Monday, July 18, 2011

U2.COM : 'Magic Night'


The Ocean, 11 O'Clock Tick Tock, I Will Follow, An Cat Dubh, Into The Heart, Another Time Another Place... what a set list the band opened with in St Louis.

Actually, this was the one they opened with on another night in St Louis, thirty years ago when they first played here.
'Thanks for sticking with us, we've been here before,' recalled Bono. 'Unusual little venue, at the Graham Chapel, Washington University.'
He could remember the rest of the set list on that night too.
 'The Cry, The Electric Co., Things To Make and Do, Stories for Boys, Boy-Girl, Out of Control, and the encore was… our big hit A Day Without Me, 11 O’Clock Tick Tock, The Ocean  and I Will Follow ...again...
'That was a cool thing to dig up, so much has changed, so much has remained the same.'

The Busch Stadium was definitely hotter tonight than the Graham Chapel, boiling hot,  and the temperature only rose when the band hit the stage with 'Real Thing' and the 'Kraut rock circa 1991' of  The Fly.
'What sort of a magic night is this...
St Louis, Missouri ?
'A warm summer night where we celebrate our freedom...
'Somewhere in the world tonight that word freedom feels expensive...
'That word freedom feels like the end of the world...'

Until The End of the World, Mysterious Ways - it was ten years on from that first performance in St Louis that the Achtung Baby was born, and twenty years further on again, those songs on this tour are sounding like they might have been written yesterday. Some things haven't changed, reflected Bono.
 'Larry is still upset over the fact that the name was changed from The Larry Mullen Band to U2.' And  'Adam Clayton still believes that being in this band is a great way to meet girls.'
Bono's needs too, remain those of a simple man: 'Just give me 200 trucks, 400 tonnes of equipment and 56,000 people and I feel great..'

It was so hot tonight you had to get undressed and for Elevation Bono invited on stage five shirtless guys who had the letters U, 2, 3, 6, 0 painted on their chests - clever!  Pride, Miss Sarajevo, Zooropa ... can it really be true that in less than two weeks this tour will be done?
No-one was dwelling on that as St Louis became the City of Blinding Lights tonight.
'And I miss you when you're not around
I'm getting ready to leave the ground...'


Were you at the show tonight? How hot was the night and how hot was the band? Add your own review and upload your photos to our tour pages.

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