by Lori Hampson

The journey to the Popmart started back on February 12th of this year. I remember watching the 11 o'clock news, and one of the top stories revealed that U2 had been in town that day at the Kmart in the Village to kick off what promised to be the tour that would top all tours...POPMART '97. There was no way I was going to miss this concert. Three days later, I found myself dialing and re-dialing TicketMaster. Finally, after two hours, I got through only to find out that the May 31st show had sold out. Fortunately, June 1st was added to the tour, so I purchased my two tickets for seats in Section 122.

Three and a half seemingly endless months later, U2 were back in town. As I entered Giants Stadium on that overcast Sunday evening, I got my first glimpse of the awe-inspiring Popmart stage. Wow...this concert was going to rock! The two opening acts were tolerable (the Longpigs and the Fun Loving Criminals). If anything, they at least facilitated the crowd in becoming more and more anxious to see U2.

9:45 PM. The stadium lights were dimmed, and suddenly the Popmart stage came to life. POP was written across the giant 100' x 50' screen, and M's Pop Muzik was blaring from the speakers. The stage lights started flashing, and then Larry Mullen was visible on the runway that led to the stage. The crowd went wild. Following close behind Larry were the Edge (donning a cowboy hat and a black outfit) and then Adam Clayton (dressed in an orange outfit with a white mask over his mouth and a construction hat on his head). The noise level continued to build in the stadium. And then Bono appeared on the runway... the crowd absolutely exploded! Bono donned a black outfit underneath a white boxer's robe. He pretended to box with the camera man as he made his way toward center stage. Popmart was underway!!

MOFO was the first song on the set list. I thougt it was a great opener. The band sounded fantastic during this song, so the crowd immediately got into the concert. I WILL FOLLOW was excellent as well. I got the impression (as did many who sat by me) that U2 were really having fun up there. Seeing the band so energized made the crowd even more enthusiastic.

U2 were brilliant throughout every song that night, but there were a few that stood out as being exceptional. The Edge had barely played the first two chords of PRIDE when the sold-out crowd at Giants Stadium sprang to their feet, singing, dancing, and screaming for U2. It must have been fun for the guys on stage to listen to their fans try to sing the end of PRIDE. I know my section was belting out the lyrics as loud as it could! I STILL HAVEN"T FOUND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR was wonderful; finishing off the song with STAND BY ME added a nice touch. Bono seemed to be playing with the fans when he let the crowd finish the song, and he turned away from us with this mock-forlorn expression on his face. Then he turned back to us and smiled. I personally enjoyed LAST NIGHT ON EARTH; I thought it was one of the best performances of the songs from POP. STARING AT THE SUN was one of my other favorites. Playing it acoustically added a new dimension to the song. During MIAMI, a very lucky girl got to go on stage with Bono and listen to him sing to her! Any girl in the stadium (myself included) would have loved to switch places with her! A U2 fan can't say enough about hearing the Edge play WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME live and in person. Are there even words that capture that incredible experience?!? And one could not forget PLEASE; it has become the SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY of the 90s.

The band commenced their encore with DISCOTHEQUE. WOW!! How original! Finally, the crowd got to witness the unveiling of the lemon. Edge was right; he was quoted as saying "why not a lemon?". The lemon worked. As the lemon opened, it revealed Bono, the Edge, Adam, and Larry wearing flashy colors and standing under bright lights. They descended from a flight of stairs that led from the lemon to the runway of the stage, and shortly after, the crowd was singing along to the first cut off of the POP album. WITH OR WITHOUT YOU was another crowd favorite that found fans on their feet, singing with Bono. The final three songs (HOLD ME, THRILL ME, KISS ME, KILL ME; MYSTERIOUS WAYS; and ONE) ended this concert of a lifetime with style. It amazed me that U2 were still filled with so much energy as they sang these last three songs.

The show was fabulous and unforgettable. It was all that I had hoped for and more. I only wish that there had been more time so the band could have played DO YOU FEEL LOVED, SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY, and DESIRE. If you missed the show, you truly missed one of the best shows U2 have ever done. The only word that I can think of that describes the show from MOFO to ONE (beginning to end) is...POP. The band "made the ordinary extraordinary" (Adam Clayton). And don't believe anyone that says that Popmart is the end of the road for these four men from Dublin. U2 may "technically" be getting older, but this talented band will only get better. I'm sure all will agree that U2 had as much energy and enthusiasm in their Popmart performance as they had during any other tour...maybe more. And as Bono said, they're "not coming down".

My only regret is that I was not seated close enough to Bono, the Edge, Adam, and Larry to catch a glimpse of their beautiful Irish eyes. But, who knows? Maybe the next time they come to Giants Stadium, I will. :)

BOTTOM LINE: A second and third trip to the Popmart are definitely worth your while!!!

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