by Mike

Too scripted, and way too predictable. In their effort to get the best possible "takes" (for the DVD) on each of the songs of their now predictable set (though a very good set it is), they sacrificed the classic spontaneity that makes a U2 concert unique. So tightly wound did the show seem that I even wonder just how genuine was the so-called "audible" for the encore performance of "Vertigo," a rousing crowd pleaser that deserves to remain a part of this and every tour to come (should we be so lucky to get more tours). Minor criticism really. It's obvious they work very hard those two+ hours a night, and their mastery of the material, even the "unrehearsed" Original of the Species, yields solid, extraordinary performances, song after song after song. U2 is a class act; I wish even non-U2 fans would see them live, to know just how high the bar is for live rock and roll, and that U2, even on an off night, or on a night where they follow the setlist with textbook predictability, or on a night where Bono's preaching seems to ramble without his usual eloquence, can still blow the socks off of any working rock act today.

That being said, would it hurt to dig up The Unforgettable Fire, or, God Part II, or Exit, or heck, for that matter, Mofo even? There are a lot of us out here who would still pay $160 a ticket, even if we never heard Pride, or Bullet The Blue Sky again.

One more thing, does any band working today have the affection for its fans, and do any fans have the affection for its band the way that U2 does? I know that sounds really cornball, but it's not unusual for Bono (and all of 'em for that matter) to chat it up with their fans before and after the shows. Does anyone even near the stature of U2 take the time or effort to spend any time acknowledging their fans, connecting with them, remembering the ones (us little people) who made them who they are, the way that U2 does?

Favorite line of the night, (to Eric?) and I paraphrase, "My name's Paul, but I call myself Bono."

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