Only a band of U2’s stature could persuade Jay-Z into taking up the position of ‘support act’. It would be impossible to imagine the ‘godfather of rap’ accepting the humbling role in differing circumstances.
Only a band of U2’s stature could persuade Jay-Z into taking up the position of ‘support act’. It would be impossible to imagine the ‘godfather of rap’ accepting the humbling role in differing circumstances.
The coming together of the two superstars may, initially, seem unlikely, but within the realm of U2’s statement-making inclinations, it’s perfect. It’s not merely a love affair with hip-hop notables (Kanye West supported U2 on their 2006 Australian Tour), but an effective break-down of stereotypes. How often does one witness middle-aged folks nodding along to lines such as Izzo’s “fo’ shizzle my nizzle used to dribble down in va”. It’s a sight to behold, indeed.
On To The Next One – from The Blueprint 3 – summoned the first synchronised raising-of-arms and Jay-Z’s excellent band (brass ensemble included) ensured that the rhythmically-intoxicating song was executed brilliantly. Empire State Of Mind evoked pure euphoria while Jay-Z’s clever usage of song samples delighted many (from Alphaville’s Forever Young and Linkin Park’s Numb to Radiohead’s Everything In Its Right Place). Towards the end of the set, a multitude of fans were mimicking Jay-Z’s diamond-shaped ‘Roc sign’ and swinging their shirts fanatically upon invitation. The king of hip-hop commanded our attention with his indomitable force and sheer genius, while reminding the crowd of his beloved lost soldiers: Tupac Shakur, Biggie Smalls and Aaliyah.
U2’s 360 Degree Tour is an ostentatious and extravagant musical production, but it’s also a remarkably impressive one. While it’s difficult not to feel uneasy in recalling its ridiculous costs (and climate change campaigners would faint upon calculating the tour’s carbon footprint), it takes much more than egotism to go to such lengths for a musical performance. This is an ambitious undertaking and a 50-metre high ‘spaceship on four legs’ stage design known as ‘The Claw’ lies at the centre of it all. The Claw is an incredibly striking sight and its world-class expanding video screen is astounding – made up of video panels attached to a pantograph, it’s composed of over a million pieces. It was ironic, then, that U2 emerged into sight in an unexpectedly subtle manner. Only the video screen informed the audience of their presence as Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. walked from the back of the stadium on to the magnificent stage.
The Irish superstars opened with a riff-heavy new song entitled Return Of The Stingray Guitar before launching into their massive hits Beautiful Day and I Will Follow. Get On Your Boots and Magnificent – from their latest album, No Line On The Horizon – continued to bring the highly energised anthems, even if they’re among the band’s less remarkable songs. Bono delivered his most outstanding vocal performance in Miss Sarajevo when he sung Luciano Pavarotti’s operatic contribution to the track with impassioned gusto. The timeless profundity of Sunday Bloody Sunday was given a fresh interpretation with Jay-Z re-emerging on stage for a rap accompaniment. Bono’s admiration for the hip-hop icon was palpable as he continued to assert his talents and praise him as a “great man”. While Walk On is, undoubtedly, one of U2’s finest songs, it was largely underappreciated by tonight’s crowd.
U2 have clearly mastered the ideals of the encore. After the main set, a video featuring a speech from South African activist Desmond Tutu engaged the audience before Amnesty International lanterns were brought out and placed along the rims of the stage walkways. Bono reminded the 60,000 fans of the remaining political prisoners and the inspiring story of recently released Burmese democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi (he wasn’t merely name-checking; U2 have been supporting her cause passionately for the past decade). It was only fitting that such a reflective moment was followed by the performances of their quintessential classics, One and Where The Streets Have No Name.
For their second encore, the quartet unleashed the seductive strains of Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me, which – despite being insanely infectious – seemed oddly placed between the affecting pieces that preceded it and the songs that followed… With Or Without You and Moment Of Surrender. Although the latter is a definitive moment on U2’s latest album, it proved a challenge to encapsulate its earnestness within the intimidating space of a stadium.
The Melbourne audience seemed more intent on hollering to U2’s hits than being moved by emotive or political passion, which was disappointing. It’s a reality reinforced by the fact that half of the concert’s attendees would own no more than a third of U2’s catalogue; for those in possession of the group’s full catalogue, it’s implausible that we would ever walk away from a performance completely fulfilled, but it’s also unlikely that such a factor would prevent us from attending each of U2’s Australian tours.
With such a remarkable stage production comes a greater need to prove oneself – artistically and emotionally – in the face of such extravagance. There were still moments of compelling poignancy, but it’s about time U2 reworked their set list so as to include more of their finer and more affecting songs rather than subjecting devotees to predictable hits. That being said, the stirring brilliance ofWhere The Streets Have No Name, Bad, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, One, Miss Sarajevo, Walk On, Sunday Bloody Sunday (feat. Jay-Z) and the touching Amnesty International dedication did offer an enduring stream of emotional reverence amidst the lofty extravagance of rock’s grandest live production.
Check out more great pictures from the Night by Charles Newbury in our Snaps section.
