I tried so hard for several years to see U2 in concert but it wasn't until tonight that my uncle's early Christmas gift made a dream come true for me. The show was everything that I hoped (and knew) it would be. From the opening "City of Blinding Lights" to the fading out of the double encore's "40," Bono's voice (not to mention the band's performance) never faltered--not even slightly. It's amazing to witness firsthand the energy and charisma that these four individuals bring to the stage. With only seven stops left on their U.S. tour, these guys still manage to have their "A game" up there--they really make you feel that this is the commencement of the tour rather than its finale.
Although they did not play some of my favorite songs ("I Fall Down," "The Fly," "Wire," "Trip Through Your Wires," "The Unforgettable Fire," to name a few) you simply cannot leave with an ounce of disappointment in your body. My only thoughts are: "Perhaps they will play those songs the next time I see them?" and "How long must I wait until that day?" In retrospect, perhaps it would have been better to NOT have seen this concert--for now I know what I have been missing all these years.
On a quick side note, although the posted playlist does not mention it, they did play snippets of "Rock the Casbah" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" at the same points in which they were played during December 5th's show in Boston, MA.
Also worth mentioning is the interesting fact that during "Sunday Bloody Sunday," Bono brought a young male child from the crowd up onto the stage with him and had him passionately yell, "No more!" into the microphone several times. This was part of his message that called for religious tolerance and equality ("Jesus. Jew. Mohammed. It's true. All sons of Father Abraham.") Following the boy's rant, Bono asked him what his name was. He answered, "Jacob," to which an astonished Bono replied, "Wow. This REALLY is a son of Abraham!" This, of course, was immediately followed by "Bullet the Blue Sky," which features the line, "Jacob wrestled the angel," which I thought was a pretty cool coincidence--but maybe that's just me. :)
All in all, at the risk of sounding a bit cliche`, this concert was probably the best one I've ever been to (and I've been to many.) It is an amazing experience and should not be missed. If you were like me all those years and had the unfortunate luck of missing out this year, I strongly suggest that you purchase the new 2005 Vertigo Tour DVD. You won't be sorry that you did.

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