The Joshua Tree Tour 2019

'Konbanwa'

'Konbanwa' said Bono, trying out a little Japanese ('Good evening') and taking a breath at the end of New Year's Day. The Saitama Super Arena erupted with joy in response, setting the tone for another special show.
'Thank you for your patience, thank you for waiting around ...
There's no good reason for why we haven't been  back with you more… we feel we have a deep  connection with Japan.
This song is from an album called The Unforgettable  Fire. It began its life with some anti-war drawings  done by Japanese children, to remind us all what fear looks like and the primacy of peace. 
This song is about letting go of some things while holding on even tighter to others… it's  called Bad.'

The band first played here in 1983, when they visited that exhibition The Unforgettable Fire, which became the title of their fourth studio album, a year later. 
Tonight Bad once again metamorphosed into Bowie's 'Heroes', becoming 'a prayer in the dark for peace in this region and around the world. 
Can we give thanks for the peace makers? The unsung heroes. The women and men who day after day wage peace not war, the stars we never see 
Can we take a moment, a prayer, in the dark to  think about these unsung heroes ?
Let's bring them into this moment...'

First night back in Tokyo since 2006  was also memorable for the launch of U2X RADIO, as the band walked back onstage for 'Elevation' - and ere broadcast into Howard Stern's show in the US.

'…going  live to New York from Tokyo
Let them hear you sing 
U2X RADIO
First transmission 
Let them hear ya 
U2X RADIO 
Are you ready to get elevated
ready to get radiated
Howard Stern, Can ya hear us 
Why so… Sirius XM?'

WHAT DID BONO SAY
'This green, white and orange, this would be the Irish flag, as painted by the great Dutchman Anton Corbijn, who is here tonight! … from the very beginning he has tried to say visually what we're trying to do with our sound… Larry, how would you describe Anton Corbijn?

LARRY SAID
'expensive'

EDGE SAID
'the funkiest photographer I have ever met'

ADAM
'a Dutch Master'

WHAT ELSE DID BONO SAY?
'I have spent most of my life trying NOT to hang out with people as TALL as Anton Corbijn!'

ON THE FANSITES
'Bonoman' for German U2 fan site @U2Tour wrote : 
'Recently, the first U2 concert ended in the Saitama Super Arena, Tokyo. For (9) o'clock local time the band had announced a short live stream on Facebook with "some news from the band", which provided in advance for neat speculation.  A few hours before the beginning of the concert, the band started wild speculation among the fans with this announcement… Already at (1) o'clock local time had formed long queues in front of the merchandise stalls; the waiting people were led in groups in the sales area, in which the articles were partly presented in detail by the salesmen. No trace of hustle and bustle, everything ran very smoothly and orderly, courtesy of queuing in Japan is apparently not a cliché, but pleasant reality… After 25 songs, the first of two U2 concerts in Tokyo ended. Our on-site crew reported a fantastic atmosphere with a lyrically accurate audience, which went along with each song, but overall was a bit more restrained. In other words, the audience celebrated, but the Japanese mentality was noticeable from time to time - which should not be considered negative. The atmosphere in the hall was very intimate…'

ON THE (JAPANESE) SOCIALS
@Glicco : はぁぁぁあああ？ユーツーてこんなかっこいいの！？！？想像を軽く越えてきたわ！！！これで2万とか完全にバーゲンセールやん！！ 感謝しかないわ！来日してくれてありがとう！！
(translated via google translate ) : Haaaaaa It 's so cool! ? ! ? I've lightly exceeded my imagination! ! ! … I can only thank you! Thank you for coming to Japan! !

@Duke_of_Gondor : 13年ぶりのU2最高すぎて泣いた。やはり俺にとって、現役バンドではメタリカと双璧をなすくらい好きなんだと再確認。 ボノ、今が一番ボーカルが上手いのではないか。きっと枯れていると思っていたから、あまりにうれしい誤算だった。
(translated via google translate) : Cryed because U2 was the best after 13 years. Again, I reaffirmed that I like the active band as much as Metallica. Bono, isn't my best vocal now? I was sure it was dead, so it was a very miscalculation.

AND ALSO
There are rumours an actual Earthquake measuring 4.7 on the Richter Scale hit the Saitama area the moment Larry began belting out the opening beat to Sunday Bloody Sunday tonight… coincidence? (source : @U2Start) 

Here's the complete set list  and if you were at second show at the Kallang SG tonight, tell us all about it. 

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