Another City of Blinding Lights

16 Oct 2018

Another City of Blinding Lights

Final night of four in Milan and what a great way to leave Italy - with almost all the recent set list updates in the show.

Not just Zoo Station, Stay, Wild Horses and The Fly in the opening act  but Landlady in the encore.

And as for this audience - loud, loud and beautiful.

When & Where
Fourth night in Mediolanum Forum, Milan, Tuesday 16th October 2018.

Set List
Final night of four in Milan and what a great way to leave Italy - with almost all the recent set list updates in the show.
Not just Zoo Station, Stay, Wild Horses and The Fly in the opening act  but Landlady in the encore. And as for this audience - loud, loud and beautiful.

'Oh you look so beautiful tonight
In the city of blinding lights...'

Here is the full setlist from Milan 4.

In The Press
Daniele Funaro for ilmanifesto 
(translated via google) 'There are three things that must be recognized to the U2 of these last years: the first is that they are courageous…the concerts of the Experience + Innocence Tour that in these days has touched Italy with four dates, all sold out, at the Mediolanum Forum in Milan: it is not easy to think of a band with 40 years of career that chooses not to play any song of their most famous album, The Joshua Tree, which had been performed entirely in the tour in the stadiums of last year. This choice, however, has allowed Bono and his friends to put in lineup, as well as numerous songs from the last album, Songs of Experience - including The Blackout, which opens the concert, Get Out of Your Own Way, and the excellent pop by Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way - also several songs that have not been played for a long time (Gloria, Zoo Station or The Fly, which made its debut in the Milanese dates), which were performed live very few times ( Stay, written for Wim Wenders or Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses) and also one of their most beautiful songs ever, which had never been played in front of an audience: it is Acrobat, contained in Achtung Baby, in which Bono returns to wear the role of one of the protagonists of the ZooTV Tour, the devil MacPhisto, thanks to augmented reality.
The second thing is that the U2 are always able to set up a great show, which is always something more than the classic rock concert. If the Joshua Tree Tour focused on the sound power of the album released now 31 years ago and, all in all, had few "special effects", the Experience + Innocence Tour is strengthened by the beautiful stage designed by Willie Williams and set designer Es Devlin, which allows a level of interaction between the band, the videos and the public unimaginable even just a few years ago. In addition, the public can also discover extra content thanks to the app that exploits the augmented reality that exploits the huge screen that divides across the arena and also serves as a junction between the two boxes. Political and social messages from Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. also pass on this screen. They want to broadcast to the public: the concert opens with images of the devastation of the Second World War and with the speech by Charlie Chaplin The Dictator, and continues with appeals for the reception of migrants and against the populist drift that is sweeping Europe, represented by the Hungarian Orbàn, by the French Le Pen, by the Swedish Åkesson and by the evoked spectrum of Matteo Salvini . A large European flag stands on the stage to reiterate the message of unity.
The third thing to say is that, even after 42 years of career, U2 remain a great live band. The four Irish rock stars still sound enthusiastically and do not show signs of fatigue. The rhythm section is powerful and precise (with Larry also allowing himself some chorus in some songs), The Edge is very concrete in his manipulation of the sound and in creating apparently simple melodic fabrics, and Bono seems to have overcome the problems in the voice who had caught him on a date in Berlin. His voice still sounds fresh and powerful and make him one of the best frontmen on the scene. If this is the innocence U2 has found at the end of the tunnel of experience, then maybe rock is not dead and is still able to move hearts, move the feet and open the brain.'

On The Socials
Michelle Perez  (via Facebook) 'I went to Milan 3 and 4, and you guys were on fire with the revamped setlist! So happy I made the journey to Italy for my last two shows for this tour. Till next tour, hopefully.'

Deirdre Siva (via Facebook)  'You were so... great!! And the concept of the tour so touching and so full of meaning.. thank you so much for all the love and the way you move our hearts and souls! Can't wait to see you in Berlin!!'

@smolderdean (via Twitter) 'Magical night, made me so emotional. Thanks U2 what you do is so important in these times.'

What Did Macphisto Say?
'Tonight I bid you farewell. Arrivederci. It’s not good evening, its goodbye. But as I leave Milano my melancholy is tempered by the knowledge that my people are arriving all over Europe… In Italy, well you’ve a few to choose from haven’t you? My HOT tip is Matteo Salvini…”

On The Fan Forums
Streetfighter via U2Start https://u2start.com/topic/11615/1164/12/
'Attended to 3 out of 4 show: red zone 11th and 16th, stand on the 12th. Standing in red zone, free of exiting in the parterre and following the band on B stage, was amazing. It was like a concert in a pub, so near to them. I've seen them 31 times, starting from Modena 1987. But I think these 3 nights in Milan will always remain in my heart. Band was so powerful and inspired, much more that JTT30. I was in fucking tears yesterday evening. Definitely the best tour after ZOO TV. There was definitely some magic in the air, and there was THAT intensity. You could feel WHERE the songs came from, tears and hope behind them. it was such a long time that I didn't feel THAT intensity. if anyone has any doubt about whether this band is still relevant or not, i think that this doubt was just washed away since the first note of The Blackout. You just think "U2 are in the house" and nothing else matters.'

Were you in the house tonight ? Post your reviews and add your photos here.

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