U2 – Live in Manchester, 2005

Elly Roberts reviews

U2at the City of Manchester StadiumTuesday June 14, 2005


Everything about U2 is big. The stadiums, the presentation, the music, thesound, and yes, even their photo passes!,

In the run-in to the Live 8 globalshowcase, this was U2’s second gig of 2005’s Vertigo European ten date tour.

A complete sell-out, sixty thousand excited fans packed out the impressiveMan City ground to witness arguably the biggest band on the planet, do theirthing. Twenty five years, and 17 albums later – I finally get to see them.It was worth the protracted wait.

Coming on late to a huge roar, messianic frontman Paul Hewson, (Bono to meand you), he lead his storm troopers through a spectacular two hour fifteenminute show. Sombrely dressed, and more modest by comparison with ZooTV andElevation tours, I detected some kind of mourning, either personal orglobal. Gone was Bono’s make-up and array of hats, replaced by simple blackoutfit, as were his band mates. Later political references symbolised theirdeep empathy for the state of the world, so perhaps I was right after all.


However, the tone was up-beat from the minute go, as they ripped into theirpowerhouse opener (and closer) Vertigo, considered to contain one of thebest riffs of all time. This sent the crowd delirious, laying the foundationfor a superb night of arena engulfing music. Right now, they are probablythe ultimate arena band, with 26 years of experience behind them. They maynot take too easy to the tag of pop group – the most successful in the lasttwo decades – but that’s exactly what they are. Their music is global inappeal and warmth – global warming if you like.

This time, they exuded akind of self-assured confidence in their ability to unite the entire planet.Incredibly, they have the rare knack of touching everyone in their path –politicians, men, women and children. Successive bands have come and gone intheir lifetime, and there’s no sign of them fading away. They always seem todeliver the goods at the right time. Like all great bands they’ve taken hugeartistic risks which have paid-off. No such risks tonight though.


Blastingout classic back-catalogue hits like I Will Follow, New Year’s Day, they seta frenetic and unrelenting pace, without even talking to the crowd. When itcame at song seven, City Of Blinding Lights, it was simple, “HelloManchester. I remember the first time the band passed through this city.This is the city of the future. This is the band of the future”, as we allscreamed with approval. Bono knows exactly what to say and when to say it.

Bouncing back into action they didn’t put a foot wrong: crowd pleasers allthe way, mostly hi-energy. Behind them, the never-ending back-screens lit upthe twilight as countless images rolled by. Split screens and multi angledcamera shots beamed around the stadium. You could see and here themeverywhere, as they constantly paraded the sweeping thrusts way out in thecrowd. Trying hard to play down the technology, it was impossible to ignorethe back-up, and it got more impressive as the night rolled on.


A tenderSometimes (You Can’t Make It On Your Own) dedicated to Bono’s late father,briefly stalled the juggernaut. His achingly beautiful delivery stunnedeveryone. Back to Rock’n’Roll, the tempo raised again as the upper tierbobbed – Sunday Bloody Sunday, Pride In The Name Of Love soon gave way toWhere The Streets Have No Name, dropping a further register to the songthat has been voted the greatest off all time in just about every poll –One. That did it for me.

Unified, we all went for it as if it was a message to the world – and itprobably was.

Two encores brought more thrills as we saw techno over-dive kick-in for TheFly, a dazzling Mysterious Ways, and a thumping reprise of Vertigo.

I’m still dizzy!

Rating *****



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