…because it’s louder than a 747!” As I was typing almost the exact quote to the staff at U2Tours.com and hitting the send button, Bono exclaimed that at the end of Where the Streets Have No Name. Glad to see he and I were on the same page with the second of two shows in Miami.

The audience was louder and more rowdy than the previous night with fans flying in from all over to catch the Vertigo Tour. It was nice hanging out in the GA line with people from Peru, Brazil, Hawaii, Idaho, and the locals too.

It was fun to hear some of the different nuances in Larry’s drumming and Edge’s guitar riffs tonight, not to mention Adam was kicking up his bass playing to a new level all together. The show sounded like they were playing with the notes just as much as they were flirting with the crowd. Electric Co. and I Will Follow sounded so fresh and new. The audience was singing louder than Bono was, hitting the high notes before Bono could utter them and starting songs a full bar before he did. He could have just stood at the front of the stage and conducted a sing-along for the night.

The passion of the audience transcended the arena to a new height, but with this passion came a heavy price on those outside of the ellipse on the floor. The local security could not stop the constant crush of the crowd at the end of Love and Peace. The crush was constant through the rest of the show. While security were told at several points in the show of the struggle we were having outside of the ellipse, all they did was politely ask people to please step back - which went unheard by those doing the crushing. By the end of the night, local paramedics were called to help out at least one fan who succumbed to the pressure brought on by the surging crowd. We witnessed people on the floor without any Vertigo wristbands, and yet security did nothing about that either. From what people in the GA line said about the first night’s show, security was “a joke” and while they had stepped up the number of people working security for night two, they were ineffective at best. Admittedly, you would expect some pushing - especially if you’re at the “sweet spot” (where the Love and Peace or Else drumkit is placed) but this was constant throughout the second half of the show.

Despite the crushing, the music kept getting better throughout the night. At points through the show, Bono would gesture to the rest of the band to play softer as the crowd sang louder - he did this twice during Bad as everyone was singing as loud as they could “People Have the Power.”

Other highlights of the show: Bono stepping into the crowd outside the ellipse during Electric Co. A woman was pulled up to dance with Bono during With or Without You. Larry absolutely ROCKED The Fly - those poor drums took a real beating! (pun intended).

We decided to give our camera a rest for the show this time ’round, but rest assured we will have photos up on the blog soon thanks to BonoBaltimore who was kind enough to share his work with @U2. Those will be posted in the upcoming days.

New: photos up on Flickr…better photos to come from some fans who were a little more steady on the focus than we were, but enjoy anyway!

Waiting at the backdoor entrance to the American Airlines Arena in Miami was not your typical “waiting for the band for autographs” kind of experience today. We were tipped off by a nice member of local security that “something big was going to happen.” We had no idea how big it would be.

Next we saw a member of U2’s staff come out with a camcorder, taking her position at the entrance of the driveway to the backdoor entrance. Next thing we hear is that “The Edge is coming” from someone in line waiting with us, and within no time, the entire band drives by us with Edge standing in the car outside of the passenger window greeting everyone - sort of like a beauty queen would in a parade or something. We look down and there’s Bono in the backseat (odd for him) with his window rolled down with a handicam himself, recording the crowd as the vehicle drives by.

They both step out and greet the fans. Next can only be best described as surreal.

The group of fans they first met up with came all the way from South America for the shows, and they all start singing to Bono and Edge “Where the Streets Have No Name.” Bono, still with handicam in hand, starts interviewing the fans about The Edge. Edge starts walking the line, shaking hands with fans - saying “no autographs today, just handshakes” and he’s all grins - ear to ear grinning.
Before coming too far down the line, he grabs a bullhorn (convenient that he traveled with one) and starts getting the crowd to sing “Where The Streets Have No Name” and then asks people to start chanting “Bono - Bono - Bono”. We are laughing so hard at this point becuase it’s just the most surreal thing we’ve experienced in quite some time.

Bono stops every so often and asks people what their thoughts are about The Edge. I somehow found the nerve to blurt out “Edge needs to get rid of the hat,” to which Bono stopped in front of me and asks me to continue on this topic of why he needs to drop the hat. I say “Because God only made a few perfect heads, the rest He put hair on,” to which Bono replied that he has video footage on the camcorder of Edge without his hat because he snuck into Edge’s bedroom while he was sleeping this morning and captured him without the hat.

Bono spent about 15 minutes stopping and chatting with fans along the way, only to be driven back by a golf cart. He posed for photos with the police escorts who brought them to the arena and then headed in.

U2 management will not say what this will be used for, but we were told “it’ll be a good surprise when you see it.” So, if the band’s in THIS type of mood BEFORE the show, we can only anticipate what the concert will be like!

To check out the photos from the close encounter of the Bono kind, check out the @U2 flickr files.

The first of two shows to hit Miami brought an international crowd together under one roof, where people in all sections of the arena looked like they were all on pogo sticks during the majority of the show. The band hit lift off quite quickly, and as each song was presented to the sold-out audience, the arena got louder and louder as everyone was singing along. (Admittedly, there was one guy in our area who kept yelling “MIAMI MIAMI” but Bono was not taking requests tonight.)

As I was texting the setlist into the staff at U2Tours.com, I was able to really watch the fans tonight. The joy that was being communicated from the audience through song and dance (and there *were* some interpretive dance numbers from some guys the next section over from us) was only matched in the enthusiasm felt by the band as they performed. Bono reminisced before “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” about the start of the Elevation Tour and how the city gave the band a kiss, and tonight he was giving it back. “Miracle Drug” brought more storytelling as Bono informed everyone that Edge was from the future - it seems that each time Bono tells this story, the more the story gets embellished

The quote about “Casinos and churches, rock stars and preachers” was my favorite of the night as Bono explained why we all work best when we work together as One. It reminded me of the line from The Playboy Mansion, “The banks, they’re like cathedrals I guess casinos took their place….chance is a kind of religion when you’re damned for plain hard luck….”

Speaking of Pop and PopMart, I would like to point out one tiny thing about the stage: when it’s lit in yellow, one could think it’s the PopMart arch, which reminds me….if they have been rehearsing Mofo…when will they every play it? There are so many gems off of Pop that could make their way into the setlist…Mofo would work *so well* after Sometimes and before Love and Peace. C’mon, boys - surely you can see the way it’ll work into the set! While I’m talking wish-list, how about Fast Cars a little more often?

Anyway - the fans tried to start the Wave around the arena, and with large balloons floating through the sections, you knew that people were excited about the band being in town. Typically, night 2 in a city is a better show than night 1 - which will be a feat seeing as tonight’s show was quite solid. No pressure, lads!

For photos from tonight’s show check them out here.

Institute will be opening for the December shows in Boston, Hartford, Buffalo, Cleveland and Charlotte. This was confirmed by U2 staff today.

If you can’t get enough of U2’s opening acts from this tour, fear not - they may be playing your local college area this Spring. One campus promoter, Pretty Polly Productions, has listed various acts on their website that you can hire for your college or corporate event. If you’re curious where your concert ticket price goes, check out what the booking fees are for a full concert by the following opening acts if you were to book them yourself:

Kings of Leon: $20k - $25k per show
The Thrills: $10k - $12.5k per show
Franz Ferdinand: $25k-$30k per show
Dashboard Confessional: (says to call for pricing)
Kaiser Chiefs: (says to call for pricing)
Keane: $35k - $40k per show
Damian Marley: $10k - $15k per show
Institute: $10k - $15k per show
Arcade Fire: $30k - $40k per show
The Killers: $75k-$100k per show
Kanye West: $125k - $150k per show

Talk about gold digger for Kanye!

Now…if they’d ever say who’s opening for U2 in between Arcade Fire and Kanye West???!!!!

This says a lot for many of us

Las Vegas is all about luck. What were the odds that Mary J. Blige joins U2 for One? Brandon Flowers joins Bono and the band for In a Little While to help him find his “lost falsetto?” (Bono explained that he lost something in Las Vegas last night - his falsetto). 5 songs off of Achtung Baby? Well, the odds were good tonight.

The band was on top of their game and for this @U2 blogger/reporter/event planner, it was the best show *ever*. (That statement does not reflect the views of @U2, it’s staff and anyone associated with @U2 and should be taken as personal opinion only. There - disclaimer done.) It was just plum amazing - and proof that they can still surprise people!

For photos from the night, visit here.