Concert: U2 (Nederland #2)

So, last U2 concert in the Ziggo Dome for the year. First, I needed to eat - so I decided to try Vapiano, just across the road from the hotel. Never tried it before- it turns out that you get a card, which you take with you to the open kitchen (in this case, two stories down, but there is a lift). Queue at the counter for what you roughly want - salad, pasta, pizza - specify exactly what you want when you get there,  and it's cooked in front of you. You can tell them exactly how you want it, and two can be done at a time. You can also pick up soft drinks there- alcohol is available at a separate bar. Hold your card up to be charged- you hand it in as you leave, and the total is calculated. 

Plenty of seating,  most already occupied on the kitchen level. I was lucky to get the last free table there - and not even a high one! I have to say, my carbonara was delicious, and good value. However, it wasn't going to be enough for the night - I was going to have to eat again. 

Back to the hotel- for one thing, my phone needed charging- and once I'd finished watching Paul O' Grady in South Africa, I set out again. Decided on De Nachtwacht on a whim, knowing I wasn't as hungry as on previous occasions, and seeing they had beef satay.

I was sat in the attractive conservatory overlooking the square. Seeing "bread with garlic butter" on the menu again, but this time in the "hot starters" section, I had to give it a shot. Not as successful as La Vaca, I'm afraid- the bread wasn't very good, the butter was kind of greasy.. oh, and of course it wasn't hot! My satay was very tasty, but the taste became cloying after a while and I couldn't finish it. It came with salad - I'd also ordered fries, which were doughy. And the sauvignon blanc was watery. Not a place I'll be returning to. 

And so to the stadium, where the floor queue must have extended for half a mile. I was in much faster, and all the way up to the second tier, where I was in the front row. I'd been worried that I'd get vertigo and be unable to stand- but the railing is quite substantial. Or that, like the 3Arena in Dublin, they'd ban people from standing in the front row of the balcony, for safety reasons. Nope, the only restriction was on leaving your drink on the rail, in case it fell. And although I was higher than last night, on balance I prefer to be where I can see the vidiwall properly. 

setlist

1. The Blackout
2. Lights of Home
3. I Will Follow
4. All Because Of You
5. Beautiful Day
6. Zoo Station
7. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
8. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
(Intermission - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me)
9. Elevation
10. Vertigo / Rebel Rebel (snippet)
11. Even Better Than The Real Thing
12. Hall of Mirrors (snippet) / Acrobat
13. You're The Best Thing About Me
14. Summer Of Love
15. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
16. Get Out Of Your Own Way
17. New Year's Day
18. Ode To Joy (snippet) / City Of Blinding Lights

encore(s):
19. Women of the World (snippet) / One
20. Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
21. 13 (There Is A Light)

So, same as last night, with the substitution of All Because of You instead of Gloria. I love Gloria live- so I was to be glad they didn't play it tonight. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, for all my praise of Amsterdam as somewhere I wouldn't be required to sit, I had the misfortune, tonight, to be in a section of zombies, who couldn't be persuaded to stand at any point of the evening.

I've honestly never seen anything like it. They made me sit during I Will Follow, and the poor guy beside me thought, surely for Pride he could get them up.. Nope, they stared him out, and he was forced to sit instead. As someone once wondered, WTF are they doing at a rock concert if they're not prepared to stand at all?! Let them stay home with a hot drink and watch a recording, let the seats go to proper fans. We'd all be much more comfortable. 

It wasn't the whole crowd, they were standing all around us. And the band played their hearts out- but these concerts, for me, although I prefer the setlists, don't come up to the standard of those in Madrid. Bono remarked, near the end, that he didn't know when he'd see Amsterdam again- no new tour planned then, I guess, but at least he didn't say they'd never be back. 

Flying back tomorrow afternoon, taking the whole day off, naturally, and that evening I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for The Height of the Storm, at Wyndham's. Booked through What's on Stage.

On Wednesday, I'm with Let's Do This for another Turkish meal - this time at Sofra. It'll also be the first time since June I'll have met Mary! 


On Thursday, film again - already booked though, because they were already selling out. It's part of the London Film Festival at the BFI - Be Natural is the story of Alice Guy - Blaché, the first female filmmaker, and is narrated by Jodie Foster. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend, again.

Next Monday, back with North London Friends for The Wild Duck, by Ibsen, at the Almeida. I wasn't in time to get one of their tickets, so booked my own - what the hey.

On the 16th, comedy with Ahir Shah at Soho Theatre.

On the 17th, a real dose of nostalgia - Mayerling ballet, at the Opera House. My favourite ballet, this was also the last event we attended here with the Man with the Hat. And the second last event ever. At least it'll be less evocative since, for once, I'm sitting facing full-on! He always had us in the slips, so I haven't faced the Opera House stage since I started with his groups! I'd watch it blindfolded just to have him back again, though. We miss you, MwtH.

On the 18th - why, I'm off to Manchester. For U2, unsurprisingly. Yes, I get busier around now as they come around these parts. Taking the train that evening - it was the cheapest, and so much handier than having to make my way to and from airports and watch what I pack! I should arrive walking distance from my hotel, Roomzzz Corn Exchange, which itself is walking distance from the venue, the Manchester Arena. And right beside the shopping centre, apparently! That could be handy.. if only to buy provisions, as this is an aparthotel, so I can cater for myself.

The concerts themselves are on the 19th and 20th, and I'm expecting a more enthusiastic audience than my section tonight! Ironically, the English concerts are the only ones whose tickets are being posted to me - and would you believe it, what with booking them in January and moving in June, I completely forgot to make the connection. So I forgot to update my address with Ticketmaster (TM). Just remembered last weekend, by which time it seems they'd already been posted. I've contacted my old flatmates, but the only response I got was from one who's also moved out - happily, TM says, if I contact them that week, they'll void the old tickets and issue new ones that I can pick up at the box office. There's always some palaver on a U2 tour, and this isn't the first time I've had to pick up my tickets in Manchester!! Outside of England, they're all e-tickets..

I take the train back on the 21st. Better not leave it too late, as I've actually booked for the Smithfield & Clerkenwell Walk: Guts & Glory, with Walking in London - but more specifically, with Katie of Look Up London! Excellent - I was booked for this in July, but she had to cancel. She's one of the best around. Should be close enough to me, too, and it doesn't start too early. And it being a Funzing event (like all of Walking in London's) I scoured my old Funzing discount codes, and discovered that Funzing_Fb20 seems to be working again - for all of them I've recently booked! So, a 20% discount - better than any recently offered on their Facebook page.

On the 22nd, I'm back with the Crick Crack Club for Buddha Babies, again at Soho Theatre. Naturally, not advertised on their Meetup group.

On the 23rd & 24th, I don't have to travel so far to see U2 - they're playing the O2 in London. These tickets, I got my address changed in time for, it seems - they're also being posted. Helen is going on the 23rd.. sat in the corporate box, poshly! Nah, I'd rather be closer and sweatier, thanks! I wonder how many of them stand..

The 25th is my colleague's last day before he quits for a new life in Stockholm - we're headed out that night. Amazing that I still had that day free when we arranged it!

On the 26th, I fly to Belfast. Yep, U2 again. Told ya. Staying in the Crescent Townhouse, walking distance from the SSE Arena, where the concerts take place on the 27th and 28th. On the 29th, I'm taking the train down to my mother for a week - makes more sense than jetting back and forth to her!

On the 5th, I'm back up to Dublin. U2 again, dont'cha know? Staying in the Clayton again, which is a hop, skip and jump from the 3Arena, where there are concerts on the 5th and 6th. Would you believe, not even I could swing a ticket for the 5th - well, I'll just rock up on the day, and hopefully I can get something at the box office. I have heard of such things happening. I've had stranger things happen!

On the 7th, I fly back to London (BA) - purely so I can work on the 8th of next month, before flying back to Dublin that night! Was supposed to be Cityjet, but they've now ended their flight schedule after this month - so now I'm going Ryanair. Same hotel, same venue, same band - on the 9th and 10th. I fly back on the 11th, exhausted, and finished with U2 concerts for the year!

On the 12th, I've decided to treat myself to a performance of Macbeth, at the Wanamaker Playhouse.

On the 13th, we have our monthly team outing - our colleague from Mexico might be joining us!

On the 14th, back with UITCS at last for Love Lies Bleeding, at the Print Room at the Coronet. Got my ticket from London Theatre Direct.

On the 15th, I'm going to try the Seven Deadly Sins Pub Naughty History Tour. Walking in London again, so discounted again! Then I'm back to Ireland again for the weekend.

On the 19th, News of the Strange, from the Crick Crack Club, at Soho Theatre. Not advertised on their Meetup group, of course.

On the 20th, back with UITCS for Pinter at the Pinter - Pinter plays at the Pinter Theatre. Two long ones on this occasion - this is Programme Four: Moonlight & Night School.

On the 21st, back at last with The London Jazz Meetup, who are off to the London Jazz Festival for a concert by the Faraj Suleiman Quartet at King's Place. UK premiere, apparently!

On the 22nd, with UITCS at the Garrick for Don Quixote. The only cheap tickets left for this were terrible, so I went a bit upmarket. A bit - I'm still behind a pillar!

On the 23rd, I'm on a Paranormal Activity Tour - ooh! Now, for this one, we get ghost-hunting equipment, which could make it interesting - I don't fancy the dowsing rods, myself, but we'll see. Walking in London, again. Discounted, again. And this was after my loyalty discount - so I got it at better than half price! which is good, considering the price.

On the 24th, I'm off on my own to see A Small Place, at the Gate.

On the 25th, back at last to Winter Wonderland! That evening, I'm off to Cirque Berserk - an annual tradition for me. The latest show is the cheapest, so that's the one I booked.

And on the 26th of next month, I'm back with UITCS for Programme Three of Pinter at the Pinter - Landscape / A Kind of Alaska / Monologue.

Concert: U2 (Nederland #1)

Roll up, roll up, the U2 circus is in town again (figuratively speaking) - I'm in Amsterdam. And they finally kicked off today. Today's concert, I had to get a ticket for from Viagogo. But first, food was in order- and this time, I felt like steak. 

Oh dear, where to go? I stood at the corner of Rembrandtplein and asked Google's opinion- their first suggestion was De Maria, but I went there last year, and wanted variety. So I went with their second choice- La Vaca, just around the corner, white tables and chairs outside on an attractive courtyard bordering the canal. 

Mind you,  it was a bit chilly to sit outside,  so I sat just inside the window,  where I was the only customer- it pays to go mid-afternoon. I ordered bread with garlic butter,  a 300g (!) rib-eye with mushroom sauce,  and ooh goodee, they do carafes of wine. So I had one of those too.

Ok, so the bread with garlic butter was a basket of slices of bread, accompanied by a pat of garlic butter. Not heated or anything. But that was as described, and boy was it welcome. As was the wine. I'd got half the bread eaten by the time the steak arrived- on a separate, sizzling hot plate that shared space on a larger plate with two dishes, one of chips, the other of salad. Sauce was on the side. And despite it being bigger than I normally have, I pretty much polished it off! Delish. And to top it all off, they had tartufo for dessert, which I love. Not cheap here, but good eats, and great service. Terrible WiFi though- don't even bother. As I left,  the evening rush was just starting. 

I set off for the concert in good time - and of course, the Metro line is 54, not 4! Easy enough to find my way, anyway- and a great way of getting rid of change. The fare seems expensive at €3 one-way, certainly in comparison with Madrid- but then, it's £2.70 in London Zone 1, and the €3 covers unlimited travel within the Amsterdam area and surrounds for an hour. 

I was the one to enlighten five of my fellow passengers that we shouldn't wait for the Bijlmer ArenA stop, but get off at the one before, Strandvliet. See, the ArenA is just across the road from the Ziggo Dome , where U2 are playing this year - but Strandvliet is just a little closer than the other station. Mind you, it was confusing, exiting the station into a crowd of Ajax supporters headed the other way, from a match that had just ended in the ArenA. 

Also confusing is the lack of information at the Ziggo Dome, considering that a large crowd were headed around the back of the building! Well, I don't know where they were going, but I was in the right place, at the entrance. It's simple enough really- South ring to the left,  North ring to the right (which is pretty correct, geographically). Floor entrance is in the middle,  and was the only long queue at that point- so if you're not standing,  get out of the long queue. 

I was mildly anxious at having a ticket in someone else's name, but there was no problem and I was soon in. Gratified to see a One Foundation stand where they were actually trying to recruit- it's been a while. Upstairs to the seating area - by escalator, handily - both merchandising and the bar had ridiculously long queues, so I just took my seat, glad to see the broken rails down the middle of the steps, which make it so much easier for me, with my step phobia.

Hmm, yes. End-on to the vidiwall. Well,  I've booked for 13 shows this year, and it is good to get different perspectives. Actually, this position allowed me to see a lot of what goes on around the B-stage.. and, of course, they spend most of the second half of the show down this end. It is also great to see how much attention Bono pays to the back of the room. Really, the only thing you're missing from here is the vidiwall- and that is shown on a smaller screen, high up.

Speaking of which, tonight was the least I've seen it used! Which brings me to the setlist:

setlist

1. The Blackout
2. Lights of Home
3. I Will Follow
4. Gloria
5. Beautiful Day
6. Zoo Station
7. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
8. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
(Intermission - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me)
9. Elevation
10. Vertigo / Rebel Rebel (snippet)
11. Even Better Than The Real Thing
12. Hall of Mirrors (snippet) / Acrobat
13. You're The Best Thing About Me
14. Summer Of Love
15. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
16. Get Out Of Your Own Way
17. New Year's Day
18. Ode To Joy (snippet) / City Of Blinding Lights

encore(s):
19. One
20. Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
21. 13 (There Is A Light)

Holy crap, look what happened to the setlist while my back was turned! Gone are all the home videos and the video clips from the first half: in their place, old favourites from Achtung Baby. And Gloria live! Woah, what a treat- and how they can still work a room. It is as awesome as ever to watch the crowd during that song. Don't worry though, all the politics of the second half are still there. 

The crowd around me stayed seated until Bono paid us some attention- which he did quite early. Even when they weren't inclined to stand in general, there was no problem if someone did- that's the great thing about an Amsterdam crowd, and the main reason I'll keep coming back here. 

Afterwards, the merchandising stall was much quieter, so I got to spend loads of cash on some excellent merchandise I hadn't come across before. And then headed to Bijlmer ArenA stop to go back to town. That's strategic, you see - it's not that far, but the Metro stops there first on its way into town.. so by the time it gets to Strandvliet, it's packed. My quick thinking got me a seat..

And I get to do it all again tomorrow- picking a different steakhouse, I guess! Flying back Tuesday lunchtime, taking the whole day off, naturally, and that evening I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for The Height of the Storm, at Wyndham's. Booked through What's on Stage.

On Wednesday, I'm with Let's Do This for another Turkish meal - this time at Sofra. It'll also be the first time since June I'll have met Mary! 


On Thursday, film again - already booked though, because they were already selling out. It's part of the London Film Festival at the BFI - Be Natural is the story of Alice Guy - Blaché, the first female filmmaker, and is narrated by Jodie Foster. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend, again.

On the 15th, back with North London Friends for The Wild Duck, by Ibsen, at the Almeida. I wasn't in time to get one of their tickets, so booked my own - what the hey.

On the 16th, comedy with Ahir Shah at Soho Theatre.

On the 17th, a real dose of nostalgia - Mayerling ballet, at the Opera House. My favourite ballet, this was also the last event we attended here with the Man with the Hat. And the second last event ever. At least it'll be less evocative since, for once, I'm sitting facing full-on! He always had us in the slips, so I haven't faced the Opera House stage since I started with his groups! I'd watch it blindfolded just to have him back again, though. We miss you, MwtH.

On the 18th - why, I'm off to Manchester. For U2, unsurprisingly. Yes, I get busier around now as they come around these parts. Taking the train that evening - it was the cheapest, and so much handier than having to make my way to and from airports and watch what I pack! I should arrive walking distance from my hotel, Roomzzz Corn Exchange, which itself is walking distance from the venue, the Manchester Arena. And right beside the shopping centre, apparently! That could be handy.. if only to buy provisions, as this is an aparthotel, so I can cater for myself.

The concerts themselves are on the 19th and 20th. Ironically, the English concerts are the only ones whose tickets are being posted to me - and would you believe it, what with booking them in January and moving in June, I completely forgot to make the connection. So I forgot to update my address with Ticketmaster (TM). Just remembered last weekend, by which time it seems they'd already been posted. I've contacted my old flatmates, but the only response I got was from one who's also moved out - happily, TM says, if I contact them that week, they'll void the old tickets and issue new ones that I can pick up at the box office. There's always some palaver on a U2 tour, and this isn't the first time I've had to pick up my tickets in Manchester!! Outside of England, they're all e-tickets..

I take the train back on the 21st. Better not leave it too late, as I've actually booked for the Smithfield & Clerkenwell Walk: Guts & Glory, with Walking in London - but more specifically, with Katie of Look Up London! Excellent - I was booked for this in July, but she had to cancel. She's one of the best around. Should be close enough to me, too, and it doesn't start too early. And it being a Funzing event (like all of Walking in London's) I scoured my old Funzing discount codes, and discovered that Funzing_Fb20 seems to be working again - for all of them I've recently booked! So, a 20% discount - better than any recently offered on their Facebook page.

On the 22nd, I'm back with the Crick Crack Club for Buddha Babies, again at Soho Theatre. Naturally, not advertised on their Meetup group - they advertised an event today, but of course, I'm out of the country.

On the 23rd & 24th, I don't have to travel so far to see U2 - they're playing the O2 in London. These tickets, I got my address changed in time for, it seems - they're also being posted. Helen is going on the 23rd.. sat in the corporate box, poshly! Nah, I'd rather be closer and sweatier, thanks!

The 25th is my colleague's last day before he quits for a new life in Stockholm - we're headed out that night. Amazing that I still had that day free when we arranged it!

On the 26th, I fly to Belfast. Yep, U2 again. Told ya. Staying in the Crescent Townhouse, walking distance from the SSE Arena, where the concerts take place on the 27th and 28th. On the 29th, I'm taking the train down to my mother for a week - makes more sense than jetting back and forth to her!

On the 5th, I'm back up to Dublin. U2 again, dont'cha know? Staying in the Clayton again, which is a hop, skip and jump from the 3Arena in Dublin, where there are concerts on the 5th and 6th. Would you believe, not even I could swing a ticket for the 5th - well, I'll just rock up on the day, and hopefully I can get something at the box office. I have heard of such things happening. I've had stranger things happen!

On the 7th of next month, I fly back to London (BA) - purely so I can work on the 8th, before flying back to Dublin that night! Was supposed to be Cityjet, but they've now ended their flight schedule after this month - so now I'm going Ryanair. Same hotel, same venue, same band - on the 9th and 10th. I fly back on the 11th, exhausted, and finished with U2 concerts for the year!

On the 12th, I've decided to treat myself to a performance of Macbeth, at the Wanamaker Playhouse.

On the 13th, we have our monthly team outing - our colleague from Mexico might be joining us!

On the 14th, back with UITCS at last for Love Lies Bleeding, at the Print Room at the Coronet. Got my ticket from London Theatre Direct.

On the 15th, I'm going to try the Seven Deadly Sins Pub Naughty History Tour. Walking in London again, so discounted again! Then I'm back to Ireland again for the weekend.

On the 19th, News of the Strange, from the Crick Crack Club, at Soho Theatre. Not advertised on their Meetup group, of course.

On the 20th, back with UITCS for Pinter at the Pinter - Pinter plays at the Pinter Theatre. Two long ones on this occasion - this is Programme Four: Moonlight & Night School.

On the 21st, back at last with The London Jazz Meetup, who are off to the London Jazz Festival for a concert by the Faraj Suleiman Quartet at King's Place. UK premiere, apparently!

On the 22nd, with UITCS at the Garrick for Don Quixote. The only cheap tickets left for this were terrible, so I went a bit upmarket. A bit - I'm still behind a pillar!

On the 23rd, I'm on a Paranormal Activity Tour - ooh! Now, for this one, we get ghost-hunting equipment, which could make it interesting - I don't fancy the dowsing rods, myself, but we'll see. Walking in London, again. Discounted, again. And this was after my loyalty discount - so I got it at better than half price! which is good, considering the price.

On the 24th, I'm off on my own to see A Small Place, at the Gate.

On the 25th, back at last to Winter Wonderland! That evening, I'm off to Cirque Berserk - an annual tradition for me. The latest show is the cheapest, so that's the one I booked.

And on the 26th of next month, I'm back with UITCS for Programme Three of Pinter at the Pinter - Landscape / A Kind of Alaska / Monologue.

Concert: U2, Ziggo Dome (#3)

My, but that was a welcome shower! I eventually made my way to Centraal Station.. but nowhere could I find the fast food place I'd glimpsed out of the corner of my eye when I arrived! So it was another hungry concert for me.. thank goodness for the stroopwaffel I got from a vending machine in Sloterdijk Station, and hadn't eaten yet. It proved delicious as I was queueing to get into the Ziggo Dome.

A word about those trucks parked outside - I forgot to mention, but Bono confirmed during the last concert that there are actually 30 of them. So that answers that! which leaves the question of how many tour buses there are.. as I say, I counted seven..

Unfortunately, with just 15 minutes to go to (official) start time, I figured I'd be cutting it fine, queueing for merchandise. Which is a shame, as I wanted a lighter coloured t-shirt, it being supposed to be sunny and warm tomorrow. Oh, and I already lost my hat, and want another. Well, I'll make a special effort to get there early tomorrow and queue.

I made my way to my section. When the usher saw my row, she seemed a bit flustered in trying to explain how to get there. I gathered that I was to go down the side aisle and across the front row. When I got there, I discovered that this was Row 3.. it turns out that the front of the lower tier is staggered at the ends, and there was no Row 2 in this section - but I had to cross this section to get to Row 2, which formed the front row of the next section. So I was actually in the front row! and delighted with my proximity to the stage..

It's also handy to be at the front, and have a rail to lean on. So, this was the view from my seat, looking across the dome. You can see the enormous vidi-wall, suspended above the catwalk that runs along the middle of the floor, the length of the room. And you might notice a "gap" in the crowd at the far end of the floor - that's where Bono enters. The "i" stage is just visible to the right.

The crowd tonight was electric - best on the tour so far! Cheering, clapping before anything happened, waving at each other across the dome... a guy in the row behind me was explaining to the person sitting beside him where Bono would come in - was probably at one (or both) of the two previous concerts here this week.

Third night in Amsterdam, third night for me this year.. and third unique setlist:

1. The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)
2. Electric Co.
3. Vertigo
4. I Will Follow
5. Iris (Hold Me Close)
6. Cedarwood Road
7. Song for Someone
8. Sunday Bloody Sunday
9. Raised By Wolves / Psalm 23 (snippet)
10. Until The End Of The World / Love and Peace or Else (snippet) / Words(snippet)

iNTERMISSION

11. Invisible
12. Even Better Than The Real Thing
13. Mysterious Ways / Burning Down the House (snippet)
14. Elevation
15. Every Breaking Wave
16. October
17. Bullet the Blue Sky / 19 (snippet)
18. Zooropa
19. Where The Streets Have No Name / California (There Is No End To Love) (snippet)
20. Pride (In the Name of Love)
21. With or Without You

22. City of Blinding Lights
23. Beautiful Day
24. Mother And Child Reunion (snippet) / I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / People Have the Power (snippet)

I really did feel closer to the stage tonight - and was close enough to see Bono's autocue for the first time. Well, I'm not surprised he has one, the amount he has to say.. I'm loving the way they're cycling through a variety of old songs for song #2.. it's always a lovely surprise to hear a new one. The Fly is a staple now for the iNTERMISSION, and the girl pulled up for Mysterious Ways certainly seemed to enjoy herself, bouncing her way through the number. And afterwards. Unfortunately, Meerkat didn't oblige tonight, though.

Tonight it was that beautiful acoustic version of Every Breaking Wave that brought tears to my eyes. Tonight it was dedicated to Edge's daughter Hollie, who apparently got married recently! She and her husband were in the audience. And that song slips into the equally haunting October, before we change completely to the spitting fury of Bullet the Blue Sky, delivered through a megaphone.

I always look forward to these concerts - this band is just so damn good! And I try to savour each one - after tomorrow, I shan't see them again till next month. The breaks between concerts are generally much longer than that, of course... It occurred to me (too late) on the way back that the merchandising stand might still have been open, and less busy, after the concert - ah well, I'll try tomorrow!

So! I fly back on Monday, and try to get back to normal, but probably won't go out that night.
On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, I have Meetups.. For Tuesday, I discovered there's a Hammersmith and Fulham Amnesty group, who that night have a talk entitled Undercover - the True Story of Britain's Secret Police. And I'm going. On Wednesday, I'm (nominally) joining the London European Club, who are off to see John Doyle, at the Irish Centre. And on Thursday, I'm (nominally) back with the Free London Events and Talks group, who are off to the Scoop, where they show free films in September. Weather-dependant. That day, it's Selma, which I haven't seen. And then it's back to Ireland yet again - I go every two weeks.. on Monday 21, I'm finally back with the Crick Crack Club, in the Soho Theatre, for The Fate We Bring Ourselves - a retelling of Greek legends. The following day, I'm - again (nominally) - with Free London Events and Talks, for another free film at the Scoop - this time, it's Still Alice.

Concert: U2, Ziggo Dome (#2)

After my last blog, I was just preparing to go out when housekeeping finally got around to my room. So that was good timing! I wanted to head into town for a bit, and looking up the easiest thing to do - which would also have to be quite quick, as I wanted to get back to the hotel and leave in good time for the venue - I came up with a one-hour sightseeing cruise, run by Holland Cruises and departing regularly all day from Centraal Station. Perfect!

I thought about getting a train to town - it's only a 10-minute journey - but first I had trouble finding a platform where such a train was going from - Sloterdijk Station has no general departures board - and then I'd have had to queue for the ticket machine - my pass doesn't cover that. So I said sod it, and took the Metro instead.

This would be a good time for a brief review of Amsterdam's Metro. Carriages are higher than the Tube, seats - which are quite hard - either face the direction of travel or backwards - not to the side. They come in singles and pairs. It's never as crowded as the Tube, but neither does it come as frequently. 10 minutes between trains is the norm. And there are only five lines. But you know, as usual in any city, it's the easiest to figure out!

Exiting Centraal Station, I saw a tourist office across the way. Goodee! I nipped in there, found a brochure with what I wanted, and asked the nice lady at the desk whether she'd sell me a ticket. She would, she did (€16), and she directed me "across the green bridge and to the right". And that I was looking for "Holland Cruises". I easily found them, and as it happened, a boat was just about to leave, and the captain let me on.

Today was gloriously sunny - perfect for this kind of trip. Mind you, being in a glass-covered boat was like being in a greenhouse, and we boiled for the next hour or so. But it was very pleasant, and a good way to get an idea of the city. Photos here - such as I could take, given the difficulty of shooting through glass and into the sun. And avoiding constant bridges we were going under. And it didn't help that I didn't notice the flash had turned itself on, which of course reflected in the glass.. but I got some presentable ones.

Well, by the time it was finished, it was about time to head back to the hotel, so I did - stopping off for another burger at the station on the way. And headed off nice and early for the concert - good thing, considering we stopped at a station in the middle of nowhere for 10 minutes without explanation..

Food not being an issue this time, when I arrived I turned my thoughts to merchandising. But first I went up to Level 2, where my seat was tonight. Where I found that yes, the queues were substantially shorter - but there was no merchandising! I had visions of being very bored for the next hour - potentially - until, phew, I found the stairs down. (I'd taken an escalator up.) So I shoved my way to the front of the merchandising scrum, identified a cap I wanted (yay! I hadn't had a U2 cap before..) and waited patiently for the guy who'd pushed in front of me to be served. Which took a while, as he bought over €300 worth of stuff - clothing for all the family, by the sound of it! 3 medium t-shirts, 1 small, 4 hats, a hoodie.. and this stuff ain't cheap! Me, I was just interested in my hat - and had a look at a necklace they're selling, but it didn't appeal. At €40 for the hat, that was enough for me, thanks! My, but he was relieved I paid in cash..

Well, tonight gave me an interesting perspective - I was on the other side, upper tier, but far more central: closer to the "e" than the "i". Excellent view - and I can now testify, at least for this venue, that being in the upper tier makes little difference to being in the upper part of the lower tier - in fact, I felt closer to the stage tonight.

Setlist;

1. The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)
2. Gloria / Gloria - Van Morrison (snippet)
3. Vertigo
4. I Will Follow
5. Iris (Hold Me Close)
6. Cedarwood Road
7. Song for Someone
8. Sunday Bloody Sunday / /Johnny Comes Marching Home (snippet)
9. Raised By Wolves / Psalm 23 (snippet)
10. Until The End Of The World / Love and Peace or Else (snippet) / Words(snippet)

iNTERMISSION

11. Invisible
12. Even Better Than The Real Thing
13. Mysterious Ways / Burning Down the House (snippet)
14. Desire
15. Angel of Harlem
16. Every Breaking Wave
17. October
18. Bullet the Blue Sky / 19 (snippet)
19. Zooropa
20. Where The Streets Have No Name / California (There Is No End To Love) (snippet)
21. Pride (In the Name of Love)
22. With or Without You

23. City of Blinding Lights
24. Beautiful Day
25. Mother And Child Reunion (snippet) / I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / People Have the Power (snippet)

So! You'll notice some changes, if you're paying attention. The sections that can change are those that have least to do with the video screen - the bits heavily tied into that obviously won't change much. Now, I found tonight's show even better than last night's - although there's been talk that Bono didn't sound great, and they thought he was holding his arm as though it hurt. Well, I sincerely hope that's not true.

For me, it could have been the fact that I was more relaxed, knowing more or less what to expect - or my better seat.. it probably had a lot to do with the fact that they substituted Gloria for the second number! O my, I don't often hear that..

I didn't cry as much as last night, but there's something about Song For Someone that really gets me, heard live. The intermission had the remix of The Fly, again.. in the second part, again, Bono first pulled out a girl, then a guy. The girl got to film everyone, and got to film the whole of Desire, on someone's mobile phone - apparently it was streamed live to Meerkat, and the feed was shown live on the vidi-wall. Got lots of good responses from South America. And when the guy was pulled up, he was asked whether he could play guitar to Angel of Harlem.. he said he could, and after some brief instruction on chords, by The Edge, that he did. And got to keep the guitar for his troubles!

Ah, like I say, U2 concerts always merit another look. They have so much depth.. and they're so damn good! I'm looking forward to getting back to London, just to spread the word..

So, I probably won't do anything but go to the airport tomorrow. On Friday evening, I'm off to see Much Ado About Nothing, at the Globe. (Now, that is worth dragging myself along to!) Lucky the proposed Tube strike was cancelled though, or it'd have been impossible. Anyway, I was too late to book with the Let's Do London - for less! Meetup group, who are going the same night: but I've arranged to meet them, to go to the pub after. For the show, I got a ticket in the "Gentlemen's Box"..

..and then on Saturday, I'm back to Amsterdam again, for two more U2 concerts (Saturday and Sunday). As I say, I've been to Amsterdam before, to see them, and seen pretty much enough of the place, so didn't want to stay the whole week. I fly back on Monday, my U2-ing done.. for this month. ;-)

On the 15th, 16th, and 17th, I have Meetups.. For Tuesday 15th, I discovered there's a Hammersmith and Fulham Amnesty group, who that night have a talk entitled Undercover - the True Story of Britain's Secret Police. And I'm going. On Wednesday 16th, I'm (nominally) joining the London European Club, who are off to see John Doyle, at the Irish Centre. And on Thursday 17th, I'm (nominally) back with the Free London Events and Talks group, who are off to the Scoop, where they show free films in September. Weather-dependant. That day, it's Selma, which I haven't seen. And then it's back to Ireland yet again - I go every two weeks..

Concert: U2, Ziggo Dome (#1)

#1 for U2 in Amsterdam (this year), U2 concert #1 for me this year.. #41 lifetime. Yes, after nearly five years, I've been to another U2 concert - after over six years, I'm back in Amsterdam!

Having booked the tickets for last night and tonight, I set about booking accommodation and flights. I decided to take some of the hassle out of it by using Expedia, where I could get the whole lot done. Now, this year's concerts are in the Ziggo Dome - I hadn't been there before, but it's right beside the Amsterdam ArenA, where I did see them last. I noticed there was a Holiday Inn right nearby, so was delighted when I got a booking.

Flights and hotel booked - non-refundable, of course - and I realised the Holiday Inn I'd booked was on the other side of town! Blast. And the one I'd wanted was, of course, booked up by now. Ah well.. as I was researching transport just last night, I discovered that I was at least on a direct Metro line to the venue! Well, not so bad..

I took yesterday off, and had booked a lunchtime flight from Heathrow. I checked in online the day before - BA lets you do that for free within 24 hours of the flight, which is convenient. And I printed out the boarding pass, which usefully told me that I'd be leaving from Terminal 5 - a first for me. It was nice to be travelling to Heathrow off-peak for once.. had a seat the whole way!

Terminal 5 had a couple of surprises. The first was the conveyor belt for security, which has a different arrangement from what I've seen before - a belt where you prepare your trays to go through, and another that you move them onto when done. The second surprise was how big this terminal is. Still, even with all those shopping options, I had some trouble finding somewhere to pick up some roll-on deodorant - I'm travelling hand luggage only, and can't bring aerosols. W H Smith finally obliged, with a small stand of tiny toiletries.

After some really soft-voiced boarding announcements, we boarded - interestingly, priority was strictly given by card held; those of us who didn't have any priority cards were just boarded in a lump. I had a good seat anyway - a window seat, on the wing. Damn stuffy plane though - I couldn't wait to get the aircon working. And I was very glad I'd picked up one of the free newspapers on offer - despite the cabin staff trumpeting that we were leaving on time, it took so long to get started, backed up, and queue for the runway that I had time to read the whole paper before takeoff! I was mollified by the unaccustomed free food & drink.. I wouldn't have thought to order wine, but for the person across from me who did. And they had lovely lemon biscuits in white chocolate..

And so to Schipol, and a marathon trek to Arrivals. Thank goodness for travelators. I needed a train going into town that stopped at Sloterdijk, the station apparently right beside my hotel. I'd done enough research to know that the best value for me was to buy a separate ticket to the city, then an unlimited card once I got there - there is one that includes the journey from the airport, but it works on the calendar day rather than on a 24-hour basis, so unless you get it in the morning you don't get the value. So I got a single ticket, valid to anywhere in Amsterdam, and after some perusal of timetables, finally found that trains to Sloterdijk go from Platform 3.

This is where the fun started. I knew I needed to touch the card off a reader, but couldn't see one. I'd just missed a train, and the next didn't go for about 10 minutes, so I had a look around and decided to try upstairs, where I'd come in, for a reader. And there they were! Touched it, and went down again to wait.

I was waiting for the 4:10. After a while, a phrase came up for that train that didn't look good - sure enough, it wasn't running. Never mind, there was another at 4:14 that said it was stopping at Sloterdijk. And then this conductor comes along and tells us that the train on the opposite platform was headed to Sloterdijk (Zloterdak, it's pronounced). Fine, and I got on. And was still waiting for it to pull away when the train I'd been waiting for arrived at the other platform, took on passengers, and left again. Blast!

Eventually, there was an announcement on the train I was now on - in Dutch - and everyone made exasperated sounds and got off. So did I. Then a train to Centraal arrived at the other platform. It didn't say anything about intermediate stops, though. And then our friend the conductor came along and announced that this train would go to Sloterdijk! Cool, and I got on. And as we were waiting on that one, sure enough, the one I'd just got off pulled away.. destination Sloterdijk..

When we finally pulled away - really, I'd had visions of spending the whole evening in the airport - and headed into town, it duly became apparent that this was a non-stop. And so I sailed through Sloterdijk and straight into the city centre. Where my first task was to get an unlimited city travel ticket - the guide book had said they have seven-day ones, but I couldn't see that option on the machine, so just got a three-day. Not bad value, at €16.50. Now, how to get to Sloterdijk? Well, there isn't a direct Metro option, but I grabbed a free Metro map at the info desk and determined that I could do it by transfer. And this being easier than figuring out trams and buses, that's what I did - doubtless spending a lot longer than I needed to, but never mind. That blasted conductor cost me a solid hour!

It was rush hour by now, but not half as crowded as the London equivalent, so that was ok. And I got off at Sloterdijk, relieved, and within sight of the hotel. Checked in (fortunately, she didn't offer me the selfie stick she'd given to the chap before me!), got a lovely, spacious room, and am very grateful for the free Wi-Fi. Although it does have a tendency to cut out.

Well, I freshened up and headed for the Metro again. Now, the concert ticket said the start time was at 7, but I got an email on Monday to say that it had been switched to 8 - for all concerts. Much more sensible, and I was relieved - I'd never make it for 7 at this stage. And there's no support for this tour, so start time is when U2 comes on. Of course, part of me was having paranoid terrors about this being a hoax mail.. but then, when has U2 ever started before 8? My long Metro journey began, and I debated with myself whether to get off at Duivendrecht, as suggested on the email, or at the next stop, Strandvliet, as suggested by Google maps. I remembered getting off at Duivendrecht last time, with the crowd. This time, however, there was no crowd, and I trusted Google Maps and stayed on to Strandvliet.

Now there was a crowd to follow, and I did - turning right on the platform, and right from the station, it was looking like the Streetview I'd seen - God bless Streetview! In due course, we passed the parking area for the tour lorries and coaches. It's always a spectacular sight in itself, all the lorries and coaches in dramatic black. I had a few gos at counting them - my final tally was 22 articulated lorries and 7 tour coaches - one attached to a generator (and had smoke billowing from it when we passed on our way back - I guess they were cooking up a late-night dinner).

Hang a left around this lorry park, and the Amsterdam ArenA and Ziggo Dome are before you - the arena to the left, the Ziggo Dome a black, boxy building to the right, on which ads are displayed. Now the crowds converged, and my excitement was growing. I could barely breathe as I made my way towards them.. such a long time since I'd seen this band. Checking my ticket, I saw that I needed the "Zuid" (South) side, so joined that queue. There was also one for members, with a doorman in a purple overcoat and top hat, one for Red Zone, one for floor, one for "Noord" (North). And my ticket was eventually scanned, and after the obligatory bag check (no food or drink), I was in!

A stand selling tour books - but I have never found them worth the money, just full of artsy photos. A stand to join the One foundation (founded by Bono). You could pay to have a professional photo taken in front of a giant i+e poster, with the money going to One. I went upstairs, where the entrances to the auditorium were.

Mayhem! Crowds thronged everywhere. The merchandising stands looked interesting, with some unusual stuff (albeit the t-shirts are a bit more expensive than the website, at €35 each) - I must get there when they open this evening, to try and have a proper look - the crowds were too thick last night, and I didn't have much time. Besides, I hadn't had time for dinner, and I was starving. Hallelujah, I came across a food stall, and asked for a sausage roll (XL) - only to discover that they only take tokens! The same is true of the bars - it's only the merchandising stands that take cash. Rip-off!! No wonder there were such queues at what I'd thought were cash machines - they were token machines! Not wanting to use my credit card, which I wasn't sure would have been activated yet for use here yet - I notified the bank a bit late - I queued at the machine that took cash. I gave up completely when I discovered that they don't take coins, and don't give change. The smallest note I had was a €50, and I certainly didn't intend giving them that much..

So, hungrily, I took my seat. I'll make sure to eat before I go this evening.. And then it transpired that my seat was shoved right over in the corner, and among a bunch of middle-aged people. Hmm.. not a great indicator of wild abandon. Anyway, my view was terrific - the stage, cleverly designed, forms an i-e shape, with the "i" comprising a traditional. rectangular stage at one end, an "e" shape at the other (pretty round) and a catwalk between them, above which is suspended a wire frame that transforms during the concert into a vidi-wall. The only sign of life so far was a large, lit lightbulb, suspended above the "i" stage. This is another image of the tour, and you can buy t-shirts of it.

In the event, they didn't start until 8.20. It's easy to tell when they're about to come on - they obligingly ratchet the music that's being played up to something just below "deafening". And fair play to the crowd around me.. they were up and jumping as soon as there was something to jump about. See now, this is why I choose my locations carefully, and why I love Amsterdam - never mind that we were stuck in a corner, never mind that they were a bit older. They know what's important, and they know how to behave at a major rock event.

Well then, what was the concert like? To begin, apologies for the lack of pictures. To be fair, there hasn't been anything outside the venue worth photographing - I'm in the industrialised outskirts. And inside, my phone camera wouldn't do it justice anyway.. that vidi-wall is absolutely spectacular, and these are the best visuals I've ever seen at a show - but my phone camera is terrible at photographing light effects. But hey, loads of people around me were photographing and filming.. it is not hard to get footage of U2 concerts, after the event. Checking the U2 forums just now, I see there's a lot of stuff on Twitter.. try #U2ie Tour.

Bono fooled us all by arriving from the opposite end of the room to everyone else - mind you, the fact that they were keeping a path clear was a dead giveaway. Sadly, a mooted flashmob, where people in the stands were supposed to hold up cards with the colours of the Dutch flag, was a damp squib - I only saw the red ones displayed, and none at all were provided for my section! Here's the setlist, for those interested:

1. The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)
2. Out of Control
3. Vertigo
4. I Will Follow
5. Iris (Hold Me Close)
6. Cedarwood Road
7. Song for Someone
8. Sunday Bloody Sunday / /Johnny Comes Marching Home (snippet)
9. Raised By Wolves / Psalm 23 (snippet)
10. Until The End Of The World

iNTERMISSION

11. Invisible
12. Even Better Than The Real Thing
13. Mysterious Ways / Burning Down The House (snippet)
14. Elevation
15. Two Hearts Beat as One
16. Every Breaking Wave
17. October
18. Bullet the Blue Sky / 19 (snippet)
19. Zooropa
20. Where The Streets Have No Name / California (There Is No End To Love) (snippet)
21. Pride (In the Name of Love)
22. With or Without You

23. City of Blinding Lights
24. Beautiful Day / I Remember You (snippet)
25. Mother And Child Reunion (snippet) / One / Invisible (snippet)

They started hard and fast, got us moving with a few. Then had a bunch of songs based on personal, teenage experiences at home in Dublin. This was where the vidi-wall started to come into play, with some really moving home movies of Bono's mother, who - as he reminded us - died when he was 14, which had a huge impact on him.

Sunday Bloody Sunday focussed on victims of the war in Syria. And, as promised, we got a bit of the history behind Raised By Wolves, whose topic is the Dublin & Monaghan bombings of 1974. The "iNTERMISSION" is hardly recognisable as one - a recorded remix of The Fly (emphasis on the drums) plays while the traditional word display associated with it is played on the vidi-wall.

After the intermission, they start with the one song I meant to revise and didn't - Invisible. The second part of the show is much more mutable than the first - expect the greatest shake-up here. This was also when Bono started pulling people up on stage - the girl he pulled up for Mysterious Ways danced so well with him that he wanted to keep her on for a special video piece - but it seems it would've been too complicated, so he gave her a hug and a kiss and let her back. They played Two Hearts Beat As One, which - as he remarked - they've only played a couple of times live. Apparently it was a birthday request.

Musically, the highlight of the show for me was Every Breaking Wave, which they're playing as an acoustic version, and which I think is absolutely beautiful! The haunting October leads into their angriest song, Bullet the Blue Sky, and both are dedicated to the Syrian refugees. Bono is absolutely scathing about Europe's handling of the crisis, culminating in a mock-up of the EU flag (yellow stars in a circle on a blue background), but in this case formed by people in yellow jackets, floating in a circle, face-down in a blue sea. And surprise, surprise - it's Banksy's doing! The phantom artist strikes again.. Bono tra-la'ed an ironic version of the Ode to Joy, the EU anthem, over that. As he says, a European Union that can't handle this is no union at all.

Later, the second audience member he dragged on stage had a great time - cavorted with Bono, slapped the others on the shoulders, ran around the stage waving to the audience. Well hey, having that happen is marginally more likely than winning the lottery, so kudos to him for making the most of it!

In all, they gave us 2 hours and 20 minutes of the most incredible music, the most incredible visuals, and we had the most enthusiastic crowd. Now, to all those people who've questioned the wisdom of me going night after night.. just like a U2 album, a U2 concert merits an extra viewing. Or several. It is SO worth it! And I am so looking forward to seeing how the next concerts compare.

When I finally got back to Sloterdijk Station last night, I raided the excellent vending machine. And then I saw a fast food place still open! Oh, deep joy.. what's more, if you didn't fancy queueing, they had stuff in a kind of vending machine to the side - put in the coins (no change given), open the drawer for the burger or roll you want. And a burger has never, ever tasted so good.. think I'll drop by there on my way to the concert later.

It ultimately went too late to blog, if I wanted to be up for breakfast - and I wearily dragged myself to bed. A word of caution - if you ever find yourself staying here, bring earplugs - it's right beside both a Metro station and a mainline station, and even on the seventh floor, and with double glazing, the nonstop intercity trains are really loud. As I told Expedia, who were anxious to know how I was getting on. But the bed was the most comfortable I've had in an age, and I had a choice of "firm" or "soft" pillows - I chose soft - and I slept deeply.

Breakfast is continental - no fruit whatsoever! but bread rolls, croissants, bread and a toaster, cold sliced meats, two types of mini muffin - chocolate chip and chocolate-chocolate chip. They had six kinds of cereal, so I treated myself to Frosties. Initially, I didn't see the apple juice, so poured myself a glass of orange juice - they also have pineapple. As for spreads, they have marmalade, and "butter" that's really vegetable oil spread, and icky.

And here I am and it's nearly lunchtime, and sunny today. But you know, I've done my sightseeing in Amsterdam, and anyway I'll be staying closer to town when I come back for the weekend concerts. I'll head out soon for lunch, and maybe venture a bit further afield - my travel is paid for, after all. Tonight is the second concert, and as I say, it'll be fascinating to see what's different and what's not. I fly back tomorrow, and doubtless crash.

And, of course, Irish U2 dates have now been announced and go on sale on Monday - presale starts tomorrow, but only for those registered in Ireland. Of all the times for me to be living in the UK! Well, I can try.. for those not registered in Ireland, but eligible for presales, they start on Friday afternoon. Cue a late lunch for me..

On Friday evening, I'm off to see Much Ado About Nothing, at the Globe. (Now, that is worth dragging myself along to!) Lucky the proposed Tube strike was cancelled though, or it'd have been impossible. Anyway, I was too late to book with the Let's Do London - for less! Meetup group, who are going the same night: but I've arranged to meet them, to go to the pub after. For the show, I got a ticket in the "Gentlemen's Box"..
..and then on Saturday, I'm back to Amsterdam again, for two more U2 concerts (Saturday and Sunday). As I say, I've been to Amsterdam before, to see them, and seen pretty much enough of the place, so didn't want to stay the whole week. I fly back on Monday, my U2-ing done.. for this month. ;-)

On the 15th, 16th, and 17th, I have Meetups.. For Tuesday 15th, I discovered there's a Hammersmith and Fulham Amnesty group, who that night have a talk entitled Undercover - the True Story of Britain's Secret Police. And I'm going. On Wednesday 16th, I'm (nominally) joining the London European Club, who are off to see John Doyle, at the Irish Centre. And on Thursday 17th, I'm (nominally) back with the Free London Events and Talks group, who are off to the Scoop, where they show free films in September. Weather-dependant. That day, it's Selma, which I haven't seen. And then it's back to Ireland yet again - I go every two weeks..