U2 at the end of the world

In Perth where we lay our scene, it's a hot summer afternoon as me and my friends make our way to Subaico.
Today is the 18th of December, 2010. Today is a day about twenty years in the making. Mysterious Ways did it for me. I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen - the belly dancer, Bono with his long hair and the psychedelic video captured me. I remember.

Over the years the band's songs have meant different things at different times. In the dark ages 'All I want is you' played late into the night. In moments of exhilaration Vertigo, Where the Streets have no name and Discotheque jostled for mind space in my head. A very special relationship ended years back and the song from that day became Until the end of the world...the lyrics for the song eerily close to the situation, party girl started every playlist I made, sometimes you can't make it on your own became the song I need to hear when I miss my dad, their songs became the soundtrack to my life.

You get the drift. Which brings us to this day. I've flown miles to get here for this evening. I stand there listening to the crowd chatter, I see the crew work their stuff in the background, I soak it all in. Jay-Z comes on - he opens for U2, the older lot in the crowd murmur something about he being Beyonce's husband - completely unprepared for the R&B experience and boy is he awesome. He opens with Run this town and gets everyone bouncing, bounce bounce bounce - the beat goes on and on and under an hour he's done.

We wait - restless. We wait - the crowd is alive and dormant. The specially designed stage called The Claw is coming alive - this stage is a monster - the fifth member of U2 waits. The lights go down, its dark, the jungle is my head, the lights come on and go crazy, the band strolls on nonchalantly. Bono comes and stands right in front of me sizing up the audience, The Edge straps on his guitar. I can feel my throat screaming literally screaming in delight. They're all there, all body parts intact - this is exactly how I pictured it a million times and they're letting it rip - one masterpiece after another.



I call my girlfriend when Mysterious ways starts (first time I met her the line that most described us was 'She's the wave - She turns the tide, She sees a man, inside the child'), I call Arun my friend who knows how cool this is (Vertigo tour veteran) when Miss Sarajevo kicks in. I call Mum & Dad when With or Without you kicks in. This was Mum's favourite song and growing up I would hear the song constantly from their bedroom. I call baby bro when 'Walk on' kicks in because that boy has been walking on for sometime now. I take pictures. I sing along. I watch mouth agape as the screen descends and envelopes the stage. I reach out as Bono reaches out to the thirty thousand people below. I watch the Claw go absolutely ape shit - the screen is blitz, the lights just explode, the disco ball goes crazy.
The coolest part of the show is the ending of Until the end of the world. There are two bridges that flank either side of the stage. Bono stands on one and the Edge on the other and as the song ends Bono reaches out his hand for the Edge and the frickin bridges start moving closer to each other (yes I know all stage managed but so infinitely cool I came thrice) - the edge reaches his arm out and as the bridges move's closer their fingers almost touch...almost, and the bridges pull apart. Perfect. Perfect for the song as well.

It all ends too soon. Bono blows a kiss, the band takes a bow, Moment of Surrender lingers all and the claw goes back in its shell for another night.

Words will never capture the concert, nor will the photos and the grainy videos. It will linger long in my memory. I will hopefully tell my kid someday about that day I joined thousands of people in singing the Where the Streets have no name, or that I stood there right under the band and mentally ticked off #1 on the ten things I want to do before I die. 9 more to go and I'm sure we'll get there.

The setlist:

1. Return Of The Stingray Guitar
2. Beautiful Day
3. I Will Follow
4. Get On Your Boots
5. Magnificent
6. Mysterious Ways
7. Elevation
8. Until The End Of The World / Anthem (snippet)
9. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / Movin' On Up (snippet)
10. North Star
11. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
12. In A Little While
13. Miss Sarajevo
14. City Of Blinding Lights
15. Vertigo
16. Crazy Tonight / Relax (snippet) / Two Tribes (snippet)
17. Sunday Bloody Sunday
18. Scarlet
19. Walk On / You'll Never Walk Alone (snippet)

Encore(s):
20. One
21. Amazing Grace (snippet) / Where The Streets Have No Name
22. Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
23. With Or Without You
24. Moment of Surrender