Degree 2: Christina and Doug in the Red Zone

We arrived at 6:20, got our tickets and proceeded down to the field. The Red Zone was pretty empty when we got there, but the prime spots on the railing were taken. After a brief meander to get a couple of hot dogs and check out our "Red Zone amenities" (which included Red Zone port a potties and a small merch booth), we headed back to what we considered would be the best location for watching the band.

A brief side note: there was the stage. A runway circled the stage. There were GA tickets within the circle created by the runway. The Red Zone GA spots were to the left and right of the stage on the outside of the circular runway. We were in Red Zone right which was good because that was the Edge side and not Adam Clayton side.

Anywho, we chose a spot behind a couple of people who were sitting down and we figured that when they stood up, there would be room for Christina to at least squeeze to the railing. Well, when they stood up, it turned out that they were about 6'5" and although skinny, their lankage took up quite a bit of room on the railings. (Next to them, in even more prime railing spots were grandparents who had brought their grandkids to the show. The grandkids were twentysomething. The grandparents were seventysomething. We thought that the old man was going to give up the ghost halfway through Muse, but, being of the Greatest Generation, he showed real tenacity and stuck it out through the whole show.) Behind us were forty-year-old women, one of whom was plastered from the get go and kept telling us she was going to dance with Bono. It was funny the first time, tedious the 50th time.

Muse was great. But this is about U2, so moving on...

Overall, the show was killer. Bono was really dynamic. The fascinating thing about being so close is that you could tell that all the speaking in between songs was because he was trying to catch his breath. The great thing about the giant crustacean stage was that the speakers were on the body of the crustacean, which made for a pretty good mix. Less muddied than I expected.

So, one of the most spectacular moments of the show was one of the most unexpected. Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of. Acoustic. The Edge and Bono. It was really awesome, the reason why you go to shows. we just sat there transfixed and when it finished we both turned to each and said "Wow! That was awesome!" It's funny because I've always liked the song, but this version just pushed it to new heights.

Another song that benefited from the concert experience was I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight which, honestly, on the album, is kind of flaccid, considering the lyrics. They turned it more dancey/ravish and it was pretty cool, especially because we got to see both Larry (with some kind of African drum) and Adam come by on the runway. (Overall, Bono and the Edge come by about five times, and Adam come by about three times.)

Vertigo and Elevation were really great too. Vertigo may have the most inane lyrics of all time, but it was killer live. (Bono introduced it by saying something about "We're going to teach you Spanish, Irish-style.")

Loved the Amazing Grace before Where the Streets Have No Names. The Edge launching into that opening of Streets was chillworthy.

You could tell by the end of the concert that Bono's vox was shot. During With or Without You he had the crowd sing a lot while he swung on his mic suspended from the crustacean.

Being down on the field really gave a different feel to the stadium concert. It was difficult to tell if the whole crowd was singing along or if they were being crazy or dull. Basically, we could only tell what the interior section was doing and the people directly around us. So, while missing out on the wide panorama views that can make stadium concerts feel like a crazy Kumbaya singalong, we got to experience the close-up, club feel for a huge event, which made it completely worth it.

This is filmed by someone in the inner circle...if you were able to blow up the crowd after the Edge and Larry cross the bridge, you could probably see us...