The Joshua Tree Tour 2019

Nov 12 2019
Brisbane, QLD, AU / Suncorp Stadium
with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
19

U2

'To keep us all safe…'

'For the firefighters out there tonight
Putting themselves in danger to keep us all safe
For the firefighters
We sing for you…'

The first of six shows  in Australia and 'Bad' goes out to the women and men fighting the fires raging across eastern Australia.

Quite a night in Brisbane, the band back in Australia for the first time since 2010. 

'To keep us all safe…'

'For the firefighters out there tonight
Putting themselves in danger to keep us all safe
For the firefighters
We sing for you…'

The first of six shows  in Australia and 'Bad' goes out to the women and men fighting the fires raging across eastern Australia.

Quite a night in Brisbane, the band back in Australia for the first time since 2010. 

IN THE PRESS

Tony Moore in the Sydney Morning Herald
'Against the backdrop of the bushfire crisis affecting Queensland and NSW, U2 frontman Bono had a message for fans at the sold-out Brisbane concert on Tuesday night. “The way we live in one place, affects life in every other place,'' Bono said. “None of us is really an island….'

Mary Mrad For Daily Mail Australia
'... The band, who last visited the country in 2010 with their 360 tour, wowed the crowd with their exciting set…. fans took to Twitter to compliment the group on their performance, and  labelled the show as 'magic'. 'I'm so emotional right now. It's embarrassing. It never gets old. They always do that. That magic that steal my heart. I'll never have words strong enough to thank them for this. I'll be quiet and take it all in,' one person wrote. 'Gorgeous choir out there in Brisbane. And LARRY at his best,' another said. One person added: 'Ahhhhhh STREETS!!!!! STREETS!!!!! Never ever getting tired of hearing this! Goosebumps all over the shop'.

The Guardian (Australia).  'Who knew stadium rock didn’t need constant reinvention?
The key ingredients seem to be a bass drum set to the level of a Napoleonic cannon and familiar galloping tunes the crowd can screech into the Suncorp Stadium void..’

ABC.net. 'If you separate the band from their reputation and take this show of face-value – imagining they were any other professional band in operation today – this show is extraordinary.’

ON THE SOCIALS
Long time U2 fan and now a freelance Music Journalist Tassoula Kokkoris (@tassoula on Twitter) was at the show and kindly sent us these words as she left the stadium :
'Even nearby fires raging out of control didn't impact Bono's voice tonight—in fact, it may have made it stronger. A fitting Midnight Oil snippet graced the opening set, “How do we sleep while our beds are burning?” and the crowd took the energy of that message and multiplied it tenfold. The full moon shining above the stadium made for a poignant “One Tree Hill” and an especially beautiful “Every Breaking Wave.” In the final set, Australian comedians, athletes and artists were featured alongside other notable women on the #herstory screen. “One” sent us all into the night, unified together in song and sentiment. A fitting return to a beautiful country.'

Musician & Savage Garden singer @darrenhayes connected up with family globally, following the show live through the power of social media technology : 'My Sister, Brother, Nieces, Nephews and even my beautiful ex wife are all sitting together now in Brisbane Australia watching u2, live. I'm watching a live stream from LA and somehow, we are all together. I love you, my beautiful family. I'm so grateful'.

@kadi_fails was a little closer, listening in for free the old fashioned way :
'U2 concert 2km away and it sounds like they are playing outside. I'm watching the full moon and listening to their music'.

@NicCarrington (via Twitter)
Mind blown... So, so good - powerful, magical, epic. Thank you. It was like a religious experience!

WHAT DID BONO SAY
"Thank you Brisbane for letting us back into your lives. Thank you Australia for letting us back into your country. You've always been so good to us. In good times and in hard times. Hope we can be the house band for this moment"

"You know how in the blink of an eye a country can change… spiritually… psychically… you know what I'm talking about...” (In God's Country, then dedicated to actor comedians Steve Martin & Martin Short, on tour in Australia at the moment and in the house tonight)

"From the people of our little island to the people of your gigantic island... from Africa to Australia… we are all connected... in our day… the way we live in one place affects life in every other place. None of us is really an island… from rising sea levels to catastrophic fires. Big crises… Global crises… but we can put out these fires, if we act together. As ONE.'

Introducing the band, during Even Better than The Real Thing.
'He puts the glam into punk rock and the punk into glam rock… he IS rock! Rock steady… Larry Mullen Junior'
'Our former wild boy, now Lord of the manor… the first manager of U2… Adam Clayton'
'He may be a scientist, but with that guitar you KNOW he could blow up the world!! Our very own WMD: Weapon of Mass Devotion… The Edge'
'Is it so wrong that the singer needs you more tonight than you need him'?

IN THE SETLIST
Australian debuts for 3 songs from TJT tonight - can you guess what they were? (our friends over at @U2gigs have the lowdown on that, plus a couple of other Australia debutantes.)

ON THE FANSITES
Images selected for the Ultra Violet (Light My Way)  #herstory section tonight featured Australians including Lisa Bellear, Aretha Brown, Cathy freeman and Olive Cotton. Aaron J. Sams and his team over at @U2Songs are keeping tabs on the Luminous Icons that are appearing on the show screen this tour, checkout that ongoing labour of love here.

Here’s the complete set list and if you were at the SunCorp Stadium tonight, tell us all about it. 

Add your own review and photos below.


 

 

 

    Bad in Mumbai - Give Peace A Chance...
    Comments
    19
    You must be a logged-in member to add comments.
    MattLong
    30 years on
    I have loved this band since I was a teen. I am now 50 and still love this band. This concert was very special to me. 30 years before I went to my first U2 concert in Brisbane. The first of 3 concerts there. My friends went to the second concert. The morning after I received a phone call to say that two had been killed in a car crash heading back to Toowoomba and my mates girlfriend was critical. She died days later. Concert 3 featured a tribute to them.. Thank you Bono. I carried my mates coffin to All Want is You. It took two years before I could listen to that song again without crying.. I was so excited to go to this concert 30 years later. I have great memories of my mate. And Bono and his boys are entrenched among them.
    jeex
    Happiness is...
    To see you on stage once again.
    sworph
    U2. Brisbane. I was reminded to, "... Dr
    U2 were my everything for many years. In 1987 when everyone was listening to the Joshua Tree album, I came to discover U2 via The Unforgettable Fire. 15 year old me was given the album on cassette while on school camp. I remember listening to MLK for the first time. I walked off the bus, the first drops of rain set the scene as MLK played in my ears and I was gone; transported to somewhere else, somewhere real. Last night in Brisbane I had the very same experience, just 32 years on. From the outset, U2 were what they have always been. True. True to themselves, and true to their music. With the Waterboy's song, Whole of the Moon building to a climax the lighting altered, and there they were; four lads dressed in black walking onstage in their usual running order. The stage design, the U2 colours of choice; black, red and white blind us with their presence during the course of the show. We are immersed in the imagery of people, and places, all with their own stories to show and tell. Like all of us last night, the years have passed and yet there we were standing in the darkness surrounded by the music, the words and the visual spectacle. I was reminded that we are all in it together. In that stadium we shared the same objective, to dream; to stay true to ourselves and what we hold dear. U2 and the their music have been and will remain the backing track to our lives, and for this I am most grateful.
    byronjh
    byronjh
    I was there in Sydney in 93 and went to every Sydney show since, even when there were multiples in our city. I thought I'd had the best. Yesterday I travelled to Brisbane with my 17 year old daughter, a kid who grew up saturated in my U2 obsession from birth. That concert was emotional overload with my baby girl standing beside me. We were third from the front on the floor, directly in front of Bono's mic with a full Suncorp Stadium behind us and the band who have shaped my life in front. It was an overwhelming mind blowing experience with her, with them, with that music and those visuals, that I will take to my grave. Thank you Adam, Larry, Edge, Bono and my wonderful daughter Sinead. See you in Melbourne, Adelaide and of course both in Sydney.
    Kater5974
    What a year
    What a year for concerts. The Cure at Sydney Opera House and now this. My two all time fav bands in one year. Thank you guys. You are legends. To all the first timers of seeing them, get ready to be absolutely blown away by U2
    emmacook
    Can't wait for Brisbane show Tuesday nig
    Tomorrow night in Brisbane (Nov 12) will be my 5th U2 Concert and I'm still as excited as the first time I ever saw them! Cannot wait to see the guys play tomorrow night at Suncorp stadium in my home town. It's gonna be a night to remember! See all you U2 fans there!!!!!
    lindaturner
    Brisbane Suncorp Stadium Tuesday 12th
    Cant wait to see my favourite band. the 12th being the 2nd Anniversary of loosing my beautiful irish mama. toured Ireland Last year . A beautiful country & the people and my family were unbelievably kind and accomadating. So happy to be spending it with U2. YaY bring it on .
    u2dub
    Hometown to Oz....trip of a lifetime
    Its a long way from Dublin to Australia, but not far to see the best band ever.....counting the days,now at minus 89 to Brissy show, and then on to both Sydney shows......proud of our lads, common Aussie's, get all of these shows sold out.
    stefromnice
    From France to Australia
    Paris in 2017 , one more time Paris in 2018 + Lisbonne , Amsterdam and Dublin . Now ... Australia : I 'll be there ! See U soon in Brisbane , Melbourne , Adelaide ( My husband will spend his birthday party in red zone but don't know it yet!!! ) . Sydney to finish . Look foward to meeting the fans and once again find the maximum fun ! Thanks to the band
    shelleywilliscroft
    Moral Dilema
    Oh no...just purchased tickets to the Brissy concert and have just found out it's my daughter's year 12 graduation.....any chance of a second Brissy concert?? Doesn't hurt to ask :)
    aak2509
    Can’t wait
    Will be flying in from England to this gig. Was lucky enough to see this tour in 2017 when they played at Twickenham and also at Croke Park. Will be a night to remember for all those going.
    Piobmstr
    Ready to go!
    Tickets Done!
    nooter37787
    nooter37787
    Coming to u from England, was a good night here hopefully just as good, best band ever
    fml21
    The Wait is Over and we can make a diffe
    Thank you soooooooooo much for listening to all the whinging Aussies and gracing Australia once again with your presence. You could not honestly say that celebrating 30 years (+2) of The Joshua Tree Album would be the same without a drink and a party down under. It was always going to be fate for you to return. Remember half of your country live here. ha ha. Congratulations on your lifetime of achievements and we can finally say the wait is ultimately over. I am going to the Brissy concert and challenge myself to loose 10-15 kilos before the concert. If I am successful, I will pledge $200 towards RED. It may not be much, but will hopefully change the life of another. I would like to throw down the gauntlet to others out there to pledge and challenge themselves in something that could make a difference in theirs or someone else's life. Big things come in small packages. Lets work together to raise what we can for our friends in Africa and to fight this horrible disease.
    lmejia
    What a great way to celebrate!
    Long-time no see in Australia. I am so grateful you finally made it Down Under! Last time you were here, I saw you in Sydney with my 9 month pregnant wife and my unborn son jumped and moved with the music (I was afraid I was going to have to put my wife in an ambulance and catch up when the concert finished, but fortunately she gave birth to my son a couple of weeks later ;) ). This time I will be taking him for the first time to your concert. He has grown up listening to you guys! I know it is going to be a great show (a couple of years ago I went to L.A. for this tour) and I cannot wait to celebrate my 40th birthday when the tour kicks off in Australia. I already spoiled myself with tickets for BNE, MEL and SYD!!! I cannot tell you how happy I am and how happy I will be the rest of the year knowing I'll be having the best nights of my life. Thank you Bono, Edge, Adam and Larry and see you soon!!!!
    paulandrose
    Dreams do come true :)
    Been waiting for this for nearly 10 years......U2 360 was a mind blowing experience in Brisbane. My Wife is joining me this time round and I cannot wait to share "The Experience" of seeing these guys live in concert once again in my home town. Thank you Bono, Larry, Adam and The Edge for choosing to play here. Counting down the days. :)
    YAHWEH333
    YEAH!!!!!
    FROM MEXICO TO AUSTRALIA!!!! SEE YOU THE THERE BOYS!!!! YOURE GONNA DREAM OUT LOUD!!!!!!
    lisaburgess
    SO EXCITED!!!
    I had to give up my tickets last time U2 came to Australia due to my (now husband's) having made other arrangements on the night. This time the BNE tour is on his 50th birthday celebration.....this time there is no room negotiation.....we are going or it's the end of a 15yr marriage!
    michellecatelan
    Michellecatelan
    Please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please Play “All I Want Is You” one of the best songs ever written and performed !!!! Please please please brissy concert xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
    Newer comments    1 - 19 of 19    Older comments