U2 played a winning match in de Arena Auf Schalke yesterday evening.
In front of a enthusiastic German crowd going wild during all the songs, U2 played the second gig of the European tour.

Earlier on, supporting acts The Thrills and Feeder warmed up the crowd and Feeder succeeded the most.
The Thrills did their best with nice songs influenced by bands like The Waterboys and Supergrass, but the sound was not clear in the stadium. Feeder did a good job with their nice and melodic pop-songs and the audience seemed to like those this music more.
The sound was better at that time, only lack was the bass that didn't carry the songs enough. You couldn't
hear the instrument properly.

Then came U2.

About nine they climed upon stage and that was the moment we had been waiting for.
During the first tones of the opener Vertigo, the crowd went wild and the party had begun.
Beautiful Day followed and as third song Cry-Electric Co. was played.
That was a surprise for the German crowd, because no one expected it.

At the start of Miracle Drug, Bono thanked the German prime minister Schreuder and all other world-leaders and politicians for the fact the they dropped the debt of many third-world countries some days before.

Me standing at the top of the right catwalk had a great time. With Bono in front of me during Zoo Station, i had just the view that i wanted.
The flash back to ZOO TV was a good move from the band. Also The Fly and Mysterious Ways were played, and the well-known words that we could remember ourselves of the ZOO-TV tour came up on the screen.

Four years later, Bono seems to look older. The same clothes and image of the Elevation-tour cannot hide that his hair has become a bit thinner and that he looks as a 45-year old father now. But the passion is still there. The rock 'n roll is still there.

The band was in a good shape this evening. Especially Bono and Adam seemed to like the response of the audience. Adam made a lot of contact with the audience on my side and Bono made those typically moves that we know from him.
The performance of Sometimes you can't...was very emotional and that are just the songs that make the band and audience one. Being at a U2-concert, songs like Sometimes...One and With or Without You...are really fine and warm moments.
Party Girl was a nice end of the evening, with Bono forgetting the words: "I'm in trouble now..". Edge helped him out.
As final song of the evening was played again Vertigo, as they also did in Brussel two nights before.

A big difference with the Elevation-show was that the message that Bono wanted to give to the audience about spirituality, hope and Jesus was bigger than ever. He acted like a Messias during Bullet the Blue Sky and that was al little over the top.
We know that Bono stands for certain points and that he takes the time to let us know about it. But yesterday night it got a bit out of control.
Asking to hold our mobile-phones in the air to shine a little light in the darkness and also ask to sms for freedom....NO. For me he didn't have to do that.

Althought the setlist and power was very OK yesterday night, the show was too much Elevation-like. But at the point where U2 is now....no one should see that as a problem.
Waiting for four years to see them again, lets you forget such thing.

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