by Matt McGee

Second night in the Bay Area, and the first time I've ever seen the band play on back-to-back nights. My seats were in nearly the same exact spot as the night before ... maybe 15 feet further to the right and in front of where we sat yesterday. This wasn't good or bad; it just was. And it made me wary of seeing the same exact things I saw the night before -- not that that's bad, but y'know, variety is the spice of life and what have you. I would've liked to see the show from a different angle.

Oasis came out and played what sounded like the same set as the first night, and I still couldn't understand a word Liam and/or Noel said between songs. Were they speaking English? Must've been ... I heard and comprehended the occasional vulgarity. They played for another hour, again without disbanding. I assume this is front-page news back in the UK.

U2 came out and went right through the show, just like the night before. Same songs, same seats ... total deja vu. One difference: I didn't get emotional during "Pride" and "Still Haven't Found" like I did last night. Maybe I need to skip a night to appreciate it all over again? Ahhh, who knows.

Then it happened: "All I Want Is You." Live.

"Still Haven't Found" was ending, and we all expected Bono to slide gently into "Stand By Me" as he's been doing recently. Instead, he fumbled into "All I Want Is You" out on the b-stage, all alone. He caught Edge (and the rest of us!) off-guard at first, and Edge left Bono to sing the first line or two a cappella. Edge wasn't sure how far Bono would take it, so he meekly began playing the guitar line for "All I Want...." Bono turned around and used his hand to give a "keep on playing" gesture ... "give me more" he was saying. Edge gave him more, and Bono gave us more. Among the collective "longtime" U2 fans in the audience, you could tell there was a palpable "wow!" going on, because this was a total shock ... a beautiful surprise. And with Bono's hand motions for Edge to continue and play along, we all knew this wasn't scripted -- unlike 98% of the show. I'll admit again: I was teary-eyed. This was one of those moments you'll remember WAYYY down the line.

The rest of the show proceeded wonderfully. They were back "on," surviving a few minor technical hiccups here and there. Feedback seemed to be a problem on a couple occasions. No big deal.

I figured Edge would trot out "Sweet Caroline" for the karaoke song, to mix it up from the typical "Daydream Believer." Well, talk about mixing it up: "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)" caught everyone off-guard again. Heck, even Edge wasn't fully-prepared, because he botched this golden oldie along with the rest of us. It was another great moment ... tens of thousands of us trying to sing along with an Irish guitarist leading us down the path, none of us sure where the song was headed! For the curious, this is a 60s "flower-child" tune by Scott McKenzie -- it's also on the soundtrack to the movie "Forrest Gump."

It seemed the rest of the show went as planned, and went very well. I know most fans gave the nod to this show as the better of the two in Oakland, but I felt both shows were about equal, for different reasons. "All I Want Is You" was a highlight tonight ... and if I had to choose one to see, this would be the one I'd choose from the Oakland concert combo. Next stop: Los Angeles, after a day off.

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