by KJ WIKLE

Having seen U2 play stadiums and arenas on a variety of tours, they have used their live shows in a variety of ways to bring messages to the audience through their music and also the visuals. This tour brought something much different than the previous three tours I've seen, Joshua Tree, Zoo TV, and Pop Mart.
This tour seemed to do alot more with less than all of the others. The other reviews focused on how great the standards were: Streets, Pride, etc. I think the highlights for me were some of the oddities,

The cover of: "What's Going On" that night was possibly the best cover I've heard of that song. Edge's guitar was distinctly his own, but somehow dead-on for the song, and the rhythm section between the bass and the drums despite not having the grooved out conga's (from the recording), really filled out the bottom end. Bono's vocals had the same kind of yearning quality, perhaps not entirely as sugary sweet as M. Gaye's, but awesome nonetheless. A couple that stood in front of me had never heard that song and asked me if it was a u2 numbe. Being from Detroit and loving Marvin Gaye, I happily informed them whose song it was.

Out of Control: and the speech just prior about how young the band was when they tried to sell the single kind of got me all bluthery about the past. They really belted that number out.

Bad: is still my favorite song. The fact that it was never a radio single, and that it really only developed as a live song, and continues to change each night makes that song the best tune of each show and its utterly unique bittersweetness didn't seem to be lost on the crowd.

Bullet the Blue Sky: even without all the millions of tv screens and burning swastikas this song had a fury that night that I don't think I'd ever seen in all the previous shows. Bono even took up his much hackneyed role of "Mr. Lightman" Ironically a song about the evils of the American Military in Central and South America seemed to twist more into a song about the evils of fantaticism. Or did it?...

Until the End of the World: Also not a radio single, but somehow the drums and the guitar part of this one always get me revved up hearing that distorted riff being charged up at the beginning of the song and then when Larry breaks into a snare roll and everyone kicks in I just go banana's.

In short out of all the U2 shows I've seen, this one was possibly the best. Ironically my wife and I had the worst seats I've ever had at any concert, highest tier behind the stage) but we had a blast!

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