What do the hardcore U2 fans think?

[dingbat2]

I have read a lot a criticism of U2s performance last Friday. I loved it and the more I watch the BBC coverage the more I loved it. I love U2's music, mainly there stuff up to Joshua tree + Achtung Baby. I saw them on their zooropa tour in the early 90's but haven't seen them since, so can't say I am an obsessive fan. I just didn't rate their later albums nor their over production of their performances (albeit the zooropa tour was also overproduced but I was young!)

Saying that I loved their performance last Friday, they did well in bad weather and with less nonsense going on around them

I am really interested to hear what the true U2 obsessives made of their performance last week?

Digi, where are you?!

[modey]

I've seen them five times and that was one of the best out of the lot, fantastic show

[angelofharlem]

I thought they were excellent..they played some great songs and I was thrilled that they included I Will Follow and Out of Control..two early songs that are amongst my very favourites.

[modey]

Yeah great setlist that included my favourites bad and stay

[Bobser]

I've seen them 10 times and the more I look at the footage, the more average the gig seems. I know it has nothing to do with being there but the sheer paranoia of having to get a f**kin director in to do the BBC coverage disgusts me. The gig was average. Too many mistakes, too nervous, some bad choices for the setlist.... A missed opportunity.

[Bad Monkey]

Well Im a massive U2 fan...I even had a lets get U2 to play Gloria at Glastonbury thread going last year! (my excitement calmed a bit for this year!) I think U2 were just plagued by bad luck with Glastonbury, Bono hurt his back last year but had they played it would have been to a much bigger crowd and after a beautiful day in the sunshine. This year they had to play to a smaller mud splattered and rain soaked audience. It was a great well chosen set list and contained my favourite song of the festival..Out Of Control! The main problem is that it was just not loud enough! I was at the front too, Watched Queens Of the Stone Age on Sunday on the other stage and they had the PA turned up to 11 and made their performance all the more enjoyable it should have been that way for U2!

Mick

[gorbo76]

Loved them, first time I've seen them and thought the set was great. Hadn't heard Stay in ages so that was definitely a highlight.

[JayJay314]

I've seen them about 40 times and thought the performance was as good as they could give under the conditions.

They (Bono especially) looked a bit ill at ease with the gap at front of stage, he likes crowd contact.

The sound was the worst I have ever heard at a major outdoor show. I think they were having problems with the sound on stage also, as the organ intro didn't start at the beginning of 'Where The Streets', apparently the IEM clicktrack count-ins could be heard over the PA at times also. The band seemed to be watching each other a lot more than usual perhaps because of the sound problems?

The bits I think they got wrong...

Moment Of Surrender was a bad closing song. An impromptu Out Of Control redeemed it somewhat. 40 should have ended the set.

Having an arty film for the opening song. Biggest band on the planet at the biggest festival? Show them your faces from the get go.

'Where the Streets' should not have been plonked mid set. It is an epic live song that needs an epic build up. First encore opener.

Same for 'One', too early in the set. A sing a long opportunity missed.

In all they did well, not as brilliant as it should have been, but as a big U2 fan it possibly was never going to live up to expectations!

[Bad Monkey]

Totally agree with JayJay yes that's totally what I felt wow yes just imagine if they had finished with 40? Hoooow long to sing this sooong!! it would have been the Tender or Hey Jude for Glasters 2011.

[dingbat2]

Do they ever play 40 these days? It has to be the greatest set finisher there is (OK apart from hey Jude!)

[kokoku]

Not a die hard, but certainly do like a bit of U2, with Unforgettable Fire, Achtung Baby and No Line on the Horizon being my favourite three albums.

First time I saw them was the Zoo Tv outdoor show which for me remains their finest live show, just for its sheer scale and visuals.

So I loved the start of the Glasto set, as it was almost a recreation of the Zoo Tv shows - and liked the way they split the big screen behind the stage to mimic the multiple screens from Zoo.

From where i was (about two thirds back towards the sound desk, and just inside the left hand screens, it sounded great, until I thought that there was an issue with Bono's mike during Bad - he certainly didn't seem to be belting it out as much as usual, or if he was, we couldn't hear it so well. That certainly threw me, and it never quite seemed the same after that.

As above - 40 would have been a fantastic closer, but for me the set was still pretty strong - a rollicking opening section from Achtung Baby, plus a good selection of the hits. Would have loved stuff like The Unforgettable Fire, Running to Stand Still or Ultraviolet. (and am I the only one that still loves Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses?)

But I enjoyed this show more than the times I've seen them since Zoo Tv (vertigo tour indoors at Cardiff Millennium stadium, outdoors at Twickenham, and the 360 show at Wembley, which was relatively disappointing.

[Bad Monkey]

As a U2 fan I was looking forward to them playing their new song Glastonbury at Glastonbury too but I guess they did the wise thing by only playing songs that a wider audience would recognise

[Bad Monkey]

I am actually watching the BBC footage as I write and it does sound and look amazing the rain city Glastonbury backdrop just makes it look all the more dramatic

[The Roses]

First time seeing them and I thought they were quality! Not the greatest gig I've ever seen but can't complain seeing U2 at Glastonbury! His voice was a bit shot but I spose he was giving it 150% effort

[septemberwillow]

I like them but again am not a die-hard fan. I really enjoyed them. We were close-ish to the front and jumping up and down like a loon in the rain just to keep warm made it even better.

My brother is a U2 fanatic - I think his opinion was 7 out of 10. He doesn't like Vertigo and the newer stuff and threatened to walk off to Primal Scream when they started playing Get On Your Boots Him, his mate and my boyfriend were virtually begging for them to finish with 40 - another opportunity missed perhaps...?? Plus they also wanted Party Girl and had even made up alternative Worthy Farm lyrics after a few pints at the Village Inn on the Thursday afternoon

[xtrmntr75]

No Line On The Horizon is far to good an album to be ignored. Moment Of Surrender is probably the best song they've written post Zooropa but it isn't as well known.

As for 40 closing, give it a rest. Festivals aren't just for band specific fans. Nobody other than U2 purists would know it. As had been mentioned MOS was probably a bad choice for closer. IMO closer should have been either With or Without You or One

[Wooderson]

They were needy, lethargic, nervous, out of their depth, bland, dull, over rehearsed. But most of all they were unlucky. It was a horrible night.

7/10 is about right. It was far from a classic. To turn this into a classic U2 show is to do the band an enormous disservice.

Hightlight for me was the juxtaposition of the Irish tricolour and the Union Jack during With or Without You. Tip of the hat Bono - I winked at the stage and said "Well done son." during that.

[Jackmypie]

Not a huge fan either, but Where the streets have no name was brilliant !

Edited June 30, 2011 by Jackmypie

[JC-Mo'Fucka]

Call me easily 'wooed' but I loved the spaceman bit. Will remember that part for a while. Spacemen are cool.

[tevaburger]

I am really interested to hear what the true U2 obsessives made of their performance last week?

Digi, where are you?!

[The Roses]

Watching it on BBC3 now I didn't realise how much it rained, I think if it was the saturday/sunday night it would have been a hell of a lot better, but looking at the gig again on TV now it really was amazing!

[Red Day]

Thought the set was fantastic throughout and only thing I would have changed was replacing moment of surrender with maybe New Years Day or similar.

[indisguise]

Sorry for going off topic slightly, but chatted to a die hard U2 fan who attended Glasto just to see U2. After spending the whole of Friday at the front of the stage waiting for U2 to play, decided to spend Saturday and Sunday finding out what the festival was all about. Said he was totally blown away with it all and could not wait to come back 2013 with his family. Made me smile loads

[dondo]

Big U2 fan and seen them 9 times now over the years from 1987 to Glasto last week.

I thought they were excellent musically but the weather didn't help matters and agree that they looked a little ill at ease being so far away from the crowd.

And as others said why the heck didn't they finish with "40"

[Wooderson]

I'd love to be proven totally and utterly wrong but I thought U2 was the most uninspired headline performance Ive seen in ages at Glasto. It was totally devoid of magic. Beset by dreadful weather and appalling sound quality sure - but the band looked bollixed. It was like a balloon slowly deflating of air. Zero energy. Totally lethargic. Limp. Weak.

Made me feel very very old to see bright young things around me amuse themselves with flare-candles. Field was bereft of people too. A paltry attendance.

Maybe I've seen too many good shows at Glasters for this craic.