by Bert - (Long Review Guy!)

Hi- I have so much appreciated reading others reviews. Now, I have a chance to put one in of my own.

First, with all the ticket craziness, I have to hand it to the U2.com folks. As a long time propaganda subscriber, they came through for me--third row seats just off and to the front of the stage (Edge's side.) To tell you how good the seats were.... Bill Gates was in the row _behind_ me!

Now, you should know I am a huge U2 fan. I'm also one of those folks that has really high expectations, especially after all the great press coverage and reviews on here. So, I expected a lot. You'll see some sporadic negativity in this review. That's my way of saying basically that something wasn't its usual incredible self.

Onto the songs. I had enjoyed Love And Peace on the CD- but the live version is incredible, even after hearing some of the descriptions previously posted. Tremendous energy right from the get-go. And, Bono playing the drums- incredible!

Vertigo was next. I thought it lacked some energy- I was expecting more. Maybe I was just "coming down" from Love and Peace!

Stories for Boys and the other material from Boy was certainly nostalgic-- and I've seen the band on ever tour they've done since 1983. Clearly the band enjoyed played the songs. As many times as I've heard "I Will Follow," it remains one of my favorite live songs (and I missed hearing it), and I don't think the others matched up.

Now, I think it was somewhere around this part, but I'm not sure, that Bono brought up a woman on stage (on the ramp) and began to dance- really it was a hug. And the two of them essentially were locked in this hug, motionless mostly, for about two minutes. It was intense and great.

Elevation was great! The new, slower intro is really enjoyable.

City of Blinding Lights- I can't explain it but somehow it seems like this one should work better than it does. I like the song, and the theatrical aspect is really good, too. Yet, there was a visible energy drain at this point.

Beautiful Day - Again, not as good as during the previous tour, in my opinion.

Miracle Drug- Bono did a very, very long introduction about a "very ill" girl who was in attendance. I think you could have heard a pin drop. Then, the song. Wow. Incredibly intense. A highlight of the evening.

Sometimes- Introduced as for his father- real nice version. I especially liked that Bono took his glasses off. In fact, he had 'em off for quite a bit of the show, which surprised me.

New Year's - Great energy!

Sunday - I will never get tired of this song. Crowd was really into it.

Bullet- Brings back memories of Rattle & Hum, and, of course, it can't compare to them. Some nice projections on the bead curtains. I did like the addition of "When Johnny..."

Running to Stand Still - I just like this song! It worked well at this spot in the show.

Pride- Another classic I will always enjoy. Probably got some of the biggest response from the crowd. Dedicated to MLK's dream going beyond America, Europe, Asia, and onto Africa.

Streets- Lots of energy. Really fun.

One- Really nice dialogue from Bono on the One Campaign. Mention at length of Bill and Melinda Gates and some of their folks work on this.

Zoo Station - Wow- As good as ever. Fantastic version! This is the one song that still keeps going through my head.

Fly- A bit of a let down, but the band seemed to really be into it- a bit of jam session.

Mysterious Ways- The song seems a little tired. It was fun with Bono bringing up yet another woman and giving her a piggy-back ride. After, she kind of ran back along the ramp to her seat, and Bono, wanting to escort her back, ran after her. After he said, in explanation, "... A Paying Customer."

The band has a huddle and decided not to go off for a encore break.

All- Didn't have the punch I thought it would.

Yahweh- I really like this song, and I though it came across well live, too.

40- I had really looked forward to hearing this one, knowing it was coming, and it being all these years. So, of course, it couldn't live up to my expectations.

All in all, I think it was a good show. I think it had a lot of variability- excellent in some parts, and sagging a bit in others-- and this is in contrast to the show the next evening (see my review for 4/25).

Bert

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