by Nathan Feinblocke

O.K. here's the WIRE...no need to read any other reviews.

The whole "we need to top ZOO T.V." stuff is cheeky Bono staying one step ahead of us all as usual. It's all a con (much like a supermarket). The show WAS a stripped down epilogue of sorts to the dada theatrics of ZOO. There was something extremely pleasant and intimate about this show and I think it really had to do with the spare turnout, b-stage jam sessions, fewer costume changes and lack of vinyl. Dare I say it felt like the WAR tour.

I was close, so I could see the dents and blemishes in a stage setup which may as well have been the permanent architecture at the stadium. The beginning of the show was all surface and then after "Pride" the con was revealed: U2 has wandered on to someone else's stage and was having a grand old time playing with their silly toys.The haircuts, the goggles, the lemon, were all like a spooky midnight tour of an old carnival site. The carnival of course being the bloated stadium shows of the 70s and 80s. It was sad in that the real message I walked away with was that those old photos of Bono croutched on the stage before 80,000 fans at Wembley were now truly a part of history. Here we are at the end of the century and the public's varied tastes in music has scattered them into the clubs. I honestly think that we will never again ALL come together to see one band ever again.

Highlights: 1) Edge and Bono on the b-stage together for the end of "Until the End of the World" and "Staring at the Sun". 2) "Last Night on Earth" 3) "Hold Me, Thrill Me" 4) "Please".

Don't you all understand? ZOO T.V. was pure theater &emdash; the REAL $60 ticket. POPMART is the after hours club we all hit later. To those who shelled out $300 for this show, well, Bono's spending it right now and there's no one better than you to oblige him.

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