So, who was there and your opinions?
I was there. Overall. enjoyed it tremendously.
Some issues though. The food and drinks stands. Eish. This always seems to be a massive problem at these kinds of events. You are expecting close on 100 000 people, make sure you have plenty of drinks and water in your fridges!!! The service was truly pathetic. You wait for 30mins in a Q, for drinks or food, only to be told they are sold out. Or they say someone has gone to fetch more. Why not fetch more when the fridges are approaching half empty??? It seems that standards are in the bog again after the world cup.
Then the toilets. SIF! Really disgusting. The urinals were okay and the bathrooms overall were okay, but the toilets were really disgusting. Now apparently their was a water issue, but then make sure you provision for it. Also, why some people can not flush after taking a crap is beyond me. Any case.
Then the opening bands. What the and who the hell were those bongo drumming Africans? I figure they were probably a U2 charity act towards some African band, but the music really didn't impress me. Was annoying and extremely repetitive. And the sound was kak. Same goes for the sound of the Springbok Nude Girls. The drums and guitar COMPLETELY overshadowed the lead singer. It was actually painful to listen to them. Now I know the echo in the stadium doesn't help, but I still think they went a bit over the top.
Then lastly, the traffic to leave. Oh my crap! Took us almost 2, yes TWO hours simply to leave the parking lot and get onto the road. As in 2 hours to go less than a kilometer! When we got to the stadium, there were traffic marshals and cops everywhere and helping people. After the show? Not a single traffic cop in sight. There were probably 20 marshals I saw simply standing around at the stadium entrance having a chat, doing nothing. Then there were those special ones who reckon they don't have to wait and push and shove their way into the front. To those individuals, I hope your car overheated and you had to call some tow truck.
As for the good though, WOW! What a concert from U2. They may be 50 odd years old, but those guys know how to rock! The stage setup was unbelievably impressive. The lighting was brilliant. That crab like setup is very cool. The 360 screen that lowers and raises and expands, mind boggling. The sound was also very good. Much better than the opening acts, but also suffered a bit from time to time. The line-up of songs was a really good mix. Lots of hits from the past, but some new ones thrown in to mix it up. As for political messages, don't go watch U2 and be surprised when Bono and the guys have a message behind songs etc.
The stadium itself once again impressed me immensely. I was there during the SWC as well and it is still a stunning venue. And it is also really astounding how quickly the stadium empties of people. Sadly the same can not be said for the parking area.
So to sum up, yes I mentioned some bad experiences, but as I was there to see U2 and not some crappy opening bands, I really enjoyed myself and would recommend that if you can secure tickets for the CT concert, do so now and go have a blast.
