Live At The King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels

There could be no better illustration of how U2 have become global icons. Kick-starting the European leg of their Vertigo tour in Brussels’ King Baudouin Stadium on June 10, the old anti-sectarian favourite ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ electrified the crowd like no other.
Here, however, it had been transformed from its original intent as a plea to end bloodshed in Northern Ireland into a hymn for religious harmony among the ‘sons of Abraham’ – Christians, Jews and Muslims.
The visuals drove the message home, should the implications of the lyrics have eluded any of the Franco-Flemish fans: the word ‘coexist’ was emblazoned in the background, the ‘c’ an Islamic crescent, the ‘x’ a Jewish Star of David and the ‘t’ a Christian cross.
That thematic shift accurately reflects the journey U2 themselves have made through the intervening 20-plus years since the release of War in 1983: the world is now their stage and they are among the most successful and influential entertainers in the world.
Yet this was no nostalgia ride through the band’s familiar back pages. Instead, with a subtle blend of old and new, and mixing the obscure with the anthemic, they catered to the broad generational span that the audience encompassed.
A scattering of seven songs from their latest album, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, were dispersed evenly among the 21 tunes belted out with just the right combination of bravado and chutzpah on a distinctly chilly summer night that must have made the boys feel right at home. After decades of exploring diverse musical styles, ranging from southern blues to German techno, you got the impression of a group consciously getting back to their rock and roll roots, with tracks like ‘Vertigo’, ‘City Of Blinding Lights’ and ‘All Because Of You’ among the highlights.
Mary Robinson, who was in the audience, had a tune dedicated to her, while other celebrities in attendance included Natalie Imbruglia, Gavin Friday, Dave Fanning, Gerry Ryan and – on the Belgian side – the world number one female tennis player Justine Henin Hardenne and EU Commissioner for Development Aid, Louis Michel.
The ambience, warm from the start, heated up in stages – yet things rarely reached fever pitch. The venue (the scene of the 1985 Heysel disaster where football fans were crushed to death at a Liverpool-Juventus match) was clearly an inhibiting factor, while the near ground-level stage, which meant many could only view the band on the screens, was a further obstacle.
In that context, it was the emotional tracks that carried the most clout, especially the deeply moving ‘Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own’, a song dedicated to his father for which Bono for once removed his trademark shades. ‘Where The Street Have No Name’ was sung for Africa, with Bono urging everyone to lobby world leaders in the build-up to the upcoming G-8 summit, to bolster their commitment to fighting poverty.
The fast, vertiginous light shows of early on had given way to more sombre tones, in harmony with the political messages. But the mood lifted again for the two encores, the singalong ‘Yahweh’ followed by – the two-hour performance finishing as it started – a crunching version of ‘Vertigo’.
Backstage after the show, The Edge told hotpress that the audience at the very front were surprisingly – and frustratingly – sedate compared to those further back. He had a point. With a little bit more intensity from the fans in the cockpit, the spirit would have soared to even greater heights.
But in the end, U2 had ground out a win against the odds, in difficult circumstances. Dublin should be a different kind of gig entirely…