by Rabab

I have seen U2 twice only so far; both during the Elevation tour in 2001. But October 11th was the greatest show I have been to... yet. Firstly, I thought Keane was brilliant. Have loved them for awhile now and was ecstatic that they would be opening for U2, and they defintely did not let me down. I was surprised however, that more people weren't out of their seats singing along to "Everybody's Changing" or "Somewhere Only We Know." All in due time, I hope...
U2 put on an absolutely SPECTACULAR show, especially more so to me because they played so many of their older songs that had me nearly swooning with pleasure. I hadn't looked at any of the set lists for the previous shows intentionally, so it was entirely unexpected for me when they played "Out Of Control." I suppose I'm asking for too much when I expect the people around me in Section 63 (faraway but so close... pun intended;)) to know the words to any of the older stuff, let alone that song. But I was a little disappointed that people around me couldn't fully appreciate the old songs. Several people around me actually sat down during "Miss Sarajevo"!!!! Blasphemy, I say!!! It was simply beautiful, especially when Bono sang in Italian. His voice was powerful, passionate, and captured the beauty of the words perfectly. I know many people complain about Bono's political speeches, but I myself find them enthralling and they remind me that he's not just a rock-star, but something more. I nearly expected people around me to scream out obscenities at the speeches but amazingly, the entire arena was quite respectfully silent.
I felt almost as if U2 had specifically used this set list just for me; they played nearly exactly the songs I would want them to play. I loved that they began with "City of Blinding Lights" as it's my favorite on the new album, though it was a bit harsh on my ears in the beginning. I remember horrifiedly wondering if the acoustics in the place would be the ruin for the rest of the concert. But whatever didn't sit right soon faded away. I am a big proponent of their older songs, therefore this was a perfect night for me. I felt so elated when they played "Where The Streets Have No Name"... the whole place was up and jumping. Their choice of the endings for their encores were perfect. I didn't mind the songs they began the encores with, although more energetic songs would perhaps have been better appreciated. The first encore ended with a breathtakingly beautiful "With Or Without You" which had me melting into my seat... not that I was in my seat anyway! The very last song they played was "40," which is without a doubt the best song to end a concert with. And such a concert, too!! There is something about the echoing of "How long to sing this song?" by fans that makes the entire night doubly special.... All four guys were impressive in their performances, and I realized again how much of an impact Larry and Adam actually make in the music as a whole... I always felt they don't get as much acknowledgment as Edge and Bono... and Tuesday night they all shined through with mindblowing force.
Now I'm hoping they make magic happen again on November 21st.... can't wait!!!!! =)

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