Worshipping at the Altar of U2 -- Vertigo Tour, Boston, May 26, 2005 May 27 '05    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Music Revelation [Digipak] by Journey From $12 Machine Gun Etiquette by The Damned From $40 The Bottom Line U2's concert last night (5/26/05) in Boston was the real thing, even better than the real thing. Currently the biggest rock band in the world, U2 can provoke an emotional response from even the most stoic. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my brother as animated as he was when he ran up to meet my mom and me after the concert, sliding on his knees and nearly genuflecting. Before the concert, my brother and my mom asked me if I was a die-hard U2 fan like they were. I said that I liked U2, of course, but I wasn’t as passionate about them as a lot of people are. Well, that was before I saw the band live. I have newfound respect and admiration for a group that I already loved. Larry’s rhythm, Adam’s bass, Bono’s gorgeous voice, and, especially, the Edge’s guitar playing.... It’s absolutely phenomenal when you hear it in person. Now, I’m a die-hard fan. While most rock stars spend their money on cocaine and groupies, U2’s Bono has dedicated much of his life to bettering the world. His campaigns revolve around poverty, AIDS, and human rights issues. Bono’s passion is infectious, and he can unite people of differing political views. He once, famously, made Senator Jesse Helms cry, and last night, we witnessed a Republican father and his liberal son declare their love and admiration for each other. This touching moment was particularly apt since U2’s latest album, How to Dismantle and Atomic Bomb, is the band’s most personal. Bono dedicated “Sometimes You Can’t Make it On Your Own,” a song so beautiful it almost makes me cry, to his father. Some people call Bono a shameless self-promoter, and, well, he does have a bit of a messiah complex. During the encore, he had his security guards drag a female fan up onto the stage, and he ceremoniously hugged her as if he was baptizing her in his sweat. But, hey, if it weren’t for Bono’s political efforts, we wouldn’t have been at the concert in the first place. My brother, my mom, and I got to attend the concert because we were collecting petitions for Amnesty International. There were five of us volunteering, so we each took a half-hour shift at the table during the main act and got to see the majority of the concert. The sound was good in the concourse, so I got to hear everything even when I was manning our booth. Thursday night’s concert was, according to newspaper reports, less rowdy than Tuesday’s. My mom and I stood on the floor (General Admission section) during the beginning of the show, and U2’s appearance on stage was nearly overshadowed by the arrival of Al Gore and Patriots linebacker Teddy Bruschi (not together) a few minutes earlier. I don’t expect Bono to descend from a chandelier like Cher does, but their entrance was a little anti-climactic. Or perhaps it was just that we couldn’t see. The flat, General Admissions section is definitely not designed for short people. We stayed on the floor for the first three songs and then retreated to the loge section portals where kind ushers let us stand. My brother, who is a few inches taller, stayed on the floor and enjoyed the energy of the crowd and being so close to the band. Opening with “City of Blinding Lights” and ending the show with “Bad” from The Unforgettable Fire, U2 played a good mix of old and new songs. More than 25 years after their first Boston concert, U2 is still at the top of its game, full of energy and passion. It was a treat to hear an old school track like “Out of Control,” which was written before I was born. Most of Bono’s stage banter was political in nature, as was to be expected. He dedicated “Pride” to Martin Luther King, “Running to Stand Still” to soldiers fighting abroad, and “Miracle Drug” to those working to find a cure for AIDS. Before “Pride,” he also showed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights being read by a little girl. During “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Bullet the Blue Sky,” he dressed as a prisoner with a bandana and talked about how Jesus and Mohammed are both “sons of Abraham.” The Edge’s machine-gun-esque guitar on “Sunday Bloody Sunday” was especially impressive. He also played a mean keyboards on “Original of the Species,” which I thought was one of the more bland songs on the new album, but it sounds incredible live. Another highlight was when they played the gorgeous "One," which also happens to be the name of Bono's new anti-poverty campaign (www.one.org). Everyone waves their cell phones to light up the arena, and the song is even more heart-breakingly beautiful than it is on CD. Bono took time out to acknowledge Boston’s intellectual culture by giving a shout-out to Harvard President Larry Summers, with whom he has worked on Third World dept relief. He also praised Boston’s musical history, paying homage to audience member Steven Tyler by singing bits of “Walk This Way” and “Dream On” at the end of “Vertigo” and “Beautiful Day,” respectively. The Vertigo Tour features a main stage area and a circular catwalk snaking out about a quarter of the way through the floor. People with General Admission tickets wait in line to receive a wristband, and the very first people get special wristbands for the inner circle. Steven Tyler was in the inner circle last night, but I highly doubt that he had been standing out in the rain from 10:00 in the morning until the doors opened at 6:00 PM like some fans were. Above the stage were four screens, each of which focused on one member of the band during most of the songs. At other times, the screens showed political imagery or computerized artwork. A curtain of lights descended during some songs to display patterns of light or images. Opening band Kings of Leon played fuzzy, indie, garage rock that would have been much better suited for a smaller venue. The lead singer looked like the love child of Jack White and Ashton Kutcher. They played a bit too long, in my opinion, but I did enjoy hearing that song from the Volkswagon commercial where the people are jumping around in their apartment, and then they move to a house where they can be loud. You know what I’m talking about. Setlist City of Blinding Lights Vertigo (with a bit of “Walk This Way”) Elevation Gloria The Ocean Beautiful Day (with a bit of “Dream On”) Miracle Drug Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own Love and Peace or Else Sunday Bloody Sunday Bullet the Blue Sky Running to Stand Still Pride (In the Name of Love) Where the Streets Have No Name One Encores: The Fly Until the End of the World Out of Control With or Without You All Because of You Original of the Species Bad / 40 (snippet) While the crowd seemed a little subdued at the beginning of the show, they didn’t want it to end. Bono encouraged a sing-along on "Bad," and the crowd continued singing at the top of its collective lungs even after the house lights came back on. Wide awake I’m no sleeping Oh, no, no, no Amen.

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