And you give yourself away....

1 Jul 2017

When & Where
Saturday, July 1st 2017, FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio. #U2TheJoshuaTree2017 turned 21 (shows old), and it sure felt like a celebration. Earlier in the day Bono & Edge were in Canada to celebrate the nation’s 150th birthday. “Thank you for taking the trouble to come out and see us tonight on your holiday weekend… you put a faith in us, and let me tell you, we have a faith in you…” One more time, for Leg 1 of the tour, we all came to look for America.. as Willie turned off the spotlights, the stars come out: “See the stripes, now we see the stars…” The haunting refrain of Simon & Garfunkel’s song America has found a new home embedded in Bad this tour. “Sing along… We’re not sleeping… Cleveland Ohio…”

Set List SBS, NYD, BAD, Pride, Streets, ISHFWILF, WOWY, BTBS, RTSS, RHMT, IGC, TTYW,OTH, Exit, MOTD. Encore: 16. Miss Sarajevo 17. Beautiful Day 18. Elevation 19. Vertigo 20. Mysterious Ways 21. Ultraviolet (Light My Way) 22.One

Here's the complete set list from Cleveland

Social Post(s) :
mellyforsythe (via IG, from the FirstEnergy Stadium, as Streets fired up) :'U2 was the first concert ticket I bought myself. I was sixteen and on the cusp of womanhood, teetering in my impossibly high wedges and high waisted jeans. I experienced transcendence that night as I walked back through the darkened Sydney streets to get to the train station I knew something had shifted in me. Twenty three years later, to quote Bono, nothing has changed, everything has changed. I have loved, lost, wept, risked everything, felt the wind of the Spirit in my sails and moved to the other side of the world. I’m different now, but I’m still the same. I feel like I’m standing again on the cusp of something new and tonight I felt the breath of God again as I surrendered to their incredible adventure called living. #u2thejoshuatree2017’.

dopequeenpheebs (via IG): ’so happy the band is ending the first North American leg of da tour in my hometown of Cleveland. This shit has been literally life changing for me in every way possible. Thanks, Bono, for inspiring me to be a better person and for digging the comedy I do’.

@lavieannie (via Twitter): ‘Let’s be honest here, we all want to be the girl that Bono brings on stage to dance to Mysterious Ways’.

In The Press
Cleveland.com. http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2017/07/u2s_joshua_tree_anniversary_sh.html#incart_m-rpt-2 "This is one of those epic nights that none of us should miss.’’ Bono told the crowd. "And it was. The Hall of Fame band, touring in support of the 30th anniversary of their groundbreaking album "The Joshua Tree,'' still has it. It's not just that Bono, guitarist The Edge, drummer Larry Mullen Jr. and bassist Adam Clayton retain the chops that put them in the Hall. It's that they are able to put them on display in a venue as horrible for concert sound as a football stadium.

Bono's vocals - admittedly enjoying the EQ that has given his baritone a part of his trademark resonance - rang clear and true. Every word, every phrase, every nuance in every lyric that came out of the half-dozen speaker arrays that were spread over the breadth of the stadium was as pure as if you were playing it on your Bose at home, drinking Guinness or Jameson's. Or both! If you have ever attended a concert at a stadium, you know what an amazing feat that is. Lift a pint, then, to Joe O'Herlihy, who has run sound for every U2 concert….’

If You Had To Pick One Song
@Teresa7277 (via Twitter): ‘With Or Without You (heart) I may have been crying while singing at the top of my lungs.’ echoed later in the set by @eric_banas (via Twitter): ‘THIS JUST IN : I only cried three times before the encore’.

What (else) did Bono Say?
After Red Hill Mining Town: “We’re finally starting to get to know this album…after all this time. You think you know… then you find you don’t! Like a friend or a country which you think you know, they surprise you”.

After InGod’s Country: “Thank you for giving the Irish safety and sanctuary for hundreds of years… We don’t forget we’re guests of the nation. A cop, earlier today… he said he was at the original Joshua Tree Tour, he was thirteen (which is a little worrying!), he said ‘You broke your shoulder before (that) show, I said ‘that’s right.’ He said, ‘You explained that you couldn’t play harmonica’. I told him, ‘My shoulder’s absolutely fine now... but I still can’t play the harmonica!”

After Mothers of The Disappeared: “These Joshua tree songs have really looked after us, and at the end of (this) American leg I think its right for us to again, thank the U2 crew for their extraordinary work. Thank you.”

Review on U2.com
knitnpick: Amazing & Beautiful. 'I have to admit while listening to the Joshua Tree album thirty years ago I wondered how that entire album would sound live. Last night's performance in Cleveland proved that the reality of my wondering couldn't hold a candle to the reality and excitement of the truly amazing and beautiful experience that us U2 fans have aniticpated for many years. Thank you U2 for a wonderful time and a most Beautiful Day!'

If you were at the show tonight, tell us all about it. Add your own review and photos on our tour pages.

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