Initial Foxboro Thoughts
It’s 2 a.m. and my adrenaline is finally starting to crash. I’ll have lots more to say later today (after I’ve gotten a little sleep), but I wanted to mention a few things: (note: spoilers)
1) Foxboro night 2 was, in my opinion, a far better show than Foxboro 1 for a couple of reasons – the band was a lot more playful it seemed, Bono resurrected MacPhisto for a brief moment (thanks to a fan in the front row who brought the horns), a female fan was brought up on stage for “Until the End of the World,” Bono grabbed a fan’s flag and draped it over his mic stand…just a lot more interaction going on. Bono even wished someone Happy Birthday after seeing a sign asking him to acknowledge the birthday.
2) Don’t know if this was part of the playfulness, but Bono interjected the line “Stories for Boys” at the end of Vertigo, mentioned how he wanted to turn the stadium into the Paradise (Rock Club), and threw in the first two lines of “Mofo” at the start of “City of Blinding Lights.” Just brilliant. (The U2 crew surprise of Snow Patrol was a hoot! To see Dallas Schoo playing along to “Shut Your Eyes,” as well as about 30 other crew members standing behind the band clapping and singing was great fun. The white boa presented to Gary Lightbody was quite cute on him.)
3) For those who were keeping up, I was quite unsuccessful in going into these two Foxboro shows completely in the black. Part of it was my own doing, part of it was friends who either tricked me into receiving information or sending me stuff to break my will. I will never do this again. In the day and age of technology, I’ve accepted the fact that it’s impossible.
4) After much discussion and debate, I feel the show was quite good indeed. I still feel there are spots where improvements can be made, and upon the conclusion of the tour next year, I will render my decision as to if this is the best tour to date. The ZooTV tour had a well-defined theme that was immediately relatable and the scope and scale was part of the impact, and the music fit the stage design. This tour, as I see it currently, is about changing how production and staging can alter the experience, but the music isn’t necessarially complementing the “claw,” “spaceship,” or whatever else it’s being referred to. Musically, the band is playing as good as they’ve ever played…but I don’t see the theme of the show other than “hey, we’ve got this massive stage design…ain’t it cool?” For those who felt PopMart was kitschy, at least the lemon served a purpose. Maybe my mind will change once I’ve seen the show a few more times.
For the limited use of the moving bridges, the limited amount of time band members spent on the b-stage loop, and the limited access those behind the stage really had, I’m still struggling to embrace this concept. I’d like to underscore that the band’s sound and performance is the best it’s been. I’m just not sure that the package fits the gift wrapped up inside.
5) I’ve uploaded 60 or so photos from the show on the @U2 flickr account. I have many more to add, but at this time of the night (or morning), I need to catch up on my zzz’s. Will add more in the next 24 hours.
Thanks to all of those who helped make my journey happen, and to all those at the stadium who said hello and shared a kind word about @U2. Y’all are the reason why we volunteer here and your support is greatly appreciated.
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6 Responses to “Initial Foxboro Thoughts”
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I’ve actually been dying to say this, so maybe this is the place.
Boston II (i’m going to call it Boston, not foxborough) was, yeah, more loose, more playful, and had more crowd interaction. yes the setlist was a bit different, that was a treat.
However, I’m of the opinion that Boston I had, at times, the most thorough depth-of-feeling I’ve ever gotten at a concert. Streets was tight as a drum, Bono practically screamed some of the lyrics for SBS, Unknown Caller felt genuinely otherworldly. And the last four songs, Ultraviolet–>MOS were a really, really deep and ballsy move, both nights. Presentation-wise, the second night was better just because they led up to it with the “Funeral Blues” WH Auden robot reading (which is just about the best choice for those songs). But the first night, it felt a.) otherworldly, b.) more intense, c.) more personal, and d.) more important.
It literally made me feel like a voyeur. I felt like I had snuck into the middle of something far more personal and passionate than a stadium gig has any right to be. It was mesmerizing, and will stay with me for a long time.
so, conclusion: much to my surprise, it isn’t always about the setlist. And U2, please, let Bono sing into that steering wheel microphone for the whole show. It draws something out of him that’s really, just astounding. That Bono, that’s the new Bono, the latest iteration. More of that, please.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself even in the upper levels of Boston I. The show itself was worth the wait. I’ve been a fan for a long time now, but I had the enjoyment of also watching my 11 year old see her first concert ever (THANK YOU U2 for putting Mysterious ways up early – we weren’t sure it would be in the list and this and Breathe made her night!) and my 14 year old see his second U2 show.
But, oh, oh, I don’t think I’ll ever do another show at Foxboro. We were stuck in our parking lot, no movement at all for longer than the concert played. Then we finally got out onto Rt 1 and it took almost an hour to get to the highway.
No public transit and really poor traffic flow design that lead to us getting back to central CT at 5 in the morning put a damper on the evening.
I know that U2 likes to talk about the cheaper tickets letting new fans come, but I don’t know if they realize that what it often means is that those of us with kids can afford to bring those kids, for which I’m grateful. I can afford that, but I can’t afford to do the show and a hotel close to the stadium.
I had tickets to night 2, but didn’t feel safe making the round trip again on so little sleep. Luckily, I hooked up with a couple who had to sell their tickets due to a job loss, so I felt good that I could make other long time fans’ wish come true. I gave them the tickets and friends came though with last minute child care. My contribution to the energy of night 2 – they were very up when they left my house with tickets in hand!
I was in the upper deck for Boston II and agree with much of what is said in this post. I found it bold, visually stunning, but too often failing to connect emotionally. The set list did not consistently flow, with songs next to each other that had no relationship at all and sometimes undermined each other. Worst of these was “Elevation” into “Your Blue Room.” The crowd had finally, finally roared to full life and then all the energy was snuffed by the most obscure song in the set, included with no explanation or introduction for those who don’t own Passengers. This tour does feel like a design scheme in search of a consistent, resonant heartbeat of a theme.
Another big downer last night in my 300 level viewing world was the sound. Average to awful throughout. Lots of echo and a mushy mix that made it hard to understand the vocals at times and pick out details of the arrangements. My understanding is that things were much better lower down…but don’t fans in the upper section deserve good sound as well? Frustrated by that.
Was at both nights, and thought 2 was far better than 1, and my gosh, we saw U2 and they are the best live show on the planet! But… yes, it was hampered by songs that do not flow coherently, by a lack of being able to sustain the connection between the performers and the audience, and by having such a stunning technological frame without a clear theme/purpose overall. They are at the top of their game, but I never figured out what game we were in. Still came home euphoric and hoarse, though!
We only went to the first show, so I can’t compare it to the second – but we had an amazing time. We were inside the ring right front and center, just far enough away to see the screen above us. I think it was the most amazing stadium show I’ve ever seen, and the band were incredible.
In terms of energy, it’s true, it wasn’t as intense as when I saw the on the Elevation Tour in a small arena; and I suppose it lacks (for now) the coherence of, say, PopMart or ZooTV. I think it would be most accurate to say that the emotional arc of the show isn’t robust enough. There are too many uplifting songs. If I were going to complain, I’d complain about the setlist, which avoids the 90s too much for my taste. I think the new songs (all of which I loved) sit best alongside the Achtung / Pop era songs, which are darker. I loved City of Blinding Lights, Elevation, et. al., but I think the tone of the show was maybe a little too even. The encore (Ultraviolet -> With or Without You -> Moment of Surrender) was my favorite part of the show by far.
My other thought is that, obviously, at a show this big, there are lots of different experiences being had. I imagine that my experience right up near the band was totally different from what someone just thirty feet back must have experienced. I think 360 is AMAZING from up front, anyway!
I love u2 and especially Bono and I have seen many tours. I was disappointed with Sunday Night’s performance. I think the big stage is great, but a spectacle and not needed. Bono was off many times, he messed up his lyrics, he lacked energy and his voice was horrible at times. He sang some of the songs like the walking dead, especially with or without you. This is hard for me to say since u2 are my boys and I love them, but this was not their best show. From all the youtube videos of the tour, I can honestly say that this isn’t theire best tour. They don’t need the huge spaceship or a huge stage…just get on stage and sing. Bono needs to get his voice back, get back on key, and start getting back his “Bo-jo.” I have seen Bono perform, and I did not get the goosbumps I did all the other times I saw them live. It was a good show, but they can do much better.