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***Official U2 Appreciation Thread***

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    EddieshometownEddieshometown Evanston, IL Posts: 974
    Is there a curfew?  
    6/26/98 & 6/27/98 - Alpine Valley, 10/9/00 - Allstate Arena - Rosemont, IL 6/18/2003 - United Center, 5/16/2006 - United Center,
    5/17/2006 - United Center (7th row center, caught Eddie's pick), 6/29/2006 - Summerfest with Tom Petty,
    8/24/2009 - United Center, 7/19/2013 - Wrigley Field, 10/3/2014 - St Louis, 10/17/2014 - Moline (GA), 10/20/2014 - Milwaukee,
    5/14/2015 - Pete Townshend/EV, 8/20/16 & 8/22/16 Wrigley Field Part 2&3, 8/18/18 & 8/20/18 Wrigley Parts 4 & 5, 9/18/2022 - St Louis
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    Loved the show.

    Absolutely stunned at the brutal admitting process. Chitty... I feel badly for you.

    F**k me. For those in GA... get yourself a the left. We were right there where we needed to be- great spot!
    "My brain's a good brain!"
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    Daron OshayDaron Oshay Middletown, NJ Posts: 2,493
    That blows. The CC entry thing is a dumb idea. 

    Question is is if the show was only 22 songs because of the delay? Because for the amount of money they charged for tickets and the massive effort and size of the show thats really shitty
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    PJ_SoulPJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 49,544
    edited May 2017
    i thought the length of the show was within reason.

    Yes, that was obviously a shit show outside. I got really lucky - we got in the GA line at about 5:45 and literally 2 minutes after that it got out of control behind us. The line suddenly grew so much it immediately left the stadium grounds and started winding down the streets, and we were grateful to not be back there, even though we were still way back before getting into that first rat maze at Gate C (for entrance at Gate E) ... We only moved maybe 200 feet between 5:45 and 7:00, so basically not at all. But then right around 7 it started moving FAST - so fast we thought they had decided to just let everyone in without checking tickets (they did supposedly start doing that in desperation an hour and a half later, but not before we went in). We were on the floor by 7:20, after a leisurely trip to the bathroom inside. things were getting gnarly when we started moving. people less fortunate started trying to break down the solid line barriers and just jump in the queue, and of course the people in line reacted strongly to that - I was worried a brawl was going to break out at one point. i was glad to have the chance to leave that scene quickly. 

    Some wanted to blame all this on them just using one gate for the whole floor, but that wasn't it IMO. There are plenty of doors there. Their CC scanners had a technical problem, which is why nobody got in until 7:00. And by the time they worked it out (kinda) that line behind us had reached Guinness world record status I think, lol, and they just couldn't catch up. Seriously, I have never seen a line like that in my whole life. And the expressions on people's faces when they discovered where the end of the line supposedly was were uniformly dismayed (it was far out of sight - blocks away!). What a disaster on BC Place's part. I read it was the first time they'd ever done CC entry... well, bad time to experiment, lol. But U2 insisted, so.... Anyway, is anyone surprised? This is the same stadium that managed to completely run out of beer before halftime at the fucking Grey Cup game, and where getting a beer before that took an entire quarter! FWIW, CC entry can work very well - many venues do it just fine. It's just that BC Place fucks things up all the time.

    Anyway, I feel lucky that my experience wasn't directly affected by this debacle, and that we missed getting stuck in it by the skin of our teeth. I do feel like the situation very negatively impacted the vibe of the crowd though, so that is a real shame, and I feel bad for everyone who was upset. The majority of GA holders missed Mumford & Sons. I personally would have enjoyed being back outside in the line more than M&F and was glad when they stopped, lol, but I gather some people were excited about them. We ended up in a pretty primo spot, about 6 deep next to the end of the peninsula thing and in front of that second drum kit. Here was our view. :)





    Not too shabby! I think people might want to aim for just right of the arm that comes out, just because that thing is placed over to the left, so if you're to the right of it, you get a centered view of the main stage/movie screen. Though I'm sure being left of the arm was good too; it's just that that puts you way on the left side of the main stage.

    The sound wasn't good for much of the show unfortunately. Even Bono was complaining at one point, and a few times it seemed like they were having trouble finding the right key, which I assume was because of the sound issues. It seemed to get worse as the show went on. Still, it was cool to see them finally, and most of the fans were very nice and friendly, however bitter some of them may have been. There were a few incidents with huge douche bags (one more fight almost broke out in front of us because of this awful drunk motherfucker), but mostly it was a nice crowd. Somewhat subdued IMO, but nice. Also, I LOVED the massive contoured movie screen backdrop and all the film for the whole show, It was all amazingly effective and cool looking, and they managed some really neat optics.

    Post edited by PJ_Soul on
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
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    ZodZod Posts: 10,176
    This was the first U2 tour I skipped since I starting going to u2 shows (popmart '97 tour?).    I don't usually skip certain bands, but I spent so much money on shows last year, I've complete reigned it in this year.    At least the debacle makes me feel slightly less bad for not going :)  I would of most definitely had floor tickets had I gone and would of tried to show up around 7, so that would of been messy.

    The last Vancouver show was ticketless too but I suppose that was at Rogers Arena which is smaller and not all of the floor tickets were ticketless.   Only the ones bought from the fan club were (I grabbed a discarded one off the floor for my ticket stub collection).

    Ticketless seems like a good thing.   It makes it really hard to scalp tickets.   Especially when U2's method is charge high prices for seats but sell GA tickets fairly cheap.
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    CJ260717CJ260717 Posts: 414
    So is the band pushing ticket-less entry?  Or is it based on the venue?  
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    chittychitty Posts: 577
    It's over and done now so not much to do, but Mumford is one of my modern day favourite bands. I know it's only a concert, but wow sitting outside listening in a horrible line was extremely deflating.
    I was in line at 6, got to gate A doors, thru the pat down of security at 630 only to be told we can't enter at that gate. Since when is there specific gates? I have been to hundreds of shows and never known that to be the case. That being said there should have been signs so I didn't wait half an hour in one incorrect line.
    We left and walked to Gate E for floor admission and followed the line. Literally over a mile long line! Then and there I knew if Mumford started on time we'd miss their whole show. Sure enough we did. Organizers knew the line was chaos, why didn't they delay the start?
    Got to the gate at 9:10, keep in mind I was in line by 635. Absolute chaos. No security check at this point, just walked in.

    U2 came on at about 920 I believe. The start of the show was amazing and felt like the money I paid was worth it even if I missed Mumford. However the sound was off, U2 seemed lethargic and the end of the show was very disappointing. Utraviolet and a new song to end the show, way to leave on a high note......
    I'd still say it is a show not to miss. When "streets" kicks in and the massive screen comes alive with the visuals of the Joshua Tree area, that is worth the money alone if you are a U2 fan
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    ZodZod Posts: 10,176
    CJ260717 said:
    So is the band pushing ticket-less entry?  Or is it based on the venue?  
    I think ticketless is something done at the band's request.   It's kind of a new thing and I haven't see it too much in Vancouver.    U2 did it for their fan club tickets on the last tour, and for the entire floor on this tour.   Springsteen's used it.  I think the tragically hip used it last year for the best seats on their tour.

    It makes it harder to scalp (but not impossible).    It shouldn't be that complicated.   All they do is swipe your credit card and it prints out a little receipt with your seat location.  At the u2 show a few years ago it was quick and painless.   My only complaint was not having a proper ticket stub for my collection (the receipt you get is pretty meh).

    I guess the difference here is between using it at arenas where the floor holds 3000 to 5000 people vs. a stadium that has 20000 people on the floor.    Having a single entrance to scan in 20000 people seems like a disaster even if it's the regular scan the barcode and go through security method.
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    chittychitty Posts: 577
    One more thing I don't know if this will be the same for the whole tour, but if facing the stage, the left side was pretty empty. We had an awesome view with tons of room to dance. I'd recommend that.
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    PJ_SoulPJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 49,544
    edited May 2017
    CJ260717 said:
    So is the band pushing ticket-less entry?  Or is it based on the venue?  
    It was at the band's request. I think It's a good idea, but only if a venue has proven their ability to handle it.
    chitty said:
    It's over and done now so not much to do, but Mumford is one of my modern day favourite bands. I know it's only a concert, but wow sitting outside listening in a horrible line was extremely deflating.
    I was in line at 6, got to gate A doors, thru the pat down of security at 630 only to be told we can't enter at that gate. Since when is there specific gates? I have been to hundreds of shows and never known that to be the case. That being said there should have been signs so I didn't wait half an hour in one incorrect line.
    We left and walked to Gate E for floor admission and followed the line. Literally over a mile long line! Then and there I knew if Mumford started on time we'd miss their whole show. Sure enough we did. Organizers knew the line was chaos, why didn't they delay the start?
    Got to the gate at 9:10, keep in mind I was in line by 635. Absolute chaos. No security check at this point, just walked in.

    U2 came on at about 920 I believe. The start of the show was amazing and felt like the money I paid was worth it even if I missed Mumford. However the sound was off, U2 seemed lethargic and the end of the show was very disappointing. Utraviolet and a new song to end the show, way to leave on a high note......
    I'd still say it is a show not to miss. When "streets" kicks in and the massive screen comes alive with the visuals of the Joshua Tree area, that is worth the money alone if you are a U2 fan
    There were actually several big signs around the venue saying that GA entry was at gate E only... There was one right next to gate A where you come into the stadium grounds, which is the first thing we saw when we got there. Sorry you didn't see them though, that sucks. Though it has been my experience at most shows, including PJ shows, that there is only one entrance for GA in order to maintain first come first served status and to keep overnighters all in one spot. Having more than one entrance, in my experience, leads to a really unfair situation, where one of them works better and faster than the other, giving half the fans the location advantage on the floor. One GA entrance is ideal IMO, for fairness's sake. In any case, the one gate entrance wasn't the cause of the problems.

    I actually liked the Ultraviolet and new song ending. Ultra violet was a powerful moment, with the dedication to women's rights, and the accompanying visuals had an impact on the crowd around me for sure. The new song made me excited about Song of Exerience. But I 100% agree with you about the band seeming lethargic and the sound, whihc brought down the crowd, which probably made the band even more lethargic. That little chant or whatever about people having the power that Bono tried to get the audience to do was a complete flop, lol. It was actually uncomfortable, haha. I agree it's still a show that shouldn't be missed, and I did have a very interesting experience the whole night - it was eventful to say the least, and most of the fans were pretty awesome. But I also think there is a good chance that it will technically end up being the worst overall show I see all year because of the sound and dampened vibe. That is, unless I break down and go see a show at the QE, lol. That would be guaranteed to suck. ;)
    Post edited by PJ_Soul on
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
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    Thirty Bills UnpaidThirty Bills Unpaid Posts: 16,881
    edited May 2017
    I loved the show. We had a great spot on the floor.

    The Intro rocked our socks off. Joshua Tree was what it was. I agree that the ending might need to be worked a bit- seemed anti climactic.


    "My brain's a good brain!"
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    Horse2345Horse2345 Posts: 3,231
    Must have lucked out, got there just after seven got onto the floor just before 8. Had a great view right by the drum set. Thought the show was a bit short though.
    UBC 92, Vancouver 93, Vancouver 98, Seattle 02, Vancouver 03, Vancouver 05, Gorge 06, Gorge 06,Seattle 09,Seattle 09, Vancouver09, Montreal 11, Toronto 11,Toronto 11, Vancouver 11,Vancouver 13, Seattle 13
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    PJ_SoulPJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 49,544
    Horse2345 said:
    Must have lucked out, got there just after seven got onto the floor just before 8. Had a great view right by the drum set. Thought the show was a bit short though.
    Sweet!
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
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    chittychitty Posts: 577
    Horse2345 said:
    Must have lucked out, got there just after seven got onto the floor just before 8. Had a great view right by the drum set. Thought the show was a bit short though.
    I was in the line for floor before you at 630, so how you got in within an hour and I was in the line from 630 to 910 just shows you how unorganized it was. Still bitter about it, and now I have read BC place is blaming U2 for the credit card system. Fact remains they had way too few entrances with no organization at all
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    ZodZod Posts: 10,176
    edited May 2017
    How can BC place blame u2 for the credit card system?  It's nothing new and it's been around for several years now.   Artists can use it to try and curb scalping.

    When you went through did it really take that long for them to swipe the cc and print out the stub?    My memories from the last tour at GM place were that it didn't take that long?  

    I like how the news articles blame the "new technology".  From what I recalled I think I first heard of it being used around 2008.  I think Springsteen was using it a year later (he was a very early adopter).  It was simply BC Place's first experience using it.     Headlines should of been.   BC Place unprepared to handle 9 year old technology... lol.    How hard is it, to figure out average length to process transaction, how many staff are processing them, and how many tickets that have to process, and at 20% for unpredictable delays, and wham you know how many people/gates you need to make it go smoothly.
    Post edited by Zod on
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    They sent an email out suggesting to get there really early.

    Looking back... I can't help but feel they were trying to cut costs with additional gates open being staffed. They knew ahead of time it had the potential to get ugly... they just never anticipated it getting that ugly.

    Who the f**k shows up to a 7:30 show at 5:30 (with the headliner taking the stage at 9)?

    BC Place failed big time. To top it off... there was no communication and everyone out there wondering wtf was going on were left to their own guesses.

    I am not going to complain. We joined a cluster of people and spun around in circles for a while until we entered the queue distinguished by gates. Obviously, the point we joined wasn't the end of the line, but at the point we joined... there was no way through the horde of people. I'm typically a rule follower to the letter, but we had no idea what to do, where to go, and how to get there given the congestion. We were mindlessly following a massive clump of people that were as dumbfounded as us.

    It was, officially, the biggest shit show I've been a part of.

    My buddy had to use his credit card to have his two guests from Calgary enter at a different gate. Upon getting his guests in... staff turned him back to Gate E which was the floor access gate and where all the real problems were. Just as we neared the gate entrance, they ambled by us on the other side of the fencing. We laughed... and then helped them over the fence and they joined us. It was fortunate timing for us and them. People in the line weren't super happy with the optics of that situation, but at that point... I couldn't care. It was a gawddamn free for all.
    "My brain's a good brain!"
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    jjflashjjflash Posts: 4,841
    Anyone know at what time Mumford started playing? My wife and I are heading to the Seattle show tonite
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    Patrick_Sea3Patrick_Sea3 West Seattle Posts: 890
    Eddie Vedder showed up...
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    pjsteelerfanpjsteelerfan Maryland Posts: 9,883
    Any issues getting into the venue in Seattle?
    ...got a mind full of questions and a teacher in my soul...
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    Patrick_Sea3Patrick_Sea3 West Seattle Posts: 890
    Any issues getting into the venue in Seattle?
    None, real easy, I had CC entry took maybe 10 minutes.
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    gregkitefangregkitefan Posts: 1,115
    Looking forward to the Foxboro show in a month, but that 2nd encore looks like a snoozer.
    38
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    PJ_SoulPJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 49,544
    edited May 2017
    Zod said:
    How can BC place blame u2 for the credit card system?  It's nothing new and it's been around for several years now.   Artists can use it to try and curb scalping.

    When you went through did it really take that long for them to swipe the cc and print out the stub?    My memories from the last tour at GM place were that it didn't take that long?  

    I like how the news articles blame the "new technology".  From what I recalled I think I first heard of it being used around 2008.  I think Springsteen was using it a year later (he was a very early adopter).  It was simply BC Place's first experience using it.     Headlines should of been.   BC Place unprepared to handle 9 year old technology... lol.    How hard is it, to figure out average length to process transaction, how many staff are processing them, and how many tickets that have to process, and at 20% for unpredictable delays, and wham you know how many people/gates you need to make it go smoothly.
    They had to swipe my card a few times before it worked, but no, the actual swiping/wristband process only took a minute. There was a second security check at the gate though, so that didn't help. We'd already gone through a check point in the line up where they checked bags, but then at the actual doors they had a more thorough security check where someone was going to through bags much more carefully, and you got frisked. I don't know why they bothered with the first check point. But anyway, once the scanners started working the line was fast, but by that time there were about 11,000 or so people in line, lol, so even though it was quick through the doors, I'm not surprised it took them that long to get everyone in. Their tech issues created the backlog, and then they couldn't catch up in time.

    I think it is fucking scandalous that BC Place tried to blame this on U2. Are they fucking crazy?? Is it their plan to never have U2 play another show there or what? And that could be off-putting to other huge shows too. Idiots!! Such a bad PR move. They should take responsibility for not being able to handle CC entry, which other venues can handle just fine.

    Cool that Eddie played in Seattle. He's good that way.
    Post edited by PJ_Soul on
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
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    mcgruff10mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 27,889
    how did joshua tree sound? any one song stand out over the rest?  any songs sound like they shouldn't be played live?
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
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    chittychitty Posts: 577
    mcgruff10 said:
    how did joshua tree sound? any one song stand out over the rest?  any songs sound like they shouldn't be played live?
    I was quite disappointed with red hill mining town. Love the song, but felt it was missing something that night.

    noticed u2 finished on a higher note last night with I will follow...plus they played my favourite, Bad. Should have went to Seattle instead of vancouver 
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    BentleyspopBentleyspop Craft Beer Brewery, Colorado Posts: 10,550
    U2 opening nights are notoriously not good. Happens every tour.
    Nerves
    Tech glitches
    Missing cues
    Etc

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    PJ_SoulPJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 49,544
    edited May 2017
    U2 opening nights are notoriously not good. Happens every tour.
    Nerves
    Tech glitches
    Missing cues
    Etc

    I totally expect those things on the first night of a tour, but for Vancouver, the sound basically sucked shit, and I don't expect that, since they had two weeks to work out the sound. That is why I said this was probably the worst show I'll see all year. But it was better than spending hundreds of extra dollars on a trip to Seattle for me. Had a good time. Even a trainwreck of a U2 show is fun, as it turns out. :tongue:
    Post edited by PJ_Soul on
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
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    chittychitty Posts: 577
    Yes agreed it was still worth it. I probably
    should not look at other setlists. I don't with Pearl jam because I don't want to be thinking; Oh that city got that song and I didn't, etc. 
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    Horse2345Horse2345 Posts: 3,231
    We never got checked or frisked, swiped card and in.
    UBC 92, Vancouver 93, Vancouver 98, Seattle 02, Vancouver 03, Vancouver 05, Gorge 06, Gorge 06,Seattle 09,Seattle 09, Vancouver09, Montreal 11, Toronto 11,Toronto 11, Vancouver 11,Vancouver 13, Seattle 13
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    U2 Vancouver was awesome. If you think it wasn't fantastic that's okay, but I wanted to chime in again that I couldn't have been happier.

    First night of the tour was expectedly going to have a few hiccups- all part of any tour. And the show could have ended on a more upbeat level, but Bono's voice was fresh and sounded as good as any could have hoped for... and all things considered... fantastic: brilliant intro with A Sort of Homecoming as a personal highlight.

    BC Place failed, but that had nothing to do with U2. 
    "My brain's a good brain!"
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