by jwm

As a member of the generation that grew up with U2 I’d like to add my two cents. Saturday night’s show in San Jose was exceptional. I cannot find many faults or offer any deep insight other than share my perspective as an aging rock and roll fan disillusioned by the current music scene.

Perhaps I was not at the same show as some of the other reviewers, but my section was standing and trying to dance the entire time. I say trying because for a group of old, arthritic, fat, stoned (from that strange odor I kept smelling), gray haired grandparents who are usually in bed by the 9 PM start time, I think we did a pretty good job of expressing ourselves. We might have done better if we had a little more than the twenty square inches they give you as standing room.

As for the sound quality, of course it could have been better, but for goodness sake we were in a giant metal and plastic bucket designed for hockey and arena football. If they sounded like that in Carnegie Hall, I’d complain. The set was fine, the opening spectacular and electrifying. Bono sounded great. His performance on Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own was exquisite, touching, and full of soul. He maneuvered all around the ellipse several times. I don’t remember more than one or two numbers where someone wasn’t reaching out to the audience from the ellipse.

I was impressed with how they worked the entire stage and seemed to genuinely enjoy it. For those wanting to see more movement and time spent working the crowd, unlike with chewing gum, walking out into an audience, making eye contact with thousands while playing some of the most hard core licks in rock and roll for two hours does not strike me as the easiest thing to do. Combine that with the fact that most songs required a switch to a differently tuned guitar or a side trip to the keyboard and you can see why the Edge and Adam don’t venture far from home.

As a computer geek I was especially impressed with the staging of the concert. The simple and out of the way use of video screens and DV cameras on each band member was perfect. The light curtain is a technological marvel and only added to the success of the evening, though I kept wondering what it was like for those sitting behind it when it was down.

Every older generation tends to get criticized for living in the past. I prefer to live in the moment and last night was a very special moment in my life. Beer? Six dollars. A full tank of gas at $3 a gallon? Forty bucks. Weekend hotel bill? 300 big ones. Hearing great rock and roll played one last time before my AARP card arrives in the mail?

Priceless.

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