by Steve C

My hometown of Minneapolis was the location of my 3rd Popmart show and 5th overall.

Popmart is, of course, quite different than the Joshua Tree and Zoo TV tours. And while I don't think Popmart has ever quite lived up to the standards set by those tours (which also had the benefit of touring behind absolutely mammouth albums), it has improved steadily to the point now where it truly can be considered a great, great show.

The differences I saw from my first Popmart show in Memphis, with its technical and rehearsal problems mixed with an ailing Bono, and the show in Minneapolis is incredible. Where once the show owned the band, now the band completely own and dominate the show, the stadium, and the crowd. It just took them a while to get a handle on the scale of their operation this time...but once they did, WOW!

High points, aside from the music itself, included:
a) a comment made by Bono showing that he remembers when U2 were a young band in 1981 and they played at a Minneapolis club that still exists (with a different name) a they wrote 2 of the songs from October here. That sort of remembrance and appreciation of a town's longtime support means so much to the fans attending the show. Another very real bond to a band that has come to mean a lot to us.
b) that U2 is the first band that has played at the Metrodome that has actually figured out how to get good sound out of a domed stadium. My seats were great but even those on the normally echo-y 2nd deck said they heard every note, and every word. Hats off to Joe O'.

Popmart is a show that has definitely grown on me and will stay with me as a happy memory forever.

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