by Mike Caito

Savvis Center St. Louis

Is it just me or does it seem like when you get in the car to go home after a U2 show, and turn on the radio, all of the music you hear comes off sounding shallow, ordinary, uninspired? Not to say that there aren’t great artists out there making great music. There are. But somehow, after seeing U2 pour out their hearts and souls (and their music) onstage, not much else seems to measure up. So it was again driving home in the pouring rain Wednesday night after the U2 show at Savvis center. I finally just turned the radio off and tried to recall the extraordinary moments of the show with my wife. The subtle moments, the grand moments, the poignant, the moving, the inspiring moments, that have characterized U2’s live performances for years. For those of us who have seen U2 live, especially on this tour, we know that it’s never been just about two hours of cranking out the hits. The stage is not just a pedestal for U2 to bask in glory (though they clearly enjoy the adulation). There is undeniably a message of great substance that comes through in their shows..... “am I buggin’ you?”

All You Need Is Love

Their music over the years has been a testament to a faith that looks beyond the harsh realities of a sometimes despicable world and its sometimes evil inhabitants. Theirs is a music of hope in the face of despair, peace in the face of war, and love in the face of hate. Hard to stomach? Try growing up in Northern Ireland. We Americans have no idea how good we’ve had it. Bono hugged the American flag Wednesday night at the tip of the heart, cradling it like a baby. That ought to be us.

Wednesday night Bono decried the “little people who create God in their own image...” he inserted “Amazing Grace...” into “I Will Follow,” just before singing “I was lost, I am found...” (so Instant Karma isn’t working, give Grace a chance). People have described U2 shows as religious experiences. It’s not really about religion. Bono is quoted as saying, “Religion is what happens when the Spirit has left the building.” Wednesday night at the Savvis center, the Spirit was in the building.

I'm Not Coming Down

Suffice it to say that the band performed flawlessly. The setlist has not changed much over the past few months, and while there is always an ocassional surprise (Wild Horses at the end of Bad, Three Little Birds at the end of I Still Haven’t Found...), there is little in the way of genuine spontaneity, with the exception of allowing a fan or two onstage to perform a song with them (in this case Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door). Sure the show comes off as tightly scripted at times, but then again there are limitations when playing the range of songs (20 years of musical reinvention) in a venue of this size. U2 is always tight, always right on and their well-rehearsed (though little changed) setlist is the perfect mix of old and new, the old never outdated, and the new, warmly familiar. The audience, like at all U2 shows, was on its feet from Elevation to Walk On. That says it all...

We’ve Got To Carry Each Other....

Finally, hats off to U2 for their touching tribute to the victims of 9/11. It seemed everyone’s eyes glistened with tears. U2 is perhaps the only band that could pull this off without looking insincere. The wall between the audience and the band simply does not exist with U2. Bono connects (literally touching) with his fans like no other frontman in rock history. And sure, he may wear his heart on his sleeve, but at a time like this, in our nation, aren’t we all? And if not, shouldn’t we be?

Bono said at one point in the show that he felt humbled and proud to be playing in America at this time. No Bono, the pleasure is ours. U2 has held fast to the one axiom of all the performing arts. When you leave the stage, leave your audience wanting more. Bono, Larry, Adam, and the Edge, if you’re listening, we want more....

Thanks for coming to St. Louis

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