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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