By Brendan Killeen in Copenhagen

U2 wowed 10,000 fans at the Forum Centre in Copenhagen on Friday, as they kicked off the European leg of Elevation, a tour that may well be their best ever.

Just after 9.15 Larry, Adam and the Edge made their way onto a fully lit stage, closely followed by Bono as the opening chords of their new single Elevation boomed around the venue. For almost two and a half hours the 10,000 capacity crowd rocked, rolled and sweated their way through a set that included several songs from the new album but which was basically a greatest hits show.

Despite some sound problems during the first few songs, the crowd, who had been nicely warmed up by the Stereophonics, lapped it up as the most famous frontman in the business strutted and posed his way around the stage. Lingering on the very edges of the heart shaped runway, which brought him to the centre of the audience, Bono playfully poured water on to the steaming fans.

After the intro, Beautiful Day, New York, Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of and In a Little While followed in quick succession.

"That feels like a welcome," an uncharacteristically quiet Bono said a couple of songs into the set. "It's great to be back in Europe on the first date of our tour, hope we don't blow it!"

At this stage Bono acknowledged the smothering heat, which resulted in at least 50 people being treated for heat exhaustion.

"Vikings don't have weather like this. So that's why you came over to Ireland and robbed all our bitches, you wanted to get out of the heat, is that it?" he said before introducing Kite.

Anthems
Anybody feeling the heat was in for more as the band, which dominated stadium rock for the past two decades, belted out one after another of the anthems that made them famous.

The first chords of I will Follow, the drum beat at the heart of Sunday Bloody Sunday and the chorus of Pride have all been heard before but just get better with age. Bad pushed the audience over the edge as the entire arena from front to back punched the air, clapped and sang every word.

But the climax came as the Edge, who played a blinder all night, caressed the first chords of Where the Streets Have No Name. As the understated backdrop to the stage took on a characteristically red glow the crowd started to sing the lyrics. After the first verse in age old fashion the arena lights came on and band and audience acknowledged a job well done.

Throughout the show the stage acted as a backdrop rather than a fifth member of the band and it was a relief. That's not to say that's it boring just subtle, with a few tricks here and there to remind of the excesses of the past. That sums up the whole show - its humble and understated - not words usually associated with U2, but it works and this could be the best travelling show the band has ever put on. Of course Slane will be a monster event, so the group's Irish fans may never get to see the Elevation Tour at its best. In the meantime the rest of Europe has something to look forward to.

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