neon heart

the concert itself was fabulous. they played several classics from previous albums... it was more of a "best of" selection rather than a vertigo concert. no complaints here. perhaps the most moving performance and probably my favorite of the show was "sometimes you can't make it on your own" which he wrote about his father who died recently. bono introduced the song by saying, "every conversation with my father began the same way. we'd sit down together and he'd look at me and say, 'i'm not going to talk to you until you those stupid (sun)glasses off.' so..." and he took his glasses off. the only time they were off during the entire night. he said that his father was an opera fan (hence the lyrics, "you're the reason why the opera is in me.") i read that in the song when he asks, "do you-hear-me-when-i-sing?" he hits a tenor note that he knows his father loves. that just made the song so much more beautiful to me. bono performed the song with so much emotion and intensity.. and some tears. at the end he sang a little opera in italian to close the song (set list below). so beautiful.
i was so lucky to be able to take some pictures at the concert. i had my camera with me for about the first hour of the show... so it was good. shoot for the first half and then fully enjoy the second half without any distraction.
one thing i really liked about the show was the stage. the whole set was flat and there wasn't anything like a set behind the stage. usually the wall behind the stage dwarfs the performer because it gives scale for the eye to compare to. in this show, the tallest thing on the stage was the band itself. it made the atmosphere so open and intimate at the same time. also the ellipse (sort of elliptical "catwalk" that protruded from the stage) came so far out that the arena floor level seemed so small.
simply put, the crowd was drawn in and made felt like a part of the music and the band. they gave a spectalur show that night - and i'm so so glad i did whatever i could to be there. it seemed crazy to go out there by myself: concert ticket for one, plane ticket for one, hotel room for one... it seemed crazy to everyone else (except you bicbic!) but to me it made perfect sense.

setlist from the st. louis show:
city of blinding lights
vertigo / she loves you (snippet)
elevation
gloria
i still haven't found what i'm looking for / in a little while (snippet)
beautiful day / jesus walks (snippet) / many rivers to cross (snippet)
original of the species
sometimes you can't make it on your own / torna a surriento (snippet)
love and peace or else
sunday bloody sunday / rock the casbah (snippet) / jesus walks (snippet)
bullet the blue sky / when johnny comes marching home (snippet) / the hands that built america (snippet)
miss sarajevo
pride (in the name of love)
where the streets have no name
one

encore(s):
until the end of the world
mysterious ways
with or without you
stuck in a moment you can't get out of
instant karma! / happy christmas (war is over) (snippet)
yahweh
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