U2 Sheffield Don Valley August 20th 2009 August 27, 2009

U2 Don Valley Stadium Sheffield 20th August 2009
Support Act : Elbow

Somewhere along the line the rest of the family have lost faith in U2, so they couldn’t be tempted to join me and I ended up going along on my own to see them in Sheffield’s Don Valley stadium. To be honest I wasn’t too sure about going myself, but I figured It would probably be worthwhile. I’ve seen U2 9 or 10 times since the early days when they supported the Police at Gateshead Stadium, and played Newcastle Mayfair. So I set off around 4pm to drive to Sheffield. The traffic was OK until I reached the M1 a few junctions away from Sheffield, at which point I crawled for the rest of the journey. When I got off the motorway the police were directing cars into a car park near Meadowhall which is fair walk from the Stadium (I didn’t realise you could get the tram along there!).

By the time I had walked to the stadium Elbow were coming to the end of their set. I bought myself a programme and made my way down onto the pitch which was packed with fans. I wandered around to look for a good spot and realised that the 360 degree spider stage really did give a good view from all angles. After a short wait U2 took the stage at around 8.30. The sound was loud and clear and the crowd were really into it. And the stage and lighting were the best I’ve ever seen, much more impressive than other recent big shows such as the Stones Bigger Bang, Muse or Take That. Bono and the Edge took turns in coming into the crowd on walkways which revolved around the stage and took them to different parts of the stadium, giving everyone a chance of a good view. The set list was a good mix of old and new; highlights for me were Vertigo (the crowd really jumping to this), Sunday Bloody Sunday and The Streets Have no Name.
I left during the encores to get to the car and get out in good time and was home by 12.45 (while some people I heard on BBC Radio Sheffield were still in the car park). So yes I did enjoy U2 this time and probably will go again next time. Perhaps there will be time to convince the family its worth the effort next time.

Set list: Breathe; No Line On The Horizon; Get On Your Boots; Magnificent; Beautiful Day; Elevation;I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For;Happy Birthday;Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of;Unknown Caller;The Unforgettable Fire;City Of Blinding Lights;I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight;Sunday Bloody Sunday;Pride (In The Name Of Love);MLK;Walk On;Where The Streets Have No Name;One
Encore(s): Ultra Violet (Light My Way);With Or Without You;Moment of Surrender

website: www.u2.com

programme

ticket

Elbow The Sage Gateshead October 26, 2008

Elbow The Sage Gateshead Oct 20 2008

Laura and I went along to see Elbow at the Sage on Monday, largely as a result of Laura’s interest in them. She had listened to most of the albums and had been telling me how good they were. We bought the tickets before they had won the Mercury Music prize, and were both looking forward to seeing what they were like. The gig had been sold out for some weeks (since they won the Mercury prize).

Laura was going to a fancy dress party straight after the gig, so was dressed as Snow White under her coat;  and sporting a lovely bright red Snow White headband, which the girl at the merchandise stand complimented her on. The support act (who we missed) was Jesca Hoop.

I was actually pleasantly surprised as to how good Elbow were. The music was quite different to what I had expected; pretty difficult to categorize. They were accompanied by a string section and various other instruments. The crowd came from a mixed age range, and seemed to know all of the songs (unlike me!).  They even managed to get people on their feet, which is quite difficult in the Sage!

Set list was something like :
Starlings
Bones
Leaders Of The Free World
Mirror Ball
Grounds For Divorce
Mexican Standoff
Towercrane
New Born
Great
Weather To Fly
One Day Like This

Encores:
Puncture Repair
Station Approach
Scattered Black And Whites

my ticket