by George E. Bradford Jr.

"You want BIG?" Bono challenged the Houston Texas Astrodome crowd. "Who's BIG?" He beat his chest. "Who's the BIGGEST?"

As the band ripped into "Even Better than the Real Thing" U2 demonstrated the swagger that justified all the rhetorical questions. This is the BIGGEST and BEST rock and roll band in the world (perhaps -- dare I write it -- EVER.)

I was able to see U2's POPMART shows in Dallas and Memphis last May. This performance was by far superior. Technical glitches, video backings, song arrangements and the set list have all been improved. The band is much tighter. The show has hit its stride.

But what really turned this show into a memorable event were two moments in which the band removed itself from the POPMART's excesses. The Edge's beautiful solo rendition of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" created an emotional response rarely seen in Houston crowds. It was beautiful. A more physical example of this occurred when the band turned off all the special effects for "New Year's Day". The result was incredible: four guys simply rocking out on a brilliant song. Stripped down to its essence U2 is still a tremendous blue-collar rock band capable of sheer genius.

The shows highlights are too many to catalogue here, so I'll limit my list to three (3). Bono's delivery of PLEASE convinces me that U2 is still on the way up. The closing hymn WAKE UP DEAD MAN was the most spiritually intense ending to an artistic performance I have ever experienced. And, being stared at by the fifty foot tall face of the Reverened Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the chorus of PRIDE permanently seared my soul.

"You want BIG?" "Who's BIG?" "Who's the BIGGEST?"

Ladies and Gentlemen: U2.

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