by Richard

Starting off...I take off to Houston to see the band play at about 8 this morning...we arrived at the compaq center at about 11 after stopping for breakfast..there were already about 20 people there so we got a spot in the line and waited and waited and waited....Finally at about 3 i decide to take a walk because my a** was sore from sitting...around the venue i meet up with the band's tour director and 3 other people hanging out at the loading dock of the Compaq Center and we chatted for a while and told me to hang out there for about 10 minutes...well true to his word...10 minutes later...4 motorcycle cops pull in escorting 4 black town cars...clearly the four members of the band...they then go in underground..and about 2 minutes go by and 3 or 4 people stop by to see what was going on...not 2 minutes later and im standing there and who is it walking up the sidewalk...?it is Bono..and he just gave me this strange smile and said "howdy mate"...then he and I and 4 other people went and sat in the grass on the side of the venue and just chatted for a while...Bono couldnt have been cooler granted he fronts arguably the biggest rock band in the world right now. he asked me all about where i was from and we talked about the weather (hot, humid) and did the whole picture/autograph thing--- The Edge also came out and took pictures with us and signed autographs...I could never have imagined that us 4 or 5 people would just be hanging out with Bono and Edge...meanwhile 400 people on the other side of the venue have no idea whats going on

on to the show....finally at 630 we got to go in and ended up being in the very front row...pj harvey opened up for them...ALOT better than expected ...very great voice and a great deal of enthusiasm...then after a quick set change...U2 come out to the loudest crowd ive ever heard..they played a 22 song set which included obvious favorites like "Beautiful Day", "With or Without You", "Bad", "I Will Follow", "Mysterious Ways"...and I could go on and on..The energy level of the first bars of the opener "Elevation" was tremendous. Bono never let the crowd get into a lull. When songs like "Sweetest Thing" would tone down the mood, they would come back with "Streets" to pick the energy back up. Bono even sprinted around the heart at one point.The sound of the show was not perfect but far better than Popmart's. The show ended just as it had started with house lights on and just as loud. To the people who complain about the ticket prices, I think you will see that U2 give everything theyve got into their current performance and leave you with a good feeling or memory from the show for every dollar spent.

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