by Brandon

Starting with the Outside Broadcast, this was my eighth U2 show and second of the 360 tour. I came away a bit disappointed with the first 360 show I attended, what, close to two years ago now. So there was some apprehension coming into this one. There was nothing to fear. This was a great show. My wife, who is not a U2 fan, noted that the band seemed to really be enjoying themselves and that Bono especially didn't seem to want this one to end. They played with a refreshing energy on a hot night in Nashville. The opening run of songs from Achtung Baby was nice and hearing Zooropa live was a highlight for me. They mined their catalog well, hitting almost every one of their albums as well a couple of non-album songs. As others have noted, the spontaneous playing of a couple of verses of The Wanderer and the fan playing All I Want Is You were unexpected highlights that added to the evening. The visuals were excellent as well. The sound was good, but a little less bass would have helped tremendously though I believe the sound guys improved the situation during the first couple of songs. You expect some politics at a U2 show and they were not very heavy handed with it, but I'd prefer to stick with one or two issues rather than trying to hit so many points. The stage is starting to show its age; the covering over The Claw is looking dirty and damaged in places. The circles of orange where the cover attached to the frame are even dirtier. Dead pixels are starting to show in the screen; one panel had about 1/3 of its pixels go out about half way through the show. Not that those are complaints, just evidence that you are reaching the end of a lengthy tour. Given that this was the 100th show of the tour, and the equipment is showing it, it really is a positive that the band is still playing with such energy and enjoyment near the end of such a grueling run.

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