U2 Joshua Tree 2017 – It’s a tale of two venues

u2 joshua tree 2017 scotty evil nightmair creative

U2 Joshua Tree 2017 – It’s a tale of two venues
written by Scotty Evil 

I finally saw U2 with my buddy O-Dog two years ago at Rogers Arena. It was a flawless experience from the venue, the sound and the performance. It was enough for me to say yes to dropping another $300 for “The Joshua Tree 2017 Tour”.

O-Dog was beyond stoked as this is his number one band. More of a 90’s era U2 fan, he was still however pumped to hear songs never performed live before like ‘Red Hill Mining Town’ (rehearsed but never performed until this tour).

So we arrive in style, being dropped off in our limo at a comfortable 7:15pm. Yet we had barely stepped onto the plaza at BC Place Stadium when we encountered a WALL of fans. There was no discernible line. Hell, we could barely see Gate H. Thousands of confused and increasingly agitated people with ZERO direction from BC Place staff. The best we could do was attempt to slowly make our way towards the venue.

Not that we moved much. We endured someone with rank and chronic flatulence. We witnessed security escorting lines of people THROUGH the crowd, including Sarah McLachan and entourage who O-Dog promptly recognized and actually got a fist-bump from!

Fucking celebs.

NINETY MINUTES LATER. After some bright keener in security tells the crowd “Gate G has no lineup” and causes a mini-stampede.

Fucking brilliant BC Place.

So we’ve lost our buzz by this time. Getting inside (sorry but the Credit Card check was simple and quick) was cause for a mini celebration. Off to merch, some overpriced pseudo craft beer and into our seats.

Mumford and Sons were done by this time, tore down and off the stage. Reportedly they played to a mostly empty stadium with the lights still on.

So as a result, U2 held off until they got word most everyone was inside. But you could tell the negative experience of waiting so long to get in deflated the crowd.

To their credit, you could tell the show was certainly a love-letter to Vancouver. Bono was full of generous comments and compliments to our fair city. And he did his best to get everyone to sing along as much as possible but it certainly wasn’t the same level of energy they had gotten in the past. And the late start time likely shortened their encore set. Some fans at this point were simply done. (see Donna’s review for perspective on this from the inside)

And kudos for Bono to continue to highlight critical social issues across the globe. Everyone needs to act and get involved if they want the world to be a better place for everyone and it is good to have us be reminded. The human condition begets art and music, and rightfully so that it should be used to make those conditions better.

U2 have a long history of setting the bar high where it comes to their live shows. In this case, they were let down by a venue who clearly didn’t have the best plan to deal with the increasing frustration artists are having with scalpers holding fans hostage. But as long as we are fool enough to pay for these shows, we may have to talk with our wallets and boycott some until things are fixed.

5 Stars for U2.

One star for BC Place. One Star for LiveNation and Ticketmaster for creating an out of control scalper situation that resulted in a shit-show for fans who are paying a ridiculous premium to see these shows. It’s frankly criminal.

4 Stars for Rogers Arena for knowing how to handle Credit Card entry.

My last show at BC Place- I’m done. They have failed to own their mistakes. Stop blaming artists who are trying to make the experience for the fans, not to make scalpers and re-seller site rich.

@nightMairCreative.com
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written by Scotty Evil

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4 Comments

  1. Just went to see them at Soldier field , Chicago. VIP tickets were a rip off. Band was so far away and crowd so massive. Ninth and last time.. Too commercial. Love the band Hate the venue. Waste of money!!!!!!

    1. Wish I could get q partial refund. Ran out of drinks. Raffle was a bust. Seat was so far away I couldn’t see. People up and walking in front of me the whole show getting drinks. Left early.

    2. i noticed that about the RED zone last tour – it cost more and its for a great cause but it was too far from the band for most of the night.. so i didnt choose that option this time around. I find that its become more commercial since they signed the contract with Live Nation – i have the uneasy feeling Live Nation is calling more of the shots than the band normally would allow on past tours and thats a shame. I think that this tour just isnt the same as past tours maybe partly due to it being an album anniversary tour rather than a ‘new music to share with you’ tour.

  2. The band was so far removed than they have ever been. Not really engaged with the crowd. Stayed mostly on the front stage as far away from crowd as possible. If they are only going to play concerts and HUGE venues to satisfy stupid newbie fans, good luck. been a fan for over 35 years and that should count BIG TIME. Even went to the Octagon Bar!

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