by g

Bono is rated G this tour, not a cussword to be heard.

I think this show was 2nd best of the last 4, but I'm not sure.

I left my binoculars in my jacket pocket to see if they'd ask to see it when I entered the arena, but nope. I'm not sure that they were even bothering with visual searches unlike L.A. with airport metal detectors.

I thought it might be a real good crowd, cuz a big behind-stage cheer went up when the lighting crew were lifted into the roof. As they reached the top, they took the cover off the drumkit and another cheer went up.

They're rotating the setlists, A and B at one city, B and A at the next. They should be opening with Love and Peace at the next show as a result. There were a couple of small changes with this show.

I noticed Bono was putting local U2 history lyrics into Stories for Boys which they normally put into The Ocean and guessed that they'd skip The Ocean. I was surprised they played it at a 2nd concert to be honest. They did skip it. It was cool to hear, but it was a bit of a drag on the show. They've had a major struggle to keep the fans in the cheap seats on their feet including this night.

Concerts seem to work better when they start with making a statement that they're a band, playing in close proximity to each other, instead of spread out all over the ramps. Streets and Elevation did that as well as unite the crowd which is just as important. City and Peace do neither, tho they could with simple lighting/positioning changes. Peace works better for me as is, a long, dramatic start.

While Bono was waiting for his vocal part to start for Into the Heart, he lays down on the ramp. A bunch of hands reached up to him, so he grabbed one and playfully bit one of her fingers, lightly traced circles on her palm and finger-walked up her arm half a dozen times.

At the beginning of City of Blinding Lights, he sang to something. It looked like it was in a pink, fuzzy frame. Coulda been a picture or mirror. It was around 8x10 sized. He put some extra lyrics at the end, but I couldn't understand them. Then he went on about the church he attends in San Fran and the reverend there and ended with "We shall overcome. We shall overcome..."

They moved the video screens back to their original positions for Sometimes, blocking the ramp instead of all behind the drums.

Bono says "coexist" a couple times at the end of Sunday Bloody Sunday while he has the coexist headband on. I'm not sure I woulda made the connection if I didnt' already know.

Here's how much of a struggle they're having to get the fans to stay on their feet. During Streets when they turn the lights on the crowd at the far end of the arena and they go nuts, gives them a front-row experience for a little bit, most of both upper deck sections were sitting and stayed that way. I sat a couple of times, but only cuz I needed to rest.

The 2nd setlist change was they switched the 3-song main set ender with the 1st encore. I was able to read Larry's setlist just enough to figure it out before the show started. I thought Zoo Station would be a great way to start the encore. u2.com has the setlist screwed up, btw.

Bono's Africa speech had that Southern Revival flair to it again, nearly as good as 1st L.A. Maybe the church service sunday morning lit his fire.

With One ending the main set, they put the texted names on the screen before the 1st encore instead of between encores.

It would have ended the main set, but Bono pulled an audible, went over to Edge and asked him something while Adam and Larry walked to the stairs understage. By the time it was time to ask them, they were gone. Bono went over and yelled down into the hole for them to get back up (I guess.) Probably said something like "Edge and I are want to play this song, you guys wanna play too?!???" and they said yes. Bono introduced it by saying something like "We're gonna play a song we've never played before. Actually, we've never played it as a band before, just Edge and I have except for recording it in the studio." So, we got not only the live premier of Original of the Species, but the first time the band ever played it even privately. Bono says a lot of things just cuz they sounds good, so that's dubious info at best.

Species started with Edge on keys and Bono singing, then Larry and Adam joined in after a minute or so. They played it with more confidence than they played Kite's debut. They were more careful then and they'd rehearsed it. I missed the strings or synth strings or whatever it is. They don't necessarily need THAT, but something to give the song some punch in those moments. They might have something prerecorded in the future. The crowd in general wasn't all that excited about it.

They didn't play Zoo Station, probably cuz they had to cut something after Species was added. The Fly started the 1st encore.

Mysterious Ways -- after his screwup last time, Bono got his dancing partner from the front of the pit instead of the tip. She didn't seem like she was too into dancing, maybe a bit shy. In the latter part of the song, they were on the ramp and she was copying this slow, highstepping silly walk that Bono was doing. Bono let go of her, turned her loose, and she came alive. She had to have had bellydancing lessons, maybe she's in a dancing troupe, cuz she had all the moves down pat. She was sorta beating him back up the ramp by thrusting one hip at him, then the other. That was the only time the building got remotely like it was during Elevation/2nd San Jose.

After Bono put her back in the pit, he started to leave, then came back to the mike to say that she'd given them quite a gift when she danced like that, dirty old man. ;) She shoulda tied a knot in the front of her t-shirt to expose her belly a smidgeon.

I thought moving One to the main set ender might let them put up the texted names in both breaks and maybe have been the reason for the move. Bono went to the band and I thought he might be calling another audible, but he just wanted to go straight into the 2nd encore and that went as usual.

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