by T.B.

Caught my 4th and final U2 show of the tour Wednesday night at Staples Arena.

A really solid if somewhat predictable show. I had perfect seats in section 113 right next to the Ellipse ramp on The Edges side in the 6th row which afforded a perfect view of everything about as close as I could possibly want to be without being inside the Ellipse itself. The one thing that was inconsistent though throughout the show was the sound which at times seemed to drown in the cavernous arena yet on some songs, was crystal clear.

The band came on with the usual opening song "City of Blinding Lights" and they really seemed to be on fire the first 4 or 5 songs. The Edge seemed really "on" tonight. One of the things I've noticed this tour is that The Edge is playing with a lot more energy and fewer screwups then I can ever remember and he's ever better now then he was at the beginning of the tour. Bono was spot on the entire night and nailed all the tough songs (for him usually) like Bad, etc.

The version of Miss Sarajevo they are playing after "Bullet The Blue Sky" was stunning. At times, I thought they might have of lost a little steam several times through the show but at every critical juncture, the hugely supportive audience seemed to literally pick them up again. A key moment was during Miss Sarajevo when at least in my area, people started talking and losing interest and I could see people making beer and bathroom dashes but as soon as Bono started singing the opera part and his voice started soaring, it just grabbed anyone's wavering attention and transformed what was looking like a plodding part of the show into a show stopping, electrifying moment.

We got the basic core setlist that they've stuck to every show this 3rd leg. I was really hoping for Gloria in the rotating 4th song slot but got a very solid, energetic "I Will Follow" instead. The one surprise of the main set was a full version of "MLK" dedicated to Rosa Parks after "One" which was an audible after "One" was finished. Bono had The Edge gently strum the chords on guitar while Bono sang the song.

The encore was pretty much the standard Night 2 set, with a nice acoustic version of "Walk On" followed by a long, full band version of "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" with The Edge breaking 2 strings on acoustic guitar at the tip of the Ellipse. It actually got pretty hilarious with Edge's guitar tech crouched a few feet behind The Edge unseen holding a new guitar while Edge obliviously continued the song while Bono sang "don't turn around" with a huge smile on his face (he blew a couple lyrics too). No "Crumbs on Your Table" which was the only song I missed the call on when predicting the set for tonight.

Although the overt political aspects of the show and the relentless plugging of the "One" campaign have been toned down just a bit since earlier in the tour, this tour still features Bono pushing his agenda far more then any previous tour that I can remember.

Closing with Bad was just an inspired choice. A very strong version with Bono quoting Patty Smith's "People Got The Power" to great effect and he really nailed the "Wide Awake" parts. After Bad was over, the house lights stayed off for a few minutes after they left the stage and I thought we might get one more song but the house lights came up and that was it.

Overall, I prefer the string of shows I caught at the very beginning of the tour when the band seemed to be stumbling for a proper running order and songs for the set. There was a level of unpredictability that was
refreshing, especially since the band was playing at an unusually high level right at the beginning of the tour. Still, the current run of shows on this 3rd leg of the tour have their own appeal and certainly have some amazing
highlights, especially with the band firing on all cylinders and showing none of the road weariness they did at the end of the Elevation tour in 2001.

However, I must say for me, the key reason this tour just hasn't grabbed me quite as well as the Elevation tour is the material they have to work with from the most recent album just isn't there. I think they are playing at a much higher level as musicians, especially The Edge as well as Bono's singing this tour then the last one but the quality of the songs just doesn't measure up to their older material, even from the last album. Also, I think Bono has reached critical mass with the speeches regarding his favorite causes on stage this time around and I hope they reign it in for the next tour.

BTW, opening band Damian Marley (Bob's son, I think) was fairly forgettable imo. His band had one guy on stage who did nothing but wave a Jamaican flag for the entire set.

T.B.

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