U2 | Snow Patrol
Camp Nou Stadium, Barcelona, Spain, (June 30, 2009)
Setlist: Breathe / No Line on the Horizon / Get on Your Boots / Magnificent / Beautiful Day / I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - Movin' On Up / Angel of Harlem - Man in the Mirror - Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough / In a Little While / Unknown Caller / The Unforgettable Fire / City of Blinding Lights / Vertigo / I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (Remix) / Sunday Bloody Sunday / Pride (In the Name of Love) / MLK / Walk On - You'll Never Walk Alone / Where the Streets Have No Name / One // Ultra Violet (Light My Way) / With or Without You / Moment of Surrender
Photographs:
Review: Opening night. I was hoping to go in with no expectations, but the evening before had seen us listening to the entire setlist from outside the stadium, as the dress rehersal took place. We'd even snuck a peek at the 'claw' on a cable car across the city the day prior as it stuck out the roof of the stadium. So I expected suprises to be few.
Nothing prepared me for what was to come.
We got to the line up around 7am in the morning, to be numbered 1005. Yup. 1000 people in front of us at 7am. The line is a mess. Shoved together, people obviously butting in and out. Two different numbering systems. It's hot. Way too hot. Oh wait? There's another line up?! Shorter? Switching lines back and forth. Finally we end up in the original as the line starts to move. The chaos of the crowd moving forth is insane. People handing out Aung San Suu Kyi masks as you enter? People! We're running here. Don't stop us to hand us a mask.
And as we make it through the stadium suddenly you see it. And you stop. No picture. No video. Nothing could prepare you for the stage. I must have stood there for a couple of minutes just looking at the thing. It's huge. Bigger than anything I've ever seen before. Just massive. And seeing it for the first time just bowled me over. Off to secure our stamps for the day - a '360' in a box to get back and forth to the floor and a '4 bar' stamp to enter in and out of the inner circle. The reflective flooring is making the inner circle an oven. It's unbearable. Screw this, we all headed for the cheap seats, shade, and some beer. :-)
Ended up going down in front for Snow Patrol. Up close for a couple of songs, and then back to watch things from the cheap seats some more. It's too nice a day to deal with the crowds, the heat, and everything else. Snow Patrol put on a really decent show. They make use of the claw screens, and even manage to get up a little "Snow Patrol 'hearts' Barcelona" on the screens.
As the sun lowers, we head for the floor, it's packed inside the inner circle, and we decide to stay outside, to watch the show from the back as it gets started. To follow the boys on stage. As the 'claw' starts pumping out smoke, we hear David Bowie's "Space Oddity" fill the speakers. This must be it. Soon we hear something unexpected - a new U2 song - "Kingdom" that just sounds beautiful. And before long we see the band walk right in front of us. Screaming erupts. The place is going mad, as the band walks 2 feet in front of me to take the stage. Seeing them in person again? It's already worth the money spent on this trip.
We start off at a 90o angle from the stage. It's not the greatest viewing angle. And when the bridges start to rotate above us, our view becomes blocked. I'm not real impressed, and the bad view compared with the angle we're viewing things at makes me want a new spot. Living up to my name "wanderer" we manage to move in a bit to have a more full on view. The people around us in this new spot are a bit rowdy, and don't want us there, so we move in a bit more, to find a great open spot, with some fun younger fans behind us, who are a little unsure at first, but when they realize we're there for a good time join us in our energetic jumping and singing. Ahhhh. A much better spot. And now I can enjoy the show. :-)
Maybe it's because of all of the moving around and trying to find space, and get settled, but the first four songs, the four new ones, really fail to make an impression. I can remember actually being a bit disappointed by Magnificent...I'd been waiting to hear that one live and expected more of a punch...But the show really starts to pick up for me with "I Still Haven't Found" - hearing the crowd, 90,000 strong singing the lyrics? Goosebumps.
The Micheal Jackson snippets were expected, his death being so recent and on everyone's mind at the moment. It was nice to hear Bono touch on "Man in the Mirror" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". Sad to lose an entertainer, even if his life was often in controversy. Several of my friends had tickets to see him at the upcoming tour, and he was popping up in conversation a lot in Spain.
"In a Little While" was fun. Not my favorite but nice to hear it again. But when the band go live to the International Space Station after the song, I'm left with chills again. I'm a geek. Growing up I couldn't get enough of the space program, and followed the shuttle launches like crazy. I even made my own space shuttle out of wood with help from my grandfather. And seeing the six astronauts on the ISS holding up cards that said "The Future Needs a Big Kiss"? Well it just spoke to the geek in me. And made me realize just how big tonight's production was. It slowed down the concert a bit, but for me was an incredible highlight in the show, one that I'm always going to treasure.
"Unknown Caller" is a powerful song live, and the karaoke video to get people to sing along works. I think I'm going to really enjoy the song as the tour progresses. But it's hearing the opening to "The Unforgettable Fire" that leaves me with chills. I've wanted to hear that song live for 25 years now. The screens light up with beautiful colours, and separate to become a focal point for visuals. I watch the colours swirl, and hear the song climb under my skin. So beautiful. So happy to hear this. And it works for me on so many levels.
"City of Blinding Lights" gets us going. Dancing. Singing. Full of energy. "Vertigo" is just insane as the Spanish fans go nuts. And then it's time for "I'll Go Crazy" which is being performed live as it was remixed by Redanka. You can tell the crowd isn't sure what's going on. I've heard it in rehersal, and I heard the remixes before. But I wasn't prepared to be so blown away. Singing faces zooming in and zooming out on the screen. All four members of U2 in different spots. Larry Mullen walking around the circle with his tom toms. Not knowing where to look. If "Unforgettable Fire" provided a beautiful moment of peace in the midst of a rock show, then "Crazy" is the chaos. I left that night sure that it had been the high point of the show for me.
As I heard the opening to "Walk On" I couldn't stay separated from our friends we'd left at the start of the show any longer. Karen and I have always made that our song, and there was no way I wasn't going to be beside her for it knowing we were in the same stadium. It was a bit of a fight to get back out but we managed, and we had a great time dancing to "Walk On". We used the break between that and Streets to get our little group all in one spot for the end of the show, and if we were filled with energy before, it only got worse putting us all back together. "Streets" was mad. Everyone around us seemed touched by insanity. The crowd went wild. As the lights came up you could see the entire stadium going mad. That song blows my mind every night. But for Barcelona 1 it just seemed to take on a whole new life.
"Ultra Violet" opened the encore. And it was very much the performance piece of the show. Smoke blowing everywhere. Bono coming on stage in a suit of lights. A microphone hanging from the ceiling on which he could hang and twirl around the stage on. I was unable to look away yet again. The sights and sounds melding together to make me forget there are 90,000 people around me. For a while, in my head, it's just me and the band.
"Moment of Surrender" left me cold. It's a quiet ending to a huge spectical. It's a bit of a downer. I want something happy. Something uplifting. Something a little more poppy. Instead I feel dragged down. And I welcome hearing Elton John over the PA after to bring my mood back up somewhat.
I've seen a lot of U2 shows. I've seen three different tours now. And this first initial show had me saying it was going to be amazing. Seeing U2 on stage, seeing them having fun, seeing the story unfold. I knew right from the very first show that I was loving this tour. And was very happy I'd lots more to come...
Death Cab for Cutie | The Midway State
Setlist: I Will Follow You Into the Dark / Movie Script / The New Year / Crooked Teeth / President / My Mirror Speaks / Company Calls / Grapevine Fires / Summer Skin / I Will Possess Your Heart / Title and Registration / Cath / Long Division / Soul Meets Body / The Sound of Settling / Marching Bands of Manhattan // Little Bribes / A Diamond and a Tether / No Sunlight / Transatlanticism
PJ Harvey and John Parish | Howie Gelb
Setlist: Black Hearted Love / Sixteeen, Fifteen, Fourteen / Rope Bridge Crossing / Urn with Dead Flowers in a Drained Pool / Civil War Correspondant / The Soldier / Taut / Un Cercle Autour du Soleil / The Chair / Leaving California / A Woman A Man Walked By - The Crown Knows Where All the Little Children Go / Passionless, Pointless / Cracks in the Canvas / Pig Will Not / False Fire / April
Morrissey | The Courteneers
Setlist: This Charming Man / Billy Budd / Black Cloud / How Soon is Now? / Irish Blood, English Heart / Let Me Kiss You / I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris / How Can Anyone Possibly Know How I Feel? / Seasick, Yet Still Docked / The Loop / I Keep Mine Hidden / One Day Goodbye will be Farewell / The World is Full of Crashing Bores / Mama Lay Softly on the Riverbed / Ask / Best Friend on the Payroll / Death of a Disco Dancer / Sorry Doesn't Help / Something is Squeezing My Skull / I'm OK By Myself // First of the Gang to Die
Bloc Party | Longwave
Terminal 5, New York City, NY (March 24, 2009)
Setlist One Month Off / Trojan Horse / Hunting for Witches / Positive Tension / Signs / Waiting for the 7.18 / Song for Clay (Disappear Here) / Banquet / Where is Home? / Ion Square / Mercury / So Here We Are / Like Eating Glass // Halo / The Prayer / Flux / Helicopter // Ares / This Modern Love
Sneaky Sound System
Mercury Lounge, New York NY (March 23, 2009)
Setlist: Unavailable
Photographs:
Review: We showed up at the Mercury about a half hour before the concert was due to open. We wanted to check out tickets, to see if they were available, or what the deal was. The venue was open but they were not allowing people in, and still too cold to stand and queue, Cindy and I went to find some beers. We found a nice little bar, almost empty, playing songs from the 80s, and imbibed a few beer. I also got to see the building that makes up the cover of "Pauls Boutique" by the Beastie Boys, so a fun side adventure.
Returning to the venue we found a small line up had started, and joined the queue. It was cold, and breezy, and we were both happy to get inside. Headed right to the stage, to find it was about as wide across as my living room, and we parked ourselves just a little right to center.
The show itself was amazing. Really fun, good sound quality, and a high energy performance. One of the highlights for me was "Kansas City" and I left that night with the song ringing through my head. The band itself was really energetic, and fun to watch. The bass player dressed in white was right in front of us, and although looking rather serious, every now and then you'd see him crack a big grin. The lead singers were fun to watch, although the male singer didn't offer as much as the female.
The female lead singer was just fun. She bounced all over the stage on her big shoes, and at one point situated right in front of us brought her hand close to her chest and waved down at Cindy and I. A very fun show, with a nice relaxed laid back crowd that really seemed to be into the performance. The one comment I would make was far too many cameras in the front row. Yes I took some photos, but I also put the camera down and had some fun and watched the show. The front row otherwise seemed to be full of those searching for a great photo, and even more annoyingly with flashes going off everywhere. Turn off the flashes people!!
Rosey | Jenna Nicholls
The Scratcher, New York City, NY (March 22, 2009)
Setlist: Unavailable.
Photographs: To Follow.
Review: The Scratcher is a little bar on East 5th St. between 2nd and 3rd Avenue, that I was introduced to last summer on one of my trips to New York. Upon arriving in New York my friend I was staying with mentioned they were doing acoustic shows there on Sunday evenings, and wanted to know if I was interested in attending. Looking the show up on myspace, I was quick to recognize the name of the artist performing. Roesy was known to me, due to his work on a U2 tribute album some years ago. His cover of "Love Rescue Me" was a favorite of mine from that album, and last.fm is always pointing out his free tracks to me, so I see the name over and over.
The venue is small - a row of tables lining one side of the room, and the bar lining the other, with a small area right next to the front entrance for the artists to perform. I love small intimate shows like this. You could tell some of those attending were friends and family. Good beer, good tunes, good friends, what else does a boy need?
Jenna Nicholls was up first and her voice blew me away. She's got one of those unique female voices that doesn't lead well to comparison. The closest I could get was a less countryish Emmylou Harris at points. I really enjoyed her performance, and was quite drawn in by her voice.
Roesy himself chose to sit for his performance, which made things a little difficult to see, but the sound filled up the room nicely. One complaint was just how low the lights were on the artists, as it made it next to impossible to see well. But a nice mix of traditional sounding Irish tunes with a modern twist. Very interesting voice, and some lovely songs. Unfortunately he no longer remembers the words of the U2 cover, as we found out when my friend asked if he could play it.
I did have a passing conversation with the man when we both found ourselves using the ladies washroom because all the lights were burnt out in the mens. We bumped into him the next day exiting a chinese restaurant and he recognized us from the show and said hello. Fun times.
A totally unexpected, unplanned evening, which turned into quite the lovely night of music. Sometimes the unplanned becomes the best memories.
Bloc Party | Holy Fuck
Kool Haus, Toronto Ontario (March 14, 2009)
Bloc Party Setlist: Trojan Horse / Halo / Hunting for Witches / Positive Tension / Signs / Biko / Song for Clay (Disappear Here) / Banquet / Where is Home? / Bluest Light / Letter to My Son / Mercury / So Here We Are / Like Eating Glass // Talons / The Prayer / Flux / Helicopter // Ares / This Modern Love
Photographs:
Review: I flew into Toronto on Friday night to hang out with my friend Tim and have a few drinks ahead of the Bloc Party show. A few drinks actually left me pretty rough in shape on Saturday morning, and taking my time moving around. A nice slow day, lead into a late evening dinner of fajitas, and playing some Mortal Kombat vs DC Comics before heading to the show. All factors combined, we were late getting to the show, and just caught the last 3-4 songs by Holy Fuck.
Too busy trying to see how close I could get to the stage, I wasn't really paying much attention to the band, and there was no movement in on the left hand side of the stage near the entrance. I went up to the bar area to hang with Tim for a bit before the opening act finished. Once they finished, I took my opportunity to move up on the left side as people moved away for refills of their drinks or bathroom breaks. I got about 10-12 rows back from the rail, and would have been perfectly content at that spot. Later, however, my opportunity came and I ended up much closer.
It was fun standing in front of Gordy for the night. I had typically been on the other side of the stage or in the center, and thus far hadn't had much of an opportunity to really watch Gordy through a show. He's quite remarkable to watch. Although he tends to make little contact with the audience, choosing instead to play with his head lowered or his eyes shut much of the time.
The show started off strong with "Trojan Horse" and "Halo" providing a nice coverage of "Intimacy" right from the start. The earlier gigs I saw last fall just had a touch of "Intimacy" here and there, as they were learning new songs and trying things out. This however, was the first full gig I've seen since these songs became a large part of the set.
"Hunting for Witches" was a highlight, as always, and "Biko" was a nice addition to finally see. I'd only heard it at soundcheck up to this point. I'm not sure what was going on with Kele and Noel Gallagher of Oasis, but he launched into a little blurb about him, and the boys played a small snip of an Oasis song. I think it dated back to some fall out from the last time Bloc Party had played in Toronto, where they played the V Festival with Oasis.
During "Banquet" the crowd went insane. And a few rougher guys in my general vicinity went mad. They were bouncing, pushing, shoving, elbows flying. These guys scared away most of those around me. I held my ground just slightly behind them, and as the song progressed actually ended up following them slightly forward. By the end of "Banquet" I was pretty much on the rail in front of Gordy for the rest of the show, and the crazys had continued on towards the center and had disappeared.
A couple of disappointments for the evening. "Letter for my Son" just seemed lifeless and bland, and really didn't do anything for me. I don't really like it as part of the album so that probably didn't help. The smell of marijuana was so strong in the venue it was actually overpowering, and even the band mentioned it. The energy in our section was incredibly low, and Gordy commented that "people look to be having much more fun over there" pointing towards the other side of the stage.
One funny moment of the show? 80s rocker chick with the skanky clothes and the teased up hair decided she was going to crowd surf. She managed to get up with the help of some friends, but the crowd around her wasn't having it and just tossed her over the rail right in front of Kele onto the ground. He stopped to comment "ouch" and made a face that I'll never forget - half amusement / half serious...
I did enjoy being up front in a semi-relaxed atmosphere. The people around me were barely moving so there was little pushing or shoving, and things seemed very mellow. Alas, I think many were there because the whole thing was part of Canadian Music Week, and it was highly touted as the must see show of the week, rather than people being there for Bloc Party. One of the chances you take when you play such an atmosphere.
I left my spot a bit early, at the end of the first set. I had to find Tim and his friend before the end of the night. So the last two songs of the set were viewed from the bar area, and it was quite the different perspective. I didn't regret giving up my place, as "Ares" sounded like it was a mess, and the final song was "This Modern Love" which is one of my least favorite Bloc Songs.
Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees | Woodhands | Tomcat Combat
The Marquee Club, Halifax NS (January 16, 2008)
Ruby Jean Setlist: You Don't Miss Me / Girls You Love / Trustfund / Not About To / How to Win Friends & Influence People / Danse Danse Resolution / The Best of All / A Thoughtful Letter // New Song (?) / Cold Hearted Snake (Paula Abdul Cover) / Barracuda (Heart Cover)
Photographs:
Review: I saw Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees open for Dragonette this summer. Afterwards I was all agush with praise for them. They really had played a great set and had entertained me to no end. Then I got to see Rebekah Higgs at the Summersonic festival, and again she bowled me over (Higgs is Ruby Jean). So when I saw the album release party advertised for their first album, I couldn't resist, I had to go. And with the Marquee closing its doors next month, this would probably be my last show in a venue that's given me some damn fun evenings.
The show opened with Tomcat Combat, a five piece act that were quite fun to watch. An all instrumental act, I did miss hearing some vocals along with the performance, but the drummer and the lead guitarist were entertaining enough to watch in their own right without having a vocalist to focus on. These guys were sounding good when they were in sync, but when they got out of sync it was a bit uncomfy on the ears.
The second act was Woodhands from Toronto, a synth band focused around a keytar and a set of drums. To be honest they weren't my thing at all. The lead vocalists voice and look put me off from the start, and his stage patter just annoyed me. More interesting was the drummer, a big burly guy who spoke with a light voice and smiled a whole lot while drumming his heart out. But yeah they were filler while I waited for the main act.
Ruby Jean is Rebekah Higgs and the band that backs her, doing a little side project with an electronic bent. I'm not sure who's idea it was to do a side project but I'm glad they did. These guys have one of the most entertaining acts I've seen live in concert.
Tonight was not a disappointment. From Ruby Jean's five costume changes to Jason Vautours sequined black pants, and the gold jackets on all of the Thoughtful Bees, the show is a site for the eyes. Even in the poor lighting of the Marquee Club the performers shone. Ruby Jean took the stage carrying a bottle of champagne, which she shook, and shook and shook, and finally opened right in front of me. With a healthy dose of champagne soaking into me the show got underway...
The show was a blast. These guys were there to celebrate the release of their first album and you could tell there was an air of partying all around. From the champagne bottle, to the wide smiles, to the dancing out into the crowd, and the energetic performances, this was a wild show. At one point Ruby Jean even slipped on stage, falling, and continued to belt out songs without a break as she lay on her back and stared at the ceiling of the Marquee.
Highlights for me were the opening song "You Don't Miss Me", "How to Win Friends" and of course "Girls You Love" which has been a mainstay in my playlists since the first time I saw them live. After playing all of their songs from the album in the opening set I figured the show for over, however they came back announcing they had "some new stuff and some stuff that would get us in copywrite trouble"...and launched into a new song.
But it was the two covers that were the fun parts of the evening. Everyone cut loose. The fans were having a blast. The band was just having pure fun. Audience members were pulled on stage to sing along and to dance up a storm. And at one point Rebekah Higgs ended up standing on our shoulders trying to reach a friend of hers in the audience while I balanced her from falling over...
I had a great night. The 2009 concert season is off to a great start. And I've got a beautiful hand made limited edition copy of a great new album...
Videos: Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees: Cold Hearted Snake
Content by Aaron J Sams (c) 2009 - Please do not replicate without
permission of the author.
Aaron is a 36 year old concert junkie who frequently travels to new
locations around the globe to see live concerts. This is his own
personal recollection of these shows, media from the concerts, and reviews.
In his spare time Aaron also helps to keep u2wanderer.org running, and
can be frequenting Bloc Party forums around the internets.
