by Dallas

I had the pleasure of seeing U2 play in Albany on Saturday night. A great arena to see them perform since it is one of the smallest indoor stadiums in the Northeast. Ok Ok, on to the show!!

Elevation 2001 rocked! With houselights on, the boys swaggered onto the stage, knowing that they have achieved their goal on this tour: to be the best rock band in the world...they are! The crowd was jumping around, singing the "ooooh ooooh" and in a party mood all night.

Bono was quite conversational with the crowd. No matter where you sat, 10 feet away or up in the nose-bleeds, it might as well have been Irving Plaza or the Astoria. They really personalized the show, which is the mark of a truly great touring band. The songs all sounded incredible live...puts the CD to shame almost (can you believe that??)...Lots of improvisation between songs, Bono rhyming and adding lyrics...I hope the band puts out a live album at the end of this tour.

I was about 10 feet away from the Heart, and Bono and Edge seemed to favour the left side of it, very often walking by or stopping right in front of us. The rendition of Desire was great as well, when the band set up at the tip of the heart. Bono was visibly tired, and a few songs, like Mysterious Ways seemed to lag, especially when Dallas Schoo couldn't plug in Edge's guitar for the opening riff...woops! Right before playing Kite, Bono made an announcement to the crowd that he was not feeling very well, and that he would need the audience to help him sing through the night...the crowd went nuts, and really did sing along all night just about.

I've seen them on the other tours, but here, U2 really made an effort to bring the show to each member of the crowd, and to get the crowd involved. For instance, Bono had a hand-held search light during Bullet the Blue Sky, and he shined it all around the stadium at the different sections. During the Fly he was running around the Heart, looking like he was being chased, stopping to stare at people at the tip of the heart. Truly dramatic, and great showmanship throughout.

Go seem them! Pay the $$. Believe me, it's an incredible show that's very personalized and full of emotion. I can't wait to see them again in New York City! Nice work Bono, Edge, Adam and Larry.

Oh, and one last thing...P.J. Harvey...wow!! She was amazing...what a powerful voice! I think she's the sexiest rock star around...she looked hot and she sounded even hotter! Don't get in her way!

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