by James Tyree

What a night!

Nine days have passed and I'm still buzzing over the U2 concert in Chicago. July 5 marked my seventh U2 concert and it may have been the best. Maybe it was because U2 traditionally performs well in Chicago, or because they've truly honed their 360 degrees concerts after two years -- or both. Regardless, U2, for the most part, was on top of its game.

The super-positives (because almost everything else was a positive) started with the end -- finishing with the rare gem One Tree Hill. Don't know how many people outside of New Zealand have heard it live since the Joshua Tree tour, but the impromptu performance was genuine and heartfelt and so was the audience's reaction. Wow.

Starting the concert with four straight from Achtung Baby also was a treat, especially hearing a rousing rendition of The Fly, which remains one of my all-time favorite U2 songs. And as much as I love "I Will Follow," jamming to "Out of Control" in its place was a pleasant surprise.

OK, can't have an honest review without the flip side. I have never EVER heard a quieter U2 audience as when the band played "Zooropa." I was up and standing, singing along, but Soldier Field crowd was so quiet and still. If 80,000 were there, I'd be surprised if 800 applauded afterward. I don't think the band helped matters by playing the entire song beneath the extended screen -- you couldn't see the dudes! Most people there didn't know or like the song to begin with and with no band to see and feed off of, the whole vibe was just weird.

I also got a chuckle when Bono talked about the White Sox beating Kansas (not Kansas City) in baseball. I'm a die-hard Cubs fan but it's all good, Bono made a valiant if humorous effort to connect with the locals and the faux pax kind of added to the night's charm.

But overall, the set was tight, the performances rocked, the band and audience interacted so well with each other and it was a magical night. I took a longtime friend to her first U2 concert, and her reaction made it that much better. She's now hooked!

My two Elevation concerts in 2001 may rival this one -- one was a festive show on Bono's birthday, the other was an empassioned post 9-11 performance -- but from beginning to end their latest concert in Chicago was hard to beat.

What a night!

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