by Jeff

This show was an amazing experience for me, ONLY because it was the first time I had been on the floor. Even better, I was able to be 5 people deep in the middle of the outer ring (which meant the kid, the wife, and the drums all happened right in front of me.) Had they not, I'd find myself grossly dissappointed. I'm still trying to decide if my dissappointment was in the band or in the crowd. I'm a young fan - (not just of U2 but of great music) merely in age but not appreciation. I understand U2 has been around for almost 30 years and thus fans are naturally going to be older, but where is the energy? I stood behind two shirt and tie wearing 30-somethings with crossed arms the whole time who justified their entitlement to be dull by saying how much "they prefer the old stuff." Great - "Gloria" and "Bad" never sounded better. Why don't you buy box seats where they can have VH1 running on the monitors. U2 shows are defined by the connection with the crowd - its not a one-sided experience. I felt Bono was a bit mechanical, but you cannot be anything but overwhelmed by his presence. The floor had its sacrifices as well. You don't always have clear view of all four members at once nor of any large stage visuals. Bottom line: there was much more energy on both ends at the Popmart tour and much more love on both ends at the Elevation tour. That being said, much more love needs to be shown to Kings of Leon. There not going to be everyone's bag, but they are a GREAT new band. I will not cheapen them with comparisons (though I heard shouts from the crowd referencing Lynyrd Skynyrd or George Thoroughgood), but just let the older fans know, they're not there because "the kids think they're video is hip on MTV." They have no videos on MTV. The closest thing to it would be their song "Molly's Chamber" on some car commercial. They are hard-driving, uncompromising, creative musicians much as U2 was in their forumalative years. Embrace their set - it's only disappointing if you can't just rock to it. Also, note the music pumping in between Kings of Leon and U2. I would bet you it was hand-picked by the band (Franz Ferdinand, the Killers, Modest Mouse, Reindeer Section aka Snow Patrol) They're not just openers for the tour, they are Bono's picks to carry the torch. He's telling fans "Hey, if you've loved us this long, check these guys out and follow them when we're gone." Let's not just love U2 or the novelty of being at their show - let's love music and the experience it creates to recapture the reason we've become U2 fans in the first place.

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