MONTREAL (Reuters) - Irish rock band U2 kicked off a two-night stand in Canada's French-speaking metropolis on Sunday night with lead singer Bono declaring, ``This is the noisiest crowd of the whole tour.'' Some 20,000 fans packed Montreal's Molson Center for U2's ''Elevation 2001 Tour,'' named after a track on the group's latest album, ``All That You Can't Leave Behind.''

The foursome played for more than two hours, combining early 1980s hits such as ``Pride (In The Name of Love)'' and ''Sunday Bloody Sunday'' with more recent songs such as ''Discotheque'' and ``Mysterious Ways,'' as well as a half-dozen songs from the new album. Bono, 41, who became a father for the fourth time last Monday, enticingly danced and crawled on the heart-shaped stage, glad-handing crazed French-Canadian fans, some waving the Irish flag. After Monday's second show in Montreal, U2 will return to the United States for a concert in Detroit Wednesday. The North American leg wraps in East Rutherford, N.J. June 22, and the group will begin the European leg in Copenhagen July 6. A remixed version ``Elevation'' appears on the new CD soundtrack to the upcoming Angelina Jolie film ``Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.''