by Damien K

Saturday night at Croke Park was my 5th U2 tour gig, and the guys showed that they really still know how to put on a great rock n' roll show. OK, Bono didn't quite have the same energy on stage as at The Joshua Tree tour at Belfast's Kings Hall in '87 (he was literally swinging from the roof that night), but hey, he's nearly 20 years older know, and can still hit the high notes. The Croker show was a great production, and with Bono obviously eagerly anticpating their part in the Live8 gig next week, the songs seemed to take on a different vibe when cast against his 'big' background issues of African debt & world poverty. There were a few moments when I thought that he could have laid off the politics a little (Did Irish PM Bertie Ahern really want to get such an earful on a good night out?), but then again Bono has never been behind the door when he has a point to make. Their choice of music set for the night was faultless, and the stage show had to be seen to be believed. Personal highlights were 'All I want is you' and the final rendition of Vertigo - I think they only
sung it at the start of the show as a warm-up. Sound quality was a little disappointing (seated down at the Canal end), but fingers crossed that this one actually does end up on DVD.

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