by David Rankin

U2 continues to rock, inspire and evolve. U2 not only deserve the job again as the best band in the world, they are The Beatles of their generation. Thus, it was fitting that Bono was reminded of U2's performance 21 years earlier in Buffalo on the night that John Lennon died. Bono provided a moving solo version of The Beatles "In My Life" to honor the power of a musical figure few others than Bono can come close to emulating. The band from Dublin has managed to weave their music into the soundtrack of my life and I suspect many others based upon the diverse age of the crowd at HSBC arena. I first saw the band perform live in 1983 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena when I was 16 years old and was captivated by their raw energy and passion. The Sports Arena show was one of Bono's early shining moments and I will never forget how he climbed on to the second level of the arena, raced through the crowd with a white flag in his hands and then jumped back into the awaiting arms of the fans on the floor level. U2's impassioned music, such as "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "October," managed to reach me at a time when there were few societal or cultural figures to look to for inspiration. What amazes me about U2 is that they continue to reach me at each new stage of my life.

ZOO TV blew my mind because of its wide-scale assault on the senses of sights and sounds, but also because of the timeliness of the music and the performance. U2 spectacularly captured the post-Berlin Wall transition and the emerging cable/satellite hooked-up world that we now take for granted. Unlike many critics, I thought Popmart was also brilliant. The show was a wonder to watch and a great commentary on the commercialization of pop-culture, including U2. U2 had become a huge global commodity and they acknowledged it with impressive irony. I have since become a college professor and integrate U2 music and concert imagery into my courses on American Politics. What better way to introduce an examination of the media than to show a ZOO TV clip of "The Fly," or to introduce civil rights with a clip of "Pride," or provoke thought about American policies with a clip of Bullet the Blue Sky? U2's concert portrayals of these songs are always more than just about the music, they manage to seamlessly deliver a message.

The Elevation concert has delivered a message about embracing the past and moving forward with hope and optimism, and this U2 show provides an incredible mix of the past and present. Songs on the set list in Buffalo included very entertaining mini ZOO TV versions of "Mysterious Ways" and "The Fly," blazing back-to-back numbers (with frenzied sing-along audience participation) of the classics "I Will Follow" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday," entrancing and soulful versions of "Bad/40" and "Stay," and impressive integration of the new material into the performance, particularly the acoustic version of "In a Little While," with the Edge and Bono sounding better together then ever after all these years. The relationship of the band members and the audience are so much a part of the U2 concert experience and Buffalo showed that the U2 fan is still "Wide Awake." But for me, "Where the Streets Have No Name" is always worth the price of admission alone. "Streets" has clearly become U2's anthem and provides probably the most exhilarating experience possible at a concert. The band and audience become one during this song. I have seen people unified and uplifted by the intro into "Streets" in LA (ZOO TV), in Copenhagen (Popmart), and now elevated in Buffalo. The transition from "Bad/40" to "Streets" is beautiful, but U2 always manage to find the perfect transition into "Streets." Bono was in wonderful form for the song and the concert, his voice sounded great as did the rest of the band. Bono may be 18 years older than when I first saw him on the War tour, but he hasn't lost a step. In fact, the way Bono raced around the heart-shaped ramp at 41 years of age to "The Fly" and "Streets" brought me right back to the LA Sports Arena when I was 16. I was inspired, uplifted and blown away.

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