Live review: U2 at the Georgia Dome
October 8th, 2009 by Web Editor in Music news
Bono is outraged!
By Elliott Garstin
Stepping out of MARTA and following the hordes up the concourse to the Georgia Dome on Tuesday night felt like, well, every other Falcons game that I’ve been to. There was an energy in the air. Fans were sporting their old shirts, tailgating, dodging scalpers, crusty homeless guys were meddling about, promo teams eagerly hawked their wares and dudes shouted “woooo” at random where ever you went.
Having never been to the Georgia Dome for a concert, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Shows at Phillips more often than not sound like garbage, and with a place that holds four times as many people, I didn’t think a theatre quality show was in order.
What I got was spectacle. As we entered the building, Muse was in mid-set. Having seen their show a few years ago at Gwinnett Arena, I knew these guys could bring it in a setting like this. Their songs are bombastic and epic, yet they still have fundamental elements that keep you engaged.
As we took our seats in the upper level with the common people, I bore witness to a majestic structure more befitting to the War of the Worlds movie than a concert setting.
This massive set up had four giant legs and a massive top littered with light trusses, sniper perch spotlight technicians and giant HD screens. Walls of speakers adorned the top on all four sides as Muse cranked through their set. Most people were finding their seats and at this point it looked more like a Falcons pre-season game.
Muse didn’t take much advantage of the 360-degree stage though. They played to the crowd in front of them while two giant bridges and a giant circular walkway around the stage went unused. The band played a neat and tidy 45-minute set with minimal downtime between songs. Their set was heavy on hits like “Knights of Cydonia,” “Supermassive Blackhole” and “Hysteria.” They even sprinkled some new tunes in there as well, but the crowd was pretty ambivalent until they played “Starlight,” which got a real nice response from the Georgia Dome.
Between sets, you really got to sense the grandiosity of the event. People on the floor milled about like ants, while beer vendors in neon yellow windbreakers hawked $8 16oz. domestics and $5 waters. Yet all were dwarfed by this behemoth of a structure.
Surprisingly it was only 45 minutes between bands as David Bowie’s Space Oddity blared over the speakers, queing the masses to strap in for a celestial trip.
The 80,000 plus crowd came to life as the band took the stage. A giant spire reaching to the ceiling, cutting through the space monster stage was illuminated and the show jumped off.
Unfortunately though for all of the crowd’s enthusiasm, the band didn’t do much to reciprocate the adoration initially. “Breathe” from the bands latest album No Line On The Horizon had everyone right back in their seats after the initial momentary freakout.
Things changed quickly though as the band began dropping the hits in amongst the new material to reinvigorate the masses. The sound in the Georgia Dome was surprisingly good with gut rumbling low end and enough punch to keep the crowd engaged.
Bono summoned the spirit of a Southern Baptist preacher by getting people on their feet, waving their arms, singing to their hearts content and at one point even breaking into “Amazing Grace.”
Bono’s voice, while generally strong, cracked a few times and was assisted from Edge’s excellent background vocals. I could be wrong, but at times it sounded like there was some vocal backing track accompaniment, which at their age probably isn’t too bad of an idea.
The set list tried to accentuate their material from the 90’s and beyond, and while generally effective, I couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed at the lack of deeper tracks from their 80’s catalogue.
One interesting selection though was a sort of raved out version of “The Unforgettable Fire” complete with Larry Mullin Jr. busting out the bongos … nice!
“Mysterious Ways” and “Until the End of the World” from Achtung Baby both sounded great as the Edge got to exploit the ridiculously big sound with his effect peddle masterwork.
Then as sure as clockwork the politics rolled in. The stage was drenched in green lights in support of Iranian revolutionaries during a spirited version of “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” and you could see the eyes starting to roll with many of the more right leaning attendees.
During “Walk On” over a hundred people adorned the stage wearing masks with the image of Aung San Suu Kyi, a Burmese political figure, who has been under house arrest since 1991.
U2 then came back for an encore featuring “One” and a fantastic version of “Where The Streets Have No Name,” but at that point I was ready to get to steppin’, so we made our way to the train.
Apparently the band came back and played a few more songs including “With or Without You,” but there’s only so much of Bono you can take in one sitting.
U2 is the biggest band in the world for a reason. They play to the masses and as annoying as they can be most of the time, they still have some unbelievable songs and the band knows how to put on a show.
(Photo by Perry Julien)
October 8th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
you bring up the politics being brought into the show as though you somehow expected they not be. how? U2 is and has always been a political band. they write songs about politics, they are active in politics and because of that the fact that they have their politics taking stage during a concert should not be a shocker. i don’t understand how people who are politically opposed to the content of songs can think that going to the concert is going to be completely free of visual expression matching the lyrical content.
October 8th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Interesting that you thought the sound was good from the upper deck. I felt it had a lot of echo and Bono was hard to make out at various points during the show. I was also surprised that they played so much new material for a stadium show. You would think that there would be more ‘hits’ mixed in given everyone there probably doesn’t own their new one. I also thought that the pacing of the songs wasn’t ideal to make the crowd go crazy but c’est la vie. They are rock gods and can do what they please.
I would like the drugs that the set designer has access to. Incredible set design.
October 8th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
gotta agree with lulu.
looks like CL picked the wrong author to review the show…
October 8th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
I wasn’t surprised…it was more of a statement of fact
October 8th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Lulu he says “As sure as clockwork the politics roll in” so he was obviously expecting it. He also describes the right-leaning audience members, not himself. I thought the review was dead accurate, although I wasn’t too impressed with the sound. It sounded most stadiums to me.
As a side note, and I know this is totally obnoxious, but it’s a personal pet peeve: ’90s, please. Apostrophe substitutes for 19. Not 90’s. Kthanks
October 8th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Kthanks is 100 times worse than 90’s.
I forgot to add that anyone who doesn’t expect some politics at a U2 show doesn’t know much about U2. Whether I agree or disagree I respect Bono’s dedication to what he believes in.
October 8th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
I for one am not interested in a review by someone who was so disinterested that they didn’t even stay for the encore!
October 8th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
“… and you could see the eyes starting to roll with many of the more right leaning attendees.” What an idiot reviewer.
It would be the right leaning attendees who support the Iranian dissidents… dumbass. In addition to his antipathy towards the band (no need to stay for the encore – must get home in time for Noggin) he has no knowledge of the politics that he comments upon.
October 8th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
I’d say it is a pretty accurate review. You guys are acting ridiculous, this is just an observation of a certain reviewer of the from his perspective where he was sitting, you don’t have to act like douche’s just because you may not agree with even single thing in it.
And Kendall, then why the hell did you even comment? No one cares what you think either buddy.
A lot of you are going balls to wall ballistic about a very small snippet of one part of the article having to do with politics, chill the hell out.
October 8th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Oh one more thing, why do you assume there is antipathy towards the band just because he didn’t stay for the encore? Maybe he had to get home? Maybe those who he was with needed to leave? You people need to lighten up. He never said he didn’t like the band. I agree with everything he says, it was pretty accurate article, in fact, I didn’t stay for the encore either cause it was already 11:00 and I had to work the next morning, and I saw tons of people leaving at the same time, in hordes. So, seriously, just because not everyone would cut their wrists for bono doesn’t mean you have to rip into someone at the show’s review just because you don’t personally agree with every minute detail of their perception of the show.
October 9th, 2009 at 12:19 am
The point is, people would have never left if the show was good. For a U2 performance, this was mediocre. They didn’t capture the crowd. The energy was way off and I couldn’t get past the open seats and half filled floor. Lights were on in several of the suites. The atmosphere was sterile. They may have been able to pull off arenas back in the day, but U2 has lost some of its cache. I totally agree with they should have went with more hits. The new album has had plenty of chances to sell. Obviously people aren’t into it. They need to quit force feeding fans and do the right thing. Play the songs we paid $100 or more to see and do it somewhere other than a dome.
October 9th, 2009 at 1:39 am
I having been considering a move to Atlanta wanted to see a bnad that grabbed my attention way back in 83. I have seen them in Chicago twice this year so I can say that since they are to band to see and everyone talks about them its difficult to gauge the crowds reaction. My perspective in Chicago was it was amazing but I felt the crowd didnt live up to the hype. To many people go see them because they are U2 and they are so popular. The initial reviewer maybe is not the die hard fan but he was impressed and somewhat amazed. They have such a long list of recordings that its impossible to please everyone and why just play a hits tour? Ive talked to Larry Mullen in 2001 and he doesnt want to be a band that plays the same songs every show. Thats not artistic is it? I didnt hear Pride in Chicago either and with Obama president I thought I’d hear it there but that was the low point in Atlanta no “Pride”. I thought it was equal to the Chicago 2nd show and I sat 2nd level in Atlanat and the sound wasnt perfect or crisp but you had a lot of skyboxes and feedback and some distortion. I will say that Georgians are great people and were a blessing to talk to. Tip of the cap
October 9th, 2009 at 1:41 am
I also want to apologize for my lack of spelling prowess in my last comments. Awful Chicago Public school eduwacation
October 9th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
lee:
“It would be the right leaning attendees who support the Iranian dissidents… dumbass.”
are you sure you know what you are talking about?
October 10th, 2009 at 2:03 am
I appreciated the review. I was at the show and enjoyed it a great deal. While I agree there were alot of empty spots, having 80 thousand people attend sounds like a successful show to me.
Im not a professional but the band sounded great to me. My girlfriend also wanted more hits but I like the new album so didnt mind hearing so many songs from it. If you wanted hits staying for the encores would have been a great idea. Overall, it was a wonderful time and I am glad they came.
October 12th, 2009 at 7:49 am
I thought it was a very good show, but like some, I thought a few more songs from the earlier years (”I Will Follow”, “New Year’s Day”, etc.) would have been nice. I did enjoy their playing of “The Unforgettable Fire”, though (which is not when Larry Mullen, Jr. was walking around with the bongos, by the way).
I did think it quite odd, though, that Bono talked about how great it was to be in the city of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and then NOT play “Pride (In The Name Of Love”. I sort of figured that of all their songs that would certainly be one they would play in Atlanta. Oh well.
October 13th, 2009 at 11:04 am
Is there a music journalist on earth who a stays for the whole show (unless there’s cocaine for dessert)?
October 13th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
is even there such a thing as a “music journalist” these days?
October 13th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Glad you thought Muse was good, but too bad you missed the first part of the set. And BTW, they did not play Knights of Cydonia, which you mentioned in your review.
And the reason they didn’t take advantage of the entire stage area and bridges was because they weren’t given the same unplugged freedom that goes to the headliner. Trust me, at their own shows, they can bring it.