The gap between a $17.50 Joshua Tree Tour ticket in December of '87 and the Vertigo show was finally closed last Friday night in Atlanta, washing away 17 years of U2 concert drought. The tickets had been tacked to the bulletin board in our kitchen since March and the thought of actually going to show drifted into myth. But it happened! And it was amazing.

From the start, the Edge anchored the gig with his sublte vibes and ingenious sounds, often overlooked by harder & louder guitarists. He nailed Vertigo to the wall! It was a great number. Clayton was his usual unseen, stealth self but not unheard. The relationship between him and Larry is very connected and their beats and lines settled across the audience like a thick, tangible fog. Bono was, of course, the center of everyone's attention, somehow miraculously creating intimancy in the impersonal arena. The runway from the main stage was a great idea, as well was the filmstrip-like screen, highlighting all four musicians, bringing the show forward for everyone to see. Stuck in a Moment literally shrunk the arena to a living room feel with the Edge and Bono going acoustic.

U2 fans are uniquely dedicated to whole show, standing and singing every word, from the start through the final encore. Bono seems to count on it; dropping out on Elevation, letting the crowd to get the job done vocally. I guess I've been to shows where people stand and sing the whole time, but this one's different from some reason. It almost feels like a giant worship service. Personally, I loved hearing the lady behind me, who had too many drinks, sing every word to Psalms 40 ("40") - it's a great scene!

It's hard to settle on a better record than the Joshua Tree (U2's symphony in my opinion) but How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb has it's brilliancy throughout, and the live show was rad beyond description. There hasn't been a bigger sound out of three musicians since The Police. I appreciated the diversity in the song choices, ranging from this the newest to the ones written 25 years ago. I loved every minute of the show (the headband thing was a little wierd, though) and if they return to Atlanta again, I'll be there.

Long Time Fan,
Derek Sweatman

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