U2
O2 Arena
London, UK
3rd November 2015

A Soledriver Recording...
recorded from the South section next to the East Stage about five people back...
see the plan of the arena...I was the white spot...


Lineage: Core Sound mics > Sony D8 DAT machine...
Tascam DA-20 Mk 2 DAT machine > HHb burnit CDr recorder...no EQ
CDr > EAC > Traders Little Helper > Flac8 sector aligned

Disc 1:

01 - People Have The Power Intro...
02 - The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)
03 - Gloria / Van Morrison's Gloria (snippet)
04 - Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? (snippet) / Vertigo
05 - I Will Follow
06 - Iris (Hold Me Close) / Hold Me Close (snippet)
07 - Cedarwood Road
08 - Song For Someone
09 - Sunday Bloody Sunday...When Johnny Comes Marching Home (snippet)
10 - Raised By Wolves / Psalm 23 (snippet)
11 - Until The End Of The World / Love And Peace Or Else (snippet) / Words (snippet)
12 - Intermission (The Fly)
13 - Invisible
14 - Even Better Then The Real Thing
15 - Mysterious Ways / Burning Down The House (snippet) / Young Americans (snippet)

Disc 2:

01 - Desire / 1969 (snippet) / Love Me Do (snippet)
02 - Party Girl
03 - Every Breaking Wave
04 - October
05 - Bullet The Blue Sky / Ode To Joy (snippet) / 19 (snippet)
06 - Zooropa
07 - Where The Streets Have No Name / California (There Is No End To Love) (snippet)
08 - Pride (In The Name Of Love)
09 - With Or Without You / Yellow (snippet)
10 - Encore break...Intro (Steven Hawking)
11 - City Of Blinding Lights
12 - Beautiful Day...Live Forever (snippet)
13 - Mother And Child Reunion
14 - Bad
15 - "40"

Band line-up:
Bono/Larry/Edge/Adam...you know who does what...

Feel free to do whatever you like with this recording as long as you don't charge money for it!
MP3, Who Cares? Just remember to support the artists, and live music!!

Now...I do love U2...BUT...
This is a fantastic visual show...when you can see what's going on.
Unfortunately, only half the audience can see it a lot of the time.
Bono arrives at one end of the stage (where I was standing) and moves the length to the far end, 
which is a fair distance away (3/4 of the length of the O2). 
I'm just touching 6 feet tall but for the next 25 minutes I could see nothing,
as the stage is about a foot or two too low and the flat floor precludes a decent view.
It might have occurred to someone in power that Bono is not a giant and would be all but
invisible from the standing area at the opposite end...why don't the video screens show what is
going on at this stage?
Bono then walks through the centre of the video screen and appears at our end, which 
causes a panic as middle-aged men suddenly believe that reaching out toward their hero 
will cure their impotence/baldness/stupidity??? 
This is when I realise that a seat would have been a good idea...
A half-hour later there's an "intermission" while a drumkit is built inside the video structure 
(Of course, this the perfect "let's get to the bar and get another two pints each moment"...)
and the band resume with a couple of songs from there...
ask someone who was there to explain how this is supposed to work...I'm not sure myself.
I watched from an oblique angle and could see occasional glimpses of the band through flashes of the screen, 
but I'd have hated to be at either end of the arena...maybe it was better than my imagination allows, 
but if so, I'm someone will put me right.
I know my view is coloured by being a taper, but from here on in the crowd are so pissed up 
that there is no peace from talking and pushing etc...people can't stand at a gig for more than 
half an hour without pushing in and out getting more alcohol. 
You're going to love the loved-up couple who were desperately trying to get Bono to wish the girl 
a happy birthday while he was trying to get them to "STFU"...and her birthday wasn't till the following day, if my ears are to be believed... 
The beginning of "October" is completely ruined by both the birthday couple and the knobs who feel you 
can make up for the lack of a drummer by clapping along...again Bono kept trying to stop the clappers but to no avail.
I know I'm being very hard on this show, but I was so looking forward to it, and having been
out of work for a while could only go the once, only to find it a bit of an endurance test.
BTW...some of the recording is better than it has a right to be, although I had hoped for a better result.
And in the absence of an alternate capture...here's mine...IT IS WHAT IT IS...