U2 Redeemed!
Chris, this is in response to your email, but for anyone else to read:I saw U2 on Wednesday night with hopes that they would redeem themselves for the concert that I saw in May. The show in May was good fun, but lame in a lot of ways. For one, they opened AND closed with Vertigo, with no other encore songs. No Yahweh, no Bad, no 40, none of the good stuff that all the other shows had. I think that they were trying to film a dvd the night I went, thus all of the new songs, which don't mean as much to me as the old ones. So anyway...
Highlight #1: Wild Horses. Edge starts the song just playing G and C on an acoustic guitar. Nothing fancy. Midway through the song a keyboard player appears and starts adding some stringed instrument sounds--BEAUTIFUL. Larry and Adam then come in, Larry playing with soft, felt-tipped drumsticks. I never realized how much I love that part "Don't turn around...Don't turn around...and don't look back." I found myself singing along with Bono's intensity. Then, thinking that the old man can't hit the high notes like he used to, he nails it, "Don't you look back." I'm in love with that song again.
#2: Sometimes you can't make it on your own. I like this song and everything, but like I said, the new music doesn't do it for me quite like the old. HOWEVER, Bono's performance of this song brought me to a new level of appreciation. At this line, "We fight, all the time, you and I..." his voice cracks and he can't finish the verse, and brings his fingers to his eyes and quickly composes himself to finish.
#3: Just like Wild Horses, Yahweh begins just with Edge playing acoustic chords, just strumming. The light show shifts from the shape of a cross, to a dove flying, then back again. Very cool. Different entonations and note variation revealed how much Bono was into this song. I realize that you probably already saw this at your show, but just keep in mind that we were a little bit deprived of these "U2 unplugged" type songs back in May.
#4. THE BEST MOMENT OF THE NIGHT (the numbers are just chronological) was by far the performance of Miss Sarajevo. With Edge playing piano chords, Bono begins giving sort of an apology for the Zoo TV tour, but says that the best thing that came out of that tour was being able to telecast directly into Sarajevo at the height of its seige. He takes about 5 minutes to give a background to the conflict and the depth of suffering taking place there, then shares how some brilliant people staged this beauty pageant with the contestants holding a banner reading "DON'T LET THEM KILL US". What can I say? I had tears throughout the song. Bono sang Pavarotti's part so well that I'm glad Luciano wasn't there to sing it himself. Get this, there must have been some Bosnians sitting near me because they were screaming the whole time he was talking "Thank you! Thank you! That was my home!"
#5: Bad. I've only dreamt of hearing Bad live. But get this, after all of the "dislocation, condemnation, etc." words he eases into "The First Time" still playing the chords to Bad. It worked perfectly, although I wish Edge had thrown in the minor chords on "shows me colors when there's none to see..." Instead he kept the major chords of Bad. Then yet again, thinking that Bono's voice could no longer handle the high notes, he proves me wrong with "I'm wide awake! I'm wide awake! I'm wide awake!" only on the last one I think he held out "wide" for several counts. Bad and The First Time, in one song, wish you could have been there.
#6: 40. Yes I believe the rumors now, U2 closes this tour by singing Psalm 40. Only Larry Mullen Jr. gets his moment of glory at the end. Tell me if you're not sure what I'm talking about because I have to cut this short here. I do have one moment of the night to share with you where Pastor Henry and I just looked at each other and said "Bono's a serious dork."
posted by Firelance @ 9:50 PM
Comments: 7
