Concert: U2, SSE Hydro (#2)

Hello, hello.. last U2 concert in Britain this year! After an amazing show the night before, I was hoping for great things. I had a lie-in, of course.. the exorbitant price charged for hotel breakfasts means I don't pay for them, which has the added bonus of not having to get up for them. Mind you, the mattress was too hard for me, and I woke up stiff and sore several times, eventually putting a pillow under me for some softness.

When I finally did get out of bed, it was to a grey and drizzly day. I went foraging, in the vague direction of where I'd seen some restaurants across the river. Before I found them though, I struck gold in the form of a Tesco Express, which I dived into for some supplies - breakfast, wine, chocolates, toiletries.. that empty fridge in my room would prove handy. I then decamped back there - they hadn't cleaned my room yet, but that was ok - and pigged out for the afternoon. On a rainy day in Glasgow, what else are you gonna do?

I had intended to return to the restaurants for my evening meal, but in the event my stomach was a bit dicey, so I decided it'd be wiser just to repeat my chicken burger option of the night before. Also meant a later departure. My phone camera was working this time..

 

That's the venue - the SSE Hydro - with the Clyde Auditorium to its left. Note the lack of pedestrian crossings..

Once inside, it was busier than the night before - I'd left an hour later. Unfortunately, this meant a really long queue for my burger, during which they started announcing that the concert would start in x amount of time, and would people please take their seats. I knew they were fibbing, but it was still unnerving, since I hadn't had a chance to order yet. Even when I had got my burger, they were still at it, so that I gulped it down and dashed in search of my entrance.

This time, I was seated on Level 2 (of 3 in total). There are escalators, but not many, so stairs it was - I found my entrance door, and asked the nice man where to go for my seat. He gestured upwards. Row T, it seemed, was third from the back of this section. But my seat was on the other side of the row, so rather than push past everyone (most people had taken their seats by now, it was well after 8), his advice was to go up to the walkway just at the top of that section, walk across and take the steps down on the other side.

Sensible advice, and up I went - a bit dubiously, as it was both high and steep, and regular readers will know I have a problem with steps. And these places never, never have handrails. Well, I made it up to the walkway, hurried across to the next steps.. and froze. A phobic's nightmare - I had to descend a steep flight of stairs, with no rail, and a long, uninterrupted view in front of me, not even a barrier at the end. "Oh shit!" I groaned, audibly. Well, the nice lady at the end of the back row heard me, understood the problem, and grabbed my arm to steady me - which got me down the first row. I managed to clamber - undignifiedly - down two more, and with no small amount of relief, excused myself to the people at the end and climbed into my row. Kicking over a drink container in my haste - I hope it was empty..

So yes, I was higher than the night before..

In this shot, you can see the round, e stage, with the catwalk leading to the i stage, a vidiwall suspended from the ceiling above the catwalk. The passage left clear to the left of the e stage is for Bono's grand entrance. The standing crowd is clustered around the stages and catwalk - and indistinguishable from them, the Level 0 seating, where I was the night before. Above that, you can see the seating in Levels 1, 2 (where I was), and 3 - a little bit, to the left of the ceiling lights. That smaller light on the right is the famous lightbulb that is suspended above the i stage before the concert starts..

I found myself seated with two girls to my right who had Yorkshire accents by the sound of it, and were just thrilled to be there. You could tell by the spontaneous shrieking. One of them was examining the celebrity section with her zoom lens - and how gratifying it was that the celebrity seats were side-on to the vidiwall: worst seats in the house, for this show! Anyway, she spotted Jim Kerr through her lens, and was good enough to point him out to me - he was the one who was waving at the crowd, it seems. Those on the floor had spotted him too, and were waving back.

When People Have the Power started, as usual, I jumped up - well, rather carefully, given my elevated position! Yes, it did make me a bit woozy at first.. it was gratifying to see the people on both sides of me in my row do the same: particularly since ours seemed to be the only row nearby that was standing. Cue a night of terrific audience participation - hang the rest of our section, we in Row T inspired each other!

Setlist:

SET 1

The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)
Gloria
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

ENCORE

City Of Blinding Lights
Beautiful Day
Bad
40

It was nice, particularly for the video sections, that the people in front of me didn't stand. I say this just as an observation - I'd have had no objection if they had, it was just handy if they didn't - but even if they had, the rake was so steep that you still had a good view. Actually, the girl behind me asked the woman behind whether she'd mind if she stood, and received the reply that why would she, when she'd be standing herself! In parts, it would've been nice if the people in front of me had stood.. when I was standing and they weren't, I was suffering some serious vertigo - and for once, I was glad not to be on the aisle.

The girl pulled onstage for Mysterious Ways was Elena, from Italy. As I sat for Every Breaking Wave - as is my wont, and as the people around me mostly did as well - I suddenly noticed that I had a great view of the mixing desk. Now, I don't usually take photos during a U2 concert, but this was a good opportunity, and I've had the emotional experience of the song before. So..

It's a complicated mixing desk, with the screens at the side devoted to video. In the second shot, of course, I got the e stage in as well, with Bono singing in front of The Edge, on piano.

During Bullet the Blue Sky, Bono has developed a habit of making paper planes and throwing them into the audience. During Pride the night before, someone threw one back at him. No such efforts tonight. :-)

During City of Blinding Lights, Bono - for the first time in ages - pulled a guy out of the audience and exchanged jackets with him, giving him his sunglasses. This impressed the girl to my left no end, who looked at me in amazement.. he returned his jacket to him later, remarking that the guy's phone was ringing.

Highlight of the night for me, and others, was Bad. They tend to finish their run in any given city with that, and 40 - this was obviously news to the girl with the zoom lens, who broke down when she heard the opening chords of Bad. She set me off not long after - it's a song with a lot of meaning for us longterm U2 fans. Towards the end of the song, Bono started collecting flags from the audience, finally clutching them all together in his fist - I hadn't realised before that that line went "like a burning flag". I saw Ireland, Poland, Argentina, Brazil, Belgium.. they were throwing them at him. I'm sure none of the owners took it personally when he flung them from him at the end of the song - he's never been one for flags, and we know it.

40 finished the night, with the crowd in fine voice. Even after the lights came up, and Simple Minds started to play over the pa, the crowd took up the refrain of 40 again. And the girl to my left turned to me, and the Yorkshire girls to my right, and in an American accent, thanked us profusely for being so enthusiastic - she'd thought she'd be the only one. Turned out this was her 21st U2 concert. She was lucky - this was the concert of the tour so far, for me at least. If the night before had been special, this was transcendent. Made by the size of the venue, as well as the devotion of the crowd.

I had planned my exit carefully - up to the overhead walkway again and take one of the back stairs, which I wasn't sure had rails, but they did have walls I could hold onto. On the way, I passed that helpful woman, and assured her that I wouldn't go down the way I had earlier. The back stairs did indeed have railings, and I exited without incident - passing the escalator on the way, and wondering how on earth that was accessed. And all the way out.. and all the way back to the hotel.. I heard people around me singing the refrain of 40. And people remarking how phenomenal that was. One guy remarked to his pal, "That's made my year!" to which his pal replied, "It's made your life!" The first guy just smiled and spread his arms wide..

This is a terrific tour for fans - not only do we get a great show, with unprecedented visuals, but all these classics that we normally have to pray to see are written into the permanent setlist. And there are more, on rotation, and surprises every now and again. And o my, I still have Dublin to go..!

I'd have loved to blog that night, but had an early start to make my flight. As it was, I was late to bed - didn't have enough sleep, but got myself out in good time. Checkout was quick, with everything paid already, and my map helped me to get to the bus stop, whose location I'd noted the day before, looking it up online. It wasn't long till the bus arrived - whose driver didn't bat an eyelid that I'd paid less than the proper rate - and I was soon at the airport. Where I checked in - somewhat delayed, being after a family of seven, whom I passed at the automatic boarding pass scanners while they were trying to figure out how to get the kids through - and then had half an hour to kill before my gate was announced..

..and our plane was a twin-prop. On a windy, cloudy day. Hmm. At least I was in the front row - I usually wouldn't like this, what with having to stow all my cabin baggage in the overhead lockers. On this occasion, I didn't mind - and given how bumpy the flight was, I'm very proud of myself for surviving so well without travel pills! This was the first time I've flown without them on such a small plane.

Crossing Dublin was a blast from the past - it's the first time in a long time I've heard a Dublin accent, apart from watching Fair City. If the weather was bad in Glasgow, however, it was worse in Dublin, and it did strike me how terrible it typically is in Celtic countries. Torrential rain dogged us on the bus to Heuston Station - there was no way I could get a direct flight to Shannon, so a train from Dublin was the only answer. And, by the way, Heuston - which is pretty much exposed - was freezing. I started with a light lunch in the café, where I adopted one of the pigeons fluttering about, which pecked up all the mess I made from my overstuffed turkey and stuffing sandwich. I didn't make as much mess with the éclair. And then the pigeon shat on the floor..

I mooched around the concourse for ages, waiting for a platform announcement - it was too cold to sit, way more so than even Glasgow. When it finally came, I joined the scrum - after a long trek to Platform 8, we crushed together at the barriers, which only opened when everyone was off the inbound train. When I booked my ticket, they made me reserve a seat - ironically, because when I found it, it was occupied. No surprise - my name was not displayed in the LCD display overhead, as promised. Typical Irish Rail - I'd forgotten how unreliable they are. Anyway, I got another seat in the same set of four - which, by the way, wasn't the configuration as advertised on the website. And I was privy to the most boring conversation, between a medical student (sat in my seat) and his college pal, an accountant - centring mainly on the student's life in Budapest, where he's studying, and how hot foreign girls are in comparison with Irish ones..

Well, it's a long, long train journey when you're not used to it, and I was exhausted by day's end. So, no blog. And today, I got caught up with other things, including a typically delicious dinner at the Abbey Tavern. But hey, I made it at last! I fly back to London tomorrow - and after a flat viewing on Wednesday, I have a free ticket to the ballet at Fairfield Halls, assuming I get there in time.

Concert: U2, SSE Hydro (#1)

After much organisation, the day finally arrived to head to Glasgow to see U2! I even got ready early enough that I had time for a decent breakfast. Took the Tube to Heathrow - much less crowded than at my usual time, of course. Made security with 10 minutes to spare, and headed to the gate.. where there was no hurry at all. Typical BA. Now, when I checked in for this flight, I was surprised to see there were three blocks of seats - it'd be the first time I'd flown on a plane like that since 2003, when I flew to Vancouver for a few months. They wanted to give me a window seat in Row 24 - I switched that for a middle seat in Row 4. Because that'd be much more comfortable if we had turbulence. And as I waited, interminably, for boarding to commence, I mused how airlines never rate that as a priority - I'm guessing they don't want to remind us that turbulence exists, and is something they can't do much about.

There was just one boarding announcement, saying that priority boarding passengers should board first. The screens, in contrast, said all passengers should board. So I did like everyone else, and joined the end of the queue. When I got on board, I was directed to the left - you know, I'd even forgotten that there are twice as many overhead compartments on these planes! It was a 767, out of interest. Well, I disturbed the businessman with the tattoos, and took my seat. In the middle.

Good job I brought my book - we were about an hour late taking off. Seems there was a tug that they couldn't detach from the front of the plane. And we were blocking other planes, so they said we'd reverse onto the stand. Except then we couldn't. I was relieved we took off at all! The flight itself was indeed pretty turbulent, even from my elevated position at the front of the cabin - but their free wine and snacks did much to improve the journey. Again, they advertised that they were collecting change for charity.. again, they did nothing to collect it. Oh, and good luck drawing their attention - there were no call bells.

Arriving at Glasgow airport, I had a long, long trek to the exit. Found the bus stop without difficulty - it was right outside, and I knew I needed the 500 Shuttle bus. There were a lot of people for it - there were also a lot of buses, queueing at the stop (or stance). I had my return ticket to show the driver, and was soon onboard - where he said something incomprehensible in Glaswegian, then asked me when I had booked it. Seems the price had increased. Hey, no' ma problem! So, you heard it here.. they're still charging the lower price on the website. Off you go..

It was a damp day - not actually raining, but had been. A huge grey cloud lowered over the city - with brilliant sunshine coming from where the sun managed to crack through, illuminating the sandstone. Quite lovely, really. The driver obligingly told those of us staying in the Hilton (and a list of other hotels) to get off at the first stop - which I already knew. Got my map out, but it's easy really - just head towards the river (which is downhill), and when you get to the quay, turn right and continue past two bridges. You'll find it.

An apparently friendly receptionist wasn't really engaged at all with what she was doing. I mean honestly - she was telling me that the restaurant would be busy tonight, and if I wanted it I'd need to book, "because U2 is playing across the road". Now, this was said to someone wearing a U2 t-shirt. I ask you. As if I needed to be told. As for my online check-in.. my designated room wasn't ready yet, despite me arriving an hour later than I'd said I would. This surprised her, because the system is supposed to notify them when a room needs to be ready. Anyway, she moved me to a higher floor, for which I was grateful - I hadn't realised it was on a busy road! I'm now on the 3rd floor, which seems decently quiet. And it's a comfy room.

I didn't bother with the restaurant in the end - just headed straight to the venue, figuring I'd find something to eat there. I can see it from my window, actually, but my phone battery was dead, so I left it charging in the room. And didn't take any photos. There's no direct pedestrian route to the venue, which is awkward - I, and the many walking along with me, ended up doing a lot of jay-walking, and tramping across muddy grass patches. Anyway, with the venue constantly in sight, we didn't get lost. As we approached, I saw a long queue snaking to the side, where a sign indicated that this was for people with standing tickets. Crikey, they were only letting them in now?! I was pretty early, but it was about 6:20..

I headed to the other door, where an usher expressed surprise when I said I needed Door A, as written on my ticket. She'd thought that was standing only - anyway, I got in, and saw two fast-food stands inside: a noodle place and a "Big Grill". Decided I'd rather the latter, and was gratified to see they also sold alcohol. So I had a chicken burger and a glass of wine. The wine came in a plastic container, with a sealed lid - she screwed a stem onto it before giving it to me. As for the food, we all had to wait in a second queue to the side, simply because it was taking so long to get ready. Mind you, it was worth it - the burger was absolutely delicious, coming as it did in a brioche bun with jalapeno mayo. I ate it standing at the bin, which was the only table available.. they were kind enough to provide cardboard trays to eat out of, but no napkins..

When I'd finished, I headed for the entrance door to the arena, and soon understood the usher's surprise. I was entering at one of the floor entrances! O my, wouldn't I have loved to be standing near the stage. Those tickets are like gold dust, though. Instead, I turned to the side, where another usher directed me up the steps of the seating - I was second row from the back of that block. But you know, it's a more intimate venue than the O2 in London - capacity of only 13,000, it seems - and it looks it. DO YOU KNOW.. that makes it the smallest venue where I've seen U2.. since 1989!! Omigod. And I was practically at floor level.

Two ladies arrived during People Have the Power - good timing, as I remarked. Their seats - further along my row - seemed to have been occupied already. So they just sat in the free seats beside me. When the occupants of those seats finally arrived, they just sat in the free seats in the row in front - an upgrade for them! Mind you, there were two free seats only because people were standing for a song. To his credit, the guy on the end spent the rest of the concert standing, to accommodate everyone. A most pragmatic solution, I think.

So, the band members were the biggest, relative to my seat, that I'll probably see them this tour. Setlist:

SET 1

The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)
The Electric Co.
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
Elevation
Sweetest Thing
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

City Of Blinding Lights
Beautiful Day
One

 

The girl who danced with Bono during Mysterious Ways was familiar to him - she hadn't been on stage before, but he'd seen her at several concerts. She was coy about saying exactly how many she'd been to though! Her name was Jackie, she was from Fife, and she did a sterling job of camerawork during Elevation. During Sweetest Thing, Bono tried the piano again - briefly - and told us that his wife once asked him whether the song was really hers. "Yes," he said, "it was written for you." "No," she replied, "are the publishing rights mine?" "What would you do with them?" Well, now the rights are hers, and she puts them to good use helping the Children of Chernobyl, with whose charity she's deeply involved.

 

Tonight was a special night - best yet of the tour. The sense of camaraderie was helped - for me - by the fact that all I could see was a sea of people, no division between seats and floor. The man in front of me turned around during Where the Streets Have No Name, just to say "awesome"! Quite. I was still singing when I got back to my room - that doesn't often happen. On the way, mind, I did stop off at the lobby to buy a soft drink - I was parched, as usual after a concert - and a small bottle of wine. Very practical system they have at the Hilton - buy whatever you want at reception, pop it in the (empty) fridge in your room. Saves them having to restock the minibar, saves you having to remember how much you're spending.

 

Oh, and my phone was charged:

 

 

(you can just see the SSE Hydro, behind "The Rotunda"). And the building you can see on the right is a hotel - turns out there are two closer than mine! Huh. Well, I'm still only five minutes' walk away..

 

As usual, I'm not having breakfast - I'd have to pay extra, and it's never worth it. Plus it means you have to get up early. The receptionist was surprised at my not wanting to do that.. instead, I'll head across the river for brunch, there are a number of restaurants over there.. And I have great expectations for tomorrow night, despite being seated much higher up.

 

Flying back to Ireland on Sunday, and to London on Tuesday..