U2

On our way to the show last night, we drove under a full rainbow. How cool is that!

Concert Review:
Opening act, Kings of Leon: All right musically, but WAAYY too loud. No clue what the lead singer was going on about. He looked like an elf with a perpetual scowl. Never saw the second guitar player’s face. The bass player was cute, the drummer looked like an accountant in a “rock star wig.” Like I said, musically they were fine, but performance-wise.....bleahhh. They put their heart and soul out there, I'll say that.

Then there was the usual 40-minute lull while the roadies regrouped, removing the pink drum set (!!) and doing amp/guitar/drum checks, loading the techs into the catwalks, checking the lights, etc. The remainder of the stadium filled up eventually, although an empty seat just in front of us stayed empty the entire show. We sat in nosebleed territory directly behind the stage.

This tour has gotten a lot of heat from critics for playing “old stuff” (translation: safe stuff) and just a few songs from "...Atomic Bomb" and not much else. I’m not sure where these critics are seeing the show. OK, Zooropa was not very much in evidence (since I don’t have that CD, I didn’t miss those songs) and I only didn’t recognize one song they did. However, that’s why I pay money to see a band I like at an arena: not to hear a bunch of songs I don’t know/like, but to hear the old things I do like (“Electric Company” “How Long”) along with the good cuts off the new disc.

There were the obligatory social calls for peace-love-and-social-justice (along with a table in the concourse to sign up for and donate to U2's One Campaign) and some subtle light and FX stabs at current world (U.S.) events, which I’m sure that many people missed (George Bush’s profile in Andy Warhol-style lights while Bono sings “Suspicion” anyone??). Really good, mostly unobtrusive stage layout and FX.

I will say that I checked my watch a few times; things could have moved along a little faster. On the other hand, a fan was brought onstage, a young woman who then played “Party Girl” well enough to be accompanied by the Bono singing and the Edge and Adam backing her up. Amazing, that!

Final Score:
Two encores, two times Larry actually left the drum set, one Bono-crawl and -fetal-curl onstage (I have no idea why), two straight-out pleas for the end of poverty, one call for everyone to wave their cell phones, two people behind us who talked (i.e. shouted) through the entire U2 performance. Oh, and some serious audio nerve damage.

Good show, good company (for the most part), fun times.

Plus a cool army-green T-shirt that I don't understand, similar to the shirt near the upper left of this photo: Heart
Peace
Bomb

huh???


Happy Mother's Day to me (I also got two big planters of flowers, two mini traffic cones similar to this and a lovely relaxing day in the sun. Couldn't ask for more.)