U2/Kravitz at Oakland
acutejam
Posts: 1,433
Wow! I just wanted to see the spectacle of this show ... uh ... 2 years ago, then Oakland and others were cancelled cause of Bono's back and then rescheduled ... for a wonderful Tuesday night gig, sigh.
I had GA lawn tickets and got up about 5-8 people from they flyway of "The Claw" -- the stage. U2 fans are fun, good bunch for the most part, but wow, the young ones are hecka noob. Two teenage girls screaming in my ear behind me STRAIGHT THROUGH the first five songs, when i let them in front of me with "sorry, my ears can only take so much of you screaming straight in them..." they kinda snapped outta it and only screamed in between songs. Sigh.
And the dude passing out from too much Scotch right next to them 2-3 songs in. Sigh.Girlfriend was absolutely devastated, she looked around at us as if WE would cart him off to medical (which a few of us were just about prepared to do, don't get me wrong) but he came too enough to shamble away with her.
Opening act Moonalice was a G-Dead-type band, curious -- turns out it's some financial partners of Bono's in the band, so they got to open. Competent jam band, just NOT what the crowd wanted to hear.
Kravitz was likewise, not what the U2 crowd had in mind, but for my money ... HE KILLED! Man, he brought the funk, incredible energetic set, incredible jams, great guitar solos, horn solos. Sound system for him was PHENOMENAL (i do love me some big ol' festival size PAs). So glad I got to see him, that had me just STOKED for the U2. Fly Away, American Woman killed. Every song killed, I will keep him in mind next time I can see him headline!
U2 were the consumate professionals, incredible theme (Bowie's Space Oddity) wound throughout the set with some really touching moments by that Arizona Shooting Victim Congresswoman's husband, the NASA astronaut. They had him recorded from the space station introduce Beautiful Day -- intense as he said, "Tell my wife I love her very much...." Bono, "She knows." Lots of activism throughout, Amenesty International, Burma, and what not -- the sets and encores all ended on somewhat somber notes on some heavy topics, so that big ol' end of show ROAR was never really there. Kinda curious, drop this heavy stuff on folks to consider, then take a bow, gotta give 'em credit for that -- but a small arena PJ show makes more noise than the full, jam-packed 65,000 Oakland Stadium!
Some highlights for me was the soundtrack "Hold Me, THrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me." Whoa! And all the ol' stuff, so awesome to hear 'em rip out Sunday Bloody Sunday! OMG! Pride, Streets have no names, With Or Without You ... intense. One, Vertigo, Beautiful Day were awesome. The new stuff just didn't come across well for me, overproduced, backing tracks. Go Crazy Tonight was a mess, some alternate arrangement of that, for me, just fell flat.
And I was reminded again about the authenticity of the bands I like, just get up on stage and play. Seeing Adam in a sparkly sequined shirt was just glam sham. And I got a little sad to note Edge had some sequins down the front of his jeans. Ah geez dudes, really? Will I see you in Starbucks wearing that crap? Oh! You have "Show Clothes!" I mean, c'mon, Lady Gaga at least parades in those get-ups through airports....
And they're stage setup conflicts with that, Kravitz had more amps up on stage than Adam and Edge, Edge had his small stack of classic VOX amps, very clean stage -- with a 400 ton build-out to house it all, 43 freaking trucks to haul that monster around. (Good thing their cause is Poverty and Human Rights, not Climate Change!) The Video screen was pretty incredible, and don't recall the last show I actually saw dudes climb up and work spot lights, they had 12 dudes doing that! (seems redundant wiht those new fangled multi color full swivel lighting units, and they had maybe a Hundred of those too!)
So the spectacle was indeed truly impressive, and they worked the crowd well like the ol' pros they are. Lots of good banter in between which someone said was actually less activist/political than other nights. Edge was pretty spot on all night, so freakin' unique (really just went to see him again -- saw J-tree and ZooTV in the past.)
GREAT story about Edge and Larry partying with Greenday and Metallica the night before! Check this -- Edge said, "The idea of a music festival with the three of us was proposed...." Greenday, Metallica, U2 - whoa!
But as tight as lenny sounded, something just overkill about U2's sound. True, big stadium with eight PA stacks on the stage (360 degrees, so 2 stacks l/r pointed to cardinal directions) and another 6-8 remote units on the corners of the stadium reinforcing the sound for the nosebleeds. When I was up close hearing the PA it was a bit overdriven, some feedback in places and curious ringing from bono's mic, but as I drifted back for the encores, whoa, the echo/reinforcement of the satallite PAs was AWFUL, horrible muddied overlayed sound on sound that was just painful to listen too. Mighta sounded better in nosebleeds, dunno.
Didn't understand how Kravitz was so tight and powerful, and then u2 comes out overblown -- it's THEIR PA! Worst moment was an acoustic guitar number and edge's strings are just buzzing constantly, sounded like crackly static from a bad radio unit. Saw him look down at his guitar and frown and try and work around it. Sad.
Not that many noticed, but the crew I was with all commented a bit on the crap sound. To be expected I guess in a huge stadium. All in all, really fun night, they rocked it from 9:30 - 11:45!!!!
I had GA lawn tickets and got up about 5-8 people from they flyway of "The Claw" -- the stage. U2 fans are fun, good bunch for the most part, but wow, the young ones are hecka noob. Two teenage girls screaming in my ear behind me STRAIGHT THROUGH the first five songs, when i let them in front of me with "sorry, my ears can only take so much of you screaming straight in them..." they kinda snapped outta it and only screamed in between songs. Sigh.
And the dude passing out from too much Scotch right next to them 2-3 songs in. Sigh.Girlfriend was absolutely devastated, she looked around at us as if WE would cart him off to medical (which a few of us were just about prepared to do, don't get me wrong) but he came too enough to shamble away with her.
Opening act Moonalice was a G-Dead-type band, curious -- turns out it's some financial partners of Bono's in the band, so they got to open. Competent jam band, just NOT what the crowd wanted to hear.
Kravitz was likewise, not what the U2 crowd had in mind, but for my money ... HE KILLED! Man, he brought the funk, incredible energetic set, incredible jams, great guitar solos, horn solos. Sound system for him was PHENOMENAL (i do love me some big ol' festival size PAs). So glad I got to see him, that had me just STOKED for the U2. Fly Away, American Woman killed. Every song killed, I will keep him in mind next time I can see him headline!
U2 were the consumate professionals, incredible theme (Bowie's Space Oddity) wound throughout the set with some really touching moments by that Arizona Shooting Victim Congresswoman's husband, the NASA astronaut. They had him recorded from the space station introduce Beautiful Day -- intense as he said, "Tell my wife I love her very much...." Bono, "She knows." Lots of activism throughout, Amenesty International, Burma, and what not -- the sets and encores all ended on somewhat somber notes on some heavy topics, so that big ol' end of show ROAR was never really there. Kinda curious, drop this heavy stuff on folks to consider, then take a bow, gotta give 'em credit for that -- but a small arena PJ show makes more noise than the full, jam-packed 65,000 Oakland Stadium!
Some highlights for me was the soundtrack "Hold Me, THrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me." Whoa! And all the ol' stuff, so awesome to hear 'em rip out Sunday Bloody Sunday! OMG! Pride, Streets have no names, With Or Without You ... intense. One, Vertigo, Beautiful Day were awesome. The new stuff just didn't come across well for me, overproduced, backing tracks. Go Crazy Tonight was a mess, some alternate arrangement of that, for me, just fell flat.
And I was reminded again about the authenticity of the bands I like, just get up on stage and play. Seeing Adam in a sparkly sequined shirt was just glam sham. And I got a little sad to note Edge had some sequins down the front of his jeans. Ah geez dudes, really? Will I see you in Starbucks wearing that crap? Oh! You have "Show Clothes!" I mean, c'mon, Lady Gaga at least parades in those get-ups through airports....
And they're stage setup conflicts with that, Kravitz had more amps up on stage than Adam and Edge, Edge had his small stack of classic VOX amps, very clean stage -- with a 400 ton build-out to house it all, 43 freaking trucks to haul that monster around. (Good thing their cause is Poverty and Human Rights, not Climate Change!) The Video screen was pretty incredible, and don't recall the last show I actually saw dudes climb up and work spot lights, they had 12 dudes doing that! (seems redundant wiht those new fangled multi color full swivel lighting units, and they had maybe a Hundred of those too!)
So the spectacle was indeed truly impressive, and they worked the crowd well like the ol' pros they are. Lots of good banter in between which someone said was actually less activist/political than other nights. Edge was pretty spot on all night, so freakin' unique (really just went to see him again -- saw J-tree and ZooTV in the past.)
GREAT story about Edge and Larry partying with Greenday and Metallica the night before! Check this -- Edge said, "The idea of a music festival with the three of us was proposed...." Greenday, Metallica, U2 - whoa!
But as tight as lenny sounded, something just overkill about U2's sound. True, big stadium with eight PA stacks on the stage (360 degrees, so 2 stacks l/r pointed to cardinal directions) and another 6-8 remote units on the corners of the stadium reinforcing the sound for the nosebleeds. When I was up close hearing the PA it was a bit overdriven, some feedback in places and curious ringing from bono's mic, but as I drifted back for the encores, whoa, the echo/reinforcement of the satallite PAs was AWFUL, horrible muddied overlayed sound on sound that was just painful to listen too. Mighta sounded better in nosebleeds, dunno.
Didn't understand how Kravitz was so tight and powerful, and then u2 comes out overblown -- it's THEIR PA! Worst moment was an acoustic guitar number and edge's strings are just buzzing constantly, sounded like crackly static from a bad radio unit. Saw him look down at his guitar and frown and try and work around it. Sad.
Not that many noticed, but the crew I was with all commented a bit on the crap sound. To be expected I guess in a huge stadium. All in all, really fun night, they rocked it from 9:30 - 11:45!!!!
[sic] happens
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*edit*-and Kravitz was awesome! definitely a great surprise!
Sounds like you got a decent spot in GA, what time did you line up?
cool review!
Heard the roar of the line right as we stepped outta our car -- 5:00 pm right as the doors opened. When I got inside, the zones inside the flyway were packed, folks coming outta them saying, "Nope, not waiting two hours in there..." I sat down about 4-5 people from the outer rail (around the flyway) dead center, but finaglers got in betwixt by the time U2 took the stage. (So funny watching people who rudely cut into our space then get aced out by even other latecomers, their mock afronttedness! We made a game of sandwichin folks behind us 3-4 six footers, they really wanted past us, but no luck, you worked so hard getting way up here ... to stare at my neck!)
I could have stood at the rail on either side, and been 1-2 people back at 8 pm easy, but the center was packed by Kravitz.
Place was EMPTY at show start at 7pm, less so at 8:15 for Kravitz -- and fully stuffed by 9.
Hearing more from folks in the seats that Bono was nigh intelligible between songs, mic just not right. But flip side, more and more folks saying songs they don't really consider their favs BLEW THEM AWAY. I had forgetten I Will Follow until I saw the setlist, killed. But yeah, the acoustic number just edge and bono, every thing stripped away, really showed how well those two harmonize -- amazing rendition!
Heard today they make $500,000 on tour shirts alone AT EVERY STOP. $40 a pop. But the flip side is how much they've raised for Amnesty and One, great work!
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
wow, very cool. Yeah, you really have to battle if you want to get front and stay there! I was inside the circle for the 1st night at the NJ Meadowlands in 2009, after lining up all day - and exhausted for it. 2nd night we went in after doors opened, were able to get to the same exact spot, then decided it wasn't worth the fight and watched from about the 50 yard line - it was just as awesome from there.
Sorry I won't get to see Lenny, I was looking forward to that, he won't be there for the shows I am going to. Muse was awesome in 2009, we ended up going to see them on their own in NYC and that was great.
Metallica would have to headline
1998: Barrie
2000: Montreal, Toronto, Auburn Hills
2003: Cleveland, Buffalo, Toronto, Montreal
2004: Boston X2, Grand Rapids
2005: Kitchener, London, Hamilton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto
2006: Toronto X2
2009: Toronto
2011: PJ20, Montreal, Toronto X2, Hamilton
2012: Manchester X2, Amsterdam X2, Prague, Berlin X2, Philadelphia, Missoula
2013: Pittsburg, Buffalo
2014: Milan, Trieste, Vienna, Berlin, Stockholm, Oslo, Detroit
2016: Ottawa, Toronto X2
2018: Padova, Rome, Prague, Krakow, Berlin, Barcelona
2023: Chicago X2
2024: New York X2
Oh wells -- HERE'S the GIGAPIXEL of OAKLAND!
http://www.u2.com/gigapixelfancam/110607/