I have been to several of the Vertigo shows and have been quite close to the stage a couple of times. There have been a few occasions when it seemed that the music was being lip-synched to. I just figured it was a necessary bridge for a voice that is probably being run ragged from singing every night for nearly a year...

Maybe I should not be this generous since the tickets are so costly. But then, maybe my expectations are also lower. In my opinion, there is so much going on at these shows anyway, it is really up to the viewer to choose what to focus on and to make out of the experience something that is meaningful to him/her -- this is the difference between being an active participant in live theater and a passive consumer.

I am completely new to the whole U2 world-- but it seems to me that a creative willingness to participate in the making of the show is the hallmark of the U2 audience -- I'm really not sure the band would be much of anywhere at all without its fans throwing so much of themselves into the process (so let's hope the band has never been cynical about who they are playing to). Being at the concerts is like witnessing a 20,000-strong collaborative effort! I can't imagine anyone being disappointed unless he/she has been personally lazy, has unrealistic expectations, or has simply forgotten that Bono et al are, after all, still only humans. The onus of making a good party is on us! The band is simply a very very excellent vehicle. Sorry if you guys in Las Vegas had a bad time. / S.W.

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