by Jen Tucker

The second date was WAY better than the first. The place was JUMPING! The atmosphere was electric & that made the band play better. Bono even lost himself in the music & missed his cue completely & admitted to everyone that he was just enjoying the tune too much! All 4 were really tight & spot on! Glad Manchester City Council let them start later, the light show was much better.
Adam has stepped up to the plate this time round; Love & Peace or Else is non-descript on the album & on the American bootlegs, but (maybe they've changed it for the stadiums?) I could feel the bass notes thundering down my spine, definitely the highlight of the new material for me! The new re-working of The Fly is cool, again Adam's improved bassline helps make it.
Edge fluffed a bit on the beginning of the riff on Bullet, but for the rest of the evening was fantastic (as usual) & his Electric Co was the highlight of his performance.
Larry yet again was faultless (he always is) & led from the back (or from the satellite pod on L&PoE).
People have mentioned that Bono is losing his 'bounce', he's still cool (please everyone, the guy is not getting any younger!)! The goosestepping Zoo Station & camera swallowing reminded me of Roundhey Park. His link with the crowd was immediate & his skills as a showman are unsurpassed by ANYONE. Bono Rules.
For the 2nd night, I would've liked to hear a more different setlist (admittedly Manchester has seen 4 1st performances of tracks on this tour) When they came to the MEN on the Elevation tour, apart from the ATYCLB stuff, the set on the 2nd night was quite different. I was not disappointed by the songs they added though, AIWIY & SHFWILF were fantastic & they made the right choice dropping All Because of You, it kinda killed the mood the 1st night (it might work better in the main set, not as an encore), even though my husband was a bit miffed at them dropping Mysterious Ways, I think there was very little else on the setlist they could've dropped.
All in all, I think they are musically better than they have ever been SO remortgage your house, sell your soul to ROCK n ROLL, cos the boys are back & worth every penny!

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