2010-08-25

Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia

Set List of Show:

Main Set:

"Return of the Stingray Guitar"
"Beautiful Day"
"New Year's Day"
"Get On Your Boots"
"Magnificent"
"Mysterious Ways"
"Elevation"
"Until the End of the World"
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
"Pride (In the Name of Love)"
"In a Little While"
"Miss Sarajevo"
"City Of Blinding Lights"
"Vertigo"
"I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight"
"Sunday Bloody Sunday"
"MLK"
"Walk On"

Encore One:

"One"
"Where the Streets Have No Name"

Encore Two:

"Ultra Violet (Light My Way)"
"With or Without You"
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
"Moment of Surrender"

Additional Music

Pre-Recorded Intro Song: "Space Oddity" - David Bowie
Pre-Recorded Exit Song: "Rocket Man" - Elton John

Snippets of Other Songs Performed by U2:

Carousel

Show Details:

U2 play their first concert in Russia as part of the U2360 tour. They are playing at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium. Tickets sales for the show are a bit of a concern, as people logging into the site to purchase were able to see other people’s credit card information during the sale. Fans entering the stadium go through intense security checks by police and military. The show is opened by Snow Patrol, returning to the tour after a few nights away.

During the day of the concert there was controversy. The grounds are patrolled by a heavy military and police presence. Several organizations that often appear at U2 shows such as Greenpeace, Amnesty International and the One Campaign are shut down. Police claim that these tents are illegal and are considered unsanctioned protest. Five volunteers distributing material for Amnesty International are detained. Others are asked to remove T-shirts which show Amnesty International or Greenpeace logos. Some workers for Amnesty International are due to go on stage during “Walk On” but some are held back in light of the detainments. Those detained are held for several hours, but are eventually released without charges.

During the start of the show it is raining heavily. It lightens for the back half of the show. It is the fifth show in a row where U2 have been facing less than great weather for an outside show.

No new songs are played tonight with the exception of “Return of the Stingray Guitar” which is the instrumental that opens the show. It is the first time that “Glastonbury” has been dropped from the show since the tour leg has started. The bad news? The song has been dropped permanently and won’t appear again on this tour. This is the first show on this leg of the tour to feature just one unreleased song.

During the band introductions Bono shares with a bit of humour that Adam Clayton has been checking out Russian art galleries, Larry Mullen has been hanging out in Karaoke bars, and The Edge has been hanging out with astronauts in Moscow.

Tonight U2 perform “Ultra Violet” instead of “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” during the encore.

There is a new addition during the encore. U2 perform “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”. They welcome Yuri Shevchuk, singer for the 1980’s Russian band DDT to sing with them. Shevchuk sang portions of the song in Russian. Shevchuk is also known for protesting the environmental actions of the Kremlin and calling for peace in various Russian conflicts. He has openly criticized Prime Minister Putin on many fronts. It is the only time that “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” is played during the U2360 tour.

Snippets included throughout the show include “Rain” in “Beautiful Day”, “My Sweet Lord” in “Mysterious Ways”, “Discotheque” during “I’ll Go Crazy”, “Get Up Stand Up” during “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” during “Walk On”. “Where the Streets Have No Name” includes both “Amazing Grace” and “All You Need is Love”. Bono also includes snippets of “Singin’ in the Rain” during “New Year’s Day”, “Mysterious Ways”, and “City of Blinding Lights”.

Bono announces that Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union, is in the building tonight and Bono calls him “a great hero of ours”. Irish Ambassador to Russia, Philip McDonagh is also at the show. Astronaut Frank De Winne who has been part of the show over time is also at the show tonight. The day before the show Bono met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at his summer residence on the Black Sea. Bono was seeking Russian assistance in fighting AIDS. That meeting is also discussed at the show tonight be Medvedev is not at the show.

Tickets for this show go on sale December 11, 2009. U2.Com presales start on December 9.

Officially Released Tracks