by Poter

After reading the first few reviews for this, looks like Cowboys Stadium may not be the place for concerts. I (fortunately) had red zone tickets, so the sound was great. I talked to several friends who were up in the 400s, and they all uniformly said that the sound was horrendous. Looks like they shouldn't be selling tickets up there at concerts, and I'm sorry to those folks, because I know how disappointing that must have been; particularly since many of those seats were $100.

Anyway, on to the show itself. Missed the opening act because of big snafus at the restaurant nearby, but oh well. U2, of course, put on a phenomenal show. As most fans are by now aware, the stage set is something to behold, and it creates lots of eye candy throughout the show. The band sounded great (down low of course), and Bono's voice was in top form. The rest of the fellows did their part, and everything seemed to go very smoothly. U2 is obviously very professional, so they do their level best to be faithful to the songs as far as style, they don't speed through oldies but goodies (ahem, Coldplay), and they mix a few things up to give it a new and unique look. I actually liked the remix of Go Crazy, though it was probably more because Edge was jumping up and down right in front of me, than because the remix is actually all that great (I still favor the album version). Set list overall was a great mix of old and new, although it tracks straight along with previous shows. On the one hand, it would be nice for them to mix it up a bit more, but on the other, with the production they're doing, logistics may put the crimp on too much improvisation and last second adjustments.

I, unlike some people, actually like the new album (as with most things U2, their stuff gets better and better as you get more familiar with it), but I'm still not much of a fan of them opening with Breathe. I think No Line would be much better to open with, but of course, it's their concert, so they can do as they please. Anyway, they gave us the trinity from Joshua Tree (Streets, Still Haven't Found and With or Without You), some Achtung action, favs from the last three, and thankfully spared us from Pop tracks. People gripe about not enough from War or Boy or October, but come on, those are not their best albums, and their library is so extensive that we'd be there all night if they tried to please everyone. Besides, they have a new album to sell. Overall, the feel for the show was definitely that a gospel revival, which makes for an energizing experience. Bono preaches from the pulpit and we all eat up every last bit, but you just can’t help it because their music is so damn good. If he asked for your credit card number on the spot, you’d give it to him.

Shoutouts to the democracy protestors in Iran, Aung Su Kyi, and other random people you've never heard of were appropriate and well placed. Bono rightfully gave President Bush props for his work fighting AIDS in Africa, which drew a warm response from the hometown crowd, and which is admirable on Bono’s part since Bush ended up being a lightning rod for frequently unhinged criticism. It’s real easy to beat up on the unpopular politician for cheap applause, something else to give credit where it is due. The comment that Tony Romo was in the house drew only lukewarm applause, appropriate as well, in spite of his 350 yards passing last week (most of which came on yards after the catch). Only random comment was Bono's shoutouts to random suburbs - I guess it's meant to show your local street cred, but he mentioned Fort Worth (ok), Richardson (wtf?) and Fair Park (I don't even think that's a suburb but an area that's empty 49 weeks a year). No mention of Arlington or Dallas, but they've been travelling a lot, so you forget where you are sometimes.

Anyway, all in all, awesome show, so long as you were in the right area. Friends in the 100s and 200s said sound was awesome – I guess that huge wall of suites puts the nosebleeds so close to the dome ceiling that the echo is just terrible. As far as the Red Zone, well, it was worth every penny. Small (and polite) crowds, easy access to beers, great views, seating if you got tired of standing, and the band sped by on the ramp every so often, which is of course very cool (though I think Bono only came by our side one time all evening - looked like he was over on Edge's side a lot more). Also, if you want to get in the inner circle, you can, which is big deal to a lot of people, but I think the spacing and views are actually a bit better in the red zone. Gripes about the fact that the bathrooms are port a pottys are somewhat unfounded; what do you expect, a full blown facility to be build right into the field? It beats what everyone else on the floor had to do (i.e., leave the floor). I didn't notice anyone selling U2 merch, but that's okay because I wouldn't have bought anything anyway. Private concessions were just the same guys walking around selling beer to everyone, so nothing special. The Red Zone is about having a near standing room area that isn’t crowded, and that’s what we got, so 2 thumbs up.

Getting out of the parking lot was a beating, of course, but the only way to do Jerry World is to get there early and leave early. We had a parking pass, but the lot was full when we got there (typical). I wonder just how much cash one of those attendants pockets a night when they just let people in? 100 cars at $20 a pop is 2 grand, not bad for a night’s work for someone with a 4th grade education. No wonder they were in such a good mood when we pulled up.

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