by El Vampiro

Hey boys and girls!

Just got back from my trek to San Jose to see U2 for the fourth and final time this tour and it was the best sounding yet, well sound quality wise anyway Bono's voice was stronger this night, giving more energy to older songs and leaving more room for improv work. It was cool talking with people and just being friendly. I have the tendency to appear stoic and snobby, especially at concerts, but I let that facade melt away finally.

The show was very well received, but the San Jose crowd reminded me of the Los Angeles crowd: a bit lazy and pretentious...although Los Angelinos and Orange County peeps can be more pretentious than other crowds. We sat the entire time, and there didn't seem to be as many diehards or lifelong fans in the arena. Classics like "Electric Co," "The Ocean" and "40" were politely received. The San Diego crowds went apeshit on the other hand, standing the entire show and joyously singing their lungs out to golden oldies like "An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart," "Gloria," "40" and "Electric Co." We even sang the new tunes word for word, and filled in nicely on the call and response sections. It could very well be that the San Diego crowds were so exuberant because it was opening night/second night, history in the making. I still had a very good time, but I think the counselor in me enjoys observing people and their reactions.

The Arcade Fire's "Wake Up" (which I love by the way) began playing and the crowd new it was almost showtime. "City of Blinding Lights" opened the show in a magical fashion. I prefer this opening over the "Love and Peace or Else" opening that the band used at a couple of the Anaheim/LA shows. Guys were grooving along, girls were shaking it, and a lot of other people sang along, becoming one with the music. "Vertigo" adourned by a brief "Stories for Boys" followed, giving the arena a jolt of energy. The momentum was great...flowing into "Elevation" which was played without drums for the first 2 verses. The place went crazy when Larry's thumping groove crashed in, and the momentum continued with an immortal classic: "The Electric Co."

Before ripping into "Electric Co," Bono referred to San Jose by saying U2 playing this great college town in 1980 "I think KSJO were playing us on the radio (roar from the crowd), and we felt...so cool."

"The Ocean" was played, much to my surprise and disbelief, I nearly creamed my pants! One of the guys next to me kept saying "Oh my God...Oh my God...Oh my God" as Adam's delicate, yet rumbling bass lines echoed throughout the arena. I felt very priviledged to hear it, and it sounded just as magical as it does on the BOY album.

"New Years Day" and "Beautful Day" followed, continuing a nice string of rocking, uplifting classics. Standard live versions, however "Beautful Day" featured a snipped of the Beatles "Blackbird" as the outro.

The show slowed down a bit at this point, easing into a couple new tracks, most notably "Miracle Drug." Edge gently picked out the main melody to "Miracle Drug," while Bono spoke about the Pope, and I've transcribed the dedication here. It was one of the most moving things I've ever heard, and that's coming from a "Bad Catholic." By the time Bono concluded his dedication, my eyes began to water.

"You get used to being pontificated. No self respecting rock star is missing a little bit of a pope complex, know what i'm sayin? What you might not know is that this Pope, John Paul...well, he had a little bit of a rock star complex. I know because I stood in front of him, I didn't agree with everything he stood for, but he stood for something...and I was proud to be in his company. I saw that he had these true piercing eyes, and they just kept staring ...at me...just kept staring at me with those true piercing eyes...cuz im half Catholic I thought maybe I'd done something wrong (crowd chuckles). Theres a lot to choose from. He just kept staring...so I spoke up. I just said "Holy Father...do you want a pair of fly shades?" And he said..."ya" (The Audience shared the light hearted moment and chuckled and clapped heartily). So i took them off and gave him my fly shades and he put them on..and he made a kind of wicked little face like this (Bono gestures by grinning from ear to ear with the shades on, and cocks his head to the side much to the crowd's delight)...im not kidding! And then he gave me these...(Bono pulls out a set of Rosary Beads). This is called a crooked cross, and its a miniature one that he used to carry it around and Michelangelo designed it for him, it's pretty isn't it? I wear it around my neck all the time, except when I'm at a rock show, then I put it in my pocked cuz I know what you guys are like . Anyway, this great man, this great showman, this great friend to the world's poor, and I want to kiss his crooked cross and say goodbye to him tonight. So for anyone who's sick, this is for you. Doctors and nurses, keep us all alive...sorry for buggin.' "I wanna trip inside your head, spend the day there..."

"Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own" completed the string of softer selections. The one-two-three punch of "Love and Peace/Sunday Bloody Sunday/Bullet the Blue Sky got the crowd rocking again, the first selection featuring Larry, then Bono banging away on a Yamaha Cocktail Club tomtom out on the runway. "Bullet" featured a brief "Hands That Built America" which replaced the "and I can see those figher planes" section of the song. Very cool little changeup in my opinion.

A tender "Running to Stand Still" followed, played as it was during the Joshua Tree/LoveTown concerts. I smiled to myself as I watched a middle aged couple two rows in front of me, standing, holding onto each other and softly singing along. The crowd begain to clap in time to the song, Bono said "please don't clap, but you can sing for me...sing A LA LA LA Dee Daaaay."

During "Mysterious Ways," Bono plucked a cute asian chick from the audience and pulled her onstage. That hottie knew how to move Bono serenaded her as she improved some belly dance moves, and did a nice job of it too haha. At song's end, Bono asked for her name and she responded with "Ally." For those who don't know, Ally is the name of Bono's wife. He responded with "I thought we'd met somewhere before..." Bono didn't do such a hot job keeping up with her, he described it as "nearly having a dance accident." Larry, Adam and Edge stood grinning with their arms crossed, tapping their toes while they waited for Bono to calm down and rejoin them on the main stage.

The remainder of the set was played in top form, althought Bono had a little bit of trouble pulling off the chorus sections to "Pride." Still a great show, and a great recording I might add too! This is a pretty lengthy review, and I'll cut it short for now. But if anyone has any specific questions about the show please post along. It's been fun.

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