New Greg Kot review (Chgo Trib guy who bashed the May concerts)
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POP MUSIC
U2 back to frisky self this time out
Band digs deep in encore concerts
By Greg Kot
Tribune music critic
Published September 25, 2005
In contrast to its four-show run at the United Center last May, when U2 was starting to sound like a highly competent but not particularly adventuresome junior version of the Rolling Stones, the Irish quartet was in friskier mood in two encore concerts last week.
U2 tossed aside the predictable set list and dug deep Tuesday and Wednesday. Here are some key differences between the shows last week and the ones last spring:
Then: The band doesn't make the case for its latest hit-and-miss album, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb." The new songs are bunched together and dispatched early on, as if Bono and the boys didn't know how to integrate them into their performance.
Now: "Miracle Drug" (with the Edge's beautiful guitar figure getting some breathing room at the top) and "Original of the Species" (a killer soul ballad with falsetto harmonies) are showcased instead of buried. The arrangements are less fussy, the melodies more apparent. These are the kinds of moments that send skeptical fans rushing back to the album to hear these songs with fresh ears.
Then: The theatrics of Bono, who stumbled around stage blindfolded in empathy with Iraqi prisoners and spoke at length about religious tolerance, got to be a distraction.
Now: The blindfold is still around, but Bono tones down the speechifying and play-acting. Instead he focuses on the songs. His voice sounds like a howitzer on the rockers, blowing down the doors on "Elevation," and yet he manages to convey a fragile poignance on ballads such as "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own."
Then: No surprises in the set list.
Now: U2 pulls out the soaring and underplayed "Miss Sarajevo" from its mid-'90s Passengers" side project with Brian Eno. Bono steps in for Luciano Pavarotti, whose cameo vocal carries the recorded version into the stratosphere, and lets it rip. A jaw-dropping moment.
Then: An efficient march through the new album, followed by the hits and two encores.
Now: A hodgepodge of old, new and off-the-cuff gives the evening an anything-can-happen quality, even to fans who have seen several shows on this tour. An acoustic "Wild Horses" is particularly welcome, as is a seemingly impromptu segue into the Broadway standard "Old Man River" in conjunction with Bono's comments about Hurricane Katrina and America's resilience during times of crisis. A flamenco "Fast Cars" turns the first encore into an unruly dance, magnifying the theme struck by the erotic push-pull of "With or Without You."
Then: A relatively simple performance, not too dependent on technology, especially in comparison to past tours such as "Zoo TV" and "Popmart." But the choreography of certain segments is apparent.
Now: The light-bulb curtains remain, but the staging is even more frill-free than before, and there's more room to roam within the set list. The focus is once again squarely on the music.
Conclusion: So long, Dinosaur Act. The art-rocking, risk-taking U2 is back with a timely reminder of why this city embraced the band in the first place, 25 years ago.
----------
gregkot@aol.com
U2 back to frisky self this time out
Band digs deep in encore concerts
By Greg Kot
Tribune music critic
Published September 25, 2005
In contrast to its four-show run at the United Center last May, when U2 was starting to sound like a highly competent but not particularly adventuresome junior version of the Rolling Stones, the Irish quartet was in friskier mood in two encore concerts last week.
U2 tossed aside the predictable set list and dug deep Tuesday and Wednesday. Here are some key differences between the shows last week and the ones last spring:
Then: The band doesn't make the case for its latest hit-and-miss album, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb." The new songs are bunched together and dispatched early on, as if Bono and the boys didn't know how to integrate them into their performance.
Now: "Miracle Drug" (with the Edge's beautiful guitar figure getting some breathing room at the top) and "Original of the Species" (a killer soul ballad with falsetto harmonies) are showcased instead of buried. The arrangements are less fussy, the melodies more apparent. These are the kinds of moments that send skeptical fans rushing back to the album to hear these songs with fresh ears.
Then: The theatrics of Bono, who stumbled around stage blindfolded in empathy with Iraqi prisoners and spoke at length about religious tolerance, got to be a distraction.
Now: The blindfold is still around, but Bono tones down the speechifying and play-acting. Instead he focuses on the songs. His voice sounds like a howitzer on the rockers, blowing down the doors on "Elevation," and yet he manages to convey a fragile poignance on ballads such as "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own."
Then: No surprises in the set list.
Now: U2 pulls out the soaring and underplayed "Miss Sarajevo" from its mid-'90s Passengers" side project with Brian Eno. Bono steps in for Luciano Pavarotti, whose cameo vocal carries the recorded version into the stratosphere, and lets it rip. A jaw-dropping moment.
Then: An efficient march through the new album, followed by the hits and two encores.
Now: A hodgepodge of old, new and off-the-cuff gives the evening an anything-can-happen quality, even to fans who have seen several shows on this tour. An acoustic "Wild Horses" is particularly welcome, as is a seemingly impromptu segue into the Broadway standard "Old Man River" in conjunction with Bono's comments about Hurricane Katrina and America's resilience during times of crisis. A flamenco "Fast Cars" turns the first encore into an unruly dance, magnifying the theme struck by the erotic push-pull of "With or Without You."
Then: A relatively simple performance, not too dependent on technology, especially in comparison to past tours such as "Zoo TV" and "Popmart." But the choreography of certain segments is apparent.
Now: The light-bulb curtains remain, but the staging is even more frill-free than before, and there's more room to roam within the set list. The focus is once again squarely on the music.
Conclusion: So long, Dinosaur Act. The art-rocking, risk-taking U2 is back with a timely reminder of why this city embraced the band in the first place, 25 years ago.
----------
gregkot@aol.com
Lila64
Blue Crack Distributor
Pop Artist
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
Frisky... 
I always love me some frisky U2. 
I always love me some frisky U2. 
KUEFC09U2 said:
While I think this new review is mainly due to these new & exciting shows, I can't help but agree that some of it is a result of that interview. Bono really kicked ass on every subject he touched---especially when addressing the crap about all the "selling out" garbage.
Anyway, it's nice to see this new review. We'll always love the shows (despite the guaranteed complainers), but it's always nice to see some positive reviews from critics.
Carek1230
Blue Crack Overdose Get me off the internetz!
My my my that was such an energetic review this time. I wonder if it was truly heartfelt and honest or if he thought it was expected, especially since his visit with Bono? Hmmmm
Nonetheless a very favorable review which I enjoyed.
Nonetheless a very favorable review which I enjoyed.
Se7en
Rock n' Roll Doggie
Utoo said:
could someone point me to the direction of this interview? i'm not sure if i ever saw it.
a good review. i'm looking forward to my two shows this leg.
Se7en, here it is. It's a long read, but I think well worth it.
http://www.interference.com/u2128132/index.html
http://www.interference.com/u2128132/index.html
Se7en
Rock n' Roll Doggie
thanks 
WildHoneyAlways
Rock n' Roll Doggie FOB
Miroslava said:I'm up for frisky U2 and unruly dances!
Haha. You are now the queen of unruly dances.
norsehorse23
Acrobat
wow, finally something nice from a chicago critic... hahah. i was really pissed the last time he gave a review. i do admit though, chicago 1 was a little disappointing compared to the other three shows i went to in the spring. here's to MSG in less than two weeks!!!!!! thanks to larry henry, I have a GA!!! can't wait. i think there is a much more determined vibe in the band for this leg that was missing from the first one. could be a little too excited, but i am loving the varied setlists every night... maybe i will get to hear ultraviolet or another rarity that hasn't gotten much playing time. by the way, i don't want to see what those writers in chicago will be writing if the white sox blow it!?! i know that's off topic, but had to bring it up.
by the way, i don't want to see what those writers in chicago will be writing if the white sox blow it!?! i know that's off topic, but had to bring it up.
corianderstem
Blue Crack Distributor
Mmm, frisky and unruly dances ... Bono ... mmmm ....
Uh ... sorry, what was the question? Oh, the interview. Yeah, great!
Uh ... sorry, what was the question? Oh, the interview. Yeah, great!
Utoo said:
I missed that interview the first time around, and it's a good one. I think it's the first interview I've read where Bono is really being taken to task. Alot of what he says is great, but some of it......
for example, he really loves "vertigo", doesn't he? I mean, he thinks it's the most amazing thing ever; I really try to understand why, even after the long explanation he gives....but it's just not all that to me.
and he still is so upset about pop's reception, isn't he? let it go; he's starting to sound like a spoiled child who didn't win first prize at the talent show.
I really like alot of what he says about songwriting and melodies though; he's right about all of that.
Kot: You said the other day, "We've 'Kid A'd' ourselves to death." It was a funny line, but I'm disappointed to hear that. [A reference to Radiohead's 2001 progressive-rock album 'Kid A'].
Bono: I just looked at the pop machine and the machinations of pop and just said, we don't have it in us, we don't have the energy, to have our way with that. I don't hear [Radiohead's] Thom Yorke singing on the radio. I want to hear Radiohead, extraordinary band that they are, on MTV. I want them setting fire to the imaginations of 16, 15, 14 year old kids. I was 14 when John Lennon set fire to my imagination. At that age, you're just [angry], and your moods swing, and it's an incredible time to be hit with something like that. I don't blame them [for not wanting to be on MTV]. But I think, what would my life be like without the Beatles? If the Beatles had just kept going on experimenting after "Sgt. Pepper," I'd be interested to hear it, of course …
Our last two albums are essentially about the combo. We used the limitations of the combo. We had 10 years of experimentation. We decided to rope it in, and tie ourselves to only one thing. And that's the only discipline. Is it a great song? Is it fresh? Experimenting in rock is at its best when you dream from the perimeters and bring it back to the center. All my favorite innovators disappear into the woods and bring something back, and you get to hear the songs distilled from those experiments. I used "Kid A" as an example, because I love the album. We did our "Zooropa," we did our "Passengers," even our "Pop" experiment. There were great ideas on that album. "Discotheque," we viewed it as our response to Peter Gabriel experimenting. We wanted it to be our "Sledgehammer." Imagine if "Discotheque" was a No. 1 pop song? Now that record makes sense. We didn't have the discipline to screw the thing down, and turn it into a magic pop song. We didn't have the discipline to make "Mo Fo" into a loud concoction of rock 'n' roll, trance crossover. We learned from that album. We'd become progressive rock! Ahhh! It's on us!
Kot: You're killing me now. I thought those '90s albums were great. I didn't understand "Achtung Baby" right away. But after seeing the tour, I realized it was your best album. I still feel that way. And I loved "Zooropa" in that way, and "Passengers." I even liked "Pop." To me, you guys were showing us how it should be done. You were [screwing] with our heads and making great music. You were doing those weird ballads from "Pop" as an encore at Soldier Field [in 1997]. I loved that you were so far out on a limb with saw in hand, and you were trying things, pushing things. And now you never play songs from those albums anymore. What happened?
Bono: There is still talk about the band going back in and fixing "Pop," actually going in… because the bones [of a great album] are there. Just to talk a little bit about our tours. We have ideas that we want to communicate [in a concert], not just a bunch of songs. If we get it right, it feels like one song. Pop Mart in the U.S., through you and a few others championing it, it was well-received, especially in Chicago. We actually did a few good shows and it really came together. On this tour we have a particular ambition, it moves from punk rock, past Vegas to a gospel show, and we're trying to… What band at our level would play 10 songs, seven from the new album and three from our first album? The reason we do that is because this album and our first album have very similar themes. The first is an ode to innocence, as it's being held onto. The latest is an ode to innocence, as it's been remembered, with the thought that you can get back to it. There's nothing in U2's catalogue that sounds remotely like "Vertigo." It's completely fresh. "Vertigo" is actually quite a gem, contrary to what you say, and it's very new. And there are beautiful little moments in there, but they're subtle. And then the amazing thing happens. we weren't going to play "Where the Streets Have No Name" on this tour. We want to be fresh. We're sitting with [U2 show designer] Willie Williams and constructing the show, and we still can't find a reason to play it.
Bono makes me a little sad here.
Bono: I just looked at the pop machine and the machinations of pop and just said, we don't have it in us, we don't have the energy, to have our way with that. I don't hear [Radiohead's] Thom Yorke singing on the radio. I want to hear Radiohead, extraordinary band that they are, on MTV. I want them setting fire to the imaginations of 16, 15, 14 year old kids. I was 14 when John Lennon set fire to my imagination. At that age, you're just [angry], and your moods swing, and it's an incredible time to be hit with something like that. I don't blame them [for not wanting to be on MTV]. But I think, what would my life be like without the Beatles? If the Beatles had just kept going on experimenting after "Sgt. Pepper," I'd be interested to hear it, of course …
Our last two albums are essentially about the combo. We used the limitations of the combo. We had 10 years of experimentation. We decided to rope it in, and tie ourselves to only one thing. And that's the only discipline. Is it a great song? Is it fresh? Experimenting in rock is at its best when you dream from the perimeters and bring it back to the center. All my favorite innovators disappear into the woods and bring something back, and you get to hear the songs distilled from those experiments. I used "Kid A" as an example, because I love the album. We did our "Zooropa," we did our "Passengers," even our "Pop" experiment. There were great ideas on that album. "Discotheque," we viewed it as our response to Peter Gabriel experimenting. We wanted it to be our "Sledgehammer." Imagine if "Discotheque" was a No. 1 pop song? Now that record makes sense. We didn't have the discipline to screw the thing down, and turn it into a magic pop song. We didn't have the discipline to make "Mo Fo" into a loud concoction of rock 'n' roll, trance crossover. We learned from that album. We'd become progressive rock! Ahhh! It's on us!
Kot: You're killing me now. I thought those '90s albums were great. I didn't understand "Achtung Baby" right away. But after seeing the tour, I realized it was your best album. I still feel that way. And I loved "Zooropa" in that way, and "Passengers." I even liked "Pop." To me, you guys were showing us how it should be done. You were [screwing] with our heads and making great music. You were doing those weird ballads from "Pop" as an encore at Soldier Field [in 1997]. I loved that you were so far out on a limb with saw in hand, and you were trying things, pushing things. And now you never play songs from those albums anymore. What happened?
Bono: There is still talk about the band going back in and fixing "Pop," actually going in… because the bones [of a great album] are there. Just to talk a little bit about our tours. We have ideas that we want to communicate [in a concert], not just a bunch of songs. If we get it right, it feels like one song. Pop Mart in the U.S., through you and a few others championing it, it was well-received, especially in Chicago. We actually did a few good shows and it really came together. On this tour we have a particular ambition, it moves from punk rock, past Vegas to a gospel show, and we're trying to… What band at our level would play 10 songs, seven from the new album and three from our first album? The reason we do that is because this album and our first album have very similar themes. The first is an ode to innocence, as it's being held onto. The latest is an ode to innocence, as it's been remembered, with the thought that you can get back to it. There's nothing in U2's catalogue that sounds remotely like "Vertigo." It's completely fresh. "Vertigo" is actually quite a gem, contrary to what you say, and it's very new. And there are beautiful little moments in there, but they're subtle. And then the amazing thing happens. we weren't going to play "Where the Streets Have No Name" on this tour. We want to be fresh. We're sitting with [U2 show designer] Willie Williams and constructing the show, and we still can't find a reason to play it.
Bono makes me a little sad here.
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