'When the lights go out…'

No surprise that the Italian audience in Milan lifted the roof from the get go tonight and we learned how Italy too played its part in the story of innocence and experience.

'In our story four Irish boys
come to Italy in the '80s to discover who they are
And this is not an exaggeration
We had thought of ourselves as punk rock
as rock'n'roll,
the loudest folk band in the world
but no …no …no 
here in Italy is where we discover who we really are….
at the heart of U2 is opera
Big emotions, big melodies…'

When & Where
Opening night in Mediolanum Forum, Milan, Thursday 11th October 2018.

Set List
No surprise that the Italian audience in Milan lifted the roof from the get go tonight and we learned how Italy too played its part in the story of innocence and experience.
'In our story four Irish boys - ‘quattro ragazzi irlandesi' - come to Italy in the '80s to discover who they are. And that is not an exaggeration. We had thought of ourselves as many things… punk rock band, rock'n'roll band…loudest folk band on Earth… we had many ideas… but here in Italy…  we discovered who we really are…. and at the heart of U2 is opera. La Scala! In the heart… Opera. Big emotions,. Big melodies… we felt at home here, in this country…'

And that's how it was all night long, from The Blackout to (13) There is A Light

'When the lights go out 
And you throw yourself about in the darkness where you learn to see 
When the lights go out 
Don't you ever doubt 
The light that we can really be...'

Here is the full set list from Milan 1

In The Press
Jacopo Casati for ‘Onstage' 
(translated via google)
'The concert of October 11, 2018 sees Bono and his companions perform in a city that they (have not played since) 2009: excluding two appearances on television, the last live full tour in the Lombard capital dates back to the 360 ° tour of July 2009. One hundred and forty minutes after the concert ends the 10,000 present return home with a clear certainty : even today a U2 show remains one of those events that can wipe away doubts, perplexity on the state of vocal form of Bono, controversy over the cost of tickets and their reliability in the recording room. They are no longer children of course, but the desire to prove even the most skeptical (despite the sixty are around the corner) that the four are still at the top of the food chain of rock is unequivocal. As much as the desire to amaze those who have seen them more than once, focusing on technological solutions that define the cutting edge is reductive: the resolution of the huge LED screen that is stationed in the middle of the Forum (for friends ‘The Barricage') is 9 times higher than in 2015, it takes all the possible space in the parterre and allows the group to interact with the visuals that flow on the screen already from the opener The Blackout. The U2 move from the stage placed under the curve to the one placed under the opposite side, then they play in the middle of the screens and do not stop a moment to change position…The goodies tonight are called Acrobat , Gloria , Zoo Station and Stay (Faraway, So Close!) , While the "very old but inevitable" New Year's Day and I Will Follow still remain two best moments of the eighties rock. As you can expect the major roars are reserved for Pride (In the Name of Love), One, Vertigo and Elevation , but also the closure with the new Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way and 13 (There Is a Light) collects an authentic ovation from those present.
Bono grows with the passing of the minutes…and dominates the scene with his famous speeches. It could have been another good U2 concert, but it was a further useful brick to build an increasingly gigantic legacy and, above all, whose definition is damn important especially for the four musicians on stage . "Wisdom is the recovery of innocence at the end of the experience": this is one of the messages sent by the group to the public, in what in many ways seems a tour that will lead to the closure of a large circle started in 1980 with Boy. And the awareness of the musicians in this is absolute, as much as the belief in showing who has always been close to them that it was not wrong: the evolution and experience accumulated in almost four decades, has allowed U2 to shape a unique identity, which allows them to be still points of reference from every point of view: the lyric, the instrumental, the executive, the show all-round. 'Hat's off'. Again.'

Experience Of The Day
Italian pop singer Emma Marrone via Instagram 
(translated via google)'With so much love, I took part in the U2 concert to make my voice heard for #womenoftheworldtakeover in @ONE & #PovertyisSexist support. Brave women from all over the world will be clamouring to break down obstacles and barriers for women's rights.'

On The Socials 
Simonetta Piazza (via Facebook) 'All of you have been fantastic tonite. Only truth, no bad politic. And the music captured me and all the Forum. And I have, like Bono did, no more words to add, only love and gratitude.

Annalisa Sironi (via Facebook) 'Thank you for one of the best shows I've ever seen. This time you have gone far beyond my expectations. I love you guys. Thank you for being in my life since I was 15...that's almost 30 years...'

What Did Macphisto Say?
'Buonasera Milano… Look at you… Bella Bella Bella.'

(As MacPhisto) 'That jumped up little Jesus went to Brussels for the day… the capital of the EU.. well, Boh-no F-E-U-2!

'I miss the old days… two World Wars… fascists and communists fighting for the soul of the people like they really cared for people. Families divided… Oh I LOVE a good family feud!'

On The Fansites
Gabriel Cillepi for ‘U2Breathe' 
(translated via google) 'Here we are. The U2 arrived in Italy with their eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour with four concerts at the Mediolanum Forum in Milan. The concerts fall in a very special and delicate period of European politics due to the spread of a strong anti-European feeling that is gradually involving more and more States. Our government, in particular, has taken a firm line against the policies of Brussels by taking tough measures against immigration, and opposing the EU's guidelines on economic matters. MacPhisto , therefore, finds bread for his teeth. The first U2 concert in Milan ends with a very convincing lineup: Gloria , Zoo Station , Stay (Faraway, So Close!), Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses have unleashed and moved the Mediolanum Forum.'

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