Best Show on Earth?

I feel I must disclaim that U2 is NOT my favorite band. They're among my favorites. And I have many of their albums, including the latest. But I actually did not plan on going to this show initially. And had a friend not picked up some tickets, I'm not sure that I would have. That said, I am SO very glad that I did go after all.

From a raw production/entertainment value perspective, this had to be one of the best shows I have personally ever seen. Ridiculously well put together. Jaw-dropping in nearly all regards. Well intended otherwise. And if you said to me that, of the active tours in the world, U2 360 was presently the best show on Earth, I could certainly see why you would think that. And I'm not sure I'd be able to disagree.

The opening band, though not one I'd listen to on most days, was wisely chosen from a "pump up the crowd" perspective. Aside from a few glaring omissions (Pride, Desire, New Years Day, All I Want is You), the set list was well chosen and executed. Everything was so great, in fact, that I had to tell my oldest daughter, who was attending her first concert, that all of what she had experienced was NOT typical of what she should expect of future shows, lest she be infinitely disappointed in her further concert going exploits.

According to Bono, U2 had last performed in Norman 26 years ago in 1983. While I can't speak on behalf of those lucky ones to have seen them back then, I'd like to believe that if I had been among them, I would have felt that they made it well worth the wait. I can't imagine that anyone left that show feeling terribly disappointed. Unless perhaps Pride was the all time favorite song of a loved one recently departed or some such scenario.

Unfortunately for you, if you were at all like me and did not get off your butt to make this show happen for yourself, you missed out on what would likely be considered a once in a lifetime concert event. And though I'd guess that U2 will keep performing until Bono's larynx falls out, I don't know that they have many shows of this caliber left in them. So there may not be a next time for you I'm sorry to say.

The set was a massive endeavor. Referred to as the "mothership" by Bono. In the very center was the stage, and there was an additional stage area that formed a "ring" around the main stage, with 3 bridges that crossed over to the ring, two of which moved during the show, going OVER the audience making up the "inner ring". Bono talked about this arrangement, saying it was for us, the audience, to get closer to us. He said it was "intimacy on a grand scale". And I'd have to agree. The "360 degree screen" was an amazing centerpiece to the show. Without which I'm certain the show would have suffered. And the lights, wow. They did not fail to amuse.

Obviously, by the pictures below, my seats weren't that intimate, but my daughter had better luck than myself. She went down to Norman earlier in the afternoon with a friend's sister and kids to stand in the general admission line. Sounds like a worse deal than mine, but she was one of the lucky first 1200 folks to get to stand inside the "inner ring" and experience Bono intimately, though fortunately it was the kind of intimately a parent prefers. She texted me during the show... "OMG this is intense" and "This is magnificent". Let me just point out that my teenage daughter used a big word. Voluntarily. So, she really meant it. She was genuinely impressed. Tough to do with kids these days.

And now for the pictures. Due to the quality of my seats, these are mostly about pretty lights. Mostly.

Here is the set before the show. Nice, huh? Certainly big enough.



Here's a zoom of the lucky people in the inner ring. My 13 year old daughter is among them. Her first real concert and she's spoiled already.



I really like this picture, taken during the Black Eyed Peas opening performance, with the lights out and the cell phones on. The mothership analogy fits right in with this snapshot of the U2 fan universe.



My friend Rob, who I've known since college, and I during intermission.



Me, during intermission, apparently wearing the mothership on my head.



Perhaps more amazing than the mothership itself was the screen. It changed shapes and sizes and moved up and down. A very neat, and probably crucial, piece of the experience.



Another view of the screen. Even though I didn't have the intimate Bono experience, I still had a nice view of what was going on up there.



The rest of the pictures are to give you an idea of the different lighting arrangements and the different shapes and positions of the screen.










This video is from intermission. I guess we got bored enough to get a wave going.

And here is the beginning of the show. You're not really supposed to be able to enjoy the show. Just giving you a taste.