'Load-in with an audience'
Day two of the production build in Barcelona with Willie's latest tour diaries and the strange experience of 'doing a load-in with an audience'.

27 June 2009


Monday, 8th June 2009.
Barcelona. Production build.

Day two of the production build, which saw the commencement of installing the sound system and the continuation of the load-in for lighting and video. An oddity of the set up here is that the stadium is open to the public for paid admission tours by football fans. One suspects that many U2 fans are joining the party, so we find ourselves doing a load-in with an audience. They are contained up in the bleacher seats, but even so it's a little strange.
It's been good to be reunited with many of the crew. There are so many of them that I'm still running into people I haven't yet seen, or I didn't know were coming.
Progress felt slow at times today but the mood is very good and everyone's attitude extremely positive. There's an excitement and an energy around which I haven't experienced at a first load-in for a tour. Usually there's a good deal of cursing and cries for the head of the designer, but everyone here seems genuinely excited about the challenge. I spent several hours on the field, watching it all happen and was overwhelmed by the experience of seeing so many people who are at the top of their game, working at their highest level to make this happen.
It's really quite emotional to see this come together - everywhere you look there are absolutely extraordinary things being assembled. Any one of these could quite comfortably form the centrepiece of a normal show. I haven't seen such a vast and expansive P.A. in all my life. They'll probably hear us in Dublin when it gets turned on.

source: U2.com