lights for me were two new songs, City of the Blinding Lights (great live song) and Love and Peace (Larry Mullen Jr. played the drum on the catwalk) and Zoo Station.
3. How well the show is put together. They have a great set list, they mix new, old and warhorses through the entire setlist. They all go on the catwalk a couple of times and they have great "little shows" on each songs (walking on the catwalk, light shows, images on the screen). And last but not least they work in detail. Bono deticates a song to Theo van Gogh (dutch filmaker who was murdered last year) and thanks the audience for being so supportives and remembers the crowd that Holland was the first country they had a number one hit and after the concert when the lights go on they played Radar Love from Hollands biggest rockband Golden Earring wich made the audience dance for one more time.
Only downpoint for me was that it took to long before it got dark.


So i had a great concert musicly and it amazed me how weel it was put together.
So go see U2!!!!

Cheers,
Wuudy

yeah go and see them..!!!!!!!!!!they will be recorded next show at the san siro for dvd

All we can hope is that the Stones will perform as well as U2 . Members of my familly attended U2 in Europe ( Belgium and France) this year and reported it was a great show. As good as Forty Licks as a show even if Keith, Charlie and Mick cannot be compared.

U2 says NOTHING to me. They are anemic to me!

Saw the Stones 11 times on the Licks tour and I'm seeing U2 eight times on their Vertigo tour (five so far). I've been going to U2 with friends who've seen the Stones a lot and the consensus is that the Stones are really going to have to go some to rise to the challenge. Knowing how competitive Jagger is I'm confident they'll pull it off!

I saw U2 only twice. Both shows in 1997. Honestly, nothing special. No huge "live feeling", unfortunately.

Comparing the run on tickets U2 are by far better of un Europe than the Stones. But that's number crunching. compare BONO when he sings (or still can sing) in 20 years we see the difference the Stones still are today. For me it is not only that the Stones are good or bad or charge to much for their tickets. It's that spirit which somehow carried away this 43 years from naive rock and roll to global market strategic r-n-r with a turnover of billions.

Humanriff, were we at the same concert. I was last years also at Letzigrund for the Stones concert, but in my opinion U2 was so much better. Of all concerts have seen in Switzerland I never have seen an audience going crazy like the one of yesterday evening (and that says smething for the in general reserved Swiss people). Everybody was soaking wet after the heavy rains and thunder before the band started, and they gave a lot of energy, they played a brilliant setlist - [www.u2tour.de] - including the rarely played Miss Sarajewo.

Sjouke

Just received the Gelsenkirchen gig which I attented from u2. Great to listen to it again. Except the theatre gigs from the Licks tour I hardly listen to any of LL bootlegs. Simply because of lack of guitars, the same old songs and too much Chuck in the mix.
The Edge plays more guitar in one show that Ron and Keith together on the complete last tour!

I agree kees, they've got a guitarplayer who actually plays a whole song

Agree with tonim, Vertigo is a real challenge for the Stones but they will solve that. Better do it, Keith ?

This is Chorzow 5.07.05 show..enjoy

[dc2.4shared.com]

[dc2.4shared.com]

The best moment of the show,on the New years day all people in the pitch have something red in the hand,and people from sectors have something with..and all stadium transformed in huge polish flag!!!

Honestly, U2 gig was a bit disappointment for me. I was not able to get into the show, too much preaching, politics other trash talks and no music. The worst was the setlist (although brilliant when you watch them once on the tour) - playing 5 shows in the row the same setlist is a shame for the band of such calibre!
I would rate them average, nothing special, Elevation tour was better for me. And playing Vertigo twice as opener and encore is quite bizarre..

ferda Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
And playing
> Vertigo twice as opener and encore is quite
> bizarre..


True, it was a bit bizarre to witness but i think they have a lot off balls to play there latest single as there opening and closing song (two of the biggest slots in a set list) but it worked great!!!


Tomekpoland23, i read this story on the U2 pages. I think it would be awesome to witness!!!

Cheers,
Wuudy

Do they play it ('Vertigo') the same way?

yes

They play Vertigo more or less the same way, but in the encore the lightshow is much more prominent.

U2 are shite live,division 3 stuff.Save your money for the premier rock n roll act.

U2 may or may not be playing the music you like but you can't deny they play very consistant and good live. Edge is a hell of a guitar player!!!!

Cheers,
Wuudy

Stargroover, tell me, what is so great about a band which:
- has two guitar players whom both underperform heavily
- has more background support people than the total number of the actual band members themselves
- played one new song during their last world tour

You are too harsh on Keith. He did a good play on forty licks even if it is not at the same level as during the good old days 70-80. As for songwriting, you are right. Not a single good album since Steel Wheels : 15 years old. !!!!

Hell, the Stones havent been a pure 'guitar band' since 1965. The backing vocalists are superb, as is the horn section - I do think the horns are overused on some songs (like Before They Make Me Run, Happy, Tumbling Dice) but there are always many songs w/ just the RS & maybe Leavell onstage (SMU, You Got Me Rocking, MR, etc)

I remember Dylan opening and doing an encore with "You go Your Way (and Ill go mine)" in '72..in fact its just about the only thing I remember from that show..however seemed spontaneous as they (the Band and he) were laughing about it, and seemed like just wanted to do it again..also was about third or fourth number in the encore and all the house lights had already been turned on- who knows but they tore it up- great party

i saw U2 in Gelsenkirchen...What a dissapointment. Ok Some good stuff---and then Bonos Political Nonsense between every song,--

During the Licks tour I saw one Arena show and two stadiums shows which I enjoyed all. But U2 in Gelsenkirchen beat them all easily.

Phd wrote

"All we can hope is that the Stones will perform as well as U2 . Members of my familly attended U2 in Europe ( Belgium and France) this year and reported it was a great show. As good as Forty Licks as a show even if Keith, Charlie and Mick cannot be compared."

The Stones always perform much better than U2. I never had seen something special at a concert of U2. No huge live rock feeling. No "team spirit". Yes, Edge plays without "breaks", but he plays in so monotonous and repeated way...

Saw 'em in san siro last night. First time I saw them live. I have the early record. Joshua tree was a very good one. Rattle and hum interesting. Achtung Baby so and so. I gave a listen to the following ones, I can live without not having the CDs in my cathalogue. One can say I am not a U2 fan. Nevertheless I wanted to see them, just to have my own opinion. Here it is.

- More than a concert of rock music it is a "performance", visual art. Music is only a part of the show.

- From this point of view the show was very well done. Yet it was not "amazing". After years of "special effects" shows, I think we are at the point that nothing more can surprise us. Very much the same is happening with the movies. After years of special effects people got used to them and now wants the "substance" again.

- In these kind of shows the "substance" should be the music. Well, a part from the bunch of hits from their golden era, I think that over all their music lacked of depth. Very well performed. The Edge truly crafts some wonderful sounds. But what do we have behind the effects?

- I agree that the rythm section is limited. They do hit hard. But it is all they seem to be able to do. I little bit like Sergio Leone's definition of Clint Eastwood: "He has two expressions, one with the cigar, and one without". U2 can play 2 kind of songs, a fast U2 song and a slow U2 song. What changes are the effects.

- Bono lost most of his voice.

- Samples kill rock and roll.

All in all, they did not impress me at all.

Just out of curiosity: how can you say that U2 is a guitar driven band? How can you say that THIS is what the stones should do? Did we see the same show?

C