Review: U2 Conquer Croke Park (24/7/09)


U2 @ Croke Dublin; flickr

U2 @ Croke Dublin; flickr




“A sort of homecoming?” One might say that. For Irish rock titans U2 their long awaited return to Dublin’s Croke Park was a triumph of magnificent proportions, as more than 80,000 fans from all corners of the planet brimmed Ireland’s largest stadium.

The open-air venue couldn’t contain the world’s biggest band’s third coming as anthems from U2’s vast back catalogue echoed across the capital. From start to finish the concert was an absolute spectacle, one that would have had to be seen to be believed.

I arrived at ‘Croker’ at about three in the afternoon, and was ecstatic to find that out of a sheer stroke of luck my friends and I were amongst the final fifty to gain pit access. To be within arms reach of our idols was a dream come true, and we later had a front row seat to a few very special moments. Before that came six hours of waiting, queuing and standing around, predictably then, we weren’t immediately thrilled, but when the dust had settled afterwards, there were no regrets. The wait was made all the less agonising as we were treated to the sound check comprising of ‘Elevation’, ‘Until the End of the World’ and ‘Mysterious Ways’ which lifted everyone’s spirits. The latter didn’t quite make it onto the main set list that night, but it was amazing to hear it in some form.

The first support act came in the form of Irish singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey who, after an initial guitar strap blooper, eased into a passionate performance, all the while showering the headliners with adoration.

Next up was the gangly jingle-pop of Scottish crusaders Glasvegas, who weren’t well received at all, to say the least. It was my third time in a year hearing the Glaswegians’ yodel-some anthemics, and I still loathed them. Front man James Allen quips in a thick Scottish incoherence “Are ya’s looking forward tey U2? I think if they stick at it they could be big…” all the while clad in skin-tight leather chaps, a nipple-revealing tank top, trademark sunglasses and a sky-scraping Elvis-come-Morrissey fringe, almost qualifying for being so cringe worthy, it was somehow good, if only for comedic value. His resonating vocals sounded like a seal gargling flan whilst the tedious rhythm section could have numbed a rabid insomniac gorilla into a slumber. Their signature tune ‘Daddy’s Gone’ capped off the set when the singer, for the first time in seeing them three times, stripped himself of the leather jacket and took the microphone away from the stand, before finishing the song laying down, revealing his armpit hair for all of Dublin to see. Lovely.

Before long smoke began to pour from the breathtakingly revolutionary stage structure as the audience were in full voice to David Bowie’sSpace Oddity’: the boys were back in town.
Emerging from a tunnel beneath the stage first was drummer Larry Mullen Jr, who founded the band over thirty years ago, followed by bassist Adam Clayton, The Edge and at long last Bono, in typical fanatical form, 80,000 adoring fans instantly captivated by his untamed stage presence.

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U2’s latest album, 2009’s No Line On The Horizon may have sold poorly and been only warmly received commercially, but the opening pile driver of four of the albums finest songs in succession; Breathe, No Line On The Horizon, Get On Your Boots and Magnificent had the audience eating out of the palm of their hands.

The career-reviving anthem Beautiful Day was received with a universal ovation after which the apocalyptic romp of Elevation proved an irresistible pogo session where The Edge had the audience completely slain by his effortless riffage. Desire was an awesome sing along, taking everyone back to the Rattle and Hum days followed by a joyous acoustic rendition of Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of. What an opening.



Bono then took a moment to acknowledge the truly extraordinary occasion and apologised to everyone from those in local hospitals to prison inmates. Somehow I think they wouldn’t be complaining after such an explosive statement of Ireland’s sons being back.

After a brief homage to The Dubliners in the form of a cover of The Auld Triangle, U2 drifted into a heartfelt One, easily a highlight of the night. 80,000 singing in unison was a moment where you just had to stop and try to take in the sheer weight of emotion filling the stadium. Simply devastating. The innovative Achtung Baby was further represented with Until The End of The World followed by The Unforgettable Fire’s title track.

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As darkness descended upon Croke Park the astonishing 360 degree stage (which was only used in a 270 degree fashion for one reason or another) truly came into it’s own, like a fifth band member; a platform for U2 to exert their status as rock and roll gods. As Larry beat his kit to a bloody pulp, The Edge and Adam strutted coolly across bridges overhead whilst Bono galloped back and forth around the huge walkways like a lunatic. Passion was in the air, you could feel it. The extraterrestrial claw-like structure boasted a huge circular video wall and amazing light effects that just took the songs to another level.

Before launching into How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb’s mere two delegates in Vertigo and City Of Blinding Lights, Bono made a brief phone call to a ‘John’ in the contacts of a phone thrown up on the walkway before tossing the phone back. What a moment that was: “Hello. Are you a boyfriend or brother or something? John? It’s Bono, calling from Croke Park!” Cue deafening laughs and applause from all angles. I was lucky enough to be so close to the walkway that I captured a few photos of the random occurrence.

Unknown Caller

Then came strangest, most eccentric performance of the night as Larry began hammering bongos whilst walking around the fans to a remix of I’ll Go Crazy… from the new album, amid bizarre ‘bopping’ close-ups of the band’s faces on the screen. Somehow it worked, just about, although everyone was left scratching their heads momentarily.

The set was rounded off with an onslaught of anthems in Sunday Bloody Sunday, Pride, Walk On, Where The Streets Have No Name and Bad before the anti-climax of the three song encore wrapped up a fantastic gig. It was an underwhelming finish, ending on Moment of Surrender but not one person was disappointed with what they’d witnessed. There may have been several glaring omissions in set including New Year’s Day, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For and my personal favourite The Fly, yet there was no doubt that although the grass had been dug up, U2 had reclaimed their home soil.

(Words and photos by Daniel Robinson)

Adam Clayton


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