I definitely had one of the top 5 best concert experiences of my life last night at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The Black Eyed Peas and U2 completely killed it with their infectious energy, fist pumping beats, the great acoustics which provided amazing sound, and some surprises along the way. First up the Peas were the perfect opening act for my boys in U2 because they got the crowd up and moving with their hits like “Where Is the Love?” and “I Gotta Feeling.” Fergie has some serious pipes, especially when she is performing live which I was really impressed by-the girl can sing! But the real surprise and what took the crowd from excited to over the top was when they introduced Slash who took the stage with his guitar in hand and Fergie quipped, “This is a rock show isn’t it? So let’s play some rock ‘n’ f*&$#@n’ roll, man!” and proceeded to all join together for a rousing rendition of Guns N’ Roses classic “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (one of my favorite songs of all time!) complete with Fergie, who was decked in a dark mini dress and silver thigh high boots, writhing around the stage a la Axl Rose, and even worked Slash! The audience went into fits of hysteria once they started playing the song and the stadium turned into a giant sing along.
Here is Slash with the Black Eyed Peas taking down the house with “Sweet Child O’ Mine”:
Here are the Peas performing “I Gotta Feeling”:
As you are probably well aware of now, I really love seeing U2 in concert, hence this being the 3rd time I have seen them perform on this tour (opening night in Barcelona and at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington since June). And I’ll tell you why-I am an energy addict. I love being surrounded by people who are dynamic and talented and this is why I love the U2 show. Simply put, they are explosive when they perform and the synergy amongst Bono, Adam, The Edge, and Larry is something that is really special. This is why I feel they have continued to grow together as a band, reaching new heights with each album, pushing the limits of their sounds, and daring to be bold which I really respect.
Bono belting out the tunes
Now about the show which was also broadcast on YouTube, I would say that the band’s energy was much higher in Pasadena than in Arlington, but the spontaneity was more in Barcelona opening night than anywhere else I saw on this tour. The Barcelona show was really amazing because they played for almost 3 hours, this was the first time the guys were playing to such a large audience in a few years, and they were really off the cuff trying things out and forgetting song lyrics along the way! (Bono with “One.”) That being said, U2 was definitely loving the audience at the Rose Bowl-comprised of 96,000 people including Christian Slater who was sitting a few seats down from me and was the largest crowd they have played to on this 360 tour-last night as you could see it in their faces when they would call on us to sing classics like “Where the Streets Have No Name,” which was lead into right after Bono crooned “Amazing Grace” and “WTSHNN” happens to be my favorite song to to see live as it is so overwhelming, emotional, and brimming with electricity. Imprisoned Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi was again spotlighted during “Walk On” just as she has been every night of the tour as promised by Bono. Sadly, she has been under house arrest since almost the beginning of her tenure in office and now jailed for believing in democratic ideas and trying to spread those to her country. Truly an injustice. The boys from Dublin also had a live chat with an astronaut from the Space Station and a video in which Desmond Tutu introduced the riveting “One.” Adam, Larry, Bono, and The Edge made their rounds around the 360 degree stage providing excited fans the opportunity to brush their music idols. And the great news is the band will be continuing their 360 tour in Summer 2010 hitting Angel Stadium in Anaheim on June 6th and finishing the North American leg of the tour at the New Meadowlands Stadium in New York on July 19th. I can hardly wait!
Red Carpet Roxy in front of the step and repeat at the U2 360 show at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena
Here is the set list from the Rose Bowl show:
Breathe
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Mysterious Ways
Beautiful Day (with a few lines from In God’s Country)
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, with coda of Stand By Me,
Stuck In A Moment (acoustic guitar version)
No Line On The Horizon,
Elevation,
In A Little While (last verse spoken by an astronaut in the International Space Station),
Unknown Caller,
Until the End of the World
The Unforgettable Fire
City of Blinding Lights,
Vertigo,
I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight
Sunday Bloody Sunday,
MLK (Martin Luther King tribute),
Walk On (Aung San Suu Kyi tribute) with Never Walk Alone snippet
Desmond Tutu recorded message
Encore:
One
Amazing Grace
Where the Streets Have No Name
Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
With or Without You
Moment of Surrender
Here is U2 belting out “Mysterious Ways”:
And “Stuck in a Moment” which was acoustic:
And my favorite, “Where the Streets Have No Name” beginning with “Amazing Grace”:
