by James

The first time I saw U2 was the Joshua Tree tour, in the fall of 1987. I've seen every tour since then, but it still amazes me how exciting it is to see those four guys appear onstage, and how great they sound after all these years.

I've been following the reviews of the opening shows of this tour, and I have to say I was a little nervous that perhaps this show wouldn't leave me as satisfied as previous shows. After all, the Elevation Tour in 2001 was such a highlight. But this show didn't disappoint. From the dramatic opening of LOPOE until the last drum whack of "40", this was an intense performance.

I really liked the setlist, especially at the beginning. "Vertigo" is an instant classic and had everyone bopping up and down and shouting "hola". It's great to see a new song become such a crowd favourite so quickly. The songs from "Boy" were great. I could tell that fewer people recognized them, but I didn't really get a sense of the show slowing down. It was really incredible to imagine seeing U2 25 years ago playing the same songs, not knowing all the great music and performances still to come. But the songs sounded very current, and relevant. It wasn't nostalgiac at all.

During "Electric Co.", Bono asked for a lipstick from someone at the front of the stage. He got one, and put it on, then sang a bit of "Send in the Clowns" as he mugged for the camera. He made the comment, "this IS the Bay Area?" as if to excuse his cross dressing. Very funny!

The tribute to the pope before "Miracle Drug" was very heartfelt, and Bono re-enacted the moment the pope put on a pair of his Fly Shades. He also mentioned that the band paid a visit to the "Bay Area's pope" - Cecil Williams from Glide Memorial Church in SF. It's great to know that the band has such a connection with the Bay Area. Later in the show Bono reference the IPod, SF congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (who's been a strong advocate of aid to Africa), and he thanked the Bay Area for "inventing the 21st Century" before launching into a spontaneous rendition of "Original of the Species" - the first time that song's been played this tour.

But back to the music! Highlights for me were: "Running to Stand Still" (one of my all time favourites - great to hear it live again after so many years), "The Fly" (a great encore opener - and a more rocking version than last tour), "One" (the best live version of that song I've heard them do - Edge was throwing in some nice new guitar parts), and of course "Streets", which never seems to get old no matter how many times I see them perform it.

The call for action on Africa was also very moving, and the allusion to Bono's Zoo TV calls to the White House and the encouragement that we call "whomever we can" regarding Africa, was nicely done. I also loved the cell phones!

Bono made a fine choice choosing Iris to dance for him during "Mysterious Ways". She was incredible!

All in all, a great show from beginning to end. The crowd was into it, the energy was great, and the band sounded really good. The sound could have been better, but I've come to expect that from arena shows.

My only complaint was having to wait in a long line to get into the arena. I've been to many sold out shows there and just walked in. For some reason (I'm guessing because of the GA policy) all the reserved seat holders had to enter through one line. Not a huge deal, but it meant that I missed Kings of Leon. Still, I was lucky enough to have great reserved seats in a section where everyone stood up the whole show.

I'm looking forward to following the evolution of the show in the months ahead. This show isn't a real departure from the Elevation Tour in terms of staging, but it had a very different feel to it it terms of the songs, the themes, and dynamic of the band members. To all of you with tickets to an upcoming show, I hope you have a great time!

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