by Brian Wasilefsky

Got back from the Phoenix show a few hours ago and all I can say is....WOW!! By far the best show I've ever been to and I don't think it can ever be topped.

The night was off to a bad start when first arrived & tried to get in at 6:45. The line to get in (for assigned seating!!) was out of control due to added security measures. What ticked me off was the amount of people who "merged" into the line and skipped the 20 minute wait. If it weren't for the drunken U2 fan calling for "Peace on Earth," there would have been a fistfight between myself and one of the cutters after plenty of words were exchanged!

No doubt put on a good show with lots of energy. I usually feel bad for bands that open for U2 because nobody ever cares about them and are always anxious to hear U2. At one point, No Doubt had the entire place seriously rocking!!

As for U2.....as I mentioned earlier.....WOW!! Since I have seen them here in April and just recently watched the Elevation DVD, I was getting disappointed with the first 3 songs. Everything was exactly the same, and even though being there is a hell of an experience in itself I was starting to get disappointed. Just at this moment, New Year's Day finished up, and Out of Control kicked in with Bono introducing it as their first single when he was 18 years old. Being that this is one of my all time favorite U2 songs and I haven't heard/seen it live on the current tour, I was thrilled. Little did I know of what was to come.

"In God's Country," was played for the first time in 15 years!! This was definitely cool to hear. However, the highlight of the night in my opinion happened next as Bono saw a fan with a sign & he said "Hey I remember you from Utah…it pays to advertise," and pulled her onstage. At this moment they handed her an acoustic guitar, while she and Edge conversed over what to play. It was hysterical to see Edge's reaction during the conversation as if he were saying, "You want to play WHAT??" A few more whispers were exchanged, and she handed Bono what looked like some sort of scribbled lyric sheet. At this moment I was nervous for both the girl and the band. Neither looked comfortable. Amy (or Emily??) as Bono introduced, started strumming the 3 chords. They instructed her to play slower, and I became even more nervous. Once Bono starting singing, I recognized the song as "I Shall Be Released," by Bob Dylan from an old bootleg that I have. Things started to sound smooth, so Larry & Adam decided to join in and Edge was experimenting more with improv guitar. I could not believe how amazing this turned out!!

Well the show went on with the usual amazing performance U2 is capable of delivering night in and night out. Some of the special moments for me were hearing the full band version of "All I Want is You," and the touching "One," during which names were displayed of the passengers of the September 11th crashes.

Needless to say I am still in shock! Tomorrow night I will be seeing Weezer and Jimmy Eat World at the same venue, and even though they are two of my favorite bands, there is no way they will even touch what U2 did tonight here at America West Arena!!

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