by FredMess

Is it just me or was it just good, not "great" ?

Most people (and I really mean most) always post stellar reviews of everything U2 says and does here it seems. But a few things left me... eeeh... kind of realizing that something in U2 is definitely fading. In fairness, let me point out the + and the -

+ Set list. Very complete.
+ Pacing. Never a dull moment.
+ Light show (even though someo of the ramp malfunctionned tonight)
+ Crowd. Very energetic and loud, and provided half the energy.

- Age? Energy? These guys are... eeh.. getting older? Or were they just tired because they've been touring for months? They seemed to be lacking some Oomph last night, often just pacing the stage and playing the song, Bono letting people fill in with their energy and sing in his place.

- Nothing to prove? Same thing. They were more laid-back and less agressive than I would have expected them to be.

- Lack of fire. Passion was missing, out of a few classic (or "standard" or "mandatory" or "unavoidable") songs. "Pride" was played without an ounce of passion. -- If you were there and paying attention, they did that songs by the book and left it there.

- Where was the guitar handiwork, Edge? -- All the improv and surprises revolved around Bono and lyrics. All the guitar edits (compared to the albums) were... straight out of other tours. Hello? Hello?

Well well well, make no mistake about it: I actually enjoyed the show quite a bit. And fortunately, U2 have NOT become their own tribute band, particularly since they still write great music (did anyobody notice how GOOD "stuck in a moment" was at the end, with just guitar and vocals?). -- However they are stuck with a legacy that seems to get heavier with time, and they are... well... piling up some years themselves and that too is starting to show.

Kudos for Bono's voice by the way. It was as powerful as ever.

You may hate me now. Mwhahahaha.

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