Not_Goodbye

Feel gutted after reading this post https://www.atu2.com/news/adam-hints-on-health-podcast-that-u2-wont-tour-in-2019.html Bono and Edge did an interview with 60 Minutes last year and Edge was adamant that they would tour Australia in 2018, Bono (unusually) was a little less definite but seemed optimistic all the same. Now it looks like we'll miss out for the third tour in row. I flew to Vancouver for JT30 and had been seriously considering spending my kids' inheritance (again) to be in Madison Square Garden tonight but I held off in the hope that the tour would make it down under and am now kicking myself for not trusting my instincts. If distance is the problem then duration is the answer. Based on the numbers attending their stadium shows in Sydney, they could easily pack out Qudos arena for 7-10 shows; making it more affordable to do the trip. They can't just limit their touring to North America and Europe, with the odd South American dates; they need to respect their fans in other locations. Don't let Australia stop at 6 tours.

I was a bay further along (219) and got a better view but even then it was incomplete. The screen is not perfectly flat and has a ripple in the middle which resulted in me often missing the centre of attention. Best example of this is that I was completely oblivious to the final image of the show which is assumed to be Sian and Eli and speculated to be linked to Songs of Experience. pirwin, i hope you weren't charged the normal price for those seats or that they at least came with some warning about the possibility of a restricted view. That's really unfair of the promoters to sell seats like that when so much depends on being able to see the screen.

I don't know what the acoustics were like before the remodel, but my experience on the first night of the tour was impaired by the sound quality. I picked it up first watching Mumford & Sons but there was noticable reverb and echo around the arena. The delay is only fractions of a second and so less obvious in the bigger songs but it does mean they sound a bit muddier. Where it's most prominent is in the quieter songs like MLK and, unfortunately, in the brand new Little Things.

U2 has been my preferred band for about 35 years but we are not in an exclusive relationship; there are other bands I love and follow. One of those is the Counting Crows, who do a fantastic job (better than U2 to be honest) at mixing up their set-list and interpreting their songs in different ways. A few years back they did a show in New York where they played their debut album in full from start to finish and they later released it as a live album. So you have the original studio album from some 20 odd years earlier and a live version. With speculation that this anniversary tour could see all tracks from the Joshua Tree played, wouldn't it make a fantastic and unique member subscription gift in 2018 to give the dedicated fans a complete live version of The Joshua Tree. A little like U22 only better? Where do we start the petition?

Congrats on attending your 30th show. As you said, they've never played that often in in NZ, so where else and how far have you gone?

It's kinda faded and rarely worn but I still have my 1984 sleeveless Under Australian Skies t-shirt. Now that's vintage!

You too - guess that's happening more and more as we long-term fans age.

1) Where are you from? Sydney, Australia. We never got to see the original JT tour and I'm not expecting this one to head down under (Hoping I+E part II will) 2) Where are your seats? First tier in the stands on Edge's side. Could have got GA but my standing tolerance isn't what it used to be, so I'm reluctantly starting to choose seats these days 3) How many U2 shows is this for you? This will be my 10th and the first time I've left my home city, never mind my country. I first saw them (twice in fact) on their first tour to Australia in 1984 and was in the crowd when Zoo-TV was recorded. I've seen them each time they've visited, except for PopMart. As an aside, two of my three children saw U2 as their first ever concert. The 3rd is my rebellious one and chose Coldplay instead. (Oh the shame! ) 4) Song on JT you most want to hear? Tough call. Red Hill resonates strongly with me because I grew up in a mining village, but it's probably MoTD. I've been listening to it recently on a PopMart bootleg from Santiago and it's so emotional and so rare.

After solving the stupid TM locked out issue, I found plenty of choices so persevere when your turn comes tomorrow. Yes, the I+E DVD is pretty cool but nothing beats the emotion of being there and this time we will (may?) hear JT in full. I've never travelled to see the band before but I'm coming all the way from Sydney just to see this, my 10th show. After the number of music icons we lost in 2016, you never know if this could be their last tour or (being a similar age to the guys) my last chance to see them.

I was starting to feel down that my indecision and not taking the first seats offered had cost me an opportunity to purchase in the pre-sale, when I saw this. Jumped in again and this little Australian is now very excited about going to the first night in Vancouver. Moving on to finding flights and accommodation. Now can someone please wrap Bono in cotton wool so that this tour starts on time and he is in good health