Torcs4
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Posts posted by Torcs4
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For me personally, 2011 was better musically. Ticked a lot of boxes of acts I've wanted to see for aaaages, and all lived up to or exceeded expectations. But I think 2010 had an overall better vibe to it, and I think I probably had a lot more 'fun' last year in all ways non-music related. Although, last year was my first so all of it was mind-blowingly new, surely played a large part in that. Call it a draw?
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Don't think so. On the interview they did with Radio 6 immediately after their set, Bono was talking about really wanting to go to Strummerville that night, but said he wasn't sure with the then bucketing down rain. I guess if they did pop in there (or anywhere) it would have been widely known. They were all around till the next afternoon, although not always on site - Bono was playing local tourist the following day, was up at the Tor etc.
After the event - I'd be interested to find out what the original rumour actually was?
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Standing in the rain waiting for Radiohead... that was a week ago?
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Having said that. Im sure Win said something along the lines of ... "we didnt like glastonbury due to the mud"?
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They probably will have another album by, or around, then. They're a proper big band - two sell outs at the O2, Hyde Park, headlining other festivals, all without 'hits'. If they release another album that's as critically acclaimed as their last three and it has a song or two that crossover (something they haven't had happen yet, but I bet they try for next time - they are not a band without ambition) and this was their last UK gig till then, then yes, they'd not only make for a great headliner, but they'll probably be quite the very big one too.
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Four days off was enough. It's Friday FFS!
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Their last few albums have been shite by their standards: HTDAAB is their worst.
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That’s because he had to sit next to Bono. The body language is very telling isn’t it? Id be surprised if we see U2 last another 5 years. They don’t get on at all anymore apparently. Larry saying "as an outside looking in (to Bono hanging out with Bush and Blair etc), I cringe" a while back did some damage.
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me too. Were they interviewed after their set?
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WEATHER
If U2 had been on the next day, after the warm, sunny, good vibes of the Saturday, after the warm, sunny, good vibes of Elbow, it would have been a different crowd and a different gig. Bigger crowd, more up for it crowd, better sound (I don't know what was with the sound - I heard them soundcheck Mysterious Ways in the morning and it was about the loudest thing I've ever heard coming from that stage) and without a doubt a better performance.
In the BBC interview afterwards, Bono said the stage was like an ice skating rink, and that was restricting. I don't know if he meant the main stage or their little ramp thing, but either way, anyone who has watched U2 live even just once, would know that was a remarkably 'still' performance from all of them, but especially Bono. Even at 51 he is still a very energetic frontman, but not at this gig. He spent hardly any time down on that little second ramp/stage, and watching the broadcast back, you can see the steps running off it and down to the pit/barrier at the front. Bono generally performs right up in the face of the crowd - that he didn't go down there was surprising. You can just imagine something like that video of Bad posted above, but with Bono up on the barrier belting out - small things like that change the atmosphere significantly. I thought he'd spend half the gig down there. Blame the weather?
So blame the weather for crap sound, crap crowd and for U2, that was a crap performance? And as an aside, the mistakes the band were making were all timing related - could the weather have been playing with their ear monitors? Weather or not - I suspect that's what their issue was, and that's why they messed up both Even Better and Streets, and during the gig there was a lot of shouting going on between band members, and band members to side-of-stage crew. I think they were having problems with those monitors and communication.
SETLIST
I loved the Achtung Baby run of songs, but see how for this event, they should have maybe broken it up and hit the crowd with a couple of the monsters earlier on. I also think U2 had an issue with the fact that all of their songs were pretty big to very big songs. You watch someone like Coldplay, and they play a few big ones, then drift into a few lesser knowns (or new) and then build back up to some big ones at the end, and there's a real release from the crowd when they get to those. U2 didn't have that kind of momentum in their set because it was Big One/Big One/Big One/Big One all the way through the middle. They needed to break it up better, somehow. Honestly, their set was probably too short. Should have padded it with three or four more songs and created a bit of that drama to the set. And yeah, the ending. Moment of Surrender on record is a fantastic song. Live, within the context of a regular U2 gig, it can provide a great stadium-into-cathedral type ending, but for Glastonbury? Stupid. They should have ended the main set with With or Without You, bumped Beautiful Day with it's Space Station intro back to open the encore, and then ended with a noticeable absentee: All I Want Is You. It's the anthemic, well known, everyone singalong, warm, group-hug type song that a good Glastonbury set should end on. Big mistake.
STAGING
They went with stripped back. Admirable in a sense, in a weekend of lasers and confetti and fireworks and dancers and whatnot, to see a band put the songs at the forefront, but actually, given the weather and sound issues, the stripped back (and thus 'cold') lighting and whatnot maybe worked against them too. A big warm show, one that 'reached' back further, might have helped. I also think they should have gone with building a ramp and b-stage out into the actual crowd. There was a connection problem there, and this would have sold it, plus a couple of songs out there would have provided that kind of 'break' in the setlist I was talking about above. If they came down there and did a couple of songs like Desire and Angel of Harlem, that would have broken up the 'main stage' anthem run enough to give the back end of the set a separate momentum to the front end.
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I thought she was great, but I do think she pushed it about as far as the 'show' should go. Coldplay even tipped it along way with all their lasers and pyro and confetti and whatnot, and I think they should be careful to make sure those headliner slots are about great performances more than great shows. I was kind of waiting all night for something like that to happen during the famously over-the-top U2, and it never did, and in the end I think it was great that there was one headliner who put the songs/performance first. Although it is a fine line I guess. Maybe U2's set in that atrocious weather (also resulting in atrocious sound) would have been helped along by something a bit bigger on that front.
Beyonce was great fun. I thought what Coldplay did with the projections on the Pyramid was fantastic and really added something great. But you don't want it to become a game of every headliner trying outdo the last for biggest fireworks, craziest lasers, most stupendous lights, all potentially at the sacrifice of (or distracting from) a stunning performance. I think in that sense, I hope that kind of thing peaked with Beyonce this year.
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I think there should be more shaded areas where people can just pause for a while - maybe with more of those sleeper benches. There isn't much shade or shelter for people moving around the site, which becomes noticeable in either sunny or wet weather. Sometimes people just need somewhere to stop for a few minutes to check their maps or eat the food they just bought. It wouldn't cost much, especially if it replaced the structures which look like sheltered areas without actually providing any.
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Oh no, I totally understand the initial reaction to it. Just the whole scene - not nice to see it there.
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Think about album cycles and whatnot, for a lot of the larger bands who operate a little bit slower, it will be a lot of bands who released stuff 09/10 who will be due again in 2013.
Given that, Arcade Fire would be due. They'll wrap up everything 'Suburbs' over the next few months then take their 12 months or so to get something new together, few more months to release it, kick a tour off, and voila, it's spring/summer 2013.
Pop acts work quickly. We've kind of reverted to an age gone by where pop acts always have something in the charts. There's no time off, and they're less on album cycles and more on continual-singles-presence plans. GaGa, Beyonce, Rihanna, Katy Perry - it's been a continual cycle for years now, they don't 'go away'. Given that, I reckon we'll get a new GaGa album in 2013, even though that's a relatively quick turnaround by others standards. Also, Beyonce was a monster, if there were any doubts about such a 'pop' headliner, they're gone now.
So, my bets are Arcade Fire, Lady GaGa, and someone in that never before/legend/one off spot. That could be anyone and isn't necessarily determined by album or tour cycles.
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I can't remember which day it was... middle of the day, somewhere between Thursday and Saturday
but was anyone else there when the police nabbed a guy just up the hill from the circle, he broke away and bolted down the hill, police in close pursuit, and then two randoms further down and off to the side jumped up and sprinted lengthways across the hill, timing it right so they ran straight into the path of the police, and when they got there, then 'accidentally' both tripping over and hitting the deck (hard) right in between the 'offender' and police, thus pulling the police up and giving the lucky guy enough room to make his break, down and out through the bottom? Very funny. Obviously brought a great cheer from all assembled. -
Absolutely one of my Top 5 for the weekend. Loved the in between song comments - "I LIKE YOUR SMILE!" - and loved the set. I've wanted to see the Eels for aaaages, and it's always frustratingly never worked out for whatever reason. Great to finally catch them, perfect time and place and set and everything.
For anyone unaware of it's existence, E's book is very good too - My link
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In fairness, this won't have been an issue for most people watching..
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I think the weather directed the broadcast more than anything. They spent an annoying amount of time 'on stage', but if you look at any moment when they cut to an 'off stage' camera, the lens was covered with rain. Remember the wind was pushing the rain in on an angle - not ideal - maybe forced their choice?
On U2 overall - they didn't knock it out of the park. I've seen U2 do far, far better. The weather was the main issue. It's amazing to see Bono so still. In the BBC interview afterwards, he said it was like an ice rink out there and he just couldn't move around much. I think you can bet that if U2 had 'Coldplay' weather, you would have seen him off the end of the stage, up at the barriers and all of that. So the weather effecting the performance and washing out the sound, plus a few clear gremlins in the machine (few noticeable errors and mistakes) I think knocked them down a few pegs.
A shame, because if they'd put their best foot forward...
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Cigarettes
in Chat
They also run out of popular brands - by some point on Saturday last year for Marlboro Lights.
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Eavis - "U2 are excited, especially after they couldn’t come last year. I first tried to book them 35 years ago. They are bringing their own stage with them. We're having to put a lot of stuff in for them but we’re so happy to have them."
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I think they'll definitely play the Pyramid Stage as the Pyramid Stage. Nothing that takes away from that, rather trying to extend it. Make it 'bigger', not different.
I would guess any staging extensions would only be to bridge the gap between stage and crowd (it is huge to a degree that probably does annoy a lot of acts up there) but I'm not sure about ramps/b-stage. I'm sure that's what they'd like - and it's pretty quick and easy to erect/dismantle - but in practice it might not really work at Glastonbury. It's not a p*** throwing, agro, challenging type of place, but Bono wandering out into the middle of the crowd might be a temptation too strong for many.
Lighting tricks definitely. Extra rigs off the stage, for sure. Maybe even one halfway down the field. Can see them maybe using the covering of the Pyramid as a sort-of canvas for lighting/projections. Can't really see anything else, no dramatic props and whatnot. I'm sure they'll have a fancy pants backdrop/video screen on the stage, but that's certainly nothing unique.
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That front end of the set was absolutely a Glastonbury run through/preview. But putting One/Streets so early leaves a hole at the end, so I'm guessing that even if the middle ends up being similar to that setlist, the end will have something different.
The Fly from last night. Wicked. So glad they're going to be playing this.
What do the hardcore U2 fans think?
in Chat
Posted · Edited by Torcs4