U2 Show

Last night I attended a U2 concert. U2 has always just kind of been in the background, not offending me but not really holding my interest either. For a while in the 80s and 90s, it looked like R.E.M. and U2 would be battling for the title of Biggest Band in the World. It's not looking like much of a contest these days.

But U2's lyrics can be so cliched as to make Oasis look like high literature (see anything off Achtung Baby). They can at times be powerful and poetic, and their political orientation has made the world a better place. But when they stray from heavy-handed politics into relationships or anything else, it's awkward.

The biggest impression I got last night was from The Edge's guitar playing. He gets an incredibly huge sound out of his guitar and his trademark delay, giving the entire band a very distinctive sound.

Jen was pissed that more people didn't clap when the band denounced torture. I didn't really notice that. Bono did thank Jesse Helms for his work against AIDS, and everyone booed, but Bono said he was serious, and that activism can come from all sides of the political spectrum. Certainly Jesse Helms' late-period awakening to the AIDS crisis is heartening, but compassionate conservatism is usually pretty light on compassion.

The stage was a series of concentric lit ovals and iridescent light curtains. Very cool. The band was tight, the sound was good enough, and the song selection was great - all the classics represented, and I knew more of the newer songs than I had expected to. All in all, well worth it, and I'm happy that I've had a chance to see them.