With ears still ringing and visions of U2 dancing in my head...
The night got off an amazing start for me when, from my seat in the front row of a section just off the floor to the left of the stage, I spotted Steve Lillywhite walking towards the sound booth. It happened that he was looking right at me as he walked past and so I said hello and applauded a bit. He stopped, looked at me with a big smile, and indicated that I'd best remove the ear plugs in my ears. I threw them to the floor. He laughed and walked over to me and said, "It isn't going to be that loud." I shook his hand and told him that after many U2 tours it was my first "opening night." He said that after 7 albums it was his first "opening night show as well." He complimented my seats and we exchanged a couple more comments before he moved on, obviously totally pumped for the night. The night was off to a good start!
After the requisite between-act music priming us for U2, and with the lights up, a song broke through the pattern with a completely different feel. It had a tribal drum beat and sounded a lot like a young U2. Lillywhite, who had found his place in the center of the console in the sound booth, was grinning from ear to ear and pumping his fist with the beat. This was it!!
Would U2 enter the arena, house lights up, as in Elevation 2001?
Lights out. Insanity. And as everyone by now knows, comes the piano introduction to "City of Blinding Lights." I'd told my friend that I expected to hear the song but I'd kept myself ignorant of pre-show proposed set lists and rumors and had no idea they would open the show with it. So to be completely honest, my first reaction was disappointment-- it's a soaring, beautiful, spiritually uplifting piece that I originally felt should have been more at the back end.
Oh, how wrong I was.
It's an unusual opener only from the standpoint that it doesn't have the punch of a "Zoo Station" or "Elevation" or "Streets" from the word "go," but I had forgotten how well it builds into a joyous rave. The San Diego Sports Arena was hands in the air, bodies moving up and down, church was in session and U2 was proclaiming the good word. And it was good.
There's going to be endless discussions about the entire setlist and it's here in another thread to be analyzed, so I won't waste your time going song by song. I'll just mention a few standouts:
"The Electric Co." - What a joy to hear this gem in the place held by "I Will Follow" for so many tours. And in my opinion, a declaration that U2 is not here to cater to the Top 10 but to play a U2 show for U2 fans. And if that wasn't enough, immediately thereafter:
"An Cat Dubh" - Oh. My. God. Pull out all versions you have of the song. Find the darkest version, with Edge's guitar as achingly beautiful as it gets. Trust me: last night's version was more dark and more beautiful. I don't want to ruin it for anyone but I have to describe this: lights go down, screens go blue with individual shots of the boys (a la Elevation 2001) and only stark blue light creating an otherworldly wash bathe them in this blue hue-- and then this plaintive, aching wailing of Edge's guitar. Edge, Play The Blues, indeed. Bono obviously doesn't sound like the Bono of 1980 but in my opinion he sounds even better with the soulful rasp in his voice and he sounded absolutely perfect to me as his falsetto reached the heights of "Yes and I know the truth about you." But you ask, what about the extended bridge between "An Cat Dubh" and "Into The Heart"? Like a dream, Bono started prowling like a panther (the black cat, yes?) around the circle, then getting down on all fours, then rolling over onto his back and going completely still. Focus back to Edge and Adam who shared one lone blue light and the guitar work went into what I can only describe as ecstasy. It was like U2 suddenly channeled the Doors, Edge letting himself stretch out like Robby Krieger in the day. You might ask: wouldn't the drastic energy change be a show-killer after "Electric Co."? If anything it just built the energy in the place to a fever pitch.
All I can tell you is it was the glory of rock and roll in all its glory. It was a moment that wouldn't have worked in any of the 90s shows but fit like a glove last night. And was probably the moment, in a show with many such moments, that was about giving the fans -- and I mean the fans going back to 1980 -- what they want.
Frankly I don't remember a thing that happened after that. Just kidding. But for me it was U2 taking off the gloves and taking charge of not only being a great rock band but moreover, taking charge of being U fucking 2.
Let's see-- other highlights? Without being a drooling fan, there were many highlights. "Zoo Station," "Running to Stand Still," every song from HTDAAB.
Let me just take a moment to comment to anyone who thinks HTDAAB is to "mellow." SEE THIS SHOW. U2 blew the lid off the place with every single song from HTDAAB, including "Sometimes," which is easily the slowest pace of the bunch. Not to blow any surprises, but I've never been a huge fan of "Yahweh," but their acoustic version made me see the song in a whole new light. It's a song, like "Walk On" that I just did not "get" in CD form, but now that I've seen them perform it, well, I "get it" now.
No surprise here but LAPOE is just freaking thunder. In the show that ACD/ITH was allowed to stretch out, LAPOE was in step in reminded the crowd that U2 can explode.
I frequently looked over to the sound booth to see how Lillywhite was enjoying himself and I will tell you that he didn't stop moving through the entire show. His grin was endless and he was dancing from beginning to end, even playing air guitar with Edge during some of the harder stuff. His boys are back and brilliant.
Where would I rate the show in the context of seeing every tour multiple times since 11/18/87? It's impossible because I'm still 10 feet off the ground. It was their least self conscious tour (as I felt the 90s shows were way too self conscious) in the sense that they didn't feel the need to avoid or protect an image. They just came out and kicked out a show that was true to the U2 of ages. Am I just saying that because they left the stage a la the early 80s with the crowd eagerly singing "How long to sing this song?" Maybe somewhat. But trust me, when they come to your town, you'll probably hear from the first notes of COBL that their intention is to play the kind of U2 show that they would want to hear- and we're invited to sit in.
I think that is a great attitude to have about the whole thing.
!! Vertigo & Love and Peace also!!
