by hosive tsang

The surreal night ended with boos from the crowd?
Not knowing that the band had already finished their encore set and expecting the band to come back on stage after much hooting and adoration….when the house lights went up and the ads for adelphia came on, the crowd booed.
We were thrust into a place called vertigo. But not in the way the band intended.
But that’s how it ended.

It started with an inverted set list. Love and peace was stunning in its fury along with the rest of u2’s war set, Sunday bloody Sunday, Bullet the Blue sky lite(shortened version). However, was this heavy mood, the way u2 wanted to start the evening? The mini set’s advent was exciting because now no one tracking setlists knew what was coming next. Mysterious ways and I still haven’t found what I’m looking for, and nothing off Boy affirmed that. But what came next was disorientating.

It seemed that the band forgot it had a new album. They played hit after hit and favorite after favorite to the delight of casual fans in front of me getting drunk and lighting up; with only a few rarities mixed in like zoo station and running to stand still for their long time fan base. Their song selection had me wondering, what tour is this? Joshua tree? Zoo TV? Elevation? The greatest hit tour? All of them? I checked: Its vertigo….in ambiance.

Other weirdness and tidbits:
A girl named Tiffany joined bono on the runway and refused to leave? Bono told the Edge to start the next song without him(edge comlied)as Bono tried to figure a way to placate her. I heard Bono tell her to “sit here”(on stage) before rejoining the rest of us.

The band not knowing what song came next either! Bono referencing a set list on the floor while his tech guy waited with a guitar. Band members conferring. Not ready for what’s next…

Where the streets have no name is now about Africa.

The band leaving the stage in the middle of the show(after One)…asking for a few minutes? The crowd not knowing…what to do? No clapping. No Encore mood.

The band not leaving the stage to give the usual illusion of an encore(after vertigo)? It looked like Larry kept them on to keep the good flow going that was missing all night until a few of the new songs. Then leaving to clapping and encore mood but no encore.

We start with war and end with God. All because of you, Yahweh and 40. and the pope.

If previous tours were about Bono taking the spotlight, tonight was about the Edge. The Edge was the star of the band tonight, especially during new material and reinterpreted songs. “the sound of the edge chopping down the Joshua tree…” Beautiful day sounded the way it would have if they had waited and released it on atomic bomb. The Fly, City of blinding lights, All because of you were searing. The band appeared to have its most fun during the new songs! So the prescription seems clear.

This was an early tour concert. Just trying a few things out but not quite there yet. It may get lumped in with early popmart in las vegas and bono falling off the stage on elevation Miami.

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