dsmith2904
ONE love, blood, life
U2’s “Vertigo Tour” and Official DVD Shoot: Chicago “Dizzy” with Joy
By Kimberly Katz
U2 brought their “Vertigo Tour’ to Chicago for four nights last week, played to over one hundred thousand happy Chicagoans, and will return for two more concerts in September. It is easy to experience a type of “musical amnesia” when a band has not played live in your area for four years but after seeing U2 in concert again, I remember exactly why I was a fan all along.
On a musical level, U2 are right on top of their game. All four members of U2 appear to be in peak physical condition. Although, drummer Larry Mullen Jr. who suffers from tendonitis, recently commented that he is “wiped out” after playing the two hour plus sets, but you wouldn’t know it from the rock steady beats he lays down the entire show. The sheer physical beauty of his playing combined with a glimpse of his “guns” underneath a tight fitting black “Elvis” shirt made it pleasurably difficult to concentrate on the overall concept of the night. It was an impressive moment for the band when they strode around the stage holding individual spotlights on the crowd commanding everyone with their sheer physical presence even while not playing. This proves that U2 does not need a giant mechanical lemon or massive video projection screens to hold the crowd’s attention.
U2 was shooting the official DVD for the Vertigo Tour here in Chicago, which is going to make a nice piece of musical history that all Chicagoans who attended the concerts can share. The giant spotlights used to light the stage for the cameras only slightly distracted from the action on stage. At one point, Bono curled up on the stage in a fetal position with his thumb in his mouth and the image of childlike loneliness and desertion was so dramatic and complete, it actually brought tears to my eyes. Bono is still an effective and emotionally complex showman. The set list, which included everything from “Achtung Baby” to “Vertigo” was nicely varied and, at about two hours and fifteen minutes in length, seemed long and complete enough to satisfy all of their fans. At the end of the concert Bono made a beautiful gesture when he hung his crucifix around the microphone and pointed his spotlight on it before exiting the stage.
Saturday night there was a problem with the sound, it appeared that the track Bono was hearing in his earpiece was either ahead or behind what the house was hearing and he stuttered several times trying to get his bearings. By the time I saw the show again two nights later, this problem had been tweaked out and his voice was restored to its usual soaring and majestic power. I thoroughly enjoyed bassist Adam Clayton’s sense of personal style and humor. Adam moved and played with a graceful sexiness that was understated but effective. Adam and guitarist, The Edge both had a wonderful, subtle yet genuine rapport and eye contact with the audience that I found refreshing and deeply appreciated, particularly on the second night when I ended up sitting alone squeezed between two of the rudest lunkheads in the United Center - on a ticket behind the stage - I had to purchase myself because no press passes were issued. I think press were more restricted because of the nature of the DVD shoot, but when U2 returns in September, there may well be a press conference or some way for press to delve more fully into the political ideas Bono briefly talked about during the show, including their “One” campaign to end poverty and debt around the globe.
Several times I heard great backing vocals soaring seemingly from out of nowhere and was pleasantly surprised to see The Edge and Larry and using their considerable but often overlooked vocal talents to fill out the sound. U2 fans seemed absolutely delighted to have the band back in town after an absence of four years. I talked to several “uber” U2 fans after the show, who told me they waited all night in the parking lot to be first in line for general admission. They mentioned that the official web site for U2, www.u2.com, does not give out much information or take much in, unlike fan friendly sites for David Bowie and Sting where fan club personnel read and return fan email inquiries within minutes of receiving them. Super dedicated fans, Omar and Ulzar who got to shake Bono’s hand outside the United Center before the sound check, said they often check fansites like www.interference.com and www.u2log.com for insider news on tickets and fan events. U2 will return to Chicago for two more sold out shows at the United Center on September 20th and 21st. I highly recommend attending the “Vertigo Tour” to anyone who wants to “rock out” for a solid evening of musical and spiritually enriching entertainment!
--The Gazette Newspapers Chicago
By Kimberly Katz
U2 brought their “Vertigo Tour’ to Chicago for four nights last week, played to over one hundred thousand happy Chicagoans, and will return for two more concerts in September. It is easy to experience a type of “musical amnesia” when a band has not played live in your area for four years but after seeing U2 in concert again, I remember exactly why I was a fan all along.
On a musical level, U2 are right on top of their game. All four members of U2 appear to be in peak physical condition. Although, drummer Larry Mullen Jr. who suffers from tendonitis, recently commented that he is “wiped out” after playing the two hour plus sets, but you wouldn’t know it from the rock steady beats he lays down the entire show. The sheer physical beauty of his playing combined with a glimpse of his “guns” underneath a tight fitting black “Elvis” shirt made it pleasurably difficult to concentrate on the overall concept of the night. It was an impressive moment for the band when they strode around the stage holding individual spotlights on the crowd commanding everyone with their sheer physical presence even while not playing. This proves that U2 does not need a giant mechanical lemon or massive video projection screens to hold the crowd’s attention.
U2 was shooting the official DVD for the Vertigo Tour here in Chicago, which is going to make a nice piece of musical history that all Chicagoans who attended the concerts can share. The giant spotlights used to light the stage for the cameras only slightly distracted from the action on stage. At one point, Bono curled up on the stage in a fetal position with his thumb in his mouth and the image of childlike loneliness and desertion was so dramatic and complete, it actually brought tears to my eyes. Bono is still an effective and emotionally complex showman. The set list, which included everything from “Achtung Baby” to “Vertigo” was nicely varied and, at about two hours and fifteen minutes in length, seemed long and complete enough to satisfy all of their fans. At the end of the concert Bono made a beautiful gesture when he hung his crucifix around the microphone and pointed his spotlight on it before exiting the stage.
Saturday night there was a problem with the sound, it appeared that the track Bono was hearing in his earpiece was either ahead or behind what the house was hearing and he stuttered several times trying to get his bearings. By the time I saw the show again two nights later, this problem had been tweaked out and his voice was restored to its usual soaring and majestic power. I thoroughly enjoyed bassist Adam Clayton’s sense of personal style and humor. Adam moved and played with a graceful sexiness that was understated but effective. Adam and guitarist, The Edge both had a wonderful, subtle yet genuine rapport and eye contact with the audience that I found refreshing and deeply appreciated, particularly on the second night when I ended up sitting alone squeezed between two of the rudest lunkheads in the United Center - on a ticket behind the stage - I had to purchase myself because no press passes were issued. I think press were more restricted because of the nature of the DVD shoot, but when U2 returns in September, there may well be a press conference or some way for press to delve more fully into the political ideas Bono briefly talked about during the show, including their “One” campaign to end poverty and debt around the globe.
Several times I heard great backing vocals soaring seemingly from out of nowhere and was pleasantly surprised to see The Edge and Larry and using their considerable but often overlooked vocal talents to fill out the sound. U2 fans seemed absolutely delighted to have the band back in town after an absence of four years. I talked to several “uber” U2 fans after the show, who told me they waited all night in the parking lot to be first in line for general admission. They mentioned that the official web site for U2, www.u2.com, does not give out much information or take much in, unlike fan friendly sites for David Bowie and Sting where fan club personnel read and return fan email inquiries within minutes of receiving them. Super dedicated fans, Omar and Ulzar who got to shake Bono’s hand outside the United Center before the sound check, said they often check fansites like www.interference.com and www.u2log.com for insider news on tickets and fan events. U2 will return to Chicago for two more sold out shows at the United Center on September 20th and 21st. I highly recommend attending the “Vertigo Tour” to anyone who wants to “rock out” for a solid evening of musical and spiritually enriching entertainment!
--The Gazette Newspapers Chicago
