photos by Tim Griffin

"This [U2] concert [at Giants Stadium] was originally scheduled for 25 September 2009 and was only announced after strong ticket sales for the show on the 24th of September. It was moved to the 23rd so that the stadium would be free to host a rescheduled New York Jets game.

During Muse's opening set, frontman Matthew Bellamy plays a snippet of U2's The Fly at the start of Uprising.

U2 change the setlist position of No Line On The Horizon: previously always second in the 360° Tour setlist, it is played tenth while Magnificent slots in at second. Breathe returns as the opener after missing the previous gig entirely. Unknown Caller misses a 360° Tour gig for only the third time. It's Bruce Springsteen's birthday, and although he does not join U2 on stage, the band play a medley of his song She's The One and their own Desire early in the main set; due to technical limitations, Desire is listed as a snippet. This is Desire's first appearance on the second leg, nearly two months since it was last played." [U2 Gigs]

Newsday also points out that "Bono dedicated "It's a Beautiful Day" to Quincy Jones, somewhere in the crowd, by blending that song with Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough.""

NY Times adds that, ""Walk On" was dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who has long been under house arrest in Myanmar, and dozens of her supporters paraded onstage with her photograph."

The Star Ledger says, "It was the biggest concert in the stadium's history. More than 82,000 tickets were sold, and though an attendance figure was not immediately available, it didn't look like there were many empty seats."

82,000 tickets should help U2 come close to paying for what the concert actually costs to put on (though nothing about it will help pay back what it's doing to the environment... 200 trucks... 82,000 commuters...)

Speaking of commuters...

It went from cheers to jeers for throngs U2 fans as they tried to make their way to and from last night's concert at Giants Stadium -- and many warned those headed to the final show tonight to be prepared to wait at the train station.

Some New Jersey Transit riders say they waited for up to two hours for a train and that it turned a wonderful night into a nightmare.

Concertgoer Andrea Giantonio tells 1010 WINS what should have been a 20 minute trip home to Hoboken took over two hours.

NJT officials say there were plenty of trains, but there were too few ticket machines to accommodate the throngs of people.

And they do it all again tonight (9/24). The rest of the pictures from last night, and the setlist, below...

Continue reading "U2 played Giants Stadium - pics, reviews, the setlist & lots of angry people stuck waiting in train stations"

photos by Jaecyne Howell

DJ Spinna and Q-Tip @ Nokia Theatre

"On Saturday, August 29th, what would have been Michael Jackson's 51st birthday, fans of the King of Pop gathered at New York City's NOKIA Theatre Times Square for Q-Tip Presents: "Long Live the King! A Birthday Celebration for Michael Jackson." The sold-out crowd danced the night away to never-before-heard remixes of Michael Jackson's hits, as well as rare video footage from the Motown and Sony vaults. Joining Q-Tip onstage to DJ were special guests DJ Spinna and Mark Ronson. At one point, Quincy Jones called in to say a few words to the audience. Other celebrities in attendance included Solange Knowles, Marsha Ambrosius, Grandmaster Flash, DJ Premier and Anthony Anderson."

A similar party happened earlier the same day in Prospect Park where DJ Spinna also provided music and Grandmaster Flash was also in attendance. Solange has a busy weekend - on Sunday she was checking out Grizzly Bear at the Williamsburg Waterfront. More pictures from Nokia Theatre below...

Continue reading "Q-Tip, DJ Spinna, Mark Ronson & guests celebrated Michael Jackson's birthday @ Nokia Theatre in NYC - pics "