Nov27

   This is how you get the greatest band on the earth to hear your small voice and play a song, no one, but yourself, thought they would do. My actual review of the show is down below all this.
    I got to the Kemper Arena around 130am, and found only two people in line who put our names on a list, we were #6-10 in the line, we being Molly, Meghan, me and Erin (who came later). We ran back to our hotel in an attempt to shower and prep for the hellish night/day that was going to await us. We got back to the arena at about 530am. There was no one in line which scared me as I had heard from Kemper Security that no one would be allowed to line up prior to 3pm the day of the show. But it seems Security kicked everyone out at 3am and told them to return at 6am. We set up our tent in what had to be the windiest part of Missouri and got about 3 hours of sleep. We ended up running the GA line, doing the card thing and all that, let me tell you, it is a great feeling to have all these people just gushing to see you with a card for them.
    Erin brought the Lyrics to "When I Look at the World" and had about 5 copies of it. We had this vision of making several copies and passing them out to those first hundred or so in the line, maybe they could get Bono to grab one. So we went and found a business near by that made us 100 copies for free and we were set. Using the still warm stack of paper to take a bit of the chill away (12 degrees with the wind chill).
    Coming on later in the day, we were able to hear the roadies doing Soundcheck, things of note, Sweetest Thing was soundchecked by the roadies, as was the bassline for With or Without you. While I was inside listening to the soundcheck, Elevation Air flew in over the stadium. The band came to the arena and soundchecked Beautiful Day, One and Walk On. Garbage was still soundchecking at 6:05, making everyone mad who had abaonded their coats in their cars at 430. While waiting for the doors to open, I took one of the sheets of paper and had about 30 people sign it and passed out the 100 copies of the lyrics.
    Fastforward to inside. Thanks to my number I was able to grab a spot on the rail inside the heart between Edge's and Bono's monitors. Prior to Garbage coming on (still without Butch Vig) we spotted John Sampson (Mr. Clean) Bono's security guard. We called him over and asked him if he could give the signed lyric sheet to the band. He said he would give it to them. We figured, after the show.
    We (now including James) also held up signs that spelt out "When I Look at the World" for the guys to see, I believe that only Edge really noticed it, maybe Larry as well.
    Moving ahead to Bad, being on the front of the rail I was right in front of A.J. (The guy who gives Bono his water and towels) I saw A.J. coming running over with a huge sheet of paper and ever the nosy one I tried to get a glimpse, all that I saw was "I see an expression." It was the lyrics to the song. A.J. putts the lyrics up on stage in front of Bono's mic stand and waits. Bono sees something more interesting at the tip of the heart and going running off down the ramp. A.J. looks at me, winks and runs, to the tip. Next thing I know, Bono's crooning "When I Look at the World" and I was crying. Edge was trying to stop the song several times, but Bono kept waving him to keep it up, and I could have sworn they played the whole version, but I was out of it at that point.
    When Bono returned to the main stage during Streets, John came up to me (he's a big teddy bear) all excited grinning this huge grin saying "I told you I'd get it to them." He later said that he brought it to them and said that all of these people had voted for it in the heart and wanted to hear it badly. So Bono starts reading the lyrics, Edge picks up a guitar and they both start practicing, all this right around the time Garbage was onstage.
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Well with that said, here is the breakdown of a great show.
Typical Elevation into Beautiful Day. I swear that the opening will never grow old to me as I think it is absolutely amazing and I am forever thinking about the thousands in the audience that haven't seen the show, what they must be thinking when the band walk out house lights up.
During Until the End of the World Bono includes the line "I drunk the Guiness/I spiked your drink" I thought it was funny.
The Guitar solo from New Years Day will continue to give me goosebumps till the day I die.
I Will Follow was an incredibly cool point of the evening for me as Edge came to stand right in front of me on the stage and just went ballistic on his Gibson. He was literally 3 feet in front of me, stomping his foot, snapping his guitar away from him and just going nuts. I remember staring him straight in the eye fist pumping in time in the air thinking "you are a god." It was absolutely wonderful. During the interlude Bono did his typical flashback to the old days.
"20 years ago, we walked down these streets 20 years ago same meolody same beats, oh now oh now, 18 years old, 17 years old, these bells never going to grow old, Uptown, I was at the Uptown 'sorry son we can't serve you a drink you are under age' 'but I'm playing here this is our band u2 wer're in town this is our gig' 'how old are you' '18' ah sorry we can't serve alcohol to 18 year olds', 'but I can join the army I just wanted a drink, want to celebrate our band we got a record deal we are traveliing through the United States of America and are having the time of our life."
Sunday Bloody Sunday included Bono's grabbing of a flag from the crowd, although if I recall it was thrown on stage or it was thrown and missed the stage and someone had to hand it up to him. Stuck was as always a great moment in the show.
Now then Bono usually walks over and grabs his red hummingbird and walks over to the mic to play Kite. But at this show he notices a sign in the audience that says ""I know 3 chords and the truth"." But Bono corrects him and says "no that's three chords and a trout." At which point Bono starts strumming Kite, but then starts strumming Desire. In a moment that I will never forget, Bono glances over at Edge who is still holding the slide for Kite and is desperately trying to find a place to put it. Edge then glances over at Larry who is sitting very stoically in his drum throne with is arms crossed. Bono smiles, Larry shoots a look to Edge, sighs, grabs his sticks and just busts into the Bo Diddley beat we all love. It was priceless.
Then came the previously planned Kite which I will never stop feeling so much emotion for.
Angel of Harlem, the singalong song that it is is still loved by all.
This was the first time that I heard Please and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I preferred the Popmart version better, but it could be because I was so far away from the tip. It was cool as we got to see Adam down in his bunker with his tech during this song smoking a cigarette. I would prefer the version I would see the next day in St. Louis, three feet in front of me.
Streets, still one of the greatest U2 live songs ever.