Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Stadion Maksimir / Zagreb / Croatia
Concert date: 10.08.2009
Attendance: 60
Ticket price: 500,00HRK (floor) / 250,00HRK (stands) / 2000,00HRK (VIP boxes and Red Zone)
Day two of U2 in Zagreb had arrived. This was the famous one, the first officially confirmed U2 date in Croatia on the “360°” tour. The night before, you could feel that U2 kept their distance from the crowd in Zagreb: reserved, a bit lofty, and with a toned-down stage performance of the setlist, which went above all for frontman Bono Vox. They left the impression that they were trying to lean on the dominance of the gigantic stage rig they haul around the tour, and to steer the attention of the masses below the stage toward the wealth of lighting effects. In other words, it could mean that U2 can’t tame the new stage on this tour and that it can swallow them at any moment, i.e. take over as the main attraction of watching their show. But the music is still the most important thing in all of this. If you want the clearest possible picture of U2’s whole 2009 wander across Europe, you should first read the far more detailed RockLine report of the concertU2 played in Zagreb on day one, on that fateful date, 09.08.2009.
There were quite a few arguments backing the expectation that the U2 concert announced for 10.08.2009 would be better than the one on 09.08.2009, at the same location of course. A much bigger crowd of fans packed the floor. You honestly couldn’t move an inch, standing on the floor about 40m from the main stage (10m from the red sector). The closer the show got, the more balloons turned up in the fans’ hands. Balloons before U2’s first Zagreb show? What’s that about? Clearly the stadium was awaiting the band with an even more devoted crowd than before. That makes sense, since 10.08.2009 was the first officially confirmed U2 date, the one for the Zagreb show, and you had to try like hell to get a ticket, which the most fanatical U2 fans were of course especially motivated to do.
After an agonizing countdown of minutes, we got what was basically an identical picture from both support acts, The Hours and Snow Patrol, which makes you rightly wonder whether it’s a good idea to serve up such musical ignorance and artistic bluff ahead of mass-attendance U2 rock concerts. For the benefit of any individual’s musical horizons on planet Earth, surely not, but for the safe marketing of sky-high corporate profits that couldn’t care less about the harm that follows, this move is the only logical, necessary, demanded one. People are dumb anyway and don’t know what the word “indie” means, which gets slapped on bands like The Hours or Snow Patrol. Both bands played identical sets on the second day at Maksimir too, and shook out a bit more kinetic energy and looseness, but they still couldn’t wash off the feeling of pure, strictly professional routine. How Snow Patrol and The Hours work is recorded in the report on the U2 visit from 09.08.2009, which you’ll find HERE.
The same situation played out right before U2 took the stage, of course. First Bowie’s Space Oddity, then the lights go out, and Mullen starts working the drums in the intro of Breathe. Bass and guitar join him from left and right, the stadium goes nuts, and then the dazzlingly bright Bono Vox steps into the whole scene, the first face and voice of U2. This time, though, there was that something in the air, and the result was that the U2 show came across far more convincingly than the day before at the same place. Not for a single moment did you get the feeling that the stage set was running the band. No, the band looked in command, and the whole construction they dragged along finally made sense, as an important extra that elevates every U2 concert spectacle. Bono himself approached things from the start in a way that built the bridge between the band and the audience much more easily. He also seemed far livelier and more potent than the day before. The sparks flew in his vocals too, which felt more heartfelt. The other three pillars of the band were flawless as well. Each contributed their share, which is irreplaceable in creating U2’s uniqueness, and the band developed its trademark chemistry, which puts it in a place all its own in the world of rock music. At these prices, who would even dare to think of anything else?
The band shuffled the setlist, and the rocky wah-wah chords brought Mysterious Ways to the stage, where Bono invited a girl named Simona up to show the stadium her belly-dancing skills. Then came the “lost” I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, and instead of Stay, which they played the previous day, Bono and Edge performed an acoustic Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of all by themselves.
Once again the concert came into its own in the second half. Thanks above all to a much more fiery crowd response, it conjured up a much better vibe, stronger feelings, greater conviction, and added up to something even more real than on day one. Of course, we once again couldn’t miss Bono’s political sermons, which peaked with the dedication of Walk On to the Burmese political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi. The main set was rounded off again by the indispensable Where The Streets Have No Name.
The band comes back and brings One to the stage. You’d have a hard time finding a better spot for it in the concert setlist. It sounds ridiculously intense, with the whole stadium singing along fanatically, and the shivers down the spine and goosebumps were of course not missing. The second encore, With Or Without You, kept the heat on and carried the crowd in the bosom of U2 magic, and the closer Moment Of Surrender, even though it’s no mega U2 hit, fit perfectly well in a much more compact and convincing show.
So if we compare the two days of U2 concerts in Zagreb, the second day’s crowd came out way ahead. The responsiveness and zeal of the second day’s crowd below the stage carried over to the quartet, which conjured up exactly what we came for. They showed off their unique selves, which, with all that fabulously expensive stuff around them, blossomed into the glory every single person in the crowd had quietly pictured and dreamily visualized in their expectations before the show. So the victory of the U2 shows in Zagreb goes to day two!
photos: Robi Lipej
Setlist
1. Breathe 2. No Line On The Horizon 3. Get On Your Boots 4. Magnificent 5. Beautiful Day 6. Mysterious Ways / Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough (snippet) 7. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / Stand By Me (snippet) 8. Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of 9. Unknown Caller 10. The Unforgettable Fire 11. City Of Blinding Lights 12. Vertigo 13. I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight 14. Sunday Bloody Sunday 15. Pride (In The Name Of Love) 16. MLK 17. Walk On 18. Where The Streets Have No Name —encore I.— 19. One —encore II.— 20. Ultra Violet (Light My Way) 21. With Or Without You / Shine Like Stars (snippet) 22. Moment of Surrender
Photo gallery
