Last night I attended what was without a doubt the greatest concert ever!!! The last time U2 performed in South Africa was over 10 years ago and I was not prepared to miss this concert at the risk of having to wait another 10 years to see them. I am lucky enough to have a girlfriend who knows what I love and was thus suprised with U2 tickets as a Valentine's gift.
Due to the massive crowds that were drawn in for the event I parked in Bo-Kaap at about 6:30pm and decided to do the fan walk which was the best decision by far. The fan walk was amazing, the atmosphere was exhilarating. All the coffee shops, bars and restaurants were packed to the max. The famous Cape Minstrels (Kaapse Klopse) were there as well gracing us with their presence. The ques going into the stadium were really long but kudos to the organizers because the wait was not long at all, I was definitely impressed with the way this was coordinated.
Entering the stadium was a feeling that can best be described by experiencing it, saying it was absolutely breathtaking would be an understatement. The atmosphere inside was electrifying and the claw-like 360 degree stage was a beautiful site to look at. The opening act was by the Springbok Nude Girls with Arno Carstens as the lead singer. It was really great to see a local band like the SNG open up for U2 and I have to admit that even though I don't know all of their music, they definitely brought their 'A Game'.
U2 eventually came on stage at about 9:30pm and opened up with "Beautiful Day" and they could not have made a better choice, the crowd exploded with applause and screams. The visual effects were somewhat out of this world with the claw like stage changing color at every song. Bono is such an amazing performer filled with so much energy, it was truly an honor to see him perform live.
I have to admit that the quality of the sound was initially really bad. There was way too much bass and I could hardly here a single word Bono was saying. I assume the sound engineers picked up on this and tweeked it a bit because the sound drastically improved later on. At first I thought it was my location in the stadium, but after speaking to many others I came to the conclusion that it was definitely a slip on the part of the guys handling the sound.
Having said that I still undoubtedly had an incredible and unforgettable night. U2 sorta brought back the whole Fifa World Cup moto of "I was there!!!" Friday the 18th of February Cape Town stadium became a City of Blinding Lights!!!
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