Review: U2 at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, Dec. 9, 2005*

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dsmith2904

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Just keep me where the light is
By Maggie Gerrity
2005.12


Bono was playing a video game when he found out that John Lennon had been murdered on Dec. 8, 1980, just after U2's show at now long-gone Stage One in Buffalo. Twenty-five years and one day later, U2 took the stage to a much larger crowd in Buffalo and, with Lennon's memory in their minds, dazzled the capacity crowd.

Buffalo should've been nicknamed the City of Blinding Snow on Friday since a quick-moving storm snarled the travel plans of many fans. High winds made the streets look like a sandstorm at times, and the staff of the HSBC Arena thankfully decided early in the day to move the GA line inside. Even the band had a hard time reaching town in time for the show having left Boston several hours late because of the bad weather and reportedly only reached the arena during Institute's opening set.

Friday's show was my fourth and final one for the tour, and my third experience in GA. Yet again I wasn't lucky enough to make it into the ellipse but I got a great spot on the rail on Adam's side—my best spot all year. As the band launched into "City of Blinding Lights" and the confetti dropped, tears built in the corners of my eyes. I realized that this would be the last time that I'd see Bono greet the crowd at the tip of the catwalk and I could tell from his energy as he passed me and headed for the main stage that tonight's show would be another thrilling performance.

What struck me most about Friday's concert was how much fun the band seemed to have. It's late in this leg of the tour and I worried that their energy level might be dropping but that couldn't be further from the truth. Early in the show, the crowd hit giant balloons around the GA section. A gleeful smile flashed across Edge's face when he saw one of the balloons and I couldn't help but giggle, wondering if he thought it was a beach ball. During "Beautiful Day," Adam spotted a fan trying to take his picture, and he playfully leaned in to strike silly poses. He seemed at his best for the entire show, all smiles and swagger, lingering longer than usual on the catwalk during "Where the Streets Have no Name" and venturing back out during "Mysterious Ways." Even Larry had a smile for the crowd as he headed out onto the catwalk for "Love and Peace or Else."

Throughout the show, Bono weaved in John Lennon's memory, telling the crowd about his memories of the night Lennon was murdered before "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," then adding snippets of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" to "Beautiful Day." Most poignantly, he dedicated "Original of the Species" to Lennon and the band performed a gorgeous rendition of the song.

U2 stuck with what's become its standard set list for the main set, but offered outstanding performances of each song. During "Sunday Bloody Sunday," Bono pulled a small, blond-haired boy onstage with him. The boy, named Tristan, quickly understood what Bono wanted him to do and yelled "No more" louder and louder each time Bono held the microphone out to him. As he helped Tristan back into the crowd, Bono called the boy "the coolest cucumber in Buffalo." Despite sounding a little hoarse at the start of "Miss Sarajevo," Bono's voice soared to reach every note of the operatic portion of the song. After "One," Bono and Edge closed the main set with an acoustic snippet of the Beatles' "Help!" After singing a few lines, Bono stepped back and raised his hands, letting the crowd take over the rest. I haven't seen a wider smile on his face than I did then.

The band opened the encore with a blazing version of "Until the End of the World," set alight by Edge's virtuosic solo. He and Bono both strutted out around the catwalk, and near the end of the song, Bono took off after Edge, running full-force by his second lap around the stage. Again, I couldn't believe how much fun the band seemed to be having, and the members' good moods certainly lifted the performance.

Near the end of "Mysterious Ways," Bono ventured to the tip of the catwalk where he reached out to a woman who'd been holding up a sign saying she could belly dance. She gave a great performance, and the pair moved closer and closer to me. "Mysterious Ways" ended and as the band eased in to "With or Without You," Bono stopped directly in front of me. My mouth fell open a little and I gripped the rail more tightly. I admit that "With or Without You" isn't one of my favorite U2 songs but with Bono singing it two feet away from me, glancing now and then down at the crowd—at me, even—I couldn't help but feel mesmerized.

One of the highlights of the show came when the band paid tribute to John Lennon by performing "Instant Karma." Bono stumbled a little in the middle of the song, coming in at the wrong time after the solo, but he quickly recovered. "Maybe we'll be headed back to the practice room with this one," he said with a chuckle at the end of the song, hinting that the song may be a staple in the set list for the rest of the tour.

The band closed the second encore with "Yahweh" and "40." Even though I'd been really hoping to hear "Bad," I love "40" as a closer, especially because each band member leaves the stage individually. As Bono, Adam, Edge and finally Larry left the stage, I had a chance to remember all my favorite moments of each of them for the tour, and to say goodbye to each of them with as loud of a cheer as my failing voice could muster.

Thank you, boys, for an incredible show and an incredible year.
 
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