Every Saturday The Rock And Roll Guru gives a comprehensive review of a live concert.
Net Aid was the brainchild of musician Wyclef Jean who wanted to organize an incredible concert that was simulcast across the globe in order to help world hunger via the internet. It was a highly ambitious project that unfortunately fell short of expectations. With concerts being held at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, Wembley Stadium in London, and Palais des Nations in Geneva, expectations for an exciting interactive experience were high.
Unfortunately for the US, the ticket sales were poor with the stadium being half full for most of the concert. When I learned which bands were performing (Sheryl Crow, Sting, The Black Crowes, and of course Wyclef) I was interested. My wife at the time (Nancy, my first wife) also wanted to go, so we went online to get our tickets. I figured we would be sitting way upstairs, but much to my surprise we scored seats on the floor. Whoa! The floor! I had never sat that low at Giants Stadium before. That alone was going to make this concert a worthwhile one.
Walking into a concert at Giants Stadium when you are on the floor is a breathtaking experience. First, you have to go in through a separate gate, away from the rest of the plebian people who only scored “regular” seats. Then you are escorted through a special entrance and you walk out onto the field. At first look, it’s mesmerizing. I was thinking about all of the sporting events played on the field, all the concerts held on that grass; it was a surreal moment.
We were 25 rows away from the stage, which was a wild experience. I can’t remember what order the performers came to the stage, but I can give you the highlights of each one that I remember. Before the big acts even came out, Wyclef, Bono and a cast of other took the stage to sing the Wyclef/Bono compilation, New Day. This would kick the day off. (Notice in the video that there is no one sitting in the upper deck seats.)
Counting Crows
This was before I became a bigger fan of the Counting Crows, so I really only knew one or two of their songs. They played Mr. Jones, their big hit, and I don’t recall what else. Each performer was limited to four songs, so their selections were tight. I suppose each band was on a time limit. Overall, the Counting Crows were decent, but nothing spectacular.
Sheryl Crow
I was excited to see Sheryl Crow, as was Nancy. We were both huge fans and Crow was supporting a new album at that time, The Globe Sessions. She performed at least one song from that album, My Favorite Mistake, I believe. Sheryl Crow was excellent for her short time on stage. She has a great voice and while she doesn’t rock out like a lot of hard rock frontmen, she draws you in with her limited mobility and entertaining voice. When her last song was played, I was disappointed. I wanted to hear more.
The Black Crowes
This was without the doubt the worst performance of the night. However, it was not the band’s fault. Halfway through their opening song, the sound cut out on lead singer Chris Robinson’s microphone. It was out for the rest of that song and all of the next one. We sat through two instrumentals that were not supposed to be instrumentals. We could see Chris singing into his mic, and he obviously had no idea what happened. Personally I would have fired those sound techs after that show. 8 minutes without a working microphone is just unacceptable.
Sting
I was very enthusiastic about seeing Sting. I had never seen The Police before and I grew up a big fan of both The Police and Sting’s solo music. I was hoping to hear his awesome a capella version of Roxanne, or some other Police classic. I was also wishing that he would perform If You Love Somebody Set Them Free. Unfortunately for us, Sting was in the strange period of his career. He had strayed from rock and roll and was into very experimental music (that included a lute) and more opera and classical type of performances. He performed two songs this way, which just about put me to sleep. I was so disappointed with his decision to do this. I wanted classic and I got classical. Not quite the same. He did perform his latest song, Brand New Day, so that was a fun way to close out his set.
Wyclef Jean
Other than his hits with The Fugees, I knew very little about Wyclef, but I was open to hear what he could do as a solo artist. He was the last act of the night, the big headliner, as Net Aid was his project. Wyclef did not disappoint. He came out with a guitar and a backing band and played his hip/hop-rock hybrid music that sounded exceptional. The one track I distinctly remembering him playing is Gone Til November which is an incredible song that sounded even better in concert.
Wyclef played approximately six songs before calling it a night. By the time his set was winding down, most of Giants Stadium had filed out, which was sad, but also showed that perhaps he should not have been the headline act. When he played his last song of the evening, there couldn’t have been more than 8,000 people left in the stadium. And while it wasn’t a sell out by any means, there were a lot more people there when the day began.
I know that there were other performers (perhaps shown on a video screen from the other countries), but I can’t recall exactly who, or what they played. The concert was over six hours long, and it’s sad to learn that barely any money was made to help their charity. In the end, what was supposed to be a huge concert in the vein of Live Aid, turned out to be a bust. I was glad to have attended. I got to see a lot of bands that I would not have seen otherwise, and experienced a concert from the floor of Giants Stadium. That in itself was worth the price of admission. However, we left feeling that it could have been so much more and pondering exactly what went wrong.
Showing posts with label Bono. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bono. Show all posts
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Concert Review: U2 - August 13, 1992
“Love is the delusion that one woman differs from another.” HL Mencken.
Ah, young love. When I was offered the chance to buy tickets for U2 through a connection my mother had, I jumped at it. I immediately thought of my girlfriend, who wasn’t really my girlfriend, but I wanted her to be my girlfriend, Cyndi. We had only been dating a couple of months (perhaps less) and I felt this would be a great way to impress her. I also asked two other female friends if they were interested in attending, since I had access to 4 tickets, and they were. This was U2, of course they were interested!
Now, you’ll have to forgive me for hazy memories, but this concert event was 17 years ago, so the details of exactly what happened may be a little fuzzy, but the essence is there. I even consulted my journal from back in the day to help jog my memory cells.
On the night of the concert, Jen, Heidi, Cyndi, and I headed out to Giants Stadium to see U2, with Primus, and Hiphoprisy. I was still too young to be into the whole getting drunk in the parking lot thing, but we did our own version of tailgating, complete with people watching and walking around to see who was blasting what song out of their car stereos or boom-boxes.
U2 was in the midst of their Zoo TV World Tour in support of one of their best albums, Achtung Baby. They had been playing stadiums around the world and were making their 2-night stop in the New York metro area, where the stadium just happened to reside in Jersey. We were attending the second night of their stand.
Opening act Hiphoprisy was a band I had never heard of, but I knew a little about Primus, primarily Jerry Was a Race Car Driver. Cyndi was a huge Primus fan, so she was excited to see them before U2.
Our seats were incredible, as my connection (technically my mother’s connection) hooked us up, lower section halfway from the stage. They were great seats, and they only cost $30 each – no fees. I can’t fathom that today, as U2s cheapest seats are now $30.
I sat on the end of our ticket block with Cyndi next to me, Heidi next to her, and Jen on the other end. It was nice to be at the show with close friends and had I been a little more observant, (hey, I was young then) I would have realized that I had gone to a rock concert with three beautiful women. I must have looked like a stud. Of course, I was so wrapped in my feelings of young lust (mistaken for love) that all I could think about was Cyndi, hence, the seating arrangement.
Hiphoprisy came on first and I remember nothing about them except that they were a rap group with two guys up front who waved their hands in the air a lot. I also remembered that they played to maybe 1,000 people and the security guards. The stadium was empty for this first act.
Ah, young love. When I was offered the chance to buy tickets for U2 through a connection my mother had, I jumped at it. I immediately thought of my girlfriend, who wasn’t really my girlfriend, but I wanted her to be my girlfriend, Cyndi. We had only been dating a couple of months (perhaps less) and I felt this would be a great way to impress her. I also asked two other female friends if they were interested in attending, since I had access to 4 tickets, and they were. This was U2, of course they were interested!
Now, you’ll have to forgive me for hazy memories, but this concert event was 17 years ago, so the details of exactly what happened may be a little fuzzy, but the essence is there. I even consulted my journal from back in the day to help jog my memory cells.
On the night of the concert, Jen, Heidi, Cyndi, and I headed out to Giants Stadium to see U2, with Primus, and Hiphoprisy. I was still too young to be into the whole getting drunk in the parking lot thing, but we did our own version of tailgating, complete with people watching and walking around to see who was blasting what song out of their car stereos or boom-boxes.
U2 was in the midst of their Zoo TV World Tour in support of one of their best albums, Achtung Baby. They had been playing stadiums around the world and were making their 2-night stop in the New York metro area, where the stadium just happened to reside in Jersey. We were attending the second night of their stand.
Opening act Hiphoprisy was a band I had never heard of, but I knew a little about Primus, primarily Jerry Was a Race Car Driver. Cyndi was a huge Primus fan, so she was excited to see them before U2.
Our seats were incredible, as my connection (technically my mother’s connection) hooked us up, lower section halfway from the stage. They were great seats, and they only cost $30 each – no fees. I can’t fathom that today, as U2s cheapest seats are now $30.
I sat on the end of our ticket block with Cyndi next to me, Heidi next to her, and Jen on the other end. It was nice to be at the show with close friends and had I been a little more observant, (hey, I was young then) I would have realized that I had gone to a rock concert with three beautiful women. I must have looked like a stud. Of course, I was so wrapped in my feelings of young lust (mistaken for love) that all I could think about was Cyndi, hence, the seating arrangement.
Hiphoprisy came on first and I remember nothing about them except that they were a rap group with two guys up front who waved their hands in the air a lot. I also remembered that they played to maybe 1,000 people and the security guards. The stadium was empty for this first act.
When Primus took the stage approximately 30 minutes later, the stadium was at least half full and filling. As mentioned, I knew very little about Primus, having never gotten into that funk & groove style of music. The played a nice set, sounded great, and Cyndi was excited (points for me, I hoped). When they performed Jerry… I smiled, as it was the one song I knew from them. After their set, I thought I would have to check out some of their discs, but I never did.
After Primus, the sun started to set, the stadium filled, and the rumblings began. U2 was going to take the stage at any moment. I had never seen them before and I was oh, so excited. As a preteen, The Joshua Tree was part of my “soundtrack for a dramatic youth.” There was a lot of pain on the second side of that cassette, and it ran its course over several summer afternoons/evenings during middle school. I couldn’t wait to see them perform some of these.
The sun slowly faded into the background, the house speakers rumbled a little bit louder, and with a deafening roar from the crowd who recognized what was happening, the stadium lights went dark and U2 shot onto the stage.
They opened with a stellar version of Zoo Station that had the crowd on their feet immediately. That’s where they would stay for the rest of the night, as seeing U2 live leaves no time for sitting. They perform like the trained professionals they are and they give their all.
The concert began with 6 songs from Achtung Baby before launching into the classic New Years Day. That was all right with me, as I loved Achtung Baby and had played it over and over for months. When the band kicked into One, I tried to wrap my arms around Cyndi and do the cool, romantic, slow lovers sway. She did her best to escape my embrace, citing that she felt constricted. I took her at her word, but I knew there was more to it than that.
During the show, I noticed that Cindy seemed distant. At the slow songs, I would try to put my arms around her and she seemed to shy away. Something was up, only I wasn’t sure what. Cyndi and I had an interesting, albeit rocky, relationship from the start. She was just getting over a boyfriend when I met her, and I was naïve enough not to realize that I was the rebound guy, and stupid (or young) enough to believe that we had a great thing going and we were going to be together for a long time.
I was also desperate for any sort of stability in my life at that time (especially my romantic life). The girl of my dreams and I had split up a year before that and I had been drifting in and out of relationships since then, wandering without an anchor, searching for true love in every girl I saw. Not a good combination; a jilted lover coming off a bad relationship and a young romantic looking to find a replacement for a lost relationship.
U2’s big hits sounded even better in the stadium. Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, Sunday Bloody Sunday, and Where The Streets Have No Name were all note perfect and the audience response to each one was an appreciative, collective roar that matched any football game ever played there. Pride, the main set closer, got the biggest response of the night and Bono sang it like a mad man possessed. You were going to listen to his message and he was going to deliver the goods.
In the encore, With Or Without You came on, and since I couldn’t put my arms around Cyndi, I thrust my hands in the air and sang at the top of my lungs, partly to her, partly to myself, mostly as I was lost in the moment. “And you give yourself away…with or without you…Oh Ho! I can’t live… with or without you!”
The final song of the night was Love Is Blindness the clunker that kept Achtung from being a perfect disc. That was a disappointing way to go out, but the rest of the concert was so amazing, that I was able to forgive U2.
The ride home was spent mostly in silence, as Cyndi wasn’t talking to me, and Heidi and Jen were tired from dancing all night long. I dropped everyone off at their cars where we had gathered before the show and said goodbye. I thought that Cyndi would come home with me, but she was “too tired” and decided that she wanted to get some sleep.
Three days later, she broke up with me. I knew something was up. She cited that she wasn’t ready to be in a serious relationship (which was probably true) and that she didn’t want to hurt me by making me think we could be a long-term item (probably also true). Regardless of her honesty, it made me feel like crap. I wondered if she had only stayed together with me so she could see U2. Ironically, this would not be the last time that a girlfriend broke up with me after a U2 concert.
Cyndi and I would have an on again, off again relationship for the next couple of months until she started dating a friend of mine (who, after that move, became a non-friend) and then we would drift apart as young lusters often do.
For my first experience with U2, this was a doozy, and whenever I would listen to One, I would feel the pain all over again. When I hear the song now, a little smile creeps at the corner of my lips. It reminds me of my first U2 concert and a special relationship that I endured.
SetlistZoo Station
The Fly
Even Better Than The Real Thing
Mysterious Ways
One
Until The End Of The World
New Years Day
Trying To Throw Your Arms Around The World
Angel of Harlem
When Love Comes To Town
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
All I Want Is You
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet The Blue Sky
Running To Stand Still
Where The Streets Have No Name
Pride (In The Name of Love)
EncoreDesire
With Or Without You
Love Is Blindness
The sun slowly faded into the background, the house speakers rumbled a little bit louder, and with a deafening roar from the crowd who recognized what was happening, the stadium lights went dark and U2 shot onto the stage.
They opened with a stellar version of Zoo Station that had the crowd on their feet immediately. That’s where they would stay for the rest of the night, as seeing U2 live leaves no time for sitting. They perform like the trained professionals they are and they give their all.
The concert began with 6 songs from Achtung Baby before launching into the classic New Years Day. That was all right with me, as I loved Achtung Baby and had played it over and over for months. When the band kicked into One, I tried to wrap my arms around Cyndi and do the cool, romantic, slow lovers sway. She did her best to escape my embrace, citing that she felt constricted. I took her at her word, but I knew there was more to it than that.
During the show, I noticed that Cindy seemed distant. At the slow songs, I would try to put my arms around her and she seemed to shy away. Something was up, only I wasn’t sure what. Cyndi and I had an interesting, albeit rocky, relationship from the start. She was just getting over a boyfriend when I met her, and I was naïve enough not to realize that I was the rebound guy, and stupid (or young) enough to believe that we had a great thing going and we were going to be together for a long time.
I was also desperate for any sort of stability in my life at that time (especially my romantic life). The girl of my dreams and I had split up a year before that and I had been drifting in and out of relationships since then, wandering without an anchor, searching for true love in every girl I saw. Not a good combination; a jilted lover coming off a bad relationship and a young romantic looking to find a replacement for a lost relationship.
U2’s big hits sounded even better in the stadium. Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, Sunday Bloody Sunday, and Where The Streets Have No Name were all note perfect and the audience response to each one was an appreciative, collective roar that matched any football game ever played there. Pride, the main set closer, got the biggest response of the night and Bono sang it like a mad man possessed. You were going to listen to his message and he was going to deliver the goods.
In the encore, With Or Without You came on, and since I couldn’t put my arms around Cyndi, I thrust my hands in the air and sang at the top of my lungs, partly to her, partly to myself, mostly as I was lost in the moment. “And you give yourself away…with or without you…Oh Ho! I can’t live… with or without you!”
The final song of the night was Love Is Blindness the clunker that kept Achtung from being a perfect disc. That was a disappointing way to go out, but the rest of the concert was so amazing, that I was able to forgive U2.
The ride home was spent mostly in silence, as Cyndi wasn’t talking to me, and Heidi and Jen were tired from dancing all night long. I dropped everyone off at their cars where we had gathered before the show and said goodbye. I thought that Cyndi would come home with me, but she was “too tired” and decided that she wanted to get some sleep.
Three days later, she broke up with me. I knew something was up. She cited that she wasn’t ready to be in a serious relationship (which was probably true) and that she didn’t want to hurt me by making me think we could be a long-term item (probably also true). Regardless of her honesty, it made me feel like crap. I wondered if she had only stayed together with me so she could see U2. Ironically, this would not be the last time that a girlfriend broke up with me after a U2 concert.
Cyndi and I would have an on again, off again relationship for the next couple of months until she started dating a friend of mine (who, after that move, became a non-friend) and then we would drift apart as young lusters often do.
For my first experience with U2, this was a doozy, and whenever I would listen to One, I would feel the pain all over again. When I hear the song now, a little smile creeps at the corner of my lips. It reminds me of my first U2 concert and a special relationship that I endured.
SetlistZoo Station
The Fly
Even Better Than The Real Thing
Mysterious Ways
One
Until The End Of The World
New Years Day
Trying To Throw Your Arms Around The World
Angel of Harlem
When Love Comes To Town
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
All I Want Is You
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet The Blue Sky
Running To Stand Still
Where The Streets Have No Name
Pride (In The Name of Love)
EncoreDesire
With Or Without You
Love Is Blindness
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