As I hinted earlier, my birfday present from my charming, sexy and beautiful husband was two tickets to Saturday's U2 show in Chicago. Admittedly, I've come to the fandom a bit late in the game, with my love for the band beginning with Achtung Baby and crystallizing to full-blown fandom with All That You Can't Leave Behind.
The reason for it? I hated preachy Bono during the 80s. I still sort of do. But that's something else for later.
But I have to agree with the critics -- see U2 live before they break up, retire or drop dead. They give a great live performance and interact well with the crowd, which loves the hell out of them back.
They opened with "Love and Peace" from the new album, coming onstage in the dark with flashlights. It wasn't a bright and perky opener, but I liked the moody entrance and the way it got the crowd wound up.
That's the thing about sitting in the nosebleed seats -- you get a good sociological view of a concert, but it's hard to rock out to it.
Anyways, the show hit pretty much all the hits from the recent past, Joshua Tree, October and Boy even. The band plays together perfectly and I've gained a deeper appreciation for Larry and Adam from the live show. Adam's bass is more pronounced and while some people may say his work is pretty simple, it does keep the band well anchored. Larry's drumming was pretty damn cool -- especially during Sunday Bloody Sunday.
Bono's showmanship also plays well to the audience. The strutting during Zoo Station is awesome to see and I couldn't stop squeeing all over the damned place. Adam's also up there too, toying with the audience as he strutted the catwalk. Edge's blues riffs during Bullet in a Blue Sky reminds one that the man can play other stuff besides his echoing, broad sound.
While they played pretty much everything that I wanted them to play, I do wish they played "Crumbs from Your Table" from the new album. I think that would've done well in their "political commentary" portion of the concert.
The crowd singing "40" was also chilling in a way. It's neat to see people continue singing after the band leaves the stage, but the house lights haven't come up yet. One moment of unity in a weird way.
The only weirdly annoying part was before the concert when Keidra and I grabbed some food before the concert at the United Center. There were two divorced guys talking loudly about U2 (I'm not sure if they wanted me to join in or what) and how hot the chicks were at the concert. Bizarre.
I also got a couple of compliments on my South Park/U2 shirt that I made for the concert. I did pick up a shirt, but I also wish that I could've gotten my hands on a shirt I saw someone else had with different bombs on the front and different phobias on the back.
It was just a cool concert. I'm still floating on a sea of post-concert bliss. I can't wait to see them again in September and rock out on the floor. Then I can jump up and down without fear of falling to my death.
Edited to add: I have to say that I'm one of those fangirls that didn't understand why people thought Bono was sexy. After seeing the concert, I can now understand why some people think that a short, stubby Irishman that's built like a retired rugby player is hawt. The man's got charisma that translates to the nosebleed seats.
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