by Dan C.

Just a great show tonight.

A Coldplay song leading into that Arcade Fire tune and then the Everyone bit before they killed the lights.

Edge and Larry walked around the heart pointing spotlights at the crowd before the start of LAPOE. It just blew us away and is such a better opening than COBL (was there opening night in S.D.). LAPOE just jumps starts the show at a whole another level. Great, great energy and Bono in character. Great to see Larry front and center. We were right outside the heart in front of Bono pounding the those drums.

On Bono's head bandana, he had written COEXIST (with the various religious symbols - the Jewish star of David in the 'X' spot, the Christian cross as the 'T'.). The words 'COEXIST' again appeared projected on the walls of the arena towards the end of the show.

I looked at my watch and it was almost 30 minutes before another tune from HTDAAB was played and they walked off the stage exactly an hour into the show which felt very early. It was like they were taking a mini break...not like they were coming back for an encore. There was full 5 minute repeat of the 'Everyone' recording for before the band appeared again.

Other notables about the show:

During Mysterious Ways the curtain of lights showed a cartoon girl wearing a bikini bottom but without the top. For a good portion of the song, it just showed her upper half - clearly showing nipples. A little bizarre for a U2 show. Also, during Mysterious Ways, Bono pulled a girl version of McPhisto out of the Bomb Cellar and escorted her around the heart..towards the end she put on a little of her own dance routine.....he asked tongue in cheek for the Edge to get started with the next song to "get me out of this".

At the end, before the start of 40, Bono dedicated the show to our Holy Father, great humanitarian, peacemaker of the world (paraphrasing here)..."wearer of the Fly shades." Touching and amusing. At the end of the show, he took off his own cross, kissed it and hung on the mic stand.

The crowd begged for them to return and booed when they didn't...a combination of the main show being so short that no one realised that this had been the encore and that it took a full 5 minutes before the lights came on.

I loved Monday's show but this really had a great, great feel to it. Missed the old songs but this was only a few minutes shorter. Altogether it was just great to see that they're willing to change it around or even upside down and backwards. Just a few shows in and these guys are really getting into it. I can't wait to see how it develops over the next few months.


I'm still blown away that they started with LAPOE!!

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