I always knew that my first trip to soccer city, the opening game of the 2010 soccer world cup, would be a tough act to follow. I figured that it'd be many years until I felt anything remotely similar to the surge of emotion brought on by Tshabalala's goal... The first of the tournament.
Well, on Sunday night among 100,000 U2 fans (under a blanket of African sky, in the heart of Soweto) an unexpected rendition of Amazing Grace came pretty darn close to topping my first experience of the calabash.
After a visual feast that left me speechless at times, live performances that had me shouting well known choruses at the top of my lungs, and particularly poignant footage of one of Madiba's speeches, I was doubtful that the show could get any better... It was too good, too slick, too mindblowingly impressive and about as dynamic as a live show can get.
And then, seemingly out of nowhere, all the bells and whistles were silenced, all the flashy imagery dissolved and the stadium followed Bono's lead with a whisper that grew into a goosebump inducing "amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me..." sung by 100,000 voices. What a sweet sound indeed...
I wasn't disappointed by any of my favourites... From 'Sunday bloody sunday' to 'One' to 'where the streets have no name'... Every bit was pitch perfect, passionately delivered by pro's. Hugh Masakela's guest appearance put a grin on my face that would rival the Cheshire cat's and more than made up for the less than pitch perfect supporting acts, and the mirror ball that sprinkled the crowd with light was a pretty cool retro touch.
I remember my dad telling me, when I was about 15, that U2 was one band that I should make an effort to see live. I remember my friends raving about their performance in 1998, and I remember thinking that I had to get hold of tickets for Hubby and I when I heard that the 360 degree tour was coming to The rainbow nation. I'll always remember the queues and the credit card abuse and the trek to soccer city to get there before the crowds, 5 hours before 'kick-off'... And I'll remember all of it fondly, because my dad was right... a U2 concert is worth every cent.
Well, on Sunday night among 100,000 U2 fans (under a blanket of African sky, in the heart of Soweto) an unexpected rendition of Amazing Grace came pretty darn close to topping my first experience of the calabash.
After a visual feast that left me speechless at times, live performances that had me shouting well known choruses at the top of my lungs, and particularly poignant footage of one of Madiba's speeches, I was doubtful that the show could get any better... It was too good, too slick, too mindblowingly impressive and about as dynamic as a live show can get.
And then, seemingly out of nowhere, all the bells and whistles were silenced, all the flashy imagery dissolved and the stadium followed Bono's lead with a whisper that grew into a goosebump inducing "amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me..." sung by 100,000 voices. What a sweet sound indeed...
I wasn't disappointed by any of my favourites... From 'Sunday bloody sunday' to 'One' to 'where the streets have no name'... Every bit was pitch perfect, passionately delivered by pro's. Hugh Masakela's guest appearance put a grin on my face that would rival the Cheshire cat's and more than made up for the less than pitch perfect supporting acts, and the mirror ball that sprinkled the crowd with light was a pretty cool retro touch.
I remember my dad telling me, when I was about 15, that U2 was one band that I should make an effort to see live. I remember my friends raving about their performance in 1998, and I remember thinking that I had to get hold of tickets for Hubby and I when I heard that the 360 degree tour was coming to The rainbow nation. I'll always remember the queues and the credit card abuse and the trek to soccer city to get there before the crowds, 5 hours before 'kick-off'... And I'll remember all of it fondly, because my dad was right... a U2 concert is worth every cent.
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