by Mike Schwab

So about a month ago, a friend and I were lamenting the fact that we missed the Chicago U2 show (we live in Milwaukee, WI), and decided on a whim to roadtrip to the next closest show we could get tickets for on the current tour. That ended up being Norman, OK. We drove about 900 miles, and it was worth every gallon of gas. I’ve seen U2 five times before, and this show definitely ranked near the top of the list.

As is standard with a U2 show, you normally get an extravagant stage setup, video screen, and lighting show, and they didn’t fail to deliver. It’s strange when you’re in a football stadium, and the band’s temporary stage appears to dwarf the permanent structure around it. The 360 degree stage was a perfect fit for the venue, and it makes for a more interesting show as the band is moving around and mobile much more often than usual. But it’s really all about the music…

The setlist was fantastic – I hadn’t read up on what songs were being played on this tour, so it was a nice surprise. There was a great disbursement of tunes from many eras spread over about 7-8 different albums, and a couple of surprises (to me at least) like The Unforgettable Fire and Ultraviolet. They also seem to lean heavily on songs from the All That You Can’t Leave Behind album, which is just fine as it’s one of my favorites albums of theirs from the past decade. But of course, the highlight of the show for me is always when they play Where The Streets Have No Name, and it seemed the crowd agreed – the place went crazy. All in all, the sound was excellent, and Bono really involved the audience in the show. It was also nice to see U2 return to their political roots with the Amnesty Intl statement and the “standing up” for poverty at the very end. This is part of what makes U2 great, and it seemed to be lacking from the last few shows of their that I’ve seen.

Many times over the weekend, I wondered if the end goal and destination would actually live up to the rather lengthy journey required to get there. In the end, I have to say resoundingly – Yes. U2 is still a phenomenal band, and can still put on an incredible show after all these years. In a heartbeat, I’d do it all over again (but hopefully the next show will be a little bit closer!).

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