I was at the O2 Arena in London's East End last night.
U2 was on the agenda.
The best I have ever experienced.
I say ‘experienced’ because it is always more than music.
YET the music was massive - powerful - real - genuine
and the visuals and creativity in communication was wondrous.
As with any experience
we can’t ‘word' it - it has to be seen and heard and felt.
Experienced!
It was appreciated much -
also
because I was treated with the ticket being bought for me by
Emmo my Greenbelt friend - a great music man of wisdom and taste.
We were in the RED Zone with Big John another great friend a U2 fan/worker/on-liner/moderator
and …………. we experienced it together.
I am into participation
NOT just having an audience but participants
TAKERS and essentially MAKERS not just takers.
People who know me and have experienced my
workshops/training courses and Rolling Magazine programmes
they know I am myself into being a taker and maker.
purely in response to the first single voice of Bono
opening the event without the band.
During the 2.5 hour show
a had a range of emotions.
Little doors and windows were opening in my chest
to allow the experiences to get through.
I was thinking - ‘I need this’
"Let it in let it in”
It was emotional / spiritual / feeding and stretching.
I was dosed in wonder
I was drowned in inner disturbance.
I was in tears with a number of songs which butted up together
to double the emotion
moving the spirit of Pip Wilson.
I wanted it on a stick.
I wanted a USB I could plug into
and capture it all forever in my soul.
My mind raced to connect deeper to the experience
and tear ducts worked overtime as I blinked hard furiously to not miss a visual.
I have the ‘Periscope' App on my iPhone.
I used it for the first time.
The images on my phone went global.
17 minutes in one powerful sequence
and love came flowing in as I kept my tearful eyes on the little screen.
It is tough to say it was their best gig yet.
But it was - for me.
Music deep and powerful.
Involvement massive.
Social JUSTICE issues and concern blasting out……..
I have followed U2 for as many years as they have existed.
In a a Radio broadcast studio as they were still young.
At the Greenbelt in 1981 I think?
In Italy Holland Norway + + +
all over the UK and more.
Every album - every radio broadcast - every word expressed.
I appreciate Emmo and BJ being my ‘carers’ for the #U2ie EXPERIENCE
with Martin forever warm and a friend as best one could be …… always an experience.
WORDS cannot express …………….
Setlist:
Main Set
- The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)
- Gloria, Gloria (Van Morrison) (snippet)
- Vertigo
- I Will Follow
- Iris (Hold Me Close)
- Cedarwood Road
- Song For Someone
- Sunday Bloody Sunday
- Raised By Wolves
- Until The End Of The World, Love And Peace Or Else (snippet), Words (snippet)
Second Set
- Invisible
- Even Better Than The Real Thing
- Mysterious Ways, Burning Down The House(snippet)
- Elevation
- New Year's Day
- Every Breaking Wave
- October
- Bullet The Blue Sky, Ode To Joy (snippet), 19(snippet)
- Zooropa (snippet), Where The Streets Have No Name, California (There Is No End To Love)(snippet)
- Pride
- With Or Without You
Encore
- City Of Blinding Lights
- Beautiful Day, I Remember You (snippet)
- Mother And Child Reunion (snippet), Bad, Gloria (Patti Smith) (snippet)
- People Have The Power (with Patti Smith)
Releases Represented:
- Songs Of Innocence had 6 songs
- The Joshua Tree had 3 songs
- Achtung Baby had 3 songs
- All That You Can't Leave Behind had 2 songs
- How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb had 2 songs
- The Unforgettable Fire had 2 songs
- October had 2 songs
- War had 2 songs
- Boy had 1 songs
- Cover Songs had 1 songs
- Non-Album Singles had 1 songs
Comments: There's no Meerkat segment tonight, even though Amra -- a fan from Sarajevo now living in Dublin -- is brought on stage during "Elevation" to do the smartphone camerawork. Her video feed is shown only inside the arena.
Bono dedicates "Beautiful Day" to Paul McGuinness, who's at the show. Noel Gallagher is also in attendance, his third consecutive show.
Patti Smith walks on stage as Bono sings a snippet of Van Morrison's "Gloria" at the end of "Bad." Bono then tells the audience that she's going to "help take us home," and the band launches into a rocking version of "People Have The Power."
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