By JANE STEVENSON - Toronto Sun
SUNRISE, Fla. -- It wasn't the end of the show, but it could have been. The end of U2's Elevation 2001 tour, and frontman Bono for that matter.

The singer fell from the band's head-high, heart-shaped catwalk early in the launch of their Elevation 2001 Tour at the National Car Rental Centre in this Ft. Lauderdale surburb on Saturday night.

But, according to witnesses close by, after a few stunned moments of lying motionless on the ground, he rose to his feet and climbed back up on stage to continue singing the third song of the night, Until The End Of The World.

Because the house lights were briefly darkened during Bono's fall, and the 40-year-old singer responded so quickly, the accident barely registered with most of the sold-out crowd of 19,000.

Had he been seriously hurt, it would have been disastrous for him personally, and for U2, who have just begun a lengthy tour of North America. They play Toronto on May 24 and 25 at the Air Canada Centre.

When the tour wraps up in East Rutherford, N.J., on June 22, it will be followed by a lengthy jaunt in Europe starting on July 9 in Copenhagen.

Chances are that Bono, who later ran laps around the catwalk and leapt into the crowd, will be more careful tonight during the second show here.

In the meantime, here's a list of what worked and what didn't during the opening night's two- hour show:

SETLIST: U2 chose their first four songs wisely, beginning with the new song Elevation -- with all the house lights up -- and followed by hair-raising renditions of Beautiful Day, Until The End Of The World and New Year's Day.

Unfortunately, the opening was so powerful, the rest of the show had a lot to live up to. I would cut out some of the slower songs in the middle and add such anthems as Pride (In The Name Of Love) or even more recent songs like Miami, from 1997's Pop, considering where they were launching the tour.

THE HEART-SHAPED CATWALK: When he wasn't falling from it, Bono seemed pretty comfortable up there as he was able to expertly work the entire room. At one point, a fan on the floor offered him a huge sunflower and he grabbed it between his teeth and struck a pose like a flamenco dancer. The catwalk also acted as a barricade on the floor with the band -- and 300 wristband holders allowed inside the hollowed-out heart -- on one side, and the rest of the audience on the other.

STAGE AND LIGHTING: Four large video screens above the stage broadcasting black-and-white images of each band member were a classy addition. Too often, though, the video was turned off in favour of other effects coming from an enormous lighting rig. I would have kept the video throughout.

BAND DEMEANOUR: Other than Bono, the rest of the group seemed a tad restrained, making guitarist The Edge's forays out onto the catwalk welcome. Bono referred to the toque-wearing guitar player as "the man whose brain is so big he has to wear a hat!"

MERCHANDISE: It ranged from US$90 for a jean jacket to US$2 for a button. I opted for the US$20 program, which featured lengthy interviews with Bono, The Edge, bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. Best quote? When The Edge talks about the infamous 40-foot lemon from the group's PopMart tour: "As a vehicle, I'm afraid it has its limitations, it probably wouldn't get you to work and back. But it could make someone a fantastic cocktail bar."

OPENING ACT: With originally scheduled opener PJ Harvey still sick, Irish pop band The Corrs filled in at the last minute. But their benign and breezy folk-pop sound made it easy for U2 to hit the ground running. How Toronto-based pop artist Nelly Furtado will fare when she opens for the band on Thursday in Charlotte and Friday in Atlanta remains to be seen.