Gość: Bylem_widzialem
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06.07.05, 12:46
06.07.2005
The World in Red and White
Seventy thousand Polish fans created an unforgettable national flag for New
Year’s Day last night.
It was one of those great U2 moments. Five songs into their set in Poland’s
southern Chorzow city stadium, Edge’s piano signalled the start of New Year’s
Day –a song originally inspired by Lech Walesa and the Solidarity movement to
free Poland from communism. Suddenly all the fans on the pitch raised flags
and scarves in red – while all the fans in the seats around the stadium
brandished white flags and scarves.
Bono was so moved by the red and white sea before him that he took off his
jacket, turned it inside out and put it back on to show the red lining
inside. He then walked to the front of the stage and bowed to an ecstatic
audience as a mark of respect to their creativity and their spectacular re-
creation of the national flag.
As Willie Williams, U2’s Show Designer notes in his latest tour diary, it
was ‘wonderful humbling and thrilling.’
‘The best moment was going into New Year’s Day where the audience, entirely
of their own volition, produced flags and scarves. Everyone on the floor of
the stadium had red, everyone in the grandstands had white, so the whole
stadium turned into a huge Polish flag.
‘ I have never seen an audience do anything like it before – getting it
together to surprise and delight us. I think my mouth must have fallen open.
Who organized this? The fact that it was premeditated made it all the more
extraordinary; an audience consciously plotting to put on a show for the
performers. It was absolutely wonderful, humbling, thrilling all at the same
time. A great, great crowd, and a unique atmosphere.
The idea to highlight the Polish inspiration for the classic U2 song came
from local fans, caught fire on the net and was boosted with local media
prior to the show. Coming just days after Live 8 and in the run up to the G8
meetings in Scotland (Bono is flying in today), it was a poignant sign that
people really can and do change history.
