by zoodoctor

This was my 2nd Vertigo show (after NJ2), with 2 more to go. NJ2 had a tremendous setlist, great crowd participation—“the Bank robbers”- and the AB first encore, which was a huge moment for me. Last night, the Boys strong as usual…The Edge was The Edge; Larry looked far more into the event than I have ever seen (going back many shows since 1991) and Adam was quite animated and seemed to be having fun. But clearly Bono’s voice was not at 100%, perhaps due to some combo of “wear and tear” and/or illness…but as any U2 fan knows, a subpar Bono is still leaps and bounds ahead of any other lead singer in terms of gestures, crowd appeal and general persona.

The main set list was the usual. Party Girl was the only Encore surprise, since Fast Cars is becoming an Encore staple. ZS and TF were missing from the first2 legs. And true to the previous shows, the encores, made the evening extra special.

Some highlights: Fast Cars is an absolute gem live! For me, it was a very pleasant surprise, since I had not heard the whole song previously. And I totally disagree with previous critics who panned The First Time live…Bono and Edge’s version out on the ellipse is superb. We got a partial Party Girl, along with the champagne spray of the crowd, which I had never seen before. And BTW, I don’t buy that Bono forgets the words. The second Vertigo was blistering, although other songs may have been better to close. Yaweh live remains sublime.

Some disappointments: Miss Sarajevo is a great song, but a combo of Bono’s subpar voice and the crowd’s lack of familiarity with the song was a downer. And the opera bit by Bono was cool, but not spot on by any means. Still Haven’t Found was a bit weak, perhaps due to Bono’s voice issues. WOWY continues to sound “tired” and may need a break from the rotation. Would have liked to see Bad, 40, or Crumbs, but of course you can’t have it all!

Some crowd comments: My buddy and I had mediocre seats, 300’s, Row A. The crowd around us clearly did not know all the songs, with the exception of the commercial hits and overplayed stuff—Vertigo, Streets, One. So during The First Time, Miss Sarajevo, and even Miracle Drug, people were talking, getting beers, and making noise. And being told to “sit down” repeatedly by a non-U2-fan is extremely annoying!

Last, the sound is quite good, but perhaps a bit too loud.

As a long time hard-core fan, I can comfortably say that growing old with these guys has been an honor, and I eagerly await my final 2 Vertigo shows, unless I end up going to more!

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