by Keira

From reading the trimmed down set lists of Elevation Leg 3 in the days leading up to Oct. 24th, I wasn't sure what to expect from this show. However, knowing it would be the band's 1st appearances in New York after 9/11, my expectations were for greatness. I had seen them play their longest sets during the first leg on 6/19 at MSG and 6/22 at the Meadowlands, which were two amazing shows, but at a very different time in this city and country.

Garbage opened up promptly at 8 and put on a very good set. We arrived in time to hear "Only Happy When It Rains," "Paranoid," and "Stupid Girl." They thanked U2 over and over, calling touing with them a sort of "Rock School...you learn a few things along the way." Shirley Manson also personally thanked Larry Mullen, Jr. for offering them something noone else could.

Excitement built in the Garden as the sound system turned up 100% for "Higher Ground," "All You Need is Love," and "Seargeant Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band." The fans within the heart were wild as the Elevation Influx Mix came and all of MSG started the signature "Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo!" chants, and one by one, Adam, Larry, Edge (in a Yankees t-shirt), and Bono took the stage with the houselights customarily still on. Bono genuflected and made the sign of the cross.

"Elevation" as an opener never gets old. The house lights remained on until "Love, lift me up out of these blues...won't you tell me something true.....I believe in you." The heart lit up and the place went crazy! I have never been at a concert with a more alive and pumped up audience. True, U2 audiences are always alive and psyched up, but this was turned up a few degrees higher. A man I work with who had dinner with the band on Friday told me that Edge and the band were all choked up on Wed. night. He said, "Edge said they've 'never had a more energetic audience, an audience so excited,' it made the band choked up." That's coming from Edge himself! The band went right into "Beautiful Day," the 2nd number of 1-2 punch. Bono sang, "New York is strong" during the 2nd verse right before "You've been all over....and it's been all over you."

One of Bono's first personal statements to the audience was "Let's Go Yankees!" after this song...You could feel his excitement to be here in New York City. MSG was ready for lift off.

"Until the End of the World" began with Bono calling out "Jesus, this is Judas." Great song with one of Edge's best solos. Bono and Edge were out at the front of the heart for their traditional bull taming dance. Then, the familiar bass and piano of "New Year's Day" began. It's always fun watching Edge go from piano to guitar and back in that song.

"Out of Control" was next with Bono introducing it to the record label as the band's "new single" as an 18 year old with his band mates. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" followed with the familiar military drumbeat opener by Larry. Bono took an American flag from the audience, as opposed to the Irish one from Leg 1, and paused to gently hold it as he sang, "Wipe your tears away..." The entire Garden mimicked Bono's flamenco clapping.

"Stuck in a Moment" was very moving. The Edge was in fine voice for his vocal solo.

"Kite" was next, and Bono dedicated the song to his father, Bob, who had passed away a few months back, saying it was a song his father had left for him. He sang, "I know that this is not Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye," and the most powerful line of all was definitely, "I'm a MAAAAAAN....I'm not a child." At the end of the song he made a reference to P. Diddy who was rumored to be there in the "hip hop drove the big cars" line. Around this time in the show, Bono pulled up a male shirtless fan from the GA section, who had Joshua Trees tattoed on his back, and "One" in hundreds of different languagees. He gave Bono a huge bear hug as Edge, Larry, and Adam were clearly amused.

"Angel of Harlem" was a great surprise, and the entire NY crowd sang along. At the end, Bono stated "Billie Holiday." He pulled a girl up from the audience who was holding a "Chicks Can Play Guitar Too" sign for "Knocking on Heavens Door." She followed Edge around as they both played, as if this is something she is accustomed to on a nightly basis. Bono and Edge played an acoustic "Staring at the Sun" next, followed by the the signature live opening of "Bad." 50,000 fans belted out "WIDE AWAKE...." The band segued into "40" and the crowd sang along with Bono, "How long to sing this song?" over and over, more poignant than ever.

The red screen came up for "Where the Streets Have no Name," as Bono ran laps around the heart. My initial thought was Streets already? This remains one of the greatest live rock and roll songs of all time. The next song was the new addition to Leg 3: "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," which was wonderful hearing live. "Pride" was next as the 80s block continued...Martin Luther King came on the screen as Bono told us to "Let the King sing..."
and "Dr. King, still Singing!"

As the band left the stage, the place still sang, "Oh oh oh oh...oh oh oh oh...." from the refrain.

Before the band returned, a recorded female gospel voice came on, and I immediately thought it was the emotional version of "One" that I heard so much about with the names, but instead, it was "Bullet the Blue Sky." Bono sauntered around the heart during the "Outside is America" speech doing his Light Man routine pointing it all over the audience. "OUTSIDE" he yelled! Bono and Edge immediately went into an electric first verse of "What's Goin On, which segued from the "You know we've got to find a way....." right into the opening chords of "New York," a song that everyone has come to love with altered post 9-11 lyrics. (This was formerly my bathroom break song on Leg 1.) "Irish, Italians, Jews, Hispanics, but it's never a place for religious nuts, political fanatics...." "New York, New York, I love New York....." "I lost myself, you lost your wife" struck a sad chord.

The place was electrified when Bono sang "the Irish been coming here for years....feel's like they own the place." A girl in an I Love NY t-shirt was carried around the heart over Bono's shoulder. I dont' know who to be more jealous of - her, the guy with the Joshua tree tattoos, or the guitar player. There were four new long white screens behind each band member, which projected their shadows during this song, and resembled NYC skyscrapers.

Chants of USA and "Let's Go Yankees" were prominent throughout the show, but quieted down as Bono took his guitar, and started to speak to the audience about tolerance and how proud and humbled the band are to be in New York and America at this time. New York is a place where everyone can get along. "It's a place for everyone," he said.

As "One" began, the screen behind the band showed all of the flights and the victims killed on the planes, followed by NYPD and NYFD. There were so many of these names that the band began to play "Peace on Earth," which went into "Walk On." Noone in the Garden was untouched watching those names.

The show was very much a release for the people of the city and a very moving 2 hours with touching songs. I cried for the victims who undoubtedly were watching from another place and for the audience members who recognized those names that were scrolling down the screen and into the lights up onto the cieling of the Garden.

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