by Bonobear

This was U2 concert #9 for me...and it was the best U2 show I have EVER seen!

Having got on board in 1985 seeing them perform at the Nassau Coliseum for the Unforgettable Fire tour, then four times on the Joshua Tree Tour, Three times on ZooTV and once at PopMart, I honestly wasn't sure what to expect tonight. Sure, I had been following the setlist reports ever since Miami (which at first bothered me, since they all looked the same each night), so I headed in with an open mind expecting to be blown away. After all, this is U2!

PJ Harvey was great. Her band rocked and her tunes were heartfelt. It's little wonder why U2 (apart from the fact that's she's Paul McGuinness' 'other' project)chose her to open the tour. Decked out it a sleek dress and FM pumps, she rocked out and the crowd was polite for a change. Hell, I even cheered for her a few times as did the crowd which is no small feat considering no one here really paid to see her. I always have a soft spot for opening bands with regards to that. Anyway...you did't come all the way here to read about PJ now DID ya?

The house lights stayed on and out they came, one by one. The eruption of emotion and sound from the crowd damn near threatened to bring the rigging down on top of everyone there. Our seats were in section 319, but we had probably the most perfect view of the setup as did every other seat in the house. The stage was incredible. From our vantage point it looked as though it stretched to the other side of the arena. U2 know how to put on a show.

They opened with (duh) Elevation which was perfect. Probably one of the best rockers they have ever come up with. Seeing them perform Elevation was worth the price and aggravation of snatching a ticket. Next up was Beautiful Day which, like Elevation, really soared. Until THe End of The World is still a testament to their showmanship ten years later. I love the bullfighting aspect that they added during PopMart which thankfully is still there, with Bono on the losing end :)

Then Adam pumped out the bassline to New Year's day and the place went nuts...Kite was my personal favorite of the night, since I love that song with a passion. I loved the extra little verse Bono repeated at the song's end with just him on guitar while looking over at Edge for acceptance. It's great to see how these four guys interact after all these years. Truly the best of friends!

New York was hard and heavy and had fists pumpin in the air, but the real highlight of the evening was Out of Control and 11'Oclock Tick Tock...back to back! "This was our first single here..." I almost fainted! That is truly one of their finest early rockers and here it was, 2001 and they were playing it at MSG!!!!

Then, following Tick Tock comes Sunday Bloody Sunday! It doesn't get better than THAT I thought...it did.

Daniel Lanois came out to do Stuck in a Moment and sang into Bono's mic, then Edges...classic U2 moment there! Then Bono mentioned Joey Ramone and his Mother and brother were in the audience. He dedicated In a Little While and I Remember You to them...pure emotional joy. Next we got a scaled down version of Desire with all the band at the tip of the heart which was pretty cool considering how most people are slagging them off for not playing a full rocking version of the song. Then Bono and Edge did Staring at the Sun together, and Bono flubbed the words then smiled in they special humble way of his that just makes you want to hug the guy.

Then came another highlight. Bad. Whenever I hear this song live I nearly break down and weep because it is always performed with passion that is pulled from parts unknown. Again, they did not dissapoint. From Wild Horses to "40" I was riveted as was the crowd. My only complaint was with "40" since I wish to all hell that they would just do a fll version of this song like the way they used to close off their shows each time prior to Actung Baby. I remember when I saw each Joshua Tree tour show that the audience would still be singing this song as they left the arena, it was that powerful. I really wish they would play this song after Walk On at the close of the show since it is always an emotional power punch to the heart.

Bad went immediately into Streets, which as many others have described, is the show's centerpiece. It certainly was last night as well as the place erupted when Edge kicked in. The heart glowed in red and big lights dropped down from the rigging to illuminate the floor section as well as the rest of the arena. Bono did laps and we all shared a moment. Mysterious Ways was the same thing. Everyone was singing along at the top of my lungs. Hell, I had people looking at me like I was possessed I was singing so damned loud! But hey, that's what U2 does to me!

Then came what I consider to be one of the best surprises of the night...The Fly. I love the new arrangement of this song, with Edge's guitar scorching throughout. Blistering is the only way to describe the man's playing. Edge is truly god's gift to the guitar.

After a short break, The Charlton Heston piece played, but I am not sure about the effect. The crowd seemed to actually CHEER Moses' stand on guns. Hey, this IS New York, so whatcha gonna do? With or Without You was greatness as always, with the starfields that always played during Love is Blindness projected all over the drop down screens.

Edge ripped into Pride which was scorching and they closed the set and walked off. They returned a few minutes later and did one of the best versions of One I have ever heard. They finished up with Walk On, one of the best tunes they have penned in a long time. Absolutely the greatest show on Earth!

Now we have Thursday and Friday at the Meadowlands...god, I can't believe that I am gonna see them two more times...if you are thinking about going and someone has a ticket for you...GO

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