18.10.2005
'This Can't Be A Monday Night..'
City of Brotherly Love becomes City of Blinding Lights in a wild second night in Philly. From the opening bars of City of Blinding Lights to the closing vocal strains of 20,000 people singing 40, this was a night to remember in Philadelphia. And what most of us will remember most of all will be Bruce Springsteen singing People Get Ready with U2!
As Larry and Edge were introduced in Vertigo, the singer slipping in some Patti Smith along the way, you knew this was going to be a full throttle show because Bono needed water even before Elevation.
'Here’s a couple of songs we wrote when we were teenagers,' he explained as every teenager in the audience began wondering at the possibility. I Will Follow received an ovation, flying in to Electric Co where Edge played to Larry and Bono doused himself with water. It's an electric night already, this crowd are pumped, this band are giving it everything.
'This can't be a Monday night, This can't be a Monday night. Is every Monday night like this in Philadelphia?'
And then a foretaste of things to come as Still Haven't Found ends with Springsteen's The Promised Land. Even more snatches of rock'n'roll history slipping in and out of different tracks tonight, with Bob Marley's Exodus turning up in Sunday Bloody Sunday before one young woman balancing on a friend's shoulders, screams the 'No More' part as Bono holds out the microphone. Sarajevo is christened 'the capital of CoeXisT' (it was New York last week, but who's complaining ?) and Pride and Streets lift spirits even higher, the smile on Adam's face returned by every face in the house.
The Mayor of the city gets honourable mention for helping host Live 8 earlier in the summer and One brings the cellphones out and the house down.
When the band return after a couple of minutes we a special treat - the first time on Vertigo '05 for one of the stand out tracks of the Elevation Tour four years ago. It's Walk On and its a bit of a moment. Then it's Fast Cars (what staying power for such a quirky addition to the set) before another surprise, Curtis Mayfield's People Get Ready.
'Okay where's the man with the sign up saying 'People Get Ready'? asks Bono. 'There you go! This one's for you.'
Of course, on previous tours, this was the moment when a guitarist would be plucked from the audience but tonight as Bono announces, 'We need a guitar player...', they have just the man walking on from side of stage.
'Who is this man? Who is this man?' asks Bono and everybody in the house knows this is indeed The Man as Bruce Springsteen wanders into U2, a guitar around his neck bearing the familiar legend 'The Goal is Soul'.
'People get ready
Cos the boss is in town
He don’t suffer no fools
Or kiss no clowns
The boy is from New Jersey
But he feels home round here
New York – they’re gonna shed some tears.'
As Bono sings his new version, Bruce plays the chords before taking up the vocals for the traditional version.
'People get ready, there's a train a-comin'
You don't need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'
Don't need no ticket, you just thank the Lord'
Edge and Bruce duet on guitar for a moment before Bono takes the vocal again.
'People get ready
He’s a funky brother
Plucking that old guitar
Like you know that he can
People get ready
Cos there is no other
Bruce springsteen is back in town'
And then it's time for another guest, again introduced in song.
'People get ready
For trouble and strife
You know the boss
Has brought the wife
People get ready
She’s a little shy
But a red haired girl
Just a bit of encouragement
And we’ll get her there
'Beautiful girl from the Jersey shore
With a voice like an angel
You know we love you some more
Walk like a Princess
And you talk like a gypsy
And I can't believe that you’re
Gonna stand next to me'
And so Patty Scialfa, to another great ovation, joins U2 and husband Bruce on stage. It's a piece of rock'n'roll history, as Philadelphia gets ready and finally Bono leads Patty off while Edge and Bruce finish up.
'People get ready there's a train to jersey..' sings Bruce and then the moment is over.
And still there was time for With or Without You, All Because of You and 40. Wow!
That was a night to remember.
maybe Bono will come by thurs to sing one with Bruce in Mass.
) Maybe it's better to be in any other town but Los Angeles or New York. My luck 
