by KJones

This was my 21st U2 concert since 1987 and the first one, and probably last, of this tour.  I live in Portland, OR (where U2 has not played since 2005) so traveling to see U2 has become a necessity.  I have been a fan since 1983 and U2 has always been a big part of my musical life.  I went through much effort to see this show and to be honest I was somewhat disappointed by the concert.  I was not expecting a greatest hits show because we got one last year, so I was prepared for that.  I know U2 has a socially conscious message to their shows but I thought this was somewhat of a downer of a show, and I still don’t know what their message was.  It seemed this time they were trying too hard to have a message.  Love? Loss? Life? Death? Equality? Racism? Poverty? Terrorism? War? All of the above?  I think they hit them all.  The concert itself lacked a sense of event or anticipation.  Maybe it was me.  There was little in the way of general excitement and zero spontaneity in the performance itself.  The concert had a weak start and an even weaker, subdued, and confusing end.  The 2015 show was a lot stronger musically.  This was the first U2 show I have been to where nearly everyone sat for the entire show.   There were swaths of empty seats that I could see.  I think one of the culprits on that topic were the overpriced tickets.  I was disappointed with the ticket prices; they were way too high.  Another culprit:  this tour is happening too soon after the Joshua Tree Anniversary Tour from last year.  I hate to admit this but this tour was not timed well and seems rushed.  Something is missing.  Overall the band seemed to play well and the visuals were cool as usual so I can’t complain there.  The show was highly choreographed and timed, perhaps too much.  Highlights for me: Iris, Gloria, and hearing The Ocean while Bono talked about his mom.  Lowlights:  Pride:  being played by the band members in four extreme locations around the arena.  It didn’t work.  Staring at the Sun:  while I enjoyed hearing the rarely played song from Pop we got subjected to ugly scenes of neo-nazi’s in Charlottesville throughout the performance.  It made me feel ashamed of my country.  I’m not sure what the connection or juxtaposition to the song they were trying to convey.  Larry and Adam seemed bored.  I know a lot of people really liked the show and this tour, and can’t ever find a fault with what U2 does and I respect that.  It hurts me to write these comments.   Bottom line: the band just seemed sort of tired and their audience did too.  U2 needs to go away for a while and dream it all up again.       

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