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In the name of U2

There were many of us yesterday in Olympic Stadium of Athens. There were many talks about our impressions of U2's gig, the most crowded concert in Greece. D.Papaspyropoulos among us. Here is our review.
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Yesterday
more than ten editors of Mix Grill were at the Athens Olympic Stadium for the appearance of one of the greatest bands on the planet, the U2. All of us with our tickets in our hands...

For about a year, there were a lot of talks about the U2 concert and it is perfectly reasonable. Do not forget that in 2010, the 360 Tour of U2 is by far the most successful tour in the world, even if Bono was injured and the band had to cancel gigs in the US. Among the names of this tour was the name of Athens.It is a big deal for us, no doubt about it. Some of you may disagree with Bono and his actions or think that after the Joshua Tree the group haven't released any significant album (I would disagree with this), but as it is at the moment, U2 are within the five biggest bands in the world.


Yesterday, from 6 pm onwards, as you can read in "minute by minute" our article, we kept you all updated as to what was happening in the Olympic Stadium. It is, after all, one of the roles of a music site. Keeping you updated in real time and being interactive with readers. We were glad to have seen many of our Twitter Updates published in other sites about U2 around the world.

That's  all good. Let's go to the live now ...



Aviv Geffen (19:15 - 19:48)

We were at the Olympic Stadium early and we got in fairly easily I must say. People were more up to buying shirts of U2 or getting some beer, despite the fact that Aviv Geffen was about to start in a few minutes. The Israeli began with Blackfield just like in Rockwave 2 months or so ago. The sound, unfortunately, was not good throughout the half-hour kit. I would say that overall the appearance of Geffen was worse than in Rockwave, but not bad. Certainly, played less time.



Snow Patrol (20:15 - 20:57)

The Snow Patrol is one of the best bands of the 00s in my opinion. Methodically and steadily they are rising as a group. So it was good overall, the 45-minute appearance. They played strong and well and had a warm touch with the people. The set was exactly the same as it was in Moscow on August 15, as you can see below:

1. Open Your Eyes
2. Chocolate
3. Hands Open
4. Shut Your Eyes
5. Run
6. Chasing Cars
7. Crack The Shutters
8. Just Say Yes

Unfortunately the sound was not good, so their appearance was not as should have been. I think it would be a great idea to have them for a live indoors in our country. Remains to be seen.



U2 - The largest concert in Greece? (21:47 to 23:52)

Who: the U2
Where: at the Olympic Stadium
Production: Good
Sound: Good with a few problems at first
World: If you think that the seats fit 65,000 people and 30,000 Arena reasonably yesterday there were more than 80,000 people. If I remember correctly, maybe that  was the largest concert ever in Greece. Of course, we are waiting for the official statistics.
Began: at 9:47 PM
We said goodbye: at 11:52 PM
What they played:

Setlist:

Return of the Stingray Guitar
Beautiful Day
I Will Follow
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Mysterious Ways
Elevation
Until The End Of The World
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Pride (In The Name Of Love)
In A Little While
Miss Sarajevo
City Of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight - Discoteque (Remix)
Sunday Bloody Sunday
MLK
Walk On

Encore

One
Where The Streets Have No Name

Encore 2

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
With Or Without You
Moment Of Surrender

General Comments

It's a little hard having been to the show yesterday and not have been somewhat pleased with the appearance of U2. We can talk about the setlist, the sound etc. but overall the group presented a perfect show.

It is true that initially I was afraid perhaps that they would overdo it with the production of the whole show, but I am especially pleased that even though the scene and the accessories were impressive, what was dramatically superior in this two-hour show was the music of U2. That was indeed the reason a number of us went yesterday to the Olympic Stadium.



About music

- The beginning was really impressive. With the lights on, the four U2 entered the stadium the same way the athletes entered at the Olympics six years ago in the same arena. On the speakers the great "Space Oddity" from David Bowie. Good times ... So they got on the stage and began the first notes of the only new song they played yesterday, "Return of the Stingray Guitar". The sound was obviously stuffy and perhaps stronger than it should. This of course has improved in the next pieces.

- Two minutes later, the lights dropped and the day became Beautiful. The relatively good performance of the song (see the audio was still in the "body shop").

- Surprise was the next song choice. We were expecting the "New Year's Day" and we heard "I will follow". Just like 13 years ago in Thessaloniki ...

- All well with the next four with "Elevation" to get people high.

- And somewhere in the ninth and tenth song are two of the highlights of the night for me. The extraordinary "I still haven't found what I'm looking for", which was very well played from the band (see below and the accompanying video). Perhaps because even  Bono has not yet found what he is looking for... Have we? Incredible execution and crazy pass for the "Pride", which I wanted so much to hear ...



- After that In A Little While, Miss Sarajevo, City Of Blinding Lights, Vertigo came as the dynamite to rouse us. There certainly seemed that everything we heard so far has not been pre-recorded and the four musicians were playing as well as we heard them. Here then, the Edge just started in another tone, Bono got a little early. Somewhere lost in the beginning but found it later ...

- Good Remix of the I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight and the Discoteque. It was one of those moments that we have heard different songs from those in the CDs. I do not know if you agree, but I think that most songs were played exactly as we know them. In a few cases, the band has made amendments ... I will want that though...

- What is there to say about Sunday Bloody Sunday now ... One of my favorites, one of the songs that have something revolutionary in means.

- Shortly before the end of the original set, U2 dedicated the MLK (an Irish lullaby they said) to Aung San Suu Kyi, which is considered to be the Asian Nelson Mandela, and is kept in house arrest by the Burmese regime.

- In the first encore we originally saw a video, which ended with the words "To proceed, we must work as ONE". Favorite song for many. I would not say that Bono took it off. He could, of course ...

- Where the streets have no name ... favorite after a second encore Hold me, thrill me, kill me, kiss me and of course the "With or Without you". Undoubtedly one of the highlights of the evening. We were waiting for it. Good performance and incredible reaction of the world at the end of the song when Bono was saying goodbye. An incredibly strong pace of applause and a cry of the notes of the song "Ooooooo Ooooo". A moment in which Bono was fully engaged, who did a little pause in what was saying. One moment you can hardly forget ...

- Finally, a Moment of Surrender and on to the traffic jam on Kifissias ...



 Bono

Bono: Greeks and Irish have so much in common ... Take the situation on your hands Greeks ...
Odysseas The Edge, Larry Mullen as the Apollo, Adam Clayton the Zeus and Bono as Alexander the m...f... Great.

I would not say that it was very successful with the gods and Alexander the Great, but not bad. Let's stay in the first comment. Yes, we have much in common with the Irish. Both as people and on the topic of economic crisis.

He said his stuff thus Bono during the concert. He passed the messages. He talked about the crisis and asked us to take the situation into our own hands, because we define the place we live ... He said the Asian Nelson Mandela and right he did. Talking with  Dimitris Papaspyropoulos he said that Bono could raise even more the whole show. Could get more than ready to get quotes and more "inside us."

People

I have heard many opinions and complaints about the people. Some say that at Wembley last year was warmer, some the opposite. I would say that people were good, who largely filled the Olympic Stadium yesterday.

First, according to conversation we had with the organizers, tickets issued ware far more than 70,000. We believe that there were more than 80,000 fans of U2. So, maybe we can talk about the largest concert ever in Greece!

As far as the acceptance of the group, how people danced to the songs, shouted and sang, there you will hear many opinions. Depending on the gate or place in the Arena, people were. Yes, I wanted to dance more in the gate I was, but I think it was a good overall response throughout the world. Of course, do not have illusions. Just because the official site of U2 about the concert in Athens has the title "Incredible people" and refers to the phrase that Bono said after " Where the streets have no name ", do not think that U2 have not seen a corresponding acceptance from other audiences in the world. Right the opposite.



The Tour

Good was the overall event. Of course, we must note the sound problems in times of Snow Patrol and Aviv Geffen, and the first songs of U2.

In addition, we had complaints that the shirts run out by 8 pm or so. The Didi Production told us that two vans of t-shirts, posters, etc, have arrived in the stadium.

Finally, there were also some complaints that the beer was over at some bars.

The rezumé

As agreed with Dimitris Papaspyropoulos, yesterday evening is one of those that stay in your notebook of the concerts one has seen in life. Yes we would like to touch us more, but we were touched enough. Yes we would like to hear BAD  (Dimitris) and  DESIRE (my choice), but we heard a bunch of old favorites and songs. Yes we could have even better sound, but eventually any problems in the beginning didn't ruin the show. Yes, it was a special evening.

Read the views of other authors of Mix Grill for yesterday evening:

poromenos - Michalis Lambrinos

For the Snow Patrol, I think there are two angles to describe yesterday's appearance:

1) The support for U2
I do not think are particularly suited ... It is not the band that will get you  revolutionized and I will get you uploaded waiting for U2. Important role played their songs that are a bit more lyric. The response was from moderate to bad ... Many people do not even know the band, let alone the songs. Of course this has not helped the band as an additional stress was put on them.

2) The Snow patrol in a concert
The band has great songs! I think their performance was amazing and perfect setlist! Could play a little more, but ok, support there were ... Overall a very good appearance.

U2  very briefly

In pros
Amazing setlist
The (surprisingly)  good response from the people. Especially after With or with out you the world went singing "oh" for any two minutes, I think so fully engaged was Bono ...
A lot of people. One of the biggest concerts have taken place in Greece.
The stage, the lights, show. To be honest, I didn't like the scene from what I saw on the internet. Closely and as it was stood for each song it was more than impressive. I think it was close to perfect audio-visual show on a rock-pop concert
Bono, the Edge, Adam and the Larry. They all gave their best ... Bono seemed like he came in strong to enchant the audience from the very first song.

In Cons
-"Vertigo". Destroyed the piece ...It doesn't take much to "spoil" the most uploaded the song
Eventually, the laser jacket and teeter on the microphone, I think that Bono went too far...
-The unacceptably high priced official accessories. A t-shirt was at 30 Euros   (!!!), concert poster (printed on one page A3) has 20 Euros, and a hat with the logo of U2 and 360 tour another 30 Euros

Overall, for me it was one of the concerts landmark concert in the Greek data. U2 have shown that it is not accidentally no1 band in the world and makes us wonder how much better might be if they were to be seen two months ago as headliners at the Glastonbury ... We shall never know!



Eugenia Koutsouli:

I'm speechless.
Personally I lived a tragedy before getting inside as just outside the stadium  I discovered that I had a ticket less than those who had gone along and I was the one who had the tickets in her hands until there. Horror!

For the audio I could only say that we probably need to talk for each gate and each zone separately because I, in gate 6, did not have the ideal set of the tone, especially the voice of - allow me to say my super hero's - Bono that sounded lower than the music and generally the sound was a bit stuffy at first. Then improved enough and in the end, when one can be sure of the good food and a good sound, that is once you leave the place where you were offered,  my ears were not buzzing at all. This means that although it was very loud music it hasn't ruined my acoustic internal organs. It rarely happens. On the other hand, friends who were in the arena told me they had great sound and listened to the voice of -let me play the title he chose for himself- Alexander the mother fucking Great singer of the largest band on the planet, spotless.
I regret that I can never live it again as it was and hope to live something as good some day or even better. Can wait though. ;)



beatle80 - Angeliki Makri

I would like to make a comparative format comment on the show to last year's show in Ireland.

Clearly an impressive scene, the show, professional Irish, and all those elements that have made the tour for the second year around the world filling stages.

The bet of U2 for this tour was to fill stadiums and not concert halls. Succeeded. Did anyone doubt? The question is how to fill in a stadium. In the position for which the ticket price was 360 Euros, which is the inner circle of the arena, I was in Croke Park by paying only 65 euros, which was the cost throughout the arena for last nights concert. Yesterday I watched the show from a good position, top of the gate 26. What I noticed was that the people of the red zone were a little icy, a little unread, and I come to suspect that they simply had the money but not the charm. And it makes sense to prevent a 20 to 25 years to place in the midst of crisis, but overall, it is a big amount. Even for some other gates 110 euros were excessive. What I am getting?

That with a little better distribution of the world, the public would be warmer and more representative in the first series, creating the adequate climate.

In creating the atmosphere the Snow Patrol did not especially help, who have valuable songs but are a bit small to open U2. Returning to the concert in Ireland, the Kaiser Chiefs were the perfect opening as they can stand alone as a name and
very good reputation in live follows them.

As far as the rest, the Olympic Stadium managed well all these people, the sound was, as always, a bit problematic in high places, the endless queues at the bar, but with Mysterious Ways, the With or without you and acrobatics of Bono, everything was fine print on an explosive welcome to Athens by the  Athenians of the routine and the economic crisis.

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