Haydn was a Brutal Dude

Dr. Ellis mentioned this as something the quartet could do this semester since we are currently looking to perform some Haydn. Even if we're not playing, I still think we should go. I think it's hilarious.

Haydn Quartet Slam

U2 Live in Chicago 9/12/09

So I missed Octave's weekend festivities, but I got to see two bands in Chicago instead. I think it's a pretty good deal.

Snow Patrol was the opening act of the night and they really set the tone for an excellent show. I admit to not being familiar with very much of the band's material, but they played the three songs I know, "Run", "Chasing Cars" and "Hands Open". All three were performed to perfection. "Hands Open"was particularly good. It had great energy and the crowd was really into it.
As for the negatives of their performance, the singer made some mistakes. He fully acknowledged them as well. He smiled and laughed about them all. It was cool, in a way. The lead guitarist disappointed. The solos lacked creativity and one of them was hard to hear. That may have been a sound board issue, but it hurt the feel of what was otherwise a great show.
Snow Patrol was a pleasant surprise. I did not know what to expect and was impressed. Their songs even used dynamics, which really impressed me.

After Snow Patrol left the stage, an army, and I mean an army, of roadies came out to reset it for U2. Now, the army can be easily explained by the stage itself. It is called The Claw, and it is enormous. The picture is from a Paris show because I don't take cameras to concerts. The point is to listen, not to try and get the perfect shot.

Anyway, after a 45 minute set change, U2 took over. The show was incredible; one of the best shows I've seen. They played for two and a half hours and played a spectacular set list. Some of the highlights were "Bad", "Elevation", "Unknown Caller", "Ultra Violet (Light my Way)", and "Pride (In the Name of Love)". My friend Sam, who went with me, listed his top 5 as "Magnificent", "Beautiful Day", "Elevation", "The Unforgettable Fire" and "Bad". The lists are pretty close all things considered. It was really hard for me to leave "Beautiful Day" off my list, and he said the same thing for "Pride (In the Name of Love)".
The energy was incredible. Bono, whose singing has declined, but was still pretty good, worked the crowd at almost the level of Freddy Mercury in his prime. He even had us doing the double clap, a la "Radio Ga Ga". It was quite the experience. There were two pretty amazing effects during the encore as well. First, during "With or Without You" they aimed a bunch of spots on a disco ball at the top of the claw and dimmed all the lights creating a swirl of lights on the entire stadium. To close the show, with "Moment of Surrender", they had the lights way down and had the entire audience take out their phones. I realize it's cliche and not as cool as lighters, but the effect was magnificent.
Bono, regardless of what can be said about his politics, is an excellent front man. When he introduced the band, he made fun of himself for his lack of humility. With The Edge playing what Bono described as "sky-scraping guitar" and Bono continually dancing around the stage, U2 never lacked energy. Adam and Larry kept the beat rock solid and the time was never an issue. Even the remix of "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" impressed. Having all three instrumentalists walk around the entirety of the stage, playing guitar, bass and djembe, did not hurt the energy either. The crowd went crazy too. It was awesome.
If you ever get the chance, I would recommend seeing U2 if possible. Snow Patrol's front man, Gary Lightbody, claimed it was the best live show him or the rest of Snow Patrol had ever seen. U2 did not disappoint. The only thing that is keeping Zappa Plays Zappa ahead of it for me is the length of show. Zappa played for an hour more than U2 did, but Zappa didn't have an opening act either.

To end this rambling post, let me quote Bono by saying "All you need is love. And a spaceship. The spaceship is good too."