I’ve been to many concerts, but never one quite so full of technical wizardry and skilled showmanship as Saturday’s U2 concert. Despite a driving rainstorm that lasted for most of the two hours that the band was on stage, they treated the audience to a thrilling performance that highlighted their consummate professionalism and musical cohesiveness. Songs that are 20 years older or more–like “Mysterious Ways”, “Pride”, and “I Will Follow”–sounded fresh and vital. The Edge’s falsetto accompaniment on “The Fly” and “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” was almost indistinguishable from the original recorded tracks. Bono was Bono: swaggering and dramatic and pompous. But it’s hard to roll your eyes and maintain one’s postmodern sense of irony when he’s leading 60,000 people in a sing-along of “Where the Streets Have No Name”. All you can do is smile and join in.<\/p>\n
The band kept most of its focus on its older catalog (a wise move, considering the forgettableness of their last couple albums). I was pleased that they included “Zooropa”, one of my favorites from their early flirtation with electronica. I wasn’t sure what to make of the enormous claw-like structure that formed the stage, but the giant video screen was a nice touch. Seeing their oversized selves perform in the rain was like watching a music video directed by someone who stopped watching MTV in 1989. And I mean that as a compliment. <\/p>\n
I’ve seen U2 in concert three times now (always in Minneapolis) and I expect I’ll probably see them again. They showed no signs of growing tired of the touring life. But it will be difficult for them to top the sheer spectacle of this performance. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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