by Mela

First of all, it has to be said that U2 live is simply awesome! The thrill of just seeing them stroll onstage, houselights on, is unbelievable! But because this was my second show (Hartford on 6/3 was first) I have something to compare it to. While I love them now, love them always, I was disappointed at first to hear that Bono was sick and was afraid that the concert would be somewhat diminished by that fact. Let's face it, Bono is the heart of the music - the melodies are perfect, nobody can beat the Edge or Larry or Adam at what they do -but without Bono soaring thru the lyrics? Mmmmmm. BUT true to form, he "played hurt" and gave it his all. You could sense his struggle, particularly on the high notes, but his illness didn't stop him from really engaging the crowd and belting out in full voice. I just felt bad for the guy - his face was drawn and he was sweating bullets - but he had HEART!

But to compare the two shows, being completely honest, Hartford was an A while Philly #2 was a B. Maybe because the arena in Hartford is smaller, the crowd just seemed entirely engaged and involved and LOUDER in Hartford. We were in section 217 and so many people just SAT there! I couldn't believe it. The crowd had more energy screaming about the damn 76ers than they did about U2. Plus they kept chanting over Bono - please, I'm happy your team is winning, but I paid to see and hear the band, not basketball rants.

But all in all, it was a wonderful show. STREETS was so powerful - one time when the crowd really rocked - DESIRE was magnificent and I was thrilled to hear ALL I WANT IS YOU live and perfect!

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