U2
LIVE -- April 12, 2001
By: Jeff Leisawitz - ModernRock.com
Seattle/Tacoma:
In 2001 there are only a handful of superstar recording artists in the world that play live shows as both a nostalgia act and a vital, relevant cultural force. U2 is one of these bands. On tour to support their critical and commercial come back album, All That You Can’t Leave Behind, Bono, the Edge and crew rocked the packed out Tacoma Dome after a skyrocket set by Londoner PJ Harvey.
With a heart shaped catwalk and general admission seating on the floor, the Irish icons took the stage to “Elevation,” the next single slated for release this summer. With the house lights on and the audience in a visible frenzy, U2 charged forward with the energy of a young band, not a veteran rock act that’s played thousands of gigs worldwide.
When the house lights finally dropped and the stage lights surged the band fell into a simple rock star formation. After the multi-million dollar miscalculation of the last time around— the ill fated Pop Mart tour— things were consciously stripped down. This time it was all about the music. Not the giant lemon.
For the next two and a half hours Bono led the band through a set that featured music from the last two decades. From the call to arms of “I Will Follow” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday” U2 charged through many popular classics from their vast catalog. “Bullet the Blue Sky,” “In the Name of Love,” and a dazzling acoustic arrangement of “Desire” all had the room singing along. While the band dropped a few new obscure album tracks into the mix, the single “Beautiful Day” once again brought the crowd to a frenetic cheer.
Along with the pop songs and political statements were several of the spiritual anthems that lie at the heart of the U2 sound. “Bad,” “Where the Streets Have No Name” and a downtempo version of “With or Without You” each echoed a deep resonance of emotional and spiritual awakening.
After introducing the members of the group, U2 pushed through two full encores, finally ending the show with a thunderous, extended version of “Walk On.”
The mostly twenty and thirty something crowd responded gleefully through the length of the set. Some were there to relive the triumphs of the quartet's 80’s heyday, others were there to hear the fresh sounds and perspective of the new millennium U2. No one was disappointed.
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