by Shawn Bison

Every die hard U2 fan knows that their tours really don't hit their stride until the end of the first leg or the beginning of the second leg. The 360 Tour seems to be no different. It's perplexing that they would schedule their hometown throw-down only a few short weeks into the tour, especially one as technically challenging as this one. No matter, though - tonight's show was dynamite... even though in the back of my mind I kept thinking, "this is just the beginning."

The "surprise" section of the set featured a stunning rendition of "New Year's Day," a song that's been played out over the years, but seemed like a welcome addition. It certainly doesn't fit with the flow of the set, so I think it will just be a one-off. "Unknown Caller," "Vertigo," and "Bad" were all expertly played, but the real knocker of the show was "Ultra Violet." That's the best thing they did on this tour - bringing back that song.

U2 will no doubt play there most ferocious shows in the United States. I'm going to every show on the second leg much like I did on the Euro leg of Vertigo in '05 (see my reviews). I just hope the band sticks to the formula so as to maintain the course and strengthen their muscles - rather than Americanizing the show for attention-deficit American music fans.

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