by Scott Coolidge

I just returned from the Glendale Arena. It's 12:45am and what an incredible show. U2 performed to a jam packed arena and carried the evening with 2+ hours of their generous set list, their wonderful pop melodies, and their voice for human rights. Highlights for me were the first three songs "Love and Peace or Else", "Vertigo", and "Elevation" that got the crowd rocking. "Beautiful Day" a few tracks later was splendid, and "City of Blinding Lights" sounds wonderful live and feels like a U2 classic that's been around for years. Edge on piano for "New Year's Day" toggling back and forth on his six-string was just awesome. What a great track even 22 years later - just awesome. Then right into "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Bullet the Blue Sky". Bono provided lots of friendly banter with the audieance and certainly took every opportunity to highlight the great human need in the African continent. After "Pride (In the Name of Love)", a crowd-pleasing "Where the Streets Have No Name" followed with Bono and Adam at the front of the runways with the full house lights on at the end. Another wonderful moment. "One" closed out the set before the first encore consisting of "Zoo Station", "The Fly", and "Mysterious Ways". The second and finale encore included "All Because of You", "Yahweh", and "40". The crowd must have chanted the final refrain of "40" for about 10 minutes straight as the band slowly wound down and disappeared from the stage. I've now seen "Pop Mart 1997" and "Elevation 2001" and this show is right up there with those tours. If you are going, you are in for a real treat. Would have enjoyed one more bona-fide hit like "With or Without You", "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", or "Even Better than the Real Thing", but I can't complain. Thank you U2 for keeping it going all of these years.

Return to previous page | Post a Review of this show!