05th November Las Vegas - MGM Grand

[dsmith2904]

Please post all reviews of the November 5th show here.

 

[Carek1230]

It's going to ROCK Vegas. Guaranteed!

 

[paulucla]

I am not a gifted enough writer to do justice to last night's show. About the only way I can think of is to say that, once again, U2 has made me feel as though they happened to put on one of the shows of their lives on the very night that I happened to be in attendance.

I saw then in 2001 and April 2005 and the only question was which show I liked better, both of which were ten times better than any other of the considerable number of rock concerts I have been to in my life. I never thought either of those concerts could be topped, particularly since the April 2005 show was the first time they pulled out "Bad" on the Vertigo Tour and that is my favorite U2 song.

Last night, they, unbelievably, outdid themselves once again. Of course, I may be biased since my wife won us passes into the ellipse, where we positioned ourselves about 3 back from the rail, front and center. We spent most of the night feeling like we were in a packed barroom being played directly to by the world's greatest rock band.

Let me take a quick moment to say Damian Marley was fun. Of course, the thing that puts them over the top was the flag guy. He is the real TALENT in that band. I am a fan of Bob Marley, so this was a treat for my wife and me, particularly when he did two of his father's songs, which were very well done.

The show opened with the standard three song set, with the standard huge amount of energy. I figured we were in for the same extraordinary show we were treated to in Glendale. Then, all of sudden Edge jammed into the Mysterious Ways riff! This was a great addition to the early part of the show that I did not expect, and the girl that got pulled out from directly in front of us did a very nice job bellydancing for Bono. Next came the first real take-my-breath-away moment of the show, when they broke into Until the End of the World, among my favorite U2 songs. Wow, they were shaking up the standard set list and man was the crowd digging it! I also noticed that Edge's energy was way higher than in Glendale. He was clearly VERY into this show and the crowd. Adam was being his usual self, exuding coolness with that usual grin of his, looking right down at us in the front and seeming to enjoy our presence as much as we were enjoying his.

I then was treated to I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking for, which I had not heard live in 2001 or 4/2005. I had anticipated that this song, as much as I love it, would not be a powerful song live. Wow, was I wrong. It was VERY powerful and emotional, with a beautiful live translation that the crowd was just soaking up. I was now realizing this show was moving into epic territory. I knew as soon as we got into the ellipse that this would be a night I would never forget, but it really was sinking in during this song. Such powerful lyrics that were just working themselves with the music right into my soul.

Beautiful Day through One were all standard for me in that they were songs I had seen performed live before. Bono nailed the operatic-note in Sometimes and the crowd went crazy. Love and Peace or Else is just such a great live song, Sunday Bloody Sunday never fails to rock my world, or the entire crowd's. Miss Sarajevo was the exception that I had not heard live and this was a powerful part of the show with Bono nailing, again, the operatic parts. My wife was particularly moved by this song.

Pride to Streets, wow. Pride was standard, but Streets (unbelievably) took on even more energy tonight than in Glendale. The crowd went insane, and after they had blown the roof off the place, the boys got the loudest ovation I have ever heard at a rock concert. They seemed genuinely taken aback.

Being a One Campaign supporter, I was kind of glad to see the speech introducing One way cut down, with Bono doing a great job with the suprise of bringing Mary J Blige out on stage. She was amazing, singing that song with every ounce of her considerable soul. I am not a fan of her music, or I should say I am ignorant to her music, I only know her place in music history generally and that this woman absolutely blew us away with her performance, and she sure blew away U2 as well.

Wow, what a run it had been to get here, and now the shock would set in again when Zoo Station fired up, which I did not see in Glendale as they went right into The Fly. I was really stoked and found Zoo Station to be better than I thought it would be live, since this song has never been one of my favorites. I am so glad The Fly came back into the setlist last night. That is just such a great live song and I love Edge's singing.

With or Without You was just fantastic, as always, and again since they didn't play it in Glendale this was a wonderful addition that was special to me. The boys again left the stage and I thought, how could it be any better? What could they possibly have left? Will it be the standard finish, All Because of You, Yahweh, and 40, or will they top things off for me by delivering me my favorite song.

They came out and delivered a blistering performance of All Because of You. Then, probably the highlight of the concert for me and a HUGE surprise. I LOVE The Killers, and another of my favorite U2 songs is In a Little While. Wow, what a treat! Probably the coolest thing is that Brandon Flowers looked how I felt. I couldn't believe I was a few feet away from my favorite all-time band, the greatest rock band of all-time. Brandon couldn't believe that he was on stage singing with his favorite band. He was humble and excited, and I loved that right as he was about to walk down the back stairs he turned back and ran and gave Larry a huge hug. Perfect.

Then, of course, how else could it end? A few of us were wondering how this would end, and I turned and said it had to be Bad. And, as if it was destined, Edge broke into one of the most beautiful rock riffs of all-time and my perfect night ended in blissful perfection. I loved the "People Got the Power" snippet inserted into Bad to end the show, and I loved seeing Edge mouthing it as they walked off the stage.

U2 inspires people to realize and use their power, and that is perhaps their greatest gift. I left their show just as I had in Glendale, inspired, exhausted, and feeling as though MY band had just written up the setlist and left every ounce of blood and sweat they had out on the stage just to put on a special show for ME. And judging from everyone else's reactions, they all felt the same way. Thanks, guys. You have written the soundtrack to my life, and I thank you for it.

 

[lesallimc]

Just got back from Vegas and had the pleasure of seeing both shows. Too tired to post two responses so here is my assessment of the weekend:

Had GA tix, but no luck getting into the ellipse. Zero for three at this point. I stood outside the ellipse on the side of the Edge (near front the first night, damn front the second night). Hmmm, wonder why? hehe

These were the 3rd and 4th shows I have seen this tour.

I thought Friday night was a good show. The roof didn't come off the place, and the energy seemed a little low at times (from band and crowd). I loved the acoustic versions of Walk On, Stuck in a Moment, and Whose Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses. They finally got through WGRYWH. Edge broke a string, Dallas brought him guitar two, Dallas walks off, Edge plays but no sound, Dallas comes back, Edge gives Dallas this wtf? look, (Classic Edge, and even funnier when you're five feet away), third guitar comes out, song is finished. hehe Poor Dallas. I left feeling I got my money's worth, but not the best concert I've seen.

Saturday night: I thought they roof DID come off of the place. Bono was clearly much more engaged than the previous evening and commenting on how great the crowd was (which they were, much better than Friday myself included), Edge was REALLY enjoying the crowd and playing like someone let him on stage for the first time, Larry and Adam seemed to be in good spirits as well. No acoustics tonight, but songs like Mysterious Ways, Until the End of the World, and Bad wandered back into the setlist. A wonderful contrast to Friday night, and between the two, a great mixture of songs for anyone who saw both nights. At the end of the evening, Bono admitted to having voice troubles the previous day. He said he had been worried about hitting the notes on Friday. I felt that somewhat explained the lower energy level and his somewhat "holding back" on Friday night. This was one of the best concerts I've seen.

All in all, two shows I'm glad I attended, and a great weekend in Vegas. Sorry for any typos or rambling. I'm exhausted. haha

 

[EPandAmerica]

Great review paulucla! I agree with every word. Vegas 2 should go down in the U2 touring history books. I think that was the best concert I've ever seen period.

 

[hotpepper]

paulucla - thanks for the wonderful review. I'm going to the two Oakland shows this week, so your recount was great for me to read. I totally agree with you - "U2 inspires people to realize and use their power, and that is perhaps their greatest gift." Right on!

 

[u2 warrior]

And I thought the Dallas show was great? The Vegas set list is amazing. Would have loved to hear Bad, Until the End of the World and especially Zoo Station.

Any link to Audio from this show? PLEASE!!

 

[Zooropa man]

Vegas Saturday night certainly was awesome. The setlist was bitching, energy was high, crowd was great and they nailed every song. Great to see ZOO & FLY back in the setlist. There were two flaws but hey, they are human. Bono messed up a verse or two and need the teleprompter Saw them at Staples earlier in the week and this was a bit better I think. The show was just flowing right. It was a treat to get Mary J. and Brandon Flowers. What a week for me. Might never get the chance to see them three times in a week.

But I agree with others... this has got to go down as one of the best shows.

 

[schnazdoodle]

Great review paulucla! I agree with every word. Vegas 2 should go down in the U2 touring history books. I think that was the best concert I've ever seen period.

I agree wholheartedly with this - and the two reviewers above. It was so amazing -- easily the best of the three I've seen.

 

[corianderstem]

Adding another voice to the praise of both the show and paulucla's review.

I finally made it into the Ellipse, but even if I'd been outside the Ellipse, it would have shot right to the top of my list of "best shows."

Fantastic show.

 

[paulucla]

Thanks for the praise, which is nice because it means in some small way I am conveying what I know I cannot fully convey in words.

I posted a BUNCH of pics in this thread:

http://forum.interference.com/t145426.html

 

[catlhere]

Vegas=Outstanding!

Before you read this, just know that it's long and probably very boring and way too descriptive but I had to share every feeling I felt during this concert, to anyone who wanted to listen or wanted to be there. Now that's out of the way, proceed.

As Bono would say, "Wow!" I'm definitely not one to judge on what U2's best concerts have been but this has to rank up there in my opinion. Maybe it's because I've only been to a measly 3 U2 shows in my life. (I know, what a newb right?) Maybe it's because the song choice and energy was so much more electric then the slower more poignant night 1. Whatever it was, Saturday night in Vegas was THE place to be as a U2 fan. Hell, as a music fan.

I have no idea how to write an entertaining, informative review on a concert, and I'm sure this post will be no different. However, I'll try my best to give you the images that will forever stay in my mind, and hopefully you can paint a mental picture of how the night went for all of us lucky enough to have been in the room that night. I'll run down each of the songs in the setlist, and the highlights I remember from them. Alright let's go...

1.) City of Blinding Lights- What an amazing opener! The first notes of Edge's chiming guitar sending a roar from the audience, Bono suddenly appearing from the tip of the ellipse, Larry's drums kicking in to give someone crazy like me a reason to jump along to the beat, and Adam looking as "posh" as always. The night had begun, and Vegas was most definitely the perfect venue for a song with such a title. Having seen it the previous night, it seemed like the crowd was definitely going to provide a huge boost of energy back to our boys. They felt more alive, more elated, and by each chorus, when those bright lights kick in, everyone could be seen bouncing up and down with their hands in the air. What a sight!

2.) Vertigo- Without skipping a beat, they launched into this amazingly rocking song. The album version can definitely make your head nod and toes tap, but live... hoo-wee this is a headbanger! Uno, Dos, Tres, CATORCE! Yes everyone in the arena counted in Spanish incorrectly, but at that point, none of us cared.

3.) Elevation- Larry was definitely "flirting" with us Saturday night. The usual tease he does with his drums before finally crashing down on them with full force, giving the fans what they want. Say what you will about silly lyrics, this song is one of the most entertaining to sing along to. Plus, with The Edge jumping up and down on his tippy toes, how could you not want to follow along! WOO-OOO... WOO-OOOHOO!

4.) Mysterious Ways- Where did this come from!?! Such a huge suprise for me, I was truly stunned. What a nice treat! The show was off to a beautiful start. Bono pulled a lucky girl on stage to show him her moves. "Teach me...teach me" He said, as she swayed to the music. It looked like she was teasing him, because Bono seemed like he wanted to hold on to her, but she wouldn't let him. Definitely a crowd-pleasing moment. On a side note: Edge's guitar solo during this song is absolutely amazing.

5.) Until the End of the World- This sealed the deal for me. I thought to myself, even if they played the "typical" setlist they usually pull out from this song on, I could die happy. What an amazing song live! I was looking for Bono's crazy hand-waving dance he does during the Elevation Tour performances of the song, but couldn't catch any. Once again, Edge's guitar was spot on, almost mirroring what you hear on the album version. Mr. The Edge definitely came off as a very precise guitarist and I liked it!

6.) I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For- Crowd participation was the key here. With everyone singing along, it can really send shivers down your spine. It also provided a nice cool down from the excitement of the 5 high-energy songs before it. Worthy of it's spot in the Holy Trinity of The Joshua Tree.

7.) Beautiful Day- A little foreshadowing perhaps? A snippit of the Killers' song towards the end set things up for later. Bono's voice shone through during this song, with him hitting every "touch me" and "re-he-he-heach me" Way to go, B-man!

8.) Miracle Drug- Since I don't want to drag on the descriptions too much, which I know I've done already, I'll keep some of the rest short. This performance showed off the beatiful light effects the ellipse is capable of. Tracing and flashing blueish lights looked really cool in the darkened arena. Edge singing for us was also a treat as always. What a great voice!

9.) Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own- It may have been just me, and someone please correct me if I am mistaken, but I could have sworn one of the most depressing moments happened before this song. Bono began to talk about his father, as he always does. "This is for Bob Hewson..." etc. When he suddenly turns towards someone in the "Bomb Shelter" or whatever you would like to call it and says "What?". He leans in and takes his ear peace out and then says "Bob's my father...... That's a bit scary (laugh)" The "fan" didn't know who Bono was talking about? How did they get GA tickets and such a great spot and not know who Bono's father was, or what the song was even about. Maybe alot of people don't know, I could be wrong, but I for one was very upset with that, and it ruined the entire song for me. Bono was a pro however and put his heart and soul into the performance. His voice was incredible and when he belts out "SING!" you want to cry right along with him.

10.) Love and Peace or Else- Mother Sucking Rock-n-Roll! If you don't like this song, I suggest you see if performed live, because it is such a highlight. Not only do you get to see Adam leaning in and playing to the crowd alongside The Edge. You get to see Karate Kid Bono, bandana and all, wailing away on the drum kit like only the messianic Irishman would be cool (or uncool) enough to pull off. Not as much Elvis impersonating as Friday night's concert, but there was definitely a trace of the King in Bono's voice during the song.

11.) Sunday Bloody Sunday- What can be said about this song that hasn't been said already. It's become a U2 anthem almost. Such a powerful song with a powerful message. "This is YOUR song now." And it was. We seemed to drown out the singer himself with our singing along. A very cute moment happened when he pulled a little girl on stage to help him out with the "No more!"s. She did not seem nervous at all and delivered the line like a pro.

12.) Bullet the Blue Sky- Very eerie performace that goes along with the song. Blindfolded, crawling on the floor, searching for the microphone. All intense, and all incredible to see. Although he didn't break into his "100, 200" speech, his replacement was very well done, and stikes a chord with the events happening in our day and age. A powerful message to match such a powerful song. On yet another side note: The Edge's note he hits after "plant a demon sead" is really LOUD!

13.) Miss Sarajevo- Such a beautiful song. Edge on piano is fun to see, and Bono singing like Luciano is just jaw-dropping. How he hits that note is beyond me, but he hits it well and If I wasn't already standing, I would have given him a standing ovation!

14.) Pride (In the Name of Love)- Another immense crowd pleaser. Some may say it's overplayed, but it didn't disappoint. Another opportunity for the fans to sing along and have lots of fun. oh-ohOH-OH!

15.) Where the Streets Have No Name- I hate to quote Bono again but "WOW!" is right! This is the single most amazing U2 song to hear live. The build up in the intro literally gives you goosebumps. The light curtains coming down and shinging on all of us. Starting with the church-like organ fading in, overlapped with Edge's trademark sound, add a little Bono lyricism; "From the swamplands of Louisiana..." all the way to his spine tingling African yell as the song breaks into full throttle, it was perfect. The crowd went absolutely nuts!!! We hooted, we hollared, we sang along, and as the climax hit and the room was finally filled completely with light, we bursted into a massive roar. Everyone's hands stretched to the sky, from the floor to the ceiling (or perhaps the "rooftop to the basement") It was a magical moment, and one that I will never forget in my life. Bono even seemed genuinely amazed at our response. It made me realize he lives for those moments, just as we do.

16.) One (featuring Mary J. Blige)- Oh. My. God. Can this woman sing! She blew me away with the strength in her voice and breathed new life into this classic. It was a sweet-sounding end to the main set.

17.) Zoo Station- HOORAY! The return of my favorite encore started with a bang. The Zooropa baby slot machine was in effect, first stopping on a few random pictures including Michael Jackson, Bill Clinton, and G. W. Bush only to later hit a 4-of-a-kind. The payoff? A jackpot of Achtung goodness! One of my favorite moments of the concert is seeing the fog being spewed onto the sides of the ellipse and peering through at just the shadow of the Edge and his guitar, wailing away at the opening riff. Bliss.

18.) The Fly- Lighting effects. This is where all my attention was focused during the song. Lots of ZooTV-ish phrases and symbolism. "Give in to it, Give up to it" "LETTERS... become WORDS" That sort of stuff. I felt like I was watching a Japanese Anime with all the flashing lights and characters.

19.) With or Without You- No girl on stage this time, which was suprising. Bono chose to lay down by himself in front of the microphone stand. Why? No clue. Still, it was an emotional performance and left me wondering the possibilities of the 2nd encore.

20.) All Because of You- Another song that is so better live and is hardly given any of the credit it deserves. What a great rock song. Edge's solo was sharp and meticulous, and the crowd was into it.

21.) In A Little While (featuring Brandon Flowers)- I could NOT believe what I was seeing. Once Bono started talking about his voice I knew something was wrong. I started to get excited at what could happen. I know alot of the Interferencers there were hoping for some Mofo, but alas it was not to be. Instead U2 called on the Killers' lead singer to join them on stage! Vegas' very own! It just blindsided me! Then, to add on to the treat, they dive into one of my favorite songs, In A Little While! Hearing it full-band was amazing! I loved every second and Brandon's voice fit so well into the notes. ^5 U2!

22.) Bad- There is only one way I wanted this show to end, and I was lucky enough for it to happen. As soon as the backing track began for the song, I went nuts. Anyone who's witnessed this song live can back me up on the fact that this is one of the most emotional and heart-wrenching songs to hear in person. The feeling in Bono's voice is just mind-boggling. It's almost as if he was singing it for the first time, or singing it to each and every one of us, trying to pull us all into his heart and make us feel what he was going through while he forced out the notes. Words cannot describe what a storybook ending this was to one of the greatest nights in my life. I can't think of a better closer.

So that's it. Long and drawn out, yes. I'm sorry for that. For anyone who read, thank you. It was a night to remember. If I could, I'd go back in time to kick out all the people that sat down or didn't even dance and put you all in instead. I only hope I can get to experience a show like this again. I am truly blessed. Thank you U2! I accept your application as the World's Greatest Band.

 

[Zooropa man]

Catlhere, you just described what I felt that night. That show was truly amazing. I will never forget it and I'm glad that I didn't put those tickets up for sale. I would have been so upset if I had done that. I spent a crap load of money but it was darn worth it.

On a side note, the girl that he picked up for Sunday Bloody... seemed very familiar to the girl that was there on.... Tuesday night(Staples Center)? I think it was....or was it Wed. night?, which ever night, I think it might have been the same girl. Does anyone know...???

 

[corianderstem]

My friend who was with me at this show was also at both LA shows, and said it was the same little girl.

 

[catlhere]

My friend who was with me at this show was also at both LA shows, and said it was the same little girl.

No wonder she didn't seem nervous at all. Smiling widely. She was really into it and knew exactly what to do. What a lucky kid! I'd be a proud pa-pa! Even though I'm a little too young for that.

 

[paulucla]

catlhere, great review and if anything it wasn't long enough because I was enjoying re-living the show through your words.

I, too, spent a crapload of money and it was worth it ten times over. My experience on 11/5/05 was simply priceless. I am still in a state of euphoria.

 

[Bono's Betty]

I did ga for both the vegas shows. The first night I spent all day in line (#44 in line) first time doing ga and got scaned into the elipse!!! Made the rail on edge's side!! What a blast. The next night I was too tired to stay in line all day so me and my hubby came at 6:00 no elipse so we stayed way at the back. What an awesome show!! Great setlist. In A Little While was my fav because that was our wedding song ans we were honeymooning in Vegas. How perfect. Now i wish I would have stayed in line all day to be on the rail for that setlist.

 

[Faith]

Wow, Bono's Betty!

Congratulations! Thanks for sharing the photos!!! Nice!!

 

[Bono's Betty]

Thank you!! Your very welcome!

 

[EPandAmerica]

I loved your review catlhere! I love how so many of us feel blessed to have been at that show. I spent most of Bad crying and sending a silent thank you over and over to God for this band being on the earth for all of us to enjoy.

 

[BEVERLY56]

Great pictures, Betty - thanks for sharing. Glad you enjoyed Vegas! I wish I had been there.

 

[Shade]

I loved your review catlhere! I love how so many of us feel blessed to have been at that show. I spent most of Bad crying and sending a silent thank you over and over to God for this band being on the earth for all of us to enjoy.

Wow. I wish I could get that worked up over a rock concert.

 

[catlhere]

That last picture reminds me of Bono from the Joshua Tree era. Don't know why. Maybe the hair is more pulled back and you can see the earring well. He looks young.

And as for crying and stuff during a concert. I didn't cry, too manly for that (This is actually my mom's name) But I did almost shriek like a girl when I saw the Zooropa baby up on the screen because I knew something different was going to happen. My mom cried during Bad though. Big thanks to her for getting me into U2 since I was... a little boy... with spanish eyes.

 

[broken toy]

They always manage to surprise and delight me.

I took my wife for the first time; we sat in section 220, behind Adams left shoulder. Great sightlines; closer than the 200-level in Seattle. I got my tix through TM on-line back at the on-sale time; $50 standard plus the service crap. Guy behind me paid $180; women next to him paid $230. I think all of us left happy.

I knew that I'd get some changes from my last show, Seattle 1. I knew I'd get the COBL opener, and I wasn't disappointed. When the album came out, I knew it was a great opening song, and enough bootlegs proved it... but it was still fun in person.

Vertigo rocks, and I didn't even miss Stories For Boys. What happened to Edge's "target" guitar though? He used a white Telecaster for both Vertigo and ABOY... has he been doing that long?

Despite the poo-pooers at the start of the tour, Elevation has been one of the funnest parts of the shows. The shout-along and pogo-ing is a hoot.

I fully expected I Will Follow, or (hopefully) Gloria... but was confused when Edge was not wielding the right ax. No binoculars, and my squint at the teleprompter (another benefit of sitting behind the stage) didn't reveal what was next. I was shocked at the chords of Ways; I knew it hadn't been played in a few months. Then when the girl came up from the crowd to dance, it made more sense. I assume it was a pre-arranged thing. Very nice, though, and very "Vegas."

I was *really* surprised, and psyched, for the EOTW that came next. Bono flicking water over the crowd, out at Edge on the tip of the ellipse... serious rocking. Good stuff.

It was great to see Still Haven't Found again (I hadn't seen it since 12/12/97). The crowd was superb with the opening verse sing-along. In fact, the crowd was rowdy and loud all night... much better than I'd expected, based on reports that Vegas crowds were lame.

Beautiful Day continues to get one of the biggest reactions. If I had to bet, though, I'd say the biggest roar of the two V-shows I've seen are reserved for Sunday. People go nuts, and are just on top of that with the singing and stomping and fist-pumping. After being initially doubtful about its effectiveness (especially after it was so surprisingly good on Elevation), once again they have been able to inject it with vitality and meaning.

Great Edge soloing on Bullet... I don't mind this one as much thanks to the briefer arrangement that puts the focus on Edge's "disillusioned" guitar. As transitional theater, it's all very effective.

Then, one of the moments I'd been most eager for: Miss Sarajevo. I was thrilled listening to audience recordings from earlier shows, but it was nothing compared to the goosebumps of seeing Bono hit the big tenor notes in person. Whatta guy. He's been fabulous at both shows I've seen, and in most of the shows I've listened to. His attitude and energy is 100 percent, and vocally he is SO much better than any time going back to about 1987, yet more in control. And I am mightily impressed with him singing in the higher keys this tour.

Streets was a great exchange of emotion between band and audience; they looked rather impressed and exhausted afterward.

The pre-One speech was mercifully short and to-the-point; the cel-phone-stars bit was enchanting as usual.

Now, this was the part where I'd know how this show stood versus my previous Vertigo in April, since in Seattle 1, One was a trainwreck. Bono lost his place, and the thing damn-near fell apart, losing all its energy despite Bono's attempts to get the Edge to rev up some dynamic guitar at the end. So in general, I thought the performances were similar in terms of execution (although I wouldn't have traded seeing Electric Co. and An Cat Dubh for anything in the world). A clean One might push Vegas 2 into the lead.

Boy, did they show me.

Bono introduces Mary J. Blige, and the crowd got very excited. I hadn't actually heard a full version with her yet, so I wasn't prejudiced or fully prepared for what came next.

Stunning. Church. Bono was grinning one of those big cat-that-ate-the-canary smiles that showed that he was as delighted about the music she made as we were. They harmonized. They sermonized. Unbelievable. Without a doubt, the best of the umpteen versions of One I've seen (and I've seen some doozies) and a highlight of my 18 years of seeing this band live.

They looked pretty tired after that, and I assumed we'd see an acoustic-heavy encore (but with soul, feeding off the vibe of that spiritual One). I was hoping for The First Time, since I'm yet to see that in any form, and was crossing my fingers for Original, or maybe Fast Cars or Crumbs.

Instead, my squint at the teleprompter was more fruitful, showing me a fuzzy word-pair that could only be Zoo Station. Then sure enough, we got the slot machine video and the "Achtung Baby" in space helmet, crying "mama! mama!"

Zoo was fine, but felt a bit slow to me... the guys seemed tired. The Fly was the same way (also spied that on the telly), with Larry coming in too early to let the Edge's echoing riff have its proper effect in the intro. Still, great ending as Edge and Larry were just tearing things to pieces. Very violent.

I knew WOWY would be next. I was just hoping it would be better than recent recordings of it I'd heard. It wasn't, much. Bono spoke-sang too much for my taste; no big guitar buildup; no "shine like stars." I've always been happy when they've given this one a well-deserved rest, and frankly I think they brought it back too soon. Oh well.

Onto encore No. 2, and before ABOY, we get to sing Happy Birthday to Dennis Sheehan, which was great. Bono also admitted that they had been partying hard the night before, and so were rather spent (it was obvious, but they had made a great effort and their fatigue didn't seem to have a negative impact on the show). He used this "confession" as a segue to welcoming Brandon Flowers of The Killers on to duet (or really take most of the lead duties) on In A Little While. Superb version; another perfect Vegas song. Great singing by Mr. Flowers, with Bono providing a perfect balance of maturity and wasted elegance. A nice surprise; two guests in one show.

Well, this had been a good trip to Vegas for me, and my beloved Oregon Ducks had won a tough game at home against Cal earlier that day (hard to watch on TV, since I'm a season ticketholder and usually in the stands on football Saturdays). So I was feeling lucky, and pretty much knew what would be next: Bad.

My favorite U2 song, but I had enjoyed the respite from hearing it every show. Makes it more special. And as a closer, it just drips with emotion. Nice version, with Bono sampling only Patti Smith's "The People Have the Power" (after dropping "Rock and Roll ******" into Vertigo). But after the emotion of One, it tied the underlying purpose of the evening together perfectly. They faded out the end... another nice departure from old tradition.

Altogether a special show, but this band makes a habit of playing special shows. They rarely have a completely off night anymore (unless they're filming a DVD of course), and what separates one show from another often comes down to personal preference and maybe the addition of special songs or guests.

It felt good to be there, nearly 18 years to the day after my first (11/08/87) and realize how good these guys are, and how good it feels to have followed them. I can only hope the tour-closer in Portland will be as good.

I told my wife she caught a good one for her first.

Quizzical sociological side note: I just do not get the people who come to a concert and spend the whole time talking on a cel phone, or turned around and talking to people two seats away. I kind of understand the people who insist on trying to document the entire thing on their crappy celphone cameras... but those who actually cover up their free ear, and yell into a phone instead of watching a show like that?

 

[Westport]

Incredible, incredible show. Here are a few photos..

IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v421/corianderstem/Alicia091.jpg[/IMG]

IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v421/corianderstem/Alicia164.jpg[/IMG]


IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v421/corianderstem/Alicia195.jpg[/IMG]