by Sean Fenlon

Being that this was opening night of the tour, there are more than enough fan and media reviews out there by now. So, I'll sum up the show simply by making three points: 1. It was the first show of the tour, so it had the expected minor flaws and missteps (one notable misstep, for sure!), but the excitement level seen in both the audience and the band on First Night is a once-in-a-tour experience. 2. The stage set is awesome; the set designers are to be commended, especially long-time lighting guru Willie Williams. 3. The show accomplished exactly what I hoped it would - I'm going to eight more gigs, and I can't wait to get there.

One final note - a lot of people are saying that it's about time U2 got back to basics, and are pretty much condemning the Zoo TV and PopMart concepts. I do personally prefer the simpler set, but everyone needs to keep in mind that U2 has been on-stage for close to 25 years now, and they are just as compelling as ever. If they felt they needed to mix things up through the 90's in order to keep it fresh for them, then so be it. I'm grateful that they're still around - I saw my first show in 1981 and I get as excited to see them now as I ever did. Plus, I thoroughly enjoyed the PopMart shows, and I thought the ZooTV shows kicked butt!

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