U2ieTour NYC5&6 July 26-27, 2015

Posted on August 4, 2015 by Deena 'DeenasDays' Dietrich in iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE tour // 2 Comments

The fifth U2ieTour show in New York City on July 26, 2015 was the fourth anniversary of the last 360 show in the U.S. That show in Pittsburgh was when Larry hugged me on his way to the stage. This NYC5 show wasn’t quite as memorable. Although Larry did finally wear his blue shirt that I hadn’t seen since Denver1, but it wasn’t the solid blue shirt I had seen in Vancouver and Denver. Rather it was a blue and black checkered shirt. He still looked good though. Other highlights were “Gloria” and watching Chris Cornell in the audience. And oh yeah, Lady Gaga played piano and sang with U2 on “Ordinary Love” while in her underwear.

After being home for a week after the first two New York shows, I left my house the morning of NYC5 at 7:15am to catch the 8:20am Megabus to NYC. We didn’t leave until a little after 8:30am, but I sat across from a fellow U2 fan so we pretty much talked the entire three hours. I arrived in NYC around 11:45am and walked over to Madison Square Garden to get on the GA list because this was to be Vicky’s first GA show (her second U2 show). I was number 194. Vicky had gotten there a little earlier, so she was number 180. And Jenny who lives in Manhattan was something like 18. I then walked the six blocks to my hotel The Candlewood Suites. It wasn’t as big and comfy as my spot in Chicago, but it had a full kitchen and was quiet, which was a huge step up from the New Yorker where I stayed the previous weekend for the first two shows. I wasn’t feeling well at all. A combination of the dramimine, the bus ride, the heat and fighting off a sinus infection. I unpacked, ate, and rested for a bit. I left at 2pm to go back to MSG.

I met up with Doug, Vicky, Brigitte and Romona who bought my book. It was clear either U2 was already inside or not stopping to greet the fans. This was the fourth show in a row no one from U2 had stopped to sign autographs or take photographs. It was the first time this tour this had happened. I was so thankful I already had my moments with them in Denver and Chicago, but felt badly for the New York fans who hadn’t had those opportunities. Around 3:30, Vicky and I went into Penn Station to cool off and hydrate. I drank a gatorade and ate my cheese crackers. We got back into the hot sun of the GA line, and I drank another gatorade. I saw Beth, Dres from U2TourFans and a few others. Once inside, we ended up one person back from the rail on the South Side of the e stage – right behind Jenny and next to Larry’s drums. We waited in line in the hot sun and got the same spot I get when I don’t wait in the GA line at all. Just sayin.

It was great to hear “Gloria,” but I had heard it at NYC2 and twice in Chicago. I think my favorite song for that second slot is “Out of Control.” There were new videos on the screen for “Even Better Than the Real Thing” – sort of Pop-esque. Lady Gaga joined U2 on the e stage for “Ordinary Love.” She played piano and sang. Wearing a bra and panties with fishnets, the lads seemed quite amused by her. Larry couldn’t stop smiling. And that’s saying something for him. Bono commented something like, “That’s her regular outfit. She evens answers the door for pizza like that.” I guess the rumor was true that U2 went to the Lady Gaga show in Chicago while we were having our fan meetup at Pippins. After the e stage set, we walked over to the North Side and stood in the back off the stage as I normally do. I got my water from the bar conventiently located right off the GA so you can still hear everything. I ran into Marcela, whom I had met in Chicago (she was on stage Chicago2). U2 reverted back to the original set list order with “Bullet” following “Every Breaking Wave.” Jenny pointed out Chris Cornell, lead singer of Soundgarden, was in the VIP section, which at MSG were on the risers in the GA but raised and roped off and behind the Red Zone. I stood next to those risers for several songs so I could watch Chris watch U2. I love Soundgarden – one of the only other current bands I follow. After the show, I walked back to my hotel and found a $1 a slice walk up pizza place – one thing that is good about New York City.

The set list for NYC5 7.26.15 was as follows:

Main Set

The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)
Gloria, Gloria (Van Morrison) (snippet)
Vertigo
I Will Follow
Iris (Hold Me Close)
Stairway To Heaven (snippet), Cedarwood Road
Song For Someone
Sunday Bloody Sunday, When Johnny Comes Marching Home (snippet)
Raised By Wolves
Until The End Of The World, Love And Peace Or Else (snippet)

Second Set

Invisible
Even Better Than The Real Thing
Mysterious Ways, Young Americans (snippet)
Elevation
Ordinary Love with Lady Gaga (video)
Every Breaking Wave
Bullet The Blue Sky
The Hands That Built America (snippet), Pride
Beautiful Day, Born This Way (snippet)
With Or Without You

Encore

City Of Blinding Lights
Mother And Child Reunion (snippet), Where The Streets Have No Name,California (There Is No End To Love) (snippet)
One, Invisible (snippet), All You Need Is Love (snippet)

(from http://tours.atu2.com/concert/madison-square-garden-new-york-jul-26-2015)

To see all of my pictures from NYC5 please click here.

The sixth U2ieTour show in NYC, my 13th of the tour and 88th overall, was much better than the fifth. It was a fantastic show! For the first time, I heard “Two Hearts Beat as One.” This has always been one of my favorite early U2 songs, and I had been waiting for it every show since I heard U2 sound check it in Chicago. Another highlight (but not nearly as exciting) was “The Troubles.” I had heard it in Vancouver, but Bono was on the e stage and it just didn’t work. This time it sounded great, and Larry had this huge bass drum and was situated on the right side of the stage where Adam is.

I woke up the morning of NYC6 at 8am after only a few hours of sleep. I ordered a yummy Cheese Lover’s pizza (complete with mounds of ricotta) to have for the week and stayed in bed streaming tv until it was time to leave. I was going to stay in my room until 6pm and then just go into the show when the doors open since I wasn’t feeling well and would get the same spot for the show anyway. But Anisha texted me at 2pm saying Bono had just arrived. I was ok with missing Bono, but I thought if he stopped then maybe Larry would stop too. So I jumped in the shower, quickly got dressed and was at MSG before 3pm. I missed Bono and no one else stopped. Around 4pm, Vicky, Jenny and I went into Kabooz in Penn Station for our pre concert meal and plenty of water. Jenny went back to the GA line and Vicky and I went inside to the merch table / box office air conditioned area. We ran into Jeff, Dahna and Doug. Talked for a while then Doug and I got in the inside GA line – Vicky had seats for her birthday show. This inside GA line goes in after the outside GA line. It’s a great alternative to going to the end of the line outside waiting in the heat.

My original plan was to stand at the e stage on the South Side as usual as Doug was finally going to watch the show from the e stage, but it was very crowded. I could have stood behind Jenny who was at the rail by Larry’s drums, but I saw the runway was less crowded. I stood behind Carolina who was on the rail in front of where Larry would be during “Invisible.” There was room next to her, so Carolina invited me up on the rail. We were directly under where Larry would be for “Invisible” – so much so our necks hurt from looking straight up. Larry was just to our left during “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” The runway rail is actually the best spot to see both the main stage and e stage. We of course went nuts when “Two Hearts” started then again for Larry during “SBS” and “Invisible.” Before “Every Breaking Wave,” Bono leaned over the piano to Edge and whispered something. Come to find out “October” was on the set list that night, but wasn’t played.

After the e stage set, I went around to the North Side to stand back and watch the rest of the show. Julian Lennon was at the show – on the same risers where Chris Cornell was the night before. During “Beautiful Day,” I noticed new four black and white videos of the guys: Larry, Edge, Bono and Adam. Then before “Mother and Child Reunion” there was new stuff on the screen – a list of Red contributors. By this time Jenny had joined me as we rested along the barricade near the tunnel where U2 would leave. A guy from the crew gave Jenny a copy of Ulysses, saving it from Bono’s destruction. During “Streets,” security roped off the GA so U2 could exit the e stage, which indicated they would close with “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” They had been alternating between that and “One,” and they had just played “One” the night before. But U2 played “One” again, or started to – three times in fact. I don’t know if Larry or Edge messed up and started playing “One” when they should have been playing “Still Haven’t Found” because “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” was on the set list as the closer. Bono let the audience sing as he had been, but made us start over three time saying something about “The rhythm has to come from the drummer.” After the show, I ran into Brendan and Jeff on the street while walking back to my hotel. I now had two days to rest before the final two shows.

The set list for NYC6 7.27.15 was as follows:

Main Set