U2 Three-6-Tee Tour

As soon at tickets went on sale last fall for U2's 360 Tour at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville on July 2, 2011, we snatched some up as quick as we could.  With only 9 shows left in this historic tour, we knew this was a rare opportunity we could not pass up.  We were not disappointed....

Installation of "The Claw"set for the  U2 show in the Vandy Stadium started Tuesday, June 28 for the show that didn't start until Saturday.  Yep, it's that freakin' big!   Photo courtesy of Vanderbilt Sports.

Here's a full shot of the completed set at a different stadium with center stage, outer performance ring and retractable video screen above the stage.  Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

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The last time we saw U2 was way back in 1992 in Atlanta for the Zoo TV Tour at The Omni, a building which has since been torn down.  Photo courtesy of PearlJam.com/Forum

The last show we saw at the Vandy Stadium was The Rolling Stones back in 1995.

Opening act, Florence Welch, of Florence & the Machine, is English, but did quite an Irish tribute with her flaming red hair and flowing green outfit.  Photo courtesy of The Tennessean.

Before the U2 show began, the huge screen above the stage transmitted tons of information from around the world including current times, facts and statistics truly showing the global nature of the this world-wide tour now in its 3rd and final leg after starting back in 2009.  Photo courtesy of The Tennessean.

We opted for general admission tickets and stood in front of the stage about 30 feet from the outer ring.  It was putridly hot with high humidity, but the show was amazing from start to finish and we loved our viewing location.  This was the 100th show of the tour.  Photo courtesy of The Tennessean.

The outer ring allowed us close views of all the members of the band (guitarist, The Edge, above) as each one took their turn at least once performing while walking the 360 degree circle for all to see...even drummer, Larry Mullen, with bongos.  Photo courtesy of The Tennessean.

The boys played for over two hours without much stopping.  They played most of their hits from the last 30+ years (see set list below).  Lead singer, Bono, was very gracious in his appreciation for Nashville and its music-based history and heritage.  It's hard to believe it's been over 30 years since they played this town.  A couple of special moments included playing "The Wanderer" - a song they recorded with and wrote for Johnny Cash that they have never played live at a show before.  They ended the show by bringing a blind fan/guitar player up on stage with them and letting him strum the chords to "All I Want is You" which he nervously dedicated to his wife.  Photo courtesy of The Tennessean.

SET LIST:
Even Better Than the Real Thing [see video below for a little of it's beginning - sound isn't great, but it's worth a look especially at about 30 seconds into it ]
The Fly
Mysterious Ways
Until the End of the World
I Will Follow
Get on Your Boots
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

The Wanderer [never played live before at a U2 show]

Stay (Faraway, So Close)

Beautiful Day

Elevation

Pride (In the Name of Love)

Miss Sarajevo

Zooropa

City of Blinding Light

Vertigo

I'll Go Crazy (If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight) 

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Scarlet

Walk On

Encore:

One

Amazing Grace/Where the Street Have No Name

2nd Encore:

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me

With or Without You

 Moment of Surrender

All I Want Is You [with blind fan/guitarist pulled from audience to play]

All in all a wonderful, maybe once-in-a-lifetime, experience.  Thanks to our friends Linda, Sharon, Bethany and Wayne for coming out and hanging with us before the show in our room at the Hilton Garden Suites nearby.  Thanks to Wayne again for accompanying us to a pre-concert tailgate party which we were invited to by our friends, Richard and Jenni.  Thanks to U2 for including one of the smallest venues on their tour (photo below) and not charging obscene prices to see their show, plus for all they do to try and promote good in the world in the name of rock and roll.