U2 in Glendale, AZ 10/20/2009

Back in March, I buried U2 following the release of No Line on the Horizon which I felt, for the most part, was mailed in. I like it more than I did then, but its still a pretty weak effort. In spite of that, I still love the band's larger body of work. I had planned to see them at the Rose Bowl, but ticket prices were off the charts. Fortunately, Blue Napkins found reasonably prices GA tickets for the show in Arizona, just a few short hours away by car. It was on.

First let me say as a Cardinals fan, it was pretty sweet seeing University of Phoenix Stadium from the field. Second, the opening act was the Black Eyed Peas. I love the Peas. They're a bit of a strange choice to open for U2, but since I'm one of the handful of people who likes both bands I was pumped. They didn't disappoint, coming out with a green laser lit stage show and bass strong enough to create a breeze. They played a solid hour before giving way to U2.

I didn't quite know what to expect. No Line wasn't great and worse, Bono's voice had been declining in recent years. Within a couple songs, it was clear Bono was at the top of his game. We were in the "inner circle" so we were periodically treated to The Edge walking over our heads on the mobile bridge. The set list was pretty heavy with new material, but they played two of the best tracks on it, No Line on the Horizon and Magnificent. I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight was a pretty pedestrian song on the CD, but for the tour they have morphed it into a bizarre tribal disco song which was amazing. Overall, I give the venue, opening act, and U2 all raves. One of the best shows I've been to. The entire set list can be found here courtesy of The Arizona Republic.

Highlights: Magnificent, I'll Go Crazy remix, Where the Streets Have No Name (the visuals paid homage to their performance at Sun Devil Stadium for Rattle and Hum), and Ultra Violet

WTF Moment: Concert goers were asked to put on masks of a Burmese political dissident for Walk On and masked ONE campaign volunteers took the stage during the performance. It was a noble cause, but the act was just a bit over the top.