U2, Auckland NZ, 2019

U2

8th November 2019
Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Doug Peters.

There is a word. A word that shows such as U2’s Joshua Tree tour that touched down in Auckland last night will often have plastered across them like some sort of fluorescent label, that for some is a warning and for others an invitation to savour the contents hidden inside.

That word is nostalgia.

Yes, it is one that even a supergroup like U2 cannot escape, especially since they first began this version of The Joshua Tree tour back in 2017, celebrating and examining both the original album and tour of the same name that they first embarked upon in 1987; their decision to do so surprising even show director Willie Williams, a gentleman that has been U2’s show designer since 1983, for in his own words when referring to the band “they have always been about the future, rarely ever looking backwards”. But is playing ones now ‘classic’ albums in full really the somewhat clichéd point that bands of U2’s tenure eventually reach. Or is it a chance to bring forth something new cradled in the hands of an old friend?

Before the audience would have the chance to decide for themselves, they were first greeted with a set from one half of the infamous Gallagher brothers; Noel Gallaghers High Flying Birds boldly taking the stage with a few additional band members to really give some of their tracks an additional oomph; ‘Holy Mountain’ from the album Who Built the Moon? certainly grabbing the attention of the thousands already littering the gigantic field before them. Moving through a reasonably quick fire set, that saw not only the lovely Jessica Greenfield, and the intriguing Charlotte Mariunneau join forces with the stunning vocal stylings of YSEÈ, the never far from the tip of the tongue caustic humour of Gallagher himself occasionally made itself present, those watching closely seeing the outer corner of his lip curl ever so slightly upwards as rogue words would fall.

The set, split it would seem quite evenly in two, featured not only some tasty little treats in the form of tracks such as ‘Black Star Dancing’ but a handful of Oasis songs which while bringing great delight to many of the crowd, who threw their heads back as they bellowed the words to such stalwarts as ‘Wonderwall’, ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’ and ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ which Gallagher delivered complete with a jibe about the rugby – also did not quite have the same vibrancy about them as the High Flying Birds tracks did. Reminiscence that is expected not always as sweet as one would perceive it to be. Finishing on a rambling version of ‘All You Need is Love’ by The Beatles, bolstered by a three-piece brass section, High Flying Birds were escorted from the stage by a wave of appreciative applause.

Stretching across the width of the front of the field, the almost unfathomable screen made up of 1,040 individual video panels sat dormant, the silhouette of the Joshua Tree emblazoned upon the left side silently overseeing the continuing swell of bodies before it. A cool breeze whipped the clouds across the sky and the sound system burst into life with The Waterboys ‘The Whole of the Moon’, U2 taking to the stage within its closing notes, the crowd going wild as they did so.

Slipping onto the ‘B Stage’ which extended out into the audience, its shape the perfect shadow of the aforementioned Joshua Tree behind it, a bolt of electricity shot out through the fans as ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ from 1983’s War rang out across the night sky, the chorus of tens of thousands of people lifting it’s words to the very heavens. Wasting no time and capitalising on the almost instantaneous lightning in a bottle euphoria that had now engulfed the stadium whole, U2 moved straight into ‘New Year’s Day’, the passion coursing through the lyrics still just as evocative decades on; slightly modified versions of both ‘Bad’ and ‘Pride’ – the first indication that this show and indeed this tour is not just another run of the mill, album playthrough production being trotted out by a so-called heritage band – ushering in The Joshua Tree album.

Returning to the main stage, a collective breath was drawn in wonderment as the screen came to life in striking red and black, the band members themselves almost dwarfed by the sheer enormity of it; but then they weren’t the focus, merely the conduits for the captivating images (curated once again by Anton Corbijn) that accompanied words and songs etched in memories, but which in the hands of Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. brought forward new meaning, relevant to the times in which we now live, while embodied with the same spirit it first germinated within.

‘Where the Streets Have No Name’ took fans down breathtaking highways, ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’ through forests, and ‘With or Without You’ high into umber coloured mountains, before ‘Bullet the Blue Sky’ saw a political challenge once again laid bare, as serene imagery was replaced with black and white haze, Bonos’ face larger than life peering out from the screen as he sang into a camera mounted before him.

Bonds already well and truly etched into the very fabric of our nation – Ireland and New Zealand always having a natural affinity – were once again fortified as ‘One Tree Hill’ graced the stadium, Bonos’ dedication to Greg Carroll, a kiwi who ‘they adopted or was it the other way round’ into the U2 family before being tragically taken far too soon, a heartfelt declaration of love embraced by all.

Black and white film from an old episode of Trackdown featuring a villainous man named Trump who calls for the building of walls, carried it’s own message, again one that was both historic and present-day, the bands fascination and at times revolution with the USA, re-examined while re-tracing old footsteps; ‘Mothers of the Disappeared’ bringing the album to a close on a more sombre note than it’s opening tracks. Musically, every single member of U2 is on point, Bonos’ vocals strong and true as they ever were, The Edge still able to lay down those distinctive riffs with aplomb, Clayton and Mullen Jr the never-failing foundations upon which all is built.

Shaking off the coat of introspection, U2’s extended encore saw Bono declare to one and all that he has long been suffering from megalomania, his top hat and shimmering lapels ushering in a side of Bono that fans know so well. The stadium once again erupting into song and dance as ‘Elevation’, ‘Vertigo’ and ‘Even Better Than the Real Thing’ created a whirlwind of aural and visual ecstasy, those sadly caught up in the vibe not able to find the calm beauty within ‘Every Breaking Wave’, a song that first began its life here in New Zealand many years ago.

The evening was drawing to a close, but not before the faces of women who have and continue to rewrite the course of history lit up the screen as the band played ‘Ultra Violet (Light My Way)’, Bono referring to them – quite rightly – as luminous beings. But it was the final song of the night, that strengthened ties once again; U2 dedicating ‘One’ to the 51 people who died this year in the Christchurch terror attack, their names illuminated on screen in honour.

The Joshua Tree tour does indeed have an element of nostalgia, but it is merely a vehicle for ideas and conversations of the present and for the future. For how can any of us hope to find our way forward if we don’t reflect on our past?

Were you there at Mount Smart Stadium to witness this spectacular stadium rock gig? Or have you seen U2 perform live somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!

U2 have one more show in New Zealand tonight (Saturday 18th November 2019) with tickets still available from Ticketmaster. We recommend getting in quick as this show is looking like it will also be a sellout!

Setlist:

1. Sunday Bloody Sunday
2. New Year’s Day
3. Bad
4. Pride
5. Where The Streets Have No Name
6. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
7. With Or Without You
8. Bullet The Blue Sky
9. Running To Stand Still
10. Red Hill Mining Town
11. In God’s Country
12. Trip Through Your Wires
13. One Tree Hill
14. Exit
15. Mothers Of The Disappeared
16. Angel Of Harlem
17. Elevation [encore]
18. Vertigo [encore]
19. Even Better Than The Real Thing [encore]
20. Vertigo [encore]
21. Every Breaking Wave [encore]
22. Beautiful Day [encore]
23. Ultra Violet (Light My Way) [encore]
24. Love Is Bigger Than Anything In It’s Way [encore]
25. One [encore]

---

If you enjoyed this content, please consider donating towards the running of Ambient Light, covering expenses and allowing us to expand the coverage you love by visiting our PressPatron page.

---