Bono leads the way
Concertgoers need healing and Dubliner obliges
Richmond Times-Dispatch, October 25, 2001
by Melissa Ruggieri
BALTIMORE
It's a pity that Bono and The Edge backed out of the Concert for New York City on Saturday because of, according to their spokesperson, "family matters."
The duo was expected to perform "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" and Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" (with Destiny's Child). And, as overwhelmingly inspiring as that concert was anyway, a little U2 could have raised the bar another step.
The night before, the biggest band in the world right now landed at the Baltimore Arena (a venue that makes the Richmond Coliseum look like the MCI Center), nine days into the third leg of its hugely successful Elevation tour.
To call the concert magical would be an understatement. To call Bono an important musical figure would be a disservice to a performer who, while undeniably cocky, touches and enlightens so convincingly, you might think he missed a religious calling.
It was evident from the pre-show moments that this night would be tweaked from U2's first area run-though in June at the MCI Center. Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" blasted from the speakers, followed by The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" and, as the band lumbered onto the heart-shaped stage, "A Little Help From My Friends."
This crowd, like most Americans, needed to be healed, and Bono willingly complied. As the plinking keyboard notes of "New Year's Day" faded, he stood at the tip of the stage and leaned forward to accept an American flag being waved by a fan. For a full two minutes, he bowed his head and hugged it to his chest like an injured child, then gently, respectfully, handed it back.
Suffice to say that tears were shed and arms raised in goose bumps at the sight of this impudent Dubliner illustrating how much this country's pain has affected him.
But he wasn't done. A snippet of Three Degrees' "When Will I See You Again," with only The Edge strumming a guitar, segued into "Stuck" before Bono spoke of his beloved father, who died in August. "I think about him every day," Bono said before the pensive "Kite," which he dedicated to his dad and his father-in-law, in the crowd that night.
Later in the show, the obvious crowd-pleaser "New York" was given a lyrical massage, with Bono creeping from a croon to a roar on the line, "Come September things can change. Summer's love turns to winter's pain . . . In New York you just can't forget how strong this city's WILL!"
There were plenty of religious overtones throughout the night, as Bono spoke repeatedly of God's love and how "the Koran is a beautiful book and the people who follow Islam are beautiful people. They have nothing to do with these religious lunatics."
As a further tribute, a scroll of names of those killed in the four plane crashes on Sept. 11 shimmered on a gleaming blue screen behind the stage as Bono croaked out "One" with an appropriate balance of passion and sadness.
Whether we need a revolution or a virtuous counselor right now, this is the guy to lead the charge.
; Thank you very much for including the "green" part Dan, we find that it greatly enriches the picture we get in our minds. It is very essential to the detail of this glorious article. -_-;
