I echo what everyone else has said. What an amazing performance. Heartfelt. Beautifully understated. Simple yet powerful. I'd love to see more of this. However, I don't make the leap some are making from here to "see, he's got to stop trying to do xyz that he can't do anymore and do this."
There have been plenty of inspired vocal performances- both studio and live- in recent years. Just take Raised by Wolves, Red Flag Day and Crystal Ballroom as examples. Sounds very youthful and energetic. Or look at live performances of I Will Follow and Electric Co the last few tours. Still keeping up with those. Let's not lose site of that.
Anyways, I digress. Regardless of abilities or going for notes or whatever, anyone who watched this would have to admit this kind of performance is right in Bono's wheelhouse these days. I hope he pays attention to that.
I also hope the band leans further into what they've started in the 2010s decade- namely the 2011 leg of 360 with AB- and acknowledges that while they always will look forward, their greatest asset is their amazing catalog. It's okay to lean on that! When they have, reviews have been very positive. Angel of Harlem and Beautiful Day on Fallon in 2015. Bullet on Fallon in 2017. JT 30 tour. The list goes on.
I just hope they're gradually realizing that a performance like this is going to have far, far more impact and get much more praise than forcing Get Out of Your Own Way on a freezing barge in front of the whole damn world.
I think many of us here, myself included, underestimate the good will that JT 30 brought them. I attended the San Diego show and there was another big act in town around the same time. Forget who it was- may have been GNR. I was talking to some people in the hotel hot tub who complained that the other act they saw played too short of a setlist and not enough songs people knew.
They were very interested in my seeing U2 and wanted to know how it stacked up. These were casual music fans who had no more knowledge of U2 than the average non fan. I explained how they started with the 4 iconic Pre JT songs (SBS, NYD, Bad, Pride), then did JT straight through to the encore. I described the encore as a hand full of songs that came after JT in their career- highlighting BD, Vertigo and One.
They all looked at each other, nodding in agreement and one guy finally said "that sounds like a really great show." A younger woman then chimed in "yeah, I don't even like U2, but that's an amazing way to structure a set. I would see that show."
And of course, I had walked out of the stadium the night before with my setlist complaints firmly in place. I got acoustic best thing and no I Will Follow or Little Things. For all of us, myself included, it was a reminder that sometimes we need to take a step back and see what we've got with this band.
Including pointing out some GREAT things that have happened with them over the last 10 years. For me, at the top of that list is their willingness to dig in the catalog more and actually embrace their past.