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U2 back to frisky self this time out
Band digs deep in encore concerts
By Greg Kot
Tribune music critic
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.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/reviews/critics/chi-0509250478sep25,1,6639899.story
Band digs deep in encore concerts
By Greg Kot
Tribune music critic
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.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/reviews/critics/chi-0509250478sep25,1,6639899.story
I don't know, ask Chizip.
