by Clay

I was so excited to see this show! I moved to Japan just 3 days after the start of the Vertigo tour, so this was my first and last chance. I knew it would be great as I've seen and heard numerous other recordings, but this was much better than I would have imagined.

My friends were able to get a spot at the tip of Edge's ramp, so we got plenty of visits from B&E. They both seemed to be in a playful mood which added some extra fun to the show. During Harlem, Bono jumped the gun with the harmonica and left Edge singing alone. The performance was still knockout (and I don't even like that song!), but they traded some funny looks at the end leading to an apology from Bono to Edge. It really was a near perfect performance sound-wise. The only song that sounded a little "off" was Miss Sarajevo. From my position, the piano didn't sound like it was mixed properly. I really hope a recording of this show turns up someday.

As for the songs, I know I'll never get the setlist that I dream of, but this was very good. The bad is too big not to play their biggest hits. Too many people come just for those songs. So, until they stop playing Pride, SBS, Bullet and Still Haven't, I'll just be happy that they still tour and record.

As for this show, I was telling my friend my top 5 U2 songs and they played 3 of them. Bad and First Time were special surprises, but the best surprise was Out of Control. I was hoping for Black Cat, but this was more than fine!

The crowd was fantastic. They hopped and sang just like a Euro crowd (that I've only experienced on tape). It was funny to hear them on Elevation. Instead of getting the alternating wu-wu-wu wuu-wu, they kept repeating wu-wu-wu wu-wu-wu (that's hard to explain!). Anyway, Bono tried to coach/lead them, but he eventually just went with the flow.

And, finally, to see the screen in person was great! I like the dvd's but the editing on those prevents a true appreciation of the visual aspect of the concert. Up until I saw it live, I couldn't understand why they would lug such a large screen around the world. But, it was utilized much more than I expected.

Here's to hoping that McGuiness is accurate about the next tour happening in 2008. I hope they come to wherever I'm living at the time. If not, that'll be one expensive weekend for me!

Return to previous page | Post a Review of this show!