There is so much more than the U2 concert going on in Montreal this week-end. There is ..... ok, who am I kidding; U2 has pretty much invaded the city. You hear about the concert on TV and radio, read about in the news papers and almost everyone you know seems to be going to the show.

Montreal has had a long love affair with giant stadium-rock concerts. In 1977 Roger Watters of Pink Floyd spat on a fan in Montreal, and the incident inspired him to write the legendary album The Wall. In 1992, during the Guns N' Roses/Metallica tour, James Hetfield was burned on the face, and then Axl left the show, causing a riot around the Olympic Stadium.

In between these "incident" Montrealer's dedication to huge rock shows has made the city a favorite for bands to play at: who wouldn't want tens of thousands of dedicated fans forking lots of cash and packing venues, yelling in admiration and buying the overpriced merchandise? This week-end's visit to our rock-loving-city by U2 is no exception. After selling-off the first night in a matter of minutes, a second night was scheduled, and more seats were added to the venue. By the way, the venue is the Hippodrome of Montreal, which is basically not a venue. A stage and seats were built just for the concert.

One thing is for sure, U2 is a legendary band, and they deserve to play two nights in a row in front of tons of people. I still regret being too young in 1994 and missing Pink Floyd's last tour, passing though Montreal for two consecutive nights at the Olympic Stadium. This time I am taking no chances, and I will be down there with the crowd, watching U2.

I will post some comments about the show tomorrow morning, so you know what to expect for the Saturday night show.

PS: Here is what we can expect:

Photo credit: kristian.strobech