Sunday 16 October 2011

U2 at the Clinton Foundation Concert - Review

Half of U2, Bono and Edge, topped the bill at this concert celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Bill Clinton Foundation and Clinton's 65th birthday.  And what an eclectic acoustic set this duo played!  They opened with Desire, followed by I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, the latter was lovely really liked this slower version.

Then Bono announces that they were going to play a song that.
"We've never played before."  What?? "...... This a a song that takes as it's subject, the mysterious difference between a man and a woman"  Yep they played A Man and a Woman live for the very first time!  Not a personal favourite song of mine, but it was a very good version, complete with a Apple Macbook backbeat (which of course doesn't compare to Larry!)

The next song was the predictable Sunday Bloody Sunday, which I'm heartedly sick of, but it was well done, both Bono and Edge were in good voice.  Nice that it was sung with Bono on the narrow walkway in the crowd.

Calling themselves "Irish buskers"  Bono went into one of his ramblings.
"One of the bummers about being in a band .....really you just hang about with men all the time.... being in a rock'n'roll band is kinda  like being on an oil rig.  I was talking with the Edge about this and he said we should get a string section, they often have girls in them."  Only Bono could compare being in a rock band to being on an oil rig!

They were joined on stage by a string section, mostly made up of females and launched in a song that
"Should have been a very big hit .... that was before Jimmy Iovine was working with us.  Look what that did on the last one." Mmmm, not sure what was going on there.  Then they played Staring at the Sun, another surprise, so so long since I've heard that live, the strings sounded great in it.  Amazing that they chose to play a song from Pop which was totally ignored throughout the 360 Tour.

Next "You might know this one, it wasn't a hit either."  Bit of a hit obsession going there Bono?  One, did actually get to number one in Ireland!  It was a very emotional performance of the song, after seeing from the Sky Down, this song has become all the more special to me.  Bono added a little of Stevie Wonder's Happy Birthday at the end of the song.

Clinton got on stage thank both Bono and Edge for their various charitable works before they finished with Miss Sarajevo.  It was lovely, the strings were perfect with it and Bono's operatic part sent shivers down my spine, beautiful.

It was a set for fans in a way, most people know Sunday and One, most of the others would be new to a mainstream audience.  Great to see them doing this, keep experimenting lads, I'm still hoping to hear Walk to the Water and Luminous Times live one day.

Watch U2's set below.

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