by Steve Carlson

Whew.

This was my first U2 concert and it was a doozie. Me and my roommate Walter got there around 11:30am to line up for the floor. There were about 70 people in front of us, so it was perfect. Very orderly, well managed, and a heck of a lot of fun. We passed the time meeting cool people, eating, and playing cards...playing hackie sack too, but unfortunately one nice girl we met twisted her ankle when she tried playing. (If you read this...hope you're doing ok!)

Needless to say, it was a great show. PJ was okay, but the house was half empty when she took the stage so the energy wasn't there. Must be tough to open a show when half the people don't think you're worth showing up for. U2 didn't disappoint. It was everything the other reviews have said and then some. I almost think I knew too much about the tour from what I read here, it would've been nice to have been surprised a little more. But nonetheless, we had a great time. We stood inside the heart, near the point, and had great views all around. Bono's harmonica slipped from his fingers a little at the end of Desire, so with a goofy smile he jumped in a measure or two late...it was one of those moments where you think, 'yeah, he's very human'. "I Remember You" was a nice touch given the recent loss of Joey Ramone, I think it really added something to the end of the show. And yeah, "The Fly" rocked hard. For me, the most spine-tingling moments were "Elevation", "Bad", and "Streets"...unbelievable the energy...wow.
Bono didn't jump into the crowd at the end of "The Fly" which seemed surprising...his security people seemed prepared for it, but then ran out to the left side of the heart when Bono didn't jump into the crowd.
We managed to get tickets to the next show in San Jose - they put a bunch more on sale while we were standing in line for this show, so we bought a couple more. Take note all of you who need more tickets - they often free up unused VIP and similar tickets sometime during the afternoon, and they'll go quick. So I'm going again tomorrow most likely, and again in Chicago soon. Can't wait...

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