by RubyEuropa

What You Got They Can't Steal It...

Wow. How to describe last night's concert. By the end of this tour I'll have seen about 55-60 shows since the War tour. And in that time I've seen some not-so-good U2 shows, some good U2 shows, and some great U2 shows. But last night… last night's show was an apotheosis. Yes, it was that exultant. Friday night running to Sunday on my knees indeed -- left DC at 5:30 am Sunday morning and got back home 6 am Monday morning, with only 3 hours' sleep the night before. It was worth it and then some.

This day was special from beginning to end. Started with getting to Mellon Arena at about 10 am and being about 50th in line. Phone calls back and forth to various brobbers and others who were en route. "Are you on the way?" "How many miles out are you?" "There's about 60 people in line so far, you're cool." That's how the early part of the day went. So many friendly faces -- from what seemed like two-thirds of the DClist, including Phil, Scott, Peggy, Karen, Deena, Ralph, Brendan, and Michael, and others from the Surrender list, including DavisTB (nice to have finally met you!), Jenny Williams (I haven't seen you since Popmart girl!), Molly McClincy (good to finally meet you!), the Souzas (with new family member Darius), Becky, Jim Rinaldi and Karen, to new friends we made waiting in line. You know, the vibe in the GA line all day was so good, so mellow, so friendly, we should have predicted the show would be great. Everyone sitting around talking about the tour, the album, the shows. Passing around photo albums and show stories. No bragging or boasting or complaining about prices and setlists. Just people sharing experiences. And when the arena finally started letting us in, loud cheers went up everywhere, and the atmosphere turned heavily expectant and festive

Mellon Arena did a good job with the GA process -- barricades were put in place first thing in the morning so there was no disorganization or people trying to cut in line. They let us into the arena (at basement level) through one entrance, in groups of about 30 at a time. Then you went through a turnstyle, got your wristband, then, again, groups of about 30 at a time were loosed onto the arena floor like marbles. Once inside the heart, you had to go to the tip to get your heart access bracelet. This is still a dangerous idea that *doesn’t* make sense. My understanding is that U2's people determine how the actual process will work for the floor and heart access bracelets, and they need to change this. It's counterproductive to have to get our heart access bracelet from someone in the back of the heart because that is also where people want to stand. So you end up with confusion, a human traffic jam, and people refusing to get out of the way. Heart bracelets should be handed out as you *enter* the heart.

Anyway, Mellon Arena is really cool. Holds about 16,000 people for concerts and it really does have an intimate vibe. I've read other's reviews complaining about the acoustics, but inside the heart the sound was terrific. We didn't go to our usual spot in front of Edge. Instead we opted for the inside back of the heart, still on Edge's side, a bit up from the actual tip. This way we could see everything going on, on the main stage, on the catwalk, and on the screens. Brendan, showing some lemon-inspired creativity, made all these yellow paper lemon signs and was handing them out to a group of us to make our own signs. I made three. One that said "Move My Molecules," one that said "Just a fan blowing out of control on the breeze," and a third that said "What time is it? 11 O'Clock TICK TOCK"! Maggie drew a clock with the small hand on 11 and the big hand on the 0. Excellent idea :) Hers resulted in a smile and wink from Edge when he saw it.

Last night's show in particular *really* felt like seeing U2 in a club. Very diggable. Before U2 came on, and as probably a third of the people in the heart knew each other, there was a lot of back-and-forth hanging out with everyone, running for drinks, high-fives, and laughter. This heart thang is pretty cool.

Back to the show. Soon as the intro for Elevation began, even before U2 took the stage, the crowd was grooving. Once U2 walked out, the place just exploded. From that first note of Elevation to the last note of Walk On, the band was a match and we were the flame. Or is the other way around? :) Either way, Mellon Arena was a bonfire. Bono ended Elevation with a couple Beatles' snippets that rocked the house -- Baby You Can Drive My Car and Twist and Shout. A lot of uplifting moments during Elevation -- when the crowd joined in (virtually drowning out Bono) and shouted "day!" during "after the flood all the colors came out," it was as if we all became the airplane that soars over Bono's head in the video.

One of my favorite moments came during New Year's Day. Bono was about halfway down the catwalk on the left side, and I happened to glance at Edge and Larry. Both were staring at Bono with a look almost of awe on their faces. The band just *knew* they were on fire, that it had all come together. It was like Red Rocks part deux. And speaking of U2 "classics," they sang them last night with an energy and enthusiasm I haven't seen that consistently in some time. As if they were playing those songs for the first time. I Will Follow nearly wore me out, as did Sunday Bloody Sunday. Gone had me singing "I'm not coming down" as a sort of mantra.

A funny moment came when Bono introduced the band. He said: "for the span of one lunch break, we were called the Larry Mullen Band" -- that was good. :)

Someone had bubbles and was blowing them on and off throughout the night. At one point Bono took the bottle and tried to blow some bubbles himself. He failed as miserably as he did when he took Anna's bubbles from her in Seattle-Popmart . That's okay Bono. We'd rather you sing anyway :)

And Kite. KITE.

Sigh. Even though they've been playing it since San Jose, I was trying not to get excited. Still remembering my disappointment when Bono told us in Miami that they wouldn't add it until maybe DC. Worrying if they played it, that it wouldn’t sound as good as on the album. Yes, I know, an absurd idea. But sometimes you get these notions... Anyway, as I was saying. Kite. On the record the song is gorgeous. In an arena it's the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. So gorgeous. Like a mouthful of warm caramel. Yanno? I've heard the MP3s of this song since they added it to the setlist, and maybe I'm prejudiced, but last night it was flawless. Bono's voice was so strong. It rolled over us in waves. And Edge's guitar? Again, waves. It was just glorious. At that moment, I didn't care if I never saw another U2 show. I got to hear Kite finally. Live. And it was perfect.

New York was equally great. At the end, Bono's standing there with the white screen behind him, facing the inside of the heart, opposite us, a spotlight on his face, making these start-and-stop poses. Watching those bright blue eyes in the freeze frame. I didn't have slow motion on my side, but I hope someone captured it on video so I can have the sound and color under my control. Yanno?

And Stay. Haven't heard it since the Euro ZooTV shows. It was *good* to hear it again. So good.

During In A Little While, Bono brought a little girl on stage, about 10 years old, to dance with. She had the look on her face of someone finally meeting Santa Claus and discovering he's real.

One of the greatest moments of the show for me, and a moment that captured perfectly the feeling that night, was at the end, during Walk On. There was a guy in front of and a little to the right of Maggie, David, and I who was dancing along to Walk On as if he were part of the song itself. It had to have been his favorite song. He was singing along and dancing as if everything that counted in life was in that moment, in that song. I found myself watching him and not the band. His joy was palpable.

The band also felt and fed on the audience's enthusiasm. Looks of amazement, joy, and gratitude flickered across their faces all night long. And Bono repeatedly commented on what an "amazing, amazing night" it was and thanked us all. After Walk On, the band stood there a moment, like they didn't want to leave. Like they were trying to capture and hold forever that moment, that night, that show. And when Edge, the last one to leave the stage, waved one final time, there was a grin on his glowing face that went from ear to ear.

So when people ask me, how was the Pittsburgh show? Was it good? My response is, remember the feeling of your first kiss? The first time you drove a car by yourself? The first time you fell in love? First time you flew in an airplane or went hang gliding or dove into the ocean? That giddiness? That's how last night's show felt.

Ruby

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