by Stephan Lentzos

U2 - the Heavyweight Champions of Rock & Roll

In my opinion, it has been true for many years now, but as of this tour, you can now officially place U2 in an elite company that includes names like the Rolling Stones and the Who.

U2 has entered an elite stratosphere, where they now have the luxury of choosing from a wide variety of songs from different eras in their evolution that can shape a show in a certain direction, give the show a certain feel. There is no filler, no fat, just muscle. I'm sure the only problem they must have is choosing which songs not to include…wouldn't it be interesting to listen in on those meetings?

The set list for these shows had something for everyone… I thought everything worked well for the most part…but I found it interesting that the songs I thought the audience didn't really "get" for whatever reason were the 3 from Pop (Disco/Staring/Gone) - maybe it would have helped if they owned the CD, haha - as well as "New York" from the latest effort.

When Bono was handed a white flag from the audience and he placed it on his shoulder as if it were a big burden weighing him down (his Cross to bear??), the moment said a lot. Unlike so many other celebrities, U2 use their voice to actually try to make a difference on some level (ie. Jubillee 2000) but in this game, people have dictated that this is a no-no. Not saying that this band doesn't enjoy the privileges and indulgences that their position bestows upon them, but it's obvious that they balance that with sincerely trying to make a difference…the result is that they open themselves up to criticism (hence the burden of the white flag).

For me, the best part of a U2 show is the interaction between the 4 guys. Unlike so many other manufactured bands or groups that were put together in a studio, these guys literally lived out the dream…growing up together from high school days, jamming in Larry's kitchen to arenas and stadiums around the world, playing to audiences of millions. For me, that's the secret ingredient to U2. Four best mates, riffing off of each other. (When Bono introduced Edge as having "more children than Abraham", Edge not so indiscreetly gave him the finger!)

Sometimes I worry that not seeing them in New York, Chicago, LA, Dublin or London might make for a lesser show. But after seeing the 2 Calgary shows, as well as past shows in Vancouver and Edmonton, it really is hard to question their claim to the heavyweight title of rock…they are the undisputed champs.

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