Not having to get up for breakfast - since they charge for it, and it's as much of a rip-off as any other hotel - I rose late and started the day with a bath. What a luxury - I haven't had one for years, I can't afford them in London with the price of water. And then I strolled off for brunch. I knew there was a shopping centre right across the road, and figured that would be as good a place as any. And once I stepped outside the door into the heat, I knew I didn't want to venture any further.
I had to walk right around to find the entrance, and it turns out to be a very new (many units not yet open), and very swanky centre:
After some more exploration, I did find the eateries, and chose Canas y Tapas for the simple reason that (a) it had an English-language menu and (b) it had tables available. Sadly, when she brought me the menu, it was not in English. But luckily, there were a couple of understandable options on the special, €12 menu, and I had those - espagueti Carbonara is pretty easy, and escalope de ternera.. I know that much (ternera is beef). It's not like I know no Spanish.. but in Barcelona, most things aren't in Spanish, they're in Catalan, which is that bit different. Actually, I'd have liked croquettes, but couldn't figure out the different fillings..
I also ordered wine (my second day with wine for breakfast!), which came in a dinky glass bottle, carafe-size. The spaghetti was lovely - lighter than you might expect, and didn't fill me up. And the beef escalope wasn't half as dry as that one I had in Malbun last year - how they managed to dessicate anything that much, I cannot say! No, this was all very pleasant - the only problem being the sun beating on my back. They do have sun coverings overhead, but you can never escape it completely - and they had no space inside. When I'd finished, it did take her forever to bring the bill, but then they were very busy. And was I ever pleased to discover that the wine was included in the €12! You'd never see that back home..
I wanted to get out of the sun, so declined a dessert there and investigated the ice cream parlour across the path. Where I was intrigued by the sorbet range, and chose the lemon and mint one, which she made on the spot - lemon and lime ice cream, a slice of lemon, a sprig of mint, and ice cubes all going in a blender. And it was delicious.. until I got about halfway down and it turned to sludge, which I could no longer suck through the straw. I soldiered on until I'd had about 2/3 of it, then gave up and made my way slowly back to the hotel, in the heat. Went online in the bar, to discover the hotel had replied to a review I'd made of them, saying they were sorry, but there must have been a misunderstanding at check-in.. WiFi is free throughout the hotel! Hmm.. not so much at check-in, but it says on the website, and in the in-room directory, that WiFi is charged for in the rooms. Wish they'd get their story straight.
I had a nap, had some more croquettes in the bar (found them very salty) and headed out, map in hand, to climb the mountain to the concert. For the Palau Sant Jordi is at the top of Montjuic. I chose the closest hotel I could find, and Google Maps said it was a half-hour walk. There was certainly no confusion about my route until I was on Carrer del Foc, where all the turn-offs turned out to be car parks, and you do indeed keep climbing straight ahead. Speaking of climbing.. yes, it's a steady climb (although not steep) all the way up Carrer del Foc. For about 15 minutes, it took me - added to the time it took to get to that road, that makes 40 minutes total. I am not fit, lemme tell you! Walking on the flat - fine. Climbing for 15 minutes.. I saw my life flash before my eyes. A French woman that passed remarked to her companion that this was her cardio for the week.. (you're close to the French border here, and there were plenty of French at the concert).
Actually, it seemed as though most people had never been there before, and as they passed me (I was moving slowest), I was asked for directions a number of times, in a number of languages. Fat chance they had, I hadn't a clue. "Straight on and it's on the left" was as much as I knew. We did eventually make it, and were then clueless as to where the entrance to this large building was situated. Walking around the perimeter, we came across crowds of people coming from the other direction, hence from town, and we eventually came to the entrance lanes - mostly devoid of people at this late stage, about 20 minutes before (official) start time. I picked the nearest lane, and hoped I was right. The two girls in front of me asked the steward whether they were in the right line for the floor (standing) and when he said they were, they squealed in delight and scurried forward. To the amusement of the people behind me - they hadn't looked like teeny-boppers, dressed as they were in smart clothes and high heels..
The steward at the next division was just anxious to know whether people had seats or were standing, and I had to assure him a few times that I was sure I had a seat. So I got a line all to myself, and was in quickly. Crowded, crowded.. I had a quick look at the merchandising, but didn't see anything new - and no programme stands! There was a handy map of the different sectors, so I knew to continue to the end, and found my place without too much difficulty. And oh, what a fantastic seat.. front row, right to the side of the "i" stage:
I was sat just above Red Zone, as it happened, which is much better located than it was in Amsterdam, and borders the stage. I still maintain, though, that it's no advantage for this set-up, where the band moves throughout the whole floor area.
Well, Barcelona absolutely trumps Amsterdam for crowd enthusiasm! It was like someone spiked their coffee.. like someone put a bomb under them. They were electric! Someone screamed at one point (over-excited) and my whole section jumped to its feet. Bono developed a habit of saying "wow!" throughout the concert, and frequently stood back and let us sing the songs.
Speaking of which, here's the setlist (and how handy it is that it's reproduced now on u2.com)..
SET 1
The Miracle (of
Joey Ramone)Out Of Control
Vertigo
I Will Follow
Iris (Hold Me Close)
Cedarwood Road
Song for Someone
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Raised By Wolves
Until The End Of The World
SET 2
Invisible
Even Better Than The Real Thing
Mysterious Ways
Desire
Angel Of Harlem
Every Breaking Wave
October
Bullet The Blue Sky
Zooropa
Where The Streets Have No Name
Pride (In The Name Of Love)
With Or Without You
Even Better Than The Real Thing
Mysterious Ways
Desire
Angel Of Harlem
Every Breaking Wave
October
Bullet The Blue Sky
Zooropa
Where The Streets Have No Name
Pride (In The Name Of Love)
With Or Without You
ENCORE
It was so cool - there was a particularly hyper guy, just to the right of me, who went crazy for every single song. So nice to see someone getting their money's worth.. Interesting, for this concert, was how, when Bono was saying something, a translation was provided on the vidi-wall. Thoughtful..
The "interval" between Sets 1 & 2 was, again, filled with the drum version of The Fly - the evocative words again displayed on the "wall", but this time in Spanish. The girl pulled from the audience for Mysterious Ways turned out to be French too.. oh, and if you want to watch that bit of each concert they put on Meerkat, look for pages on the U2 website referencing future concerts; they put a link to Meerkat there, so you can sign up to watch on the night.
Somebody got pulled up again to play guitar on Angel of Harlem - and turned out to be living in Dublin! Again, he got to keep the guitar - minus the strap! And a third person got pulled up to sing on City of Blinding Lights. In fact, Bono led him down the catwalk, gave him his sunglasses and jacket to put on, and waved bye-bye, sending him into the darkness. He spent the rest of the concert without them, and the other chap wasn't seen again. As someone remarked, it's the first time in 20 years we've seen Bono (in concert) without his glasses! And I did feel that little bit closer to him. I think it was deliberate - I do think he was moved by the sheer force of emotion in tonight's audience, and wanted to connect. Lordy, the next two will be incredible at this rate. If this was a Tuesday night crowd..!
I was absolutely wrecked by the time I got back to the hotel, despite the downward walk back. Drained the minibar of water, and am looking forward to my bed. I fly back tomorrow, late afternoon, and am headed to People, Places and Things at the National on Thursday. Good job I booked early - apparently they're completely sold out now. The London Dramatic Arts group is off there on Saturday, so we can compare notes! On Friday, I'm here for the last two U2 concerts in Spain this year.. and I have some walking ahead of me, eh?
On Monday, I'm back with the Crick Crack Storytelling Club, in the Soho Theatre again, for an interesting-sounding evening called The Heart of a Hero, apparently with an Egyptian storyteller. And on Tuesday, I'm back with the World Music Meetup, for Varlden's Band, in Rich Mix. Long time no see this group!
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