INTIMACY isn't a word usually associated with heaving stadium rock shows, but with the help of their sprawling four-legged stage rig The Claw, U2 managed to reach out to an estimated 55,000 fans at Patersons Stadium Saturday night.
While the lengths and figures associated with the record-breaking tour's sci-fi staging has attracted just as much attention as the performances themselves, somewhere beneath 54 tonnes of LED video screens, the Dublin quartet kicked off with rousing new instrumental number The Return Of The Stingray Guitar.
With the grandiose nature of the occasion suitably set, the band then segued into Beautiful Day, the first of numerous hits to litter the first hour of their show.
Ever the charmer, Bono also managed to sneak localised shout outs to Fremantle, Cottesloe and Dennis Lillee into the first half of the show, describing drummer Larry Mullen Jr as the "Adam Gilchrist of U2".
Despite these being the last two shows on the Oceanic leg of the 360 tour, Bono was in good voice, hitting the soaring, anthemic notes that have endeared his band to FM radio play-lists for decades.
Beautiful Day, Mysterious Ways and Elevation were early highlights, with the near capacity crowd clearly gobsmacked by the sheer power and epic scale of the concert.
Of course a U2 show isn't complete without some advocacy and preaching from their bespectacled frontman, with the evening including a passionate aside on Aung San Suu Kyi and even a video message from Desmond Tutu.
Regardless of which side of the ‘messiah or megalomaniac’ fence you stand on, you couldn’t help but fall for Bono's impassioned and entertaining delivery. Strutting the claw’s massive circular catwalk to ensure that everyone in the stadium felt they’d got their money’s worth, he showed why his band has a reputation as some of the greatest entertainers ever to have played.
As for the U2’s space-age staging, not since Matthew “Spider” Burton has Patersons Stadium – or Subi for the traditionalists - seen a spider as large as U2’s in the forward pocket.
The 58-metre high insect-like structure was created to dwarf the stadiums it is erected in so that the audience can feel closer to the action and it certainly lived up to its design brief.
With cameras mounted in every nook and cranny of the stage, a constant stream of I-Max like vision was provided to dramatise even the most slow-burning, quiet moments.
Like blockbuster Avatar, there was a lot of flashy pomp and ceremony to potentially distract from the stories being told by U2. While this glitz constantly kept the show in fifth gear, the essence of the band's songs were rarely compromised.
Closing the night wearing a laser-studded suit, Bono led U2 through a swansong that included Ultraviolet (Light My Way), With Or Without You and Moment Of Surrender.
Mention should also be made of hip hop icon Jay-Z, who was far from the average warm up act, bringing loads of grimey New York swagger to the venue as the crowd filtered in.
The Claw will remain landed in Subiaco Oval for another show on Sunday, where U2 will undoubtedly pilot another epic trip.
source : http://www.perthnow.com.au/
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