I am still enchanted by the light you brought to me…
Going back to 1987 I’ve seen U2 fifteen times and with the unfortunate exception of never seeing them in small club, I’ve seen them from just about every angle. I’ve sat behind the stage in San Diego, I’ve sat in the back end of the LA Coliseum, and front and center in the Circle of Love. I even had the chance to meet Bono and Adam Clayton back stage before PopMart in Seattle and then share a bottle of Stoli with Eddie Vedder, Chris Cornell and Jerry Cantrell as we watched the show from the sound board in the middle of the Kingdome. Some shows have been better than others but I can’t say that I’ve ever been to a bad U2 concert or a show that they just phoned in. They get it and they deliver it, every time.
This week the behemoth known as U2’s 360 tour came to Phoenix. Bono called it an attempt at “intimacy on a grand scale” and they nailed it. The largest stage in history called The Claw turns a state-of-the-art football stadium like the home of the Cardinals into an 8,000 seat theatre with all of the intimacy that kind of venue can deliver. Obviously with HD technology seeing the band is no problem, but on top of that the sound was nearly perfect.
This show was flat out amazing!
Beyond the staging, the effects, and the sound the set list was fantastic. If you’re new to U2 or just a casual observer you may have been a bit surprised at the number of songs you didn’t recognize and disappointed by the number of “hits” that they didn’t play. For long time fans this set was fresh, new and outstandingly creative.
First, what they didn’t play… Bad, an outstanding center piece of many a tour. Pride, an emotional sing along. I Will Follow, New Year’s Day, Bullet the Blue Sky… all out. All great songs but it was nice to see them off the list for this gig.
My view of No Line on the Horizon is that it is a great album similar to The Unforgettable Fire but without a big radio hit like Pride. No Line features lots of great atmosphere and songs that grow with you over time rather than jumping out as obvious “hits”, whatever that means.
And just to show you what U2 think of No Line, they played 7 of the 11 songs on the album! Match that with two deep cuts from TUF and more than 1/3 of the show was songs that the casual fan could most likely not name. Replacing Bad as the centerpiece of the show was another TUF song that I don’t believe they’ve every really performed much, The Unforgettable Fire. This song fit so perfectly and was so well done it’s hard to believe. I’m fascinated to hear how this idea came about, I mean this is a nice song on TUF but presented and performed in this way the song is transformed. I see it in a whole new way. I guess it’s not unusual for bands to do this but this is the best example I’ve seen.
The second high point for me was Ultra Violet, another deep cut from another great album, Achtung Baby. This song has long been a favorite for me but was not one that they’ve played, even on the Zoo TV tour. So it was a great surprise to see them include this tune. For the rest it was a good mix of 24 songs from 7 albums.
If you have the chance, go see this show. And don’t feel like you need to drop $250 to sit up front, there’s not a bad seat in the house!
Setlist: Courtesy of U2Gigs
1. Breathe
2. Get On Your Boots
3. Magnificent
4. Mysterious Ways
5. Beautiful Day / Blackbird (snippet)
6. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / Dirty Old Town (snippet)
7. Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of
8. No Line On The Horizon
9. Elevation
10. In A Little While
11. Unknown Caller
12. Until The End Of The World
13. The Unforgettable Fire
14. City Of Blinding Lights / Mofo
15. Vertigo
16. I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight / Thank You / Two Tribes (snippet)
17. Sunday Bloody Sunday / Rock The Casbah
18. MLK
19. Walk On / You’ll Never Walk Alone (snippet)
20. One / Amazing Grace (snippets)
21. Where The Streets Have No Name / All You Need Is Love (snippet)
22. Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
23. With Or Without You
24. Moment Of Surrender
