U2 Concert

I really should write something about the concert last night, for posterity if nothing else. I'm resistant because a review of something like a musical concert is difficult and unsatisfying at best. So I'll just do some general description stuff and see what else comes out. If you're interested, the set list is here.
We took advantage of our baby-sitting (thanks Nana!) and went out to eat before the show. Meigan offered us use of her driveway if need be so we parked at her place. We took our time to get there and missed the opening band, someone named Interpol.
When we got to the stadium they were getting the stage set for the band. The FP Gal took some before pictures and posted them here. You can't see it well but the screen on the claw showed us the time in various other cities (btw, Hilo is in Hawaii, and didn't fit the time they had on the screen). They also showed various global countdowns, including absurdly precise dates for when we 'run out' of oil and coal. And . . . if you're going to create the biggest arena concert in history, you should probably soft-pedal the Green stuff.
The claw itself is pretty amazing. It had numerous lights and speakers. Each arm had manned spot lights. The video screen there could be stretched to change shape. Very impressive.
The crowd started off strong but it was clear that we wanted something we could sing along with. The few times they played something new or obscure, the crowd got very quiet and still. When they played more well known songs, the place rocked. As we looked down at the crowd on the floor we could see dozens of video screens, people taking movies and pictures.
Some highlights:

• The rain, of course. It was on and off at first and then became heavy and steady. U2 didn't shy away from it. Bono ad libbed several rain related song snippets, especially 'Singing in the Rain'. It didn't bother us or most of the crowd. Few people left.
• We caught part of the Aquatennial fireworks just over the rim of the stadium. Spectacular. When else can you hear U2 and watch fireworks at the same time?
• They faded 'Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' into 'Stand by Me'. The crowd all sang along and it was magical.
  
• I think my personal favorite was 'Pride'.

Here is some video so you can see what the rain was like:



A great concert and we had a blast.