by Dave Lin

Wow... What a difference a few hundred feet make. Moving from the Upper 440 Deck to the Outer-Rightside of the Heart platform made the Show for Denise and I.

Here, the crowd was pumped (although pushing and shoving got out of control at times), the acoustics were as if they came straight out of Bono unamplified, and we were so close we could see sweat bead on the brow of these Irish musicians. We even got a sneak peak of the setlist as Security was reviewing it and prepping for the show.

The set list was little changed from that which was played for most of the Elevation Tour. "All I Want is You" and "Angel of Harlem" were notable additions. After two Elevation shows, one begins to notice a return to the classic U2 sound -- one that passes by Pop and Zooropa tunes for the traditional Joshua, Achtung, and older mix. This shouldn't be a surprise since ATYCLB was intended as a 'back to basics' album.

Obviously, no review can possibly fully capture the complete experience. However, some highlights included 1.) an entertaining dialogue between Bono and Edge when they had to restart a song because the guitarist's instrument was out of tune, 2.) Bono dancing with a leather-clad catwoman on the main stage, and 3.) Bono sharing a kiss with his kids while performing "With or Without You."

Can I possibly express my pleasure any more? We were so mesmerized, I left the Pond pondering how Bono sings without an accent.

To U2, the greatest band in the world: Thank you for an amazing and sincere musical expression of the human soul. Nobody does it like you... Until next time--hopefully sooner than later.

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