U2 Concert Review: 07/23/2011 at Minneapolis by Joseph Roberts

by Joseph Roberts

The first major outdoor concert in the Twin Cities in over three decades definitely lived up �The Hype.� Most of the show featured torrential downpours, at times the sky lit up with lightening, and half a mile away there were fireworks from the Minneapolis Acquatennial. All of this external ambiance added something very special to a great performance and reminded me of Red Rocks (sans the cold � temperatures were in the 80�s). There was great energy and powerful performances from all. Bono, in particular, seemed to revel in the rain. �Singing in the Rain� snippets were sprinkled throughout, with the crowd singing that song as the band made their way out of the stadium. Highlights of the show for me were �EBTTRT,� �The Fly,� �ISHFWILF� (surprising, as it�s not one of my favorites), a duet with K�naan on �Stand By Me,� and �Moment of Surrender.� The segue into �Streets,� with Bono singing a bit of �Purple Rain� from local son Prince, was incredible. The major highlight for me was �Zooropa,� one of my favorite songs of all time which I had never heard live. The great musical performance seemed to be driven by the rain, and it all added up to the best U2 concert I�ve ever seen. The only negatives were The Edge�s remote failing after the guitar solo to �Until the End of the World� (could have been from the rain), and �SIAMYCGOO� kind of stopping the show (and not in a good way). Also, the parking was horrendous � that neighborhood is not conducive to 60,000 people all leaving at once � we waited an hour just to get of the parking lot. And maybe a beer or two would have been nice, but not necessary (no alcohol on campus rules). However, any of that was such a small price to pay for such a unique show in a unique atmosphere. Thanks to U2 for putting on such a powerful show in the elements � I think the elements helped them go up a notch to 11. Superb.

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