U2 Cocktail Party, Acer Arena, Homebush

U2 Cocktail Party, Acer Arena, Homebush
Friday 10 November, 2006

Words can't describe how excited I was about going to see the latest U2 concert. I've been listening to 'How to dismantle an atomic bomb' on my iPod for weeks to get in the mood.

When the tickets first went on sale - the options were to pay a premium to get tickets immediately or wait until they go on general sale and potentially miss out. For me there was no decision to make - it was always going to be the first option. With our premium tickets came the promise of VIP treatment:

5.45 - 6.45pm - U2 cocktail party at Acer Arena
7.00 - 7.45pm - Kanye West (Support Act)
7.45 - 8.00pm - Break
8.00 - 11.00pm - U2

We left the city early to beat the crowds and had pre-paid our parking out at Homebush. This all paid off and we arrived at Homebush with plenty of time to spare. We were amongst the first to enter for the pre-show event (got to get your money's worth!) and were directed into the ground floor of Acer Arena.

We descended the stairs into a dimly lit area with long tables displaying platters of sushi and savoury bagels. To the left and at the rear were two of the longest, most well stocked bars I have ever seen. There was spotlights and music playing (not U2) and we grabbed some champagne before finding a table to base ourselves. These were a premium as only 6 or so tables dotted the massive area. This meant that almost everyone of the 500 or so pre show event attendees were standing around juggling drinks, food & napkins.

We were lucky enough to share a table with a lovely family and were strategically placed near the exit of the kitchen, which meant we could see all the food coming out - tempura prawns, chicken & vegetable noodle boxes and mini meat pies. The food didn't stop and drinks flowed well past the 6.45pm finish.

There was a brief announcement at 7pm that Kanye West was about to take the stage but only a trickle of guests left Acer Arena. The food continued to come out and the drinks were topped up (why on earth would we leave now?).

At 7.30pm we felt sufficiently full and decided to check out the last few numbers by Kanye West. We walked the short distance from Acer Arena to Telstra Stadium and then had fun trying locate Gate B. We entered with ease, found our seats and got to listen to Kanye perform his 2 biggest hits, Gold Digger and Touch the Sky.

U2 hit the stage at 8.30pm just as the rain came down. The atmosphere was amazing & the view of the thousands of fans in the rain (but not budging) was sensational. We were lucky enough to be under cover to enjoy the concert and U2 delivered - a great mix of old & new songs that everyone could sing along to.

I loved it!