A carnival atmosphere surrounded the stadium as fans streamed into the open-roofed, oval structure. Vendors hawked everything from last-minute concert tickets and U2 T-shirts, to bunny ears to ridiculous headbands topped with curly white and hot pink fake hair. The fans, numbering some 80,000 every night, seemed to keep their cool in the midst of hubbub.
U2 360 Tour Stage
The first thing to catch concert goers’ eyes upon their entering the stadium was the enormous, claw-like — or spider-like — stage, topped with a disco ball atop a tower. U2 frontman Bono described it as a space station once the band took the stage, but it also served as the setting for light shows throughout U2’s set.
U2’s 360 Tour at Croke Park in Dublin on July 25 opened with two acts. First up was Republic of Loose, followed by The Kaiser Chiefs. Forty-five minutes after they left the stage, David Bowie’s Major Tom began to play and U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. appeared first on stage to the crowd’s obvious and quite audible delight, followed by the other band members: Adam Clayton, The Edge, and Bono.
U2 wasted no time in kicking off their set on with four songs from their most recent disc, No Line on the Horizon: Breathe, No Line on the Horizon, Get on Your Boots and Magnificent. All the while Bono interacted with the crowd — even pulling one deer-in-the-headlights-looking female fan from the crowd onto the stage with him briefly.
U2 360 Tour Playlist
The band punctuated the 360 Tour show with old favourites, as well, such as Beautiful Day, Mysterious Ways, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Angel of Harlem, In A Little While, Unforgettable Fire, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, MLK, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Pride (In the Name of Love), Walk On, Where the Streets Have no Name and One.
Other tunes U2 performed from No Line on the Horizon included Unknown Caller and I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (Remix). The encores — by which point the strain on Bono’s voice was obvious — were Ultraviolet, With or Without You and Moment of Surrender.
U2 360 Tour Political Messages
Extra touches in U2’s 360 Tour included a live link-up to the International Space Station, a spotlight on Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for 20 years, a message from Archbishop Desmond Tutu and a little tribute to Michael Jackson, the recently departed pop star, where Bono sang a few lines of Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough.
Fans from all four corners of the globe converged on Croke Park for U2’s shows, as evidenced from the flags they carried and the messages on the T-shirts they wore. “Canada to Croke Park July 2009” read one, while nearby a Brazilian flag waved. It all spoke to the magnitude that is U2.
U2 has been around for decades, but it was obvious that Bono and the boys can still rock with — if not above — the youngest up-and-coming bands. U2’s 360 Tour blended perfectly songs from “No Line From the Horizon” with older material, and the “claw” turned into a canvas for coloured lights and their political messages throughout the show.
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