Getting me out to Homebush is no easy feat – the frustrating distance between it and the city makes it a venue that ensures your night will be over the minute the gig comes to a close and we make the painful journey home. So it’s on the very rare occasion, and only for the most world class of performers, do I venture out to this part of town for live music. It’s safe to say, however, that when asked to cover U2 and Jay-Z last night, it was an easy decision – and thankfully, both acts provided a show which made the trip more than worth my while, providing me with a night I won’t soon forget.
Jay-Z was about to hit the stage as we entered the arena – a countdown clock his precursor. Clocks and time would be the running theme of the evening, while the stage on which the screens sat provided an immediate “wow” factor. This beast of concert machinery was by far the coolest, and most grandeous construction ever to step foot in Australia. It’s very size relative to the arena somehow made it all seem intimate – while the 360 degree nature of the construction meant there wasn’t a bad seat in the house.
US hip hop icon (one could even say legend at this stage in his career) Jay-Z jumped straight into things as the stadium began to fill up. While there were plenty of fans around, it was clear he won plenty more, with even the most concerted U2 fans raising their hands by the end of the show. “Run This Town” kicked things off, before he ran through his remix of Kanye’s “Diamonds from Sierra Leone”. Unfortunately no Beyonce, Linkin Park nor Kanye hit the stage with Jay-Z as many were hoping, but the guests weren’t needed. His very presence was enough to make for a show worth writing about.
The man can write, produce and boy can he perform. He owned the stage and its stadium, jumping through hit after hit – “Dirt off your Shoulders”, “PSA” (which featured an Aussie flag on the screens), “Empire State of Mind”, the legendary “99 Problems”, “H To The Izzo” “Big Pimpin’” and “On to the next One”. Not bad for a 45 minute or so set.
Given the crowd, brief samples of “Everything in it’s Right Place”, “Smack My Bitch Up” and of course his take on “Forever Young” helped keep those unfamiliar with him on his side, and of course “Numb/Encore” – the Linkin Park collaboration – killed it as the closing number. Although the sound came out a bit too loud and muddled where I was sitting (something which would have plagued the entire show at one level or another depending on where you were sitting/standing), I couldn’t have enjoyed the set more. And to be completely honest, it was Jay-Z who I had made the trip for.
But as the saying goes, while I came for Jay-Z, I stayed for U2, and I’m glad I did – my first time experiencing the band live, the show totally blew me away on all levels. The production was ridiculous, they sounded great, the set list was impressive (and often surprising) to say the least, and their on stage presence and report with the crowd was second to none.
As the appropriate David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” filled the arena, U2 entered to a sea of applause. A look at the photos throughout the article will cement that fact – this was a sold out arena with a crowd full of massive fans. You couldn’t have asked for a better atmosphere. They opened with the instrumental “Return of the Stingray Guitar” from the new album, before killing the lights and setting the crowd alight with “Beautiful Day” – in which they altered a lyric “…Oprah right in front of you…” Indeed, tonight included a star studded crowd, with Oprah and her winners were amongst the crowd (they were the ones dancing the hardest during Jay-Z), as well as Bob Geldof (with whom Bono described as a father figure).
The setlist, which you can see below, ran through an impressive mix of hits, fan favourites and new material. The one-two-three punch of “Mysterious Ways”,“Elevation” and “Until the end of the World” off of Achtung Baby came early and saw the crowd truly kick themselves into gear. A serenade of a female from the crowd during “In a Little While” (see the photo below) was a sweet moment (however staged it may have been), and Jay-Z’s appearance during “Sunday Bloody Sunday” made for a truly memorable experience.
The bongos were brought out for “I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight”, while the production team showed the stage off with an impressive light show. Bono pulled out the guitar for a brief solo rendition of “Amazing Grace” in between the memorable “Carry Each Other” and “Where The Streets Have No Name” in the first encore.
An almost unexpected second encore followed, which was kicked off with the rarely played “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” from the Batman Returns soundtrack. It was definitely a “I forgot they did this one!” moment, and saw Bono swing around the stage with a glowing mic, while wearing a laser suit. Yes, a suit that had lasers coming out of it. Rock and fucking roll indeed.
There was of course a bit of politics thrown in – a video by Desmond Tutu was played, a tribute to Ang Sang was made, and Amnesty International lanterns surrounded the stage ahead of the first encore (photo below). Meanwhile, the acoustic “Stuck in a Moment” was dedicated to a mutual friend of Bono’s and Michael Hutchcence’s, a man of whom Bono said: “The world would be a better place if he were still here…”
But all in all it was about the music, and U2 showed that they’ve still got every ounce of the on stage talent and energy as their younger selves. The big difference now is that they get to “work in a space station” of which the Australian tour was their “office Christmas party”. Bono then informed us that he was the janitor before launching into “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”. Insert crowd laughter and applause. Now that’s entertainment.
Setlist:
Return Of The Stingray Guitar
Beautiful Day (with Blackbird snippet)
I Will Follow
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Mysterious Ways
Elevation
Until The End Of The World
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of (with Do They Know It’s Christmas snippet)
Bad (with Need You Tonight and Never Tear Us Apart snippets)
In A Little While
Miss Sarajevo
City Of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight (with Relax and Two Tribes snippets)
Sunday Bloody Sunday (ft. Jay-Z and “Get Up Stand Up” Snippet)
Scarlet
Walk On
Encore 1:
One
Amazing Grace (Snippet)
Where The Streets Have No Name
Encore 2:
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender
Photos by Larry Heath
