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By Julie Rowe
2005.04
U2 fans are a pretty spoiled lot; we only want the best. Did we ask too much, more than a lot? Sunday night's show, the Seattle opener, was a good show by a great band but it's fair to say that the general consensus among U2's die-hard fans was that it was something of a sleeper—at least by comparison with some of the band's other performances. But even if longtime fans weren't blown away by Sunday's performance, new fans, or those seeing them live for the first time, were, leading many to return on Monday, including Seattle's own Bill Gates who was spotted in the crowd both nights.
And for discerning followers, too, Sunday had its gems, especially the "The Electric Co." and "Stories For Boys"—songs some probably never expected to hear live again.
The show had problems, the band seemed a little low on energy but possibly the biggest issue was the sound. Larry Mullen Jr. was way up in the mix, dominating the music, while The Edge seemed to phase in and out, and Bono was nearly a "drowning man" trying to be heard in the middle of it all. To be fair, sound is often a problem at Key Arena.
"Miracle Drug," played during the middle of the first set, carried a dedication to a woman named Jennifer, who Bono described as being "very brave and cool" despite being "very ill."
"Where the Streets Have No Name," played toward the end of the first set, worked its usual magic over the crowd, with old and new fans alike mesmerized and uplifted. Speaking of which, Bono pulled up three lucky fans on Sunday night, starting with a man at the beginning of the show. Later on Bono chose a blonde woman from within the Ellipse (AKA, the general admission floor), who probably holds the world record for the longest Bono hug—onstage or off. Then she and Bono went for a walk before he kissed her hand and let her down. The last one came during "Mysterious Ways," when Bono again plucked a woman from the audience for a quick dance, and then gave her a piggyback ride to boot.
Near the end of "Bullet The Blue Sky," another first set highlight, a blindfolded Bono knelt down on the stage with his hands above his head, and moments later the sound effect of a gunshot wound was heard, a powerful and disturbing image to accompany a very powerful song.
It wouldn't make my list of greatest shows, but it certainly had its share of highlights.
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Published on
04-27-2005 at 11:19 PM |
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05-02-2005 08:03 PM - Review: U2 at Key Arena in Seattle, April 24, 2005
