U2 performs at ‘We are One’

Bono and The Edge on stage in Washington, originally uploaded by Presidential Inaugural Committee. Photographer: Kevin Mazur

U2 performed ‘Pride’ and ‘City of Blinding Lights’ at the ‘We are One’ inaugural concert in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on Sunday. During Pride, Bono addressed president-elect Obama: “This is not just an American dream, but also an Irish dream, a European dream, an African dream … an Israeli dream and a Palestinian dream…”.

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Sayonara Japan

U2′s final Vertigo show in Japan on Monday (Dec. 4) focused on paying respect to the country and its people. Early in the show, Bono expressed the band’s genuine love for the country, noting they had a wonderful stay in Tokyo. Bono spoke of his visit to Kyoto, where he toured the Church of Light, designed by Tadao Ando.

Bono was so charmed by Kyoto that he brought back three of its residents to Tokyo with him for the final show. During “Mysterious Ways,” Bono invited the three to dance with him on stage. Mouths dropped open when they saw Bono’s guests were geishas (perhaps actually maikos [geishas in training]) in full traditional wardrobe and makeup. Morleigh Steinberg ran alongside the women in the pit, directing them to dance with their fans, to the delight of the audience and Bono, who grinned from ear to ear. At the song’s conclusion, he bowed to them sweetly.

Another highlight of the show was a particularly moving performance of “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own,” which Bono dedicated to his father and the fathers of his friends Gavin and Guggi, who watched the show from the mix desk.

Setlist
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo – She Loves You (snippet)
Elevation
Out of Control
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – In a Little While (snippet)
Beautiful Day
Angel of Harlem
The First Time
Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own
Bad – Ruby Tuesday (snippet)
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky – When Johnny Comes Marching Home & Hands That Built America (snippets)
Miss Sarajevo
Pride (In the Name of Love)
Where the Streets Have No Name
One

The Fly
Mysterious Ways
With or Without You

The Saints Are Coming
Window in the Skies
Vertigo (“For us!”)

‘Window in the Skies’ premieres in Japan

U2′s first Vertigo tour show in Japan was so special that the band actually took Promo Bono’s advice and performed “Window in the Skies” for the first time live. My human counterpart introduced the song by telling the audience, “If this doesn’t sound good, blame Edge.” The warning turned out to be completely unnecessary, as the song and the Edge sounded fantastic.

Setlist
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo (She Loves You snippet)
Elevation
I Will Follow
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Beautiful Day (Sgt. Pepper’s & Blackbird snippets)
Window in the Skies
Walk On (Acoustic — dedicated to the oldest Japanese fan club)
Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own
Bad (40 snippet)
Sunday Bloody Sunday (Rock the Casbah snippet)
Bullet the Blue Sky
Miss Sarajevo
Pride (In the Name of Love)
Where the Streets Have No Name
One

The Fly (Satisfaction snippet)
Mysterious Ways
With or Without You
The Saints Are Coming
Angel of Harlem
One Tree Hill

U2′s Aussie Vertigo Tour kicks off in Brisbane

U2 played their first show of the 5th leg of the Vertigo Tour on Tuesday night in Brisbane. The Aussies were treated to the following setlist:

City of Blinding Lights / Vertigo / Elevation / Until The End Of The World / New Years Day / Beautiful Day / Yahweh / Walk On / Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own / Love And Peace Or Else / Sunday Bloody Sunday / Bullet The Blue Sky / Miss Sarajevo / Pride / Where The Streets Have No Name / One / encore: Zoo Station / The Fly / With Or Without You / The Saints Are Coming / Angel Of Harlem / Kite

• Yahoo news: U2 blasts back in Brisbane
• Sydney Morning Herald: A hitch or two, but undoubtedly you know who
• ABC: U2 rocks Brisbane
• The Australian: City sees blinding light as U2 better late than never

Some more details courtesy of various fan lists/forums.

Goodbye Brazil

Last night Morumbi Stadium was filled with 70,000 Brazilians, but 20,000 more without tickets listened to the show outside the stadium in the rain. They just wanted to be there to say goodbye to the biggest band on the planet.

Bono brought two girls to the stage, one during “Desire” (she stole a kiss from Bono and The Edge) and one during “Mysterious Ways.” The highlights of the show were during “Pride” and “Where the Streets Have No Name,” when the audience sang louder than Bono. The setlist was full of surprises. Take a look:

City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Elevation
Until the End of the World
New Year’s Day
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Beautiful Day / Blackbird
The First Time
Desire
Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky / When Johnny Comes Marching Home / The Hands That Built America
Miss Sarajevo
Pride (In the Name of Love)
Where the Streets Have No Name
One
Zoo Station
The Fly
Mysterious Ways
With or Without You
Yahweh
All I Want Is You / Love Rescue Me

Photo slideshow

Brazil nuts

U2 played their first South American show yesterday at Morumbi Stadium in front of an audience of 73,000 wild Brazilians. Bono spoke in Portuguese several times, which charmed the audience. They went nuts when he mentioned the next soccer World Cup: “Copa do Mundo. Vamos buscar o hexa?” “U2 é irlandês, Deus é brasileiro.” Translation: “World Cup, are we going for the sixth cup? U2 are Irish, but God is Brazilian.”

In the middle of the show, a 12-year-old boy is picked by Bono while singing “Miss Sarajevo.” During “Mysterious Ways” and “With or Without You,” a brunette fan danced with Bono, and she stole a very sensual kiss from him at the end. As he did in Mexico, Bono wore a jacket made with the local flag.

U2 will play again tonight at Sao Paulo, and on Friday will attend the Bahia Carnival by invitation of the Brazilian Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil.

• Photos

• Globo video (concert footage at the end)

Setlist:

City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Elevation
Until the End of the World
New Year’s Day
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Beautiful Day
Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of (semi-acoustic)
Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky
Miss Sarajevo
Pride
Where the Streets Have No Name
One
Zoo Station / Jean Genie
The Fly / Satisfaction
Mysterious Ways
With or Without You
All Because of You / Norwegian Wood
Original of the Species
40

Last Night in Mexico

U2′s third and final Vertigo tour date in Mexico last night was filmed but will not be broadcasted like the rest of the Latin shows. The shows in Brazil, Chile, and Argentina will be aired on national television.

Last night’s audience was really loud and participative, again bringing thousands of balloons to delight the band. Bono sported a new jacket, similar to the one he wore during the Elevation tour with the American flag lining, but with the Mexican flag instead. The band offered a great performance, but Bono did not speak to the audience as much as the night before. He chose to dance with the same girl for both “Mysterious Ways” and “With or Without You.”

During “Beautiful Day,” Bono changed the lyrics to:

See the world in red and green
Mexico City in a waking dream
From Guadalajara to Monterrey,
Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco Bay
A new world is in motion

An after-show party was organized for the band, but they did not attend. Immediately after the show, U2 retired to their hotel.

Setlist:

City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Elevation
Until the End of the World
New Year’s Day
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Beautiful Day / Cielito Lindo
Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of (semi-acoustic)
Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky / Johnny Comes Marching Home / The Hands That Built America
Miss Sarajevo
Pride
Where the Streets Have No Name
One
Zoo Station
The Fly
Mysterious Ways
With or Without You
Fast Cars
Original of the Species
40

Mexico part II

Last night U2 performed again for the Mexican fans, possibly their loudest audience so far. Despite the long queues and cold temperatures the fans have endured over the last few days, Azteca Stadium was full of energy and the band responded in full form. All over the GA field, balloons with the colours of the Mexican flag filled the place.

Concert highlights include Bono pulling one girl to the stage to dance during “Mysterious Ways,” and his adding a “Cielito Lindo” snippet to the end of “Beautiful Day.”

Setlist:

City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Elevation
Mysterious Ways
Until the End of the World
New Year’s Day
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Beautiful Day / Cielito Lindo / Norwegian Wood
Original of the Species
Sometimes You Can’t Make it on Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky / The Hands That Build America / When Johnny Comes Marching
Miss Sarajevo
Pride in the Name of Love
Where the Streets Have No Name
One / Unchained Melody
Zoo Station
The Fly
With or Without You
All Because of You
Yahweh
40

At the last concert held in Monterrey, the band dedicated “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m looking For” to the memory of Kirsty MacColl, and Bono addressed the Mexican goverment asking for justice for her. Yesterday, the office of President Vicente Fox made an official statement with the promise of a new investigation of the MacColl case.

Fiesta en Mexico

U2 started the party in Mexico City a day early. Hundreds of fans queueing outside Estadio Azteca listened to U2′s soundcheck yesterday. The band rehearsed 21 songs including “City of Blinding Lights, “Zoo Station,” “Miss Sarajevo,” and “Bad.” The Mexican fans who waited patiently outside the stadium and endured the freezing weather received a very special treat: the band ordered hundred of pizzas for them. So there you go: good music + good food = a good party!

4th leg of Vertigo tour kicks off in Mexico

U2 kicked off the fourth leg of their Vertigo tour in the Mexican city of Monterrey yesterday (Feb. 12). 48 hours before the concert, more than 600 fans were sleeping at the gates of the stadium in order to get into the ellipse; 24 hours before the show, there were more than 2,000 fans. Mexicans have really missed the band, since the last time U2 visited Mexico was during the PopMart tour in 1997.

Bono spoke in Spanish several times during the concert. Before “One,” he said to the audience: “La gente dice que no se puede cambiar al mundo, que tu no puedes, que yo no puedo, The Edge no puede, pero si se puede, si actuamos todos como UNO.” Translation: “People say you can’t change the world. You can’t, I can’t, The Edge can’t…but it is possible if all we act like ONE.”

One surprise during the show was a snippet of the traditional folk song “Cielito Lindo” during “Bad.” Other highlights include Bono pulling two girls on stage for “Miss Sarajevo,” and another one during “With or Without You.”

Full setlist:

Vertigo
I Will Follow
Electric Co
Elevation
Beautiful Day
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m looking For
City of Blinding Lights
Original of the Species
Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own
Bad/Cielito Lindo
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky
Miss Sarajevo
Pride
Where the Streets Have No Name
One
Until the End of the World
Mysterious Ways
With or Without You
Yahweh
Vertigo

Photos: Mexican fans fill the stadium // Bono on the b-stage // Edge // Bono gets down

Press (in Spanish): El Universal // Excelsior // El Sol de Mexico

The second show of the fourth leg of the tour will be at Mexico DF on February 15. Right now more than 200 people are queueing at the gates of the stadium.
(Photo: Associated Press)