Review: U2 360° — Great Music, Bi-Partisan Politics
by Matt PattersonOK, first things first: U2 put on a great show in FedEx Field in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, September 29, 2009.
This was a relief, because the previous Saturday they had turned in a dismal, oddly disjointed performance on “Saturday Night Live.” But three days later the boys were back in fighting shape; it was, in fact, one of the hardest rocking shows I’ve ever seen them give — and I have seen my share of U2 shows (my lifetime total is now somewhere in the double digits).
The show opened with several numbers from the woefully under-appreciated new album No Line On The Horizon; the thrilling and unique “Breathe,” segued into “Magnificent,” a tune which doesn’t quite soar as as high as it wants to, but comes closer live than on record. The lackluster “Get On Your Boots” was followed by Zoo-era favorite “Mysterious Ways,” bringing the stadium down and prompting Bono to remark, “Well, it’s a warm night after all!” He then gave a preview of the rest of the set: “We have old songs; we have new songs; we have songs we can barely play!”
Next was, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” which they can definitely play, and with verve and passion, even after what must be hundreds of performances. The end of the song dissolves into “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King. As Bono sings the lyrics, “…and the moon is the only light we’ll see,” he motions upwards to the gorgeous, engorging gibbous moon suspended overhead; it was the kind of beautiful, unscripted moment that makes it still worth going to live shows.
Other highlights: “Vertigo” pummeled the audience with it’s rusty razor riff, sped up and compressed to the point of insanity. A retooled, club-trippy, “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight,” featuring drummer Larry Muller on bongos and a giddy The Edge jumping up and down in delight at the marvelous noise swirling around him. A stripped down, acoustic “Stuck In A Moment.” And rarely played gems like “The Unforgettable Fire” and “Your Blue Room.”
Things dragged towards the end of the main set during the (inevitable) political segment. “New Year’s Day” was head-scratchingly dedicated to Ted Kennedy; “Walk On” to Burmese dissident Aung San Suu Kyi. Still, the political set was — thankfully– far shorter than similar segments have been in previous U2 shows. And it was not one sided: Bono, to his great credit, actually uttered the words: “God bless George Bush,” in acknowledgment of the former president’s criminally under-reported efforts at AIDS relief in Africa, which, Bono graciously reminds the packed stadium, have saved countless lives.
Still, the political rally portion was the anti-climatic low-point of the show- – people actually sitting down during the closing songs is most assuredly not what you want.
Thankfully, redemption comes with the encore, starting with “Ultraviolet Light,” a deep album cut from their 90’s masterpiece, Achtung Baby!, featuring Bono singing into a glowing red microphone with red laser beams shooting out from his body (don’t ask me how). “With Or Without You” followed, always a joy to hear live, not least because they often change up the arrangement. For “With Or Without You,” Bono asks the house lights to be shut off and for everyone to hold up their cell phones. “Let’s turn this place into the Milky Way!” he intones, and sure enough, thousands of little points of light flicker into life throughout the black bowl of the stadium, now looking for all the world like a miniature galaxy. For all of the millions of dollars the band must have spent on their state-of-the-art light show, this low tech moment was by far the most affecting.
“Moment of Surrender” from the new album closed the show. It is possibly their best song, and fit perfectly with the rest of the encore. The packed house gave them rapturous, well deserved applause as the band took their bows.
It was a deeply gratifying, heartening night. For all of Bono’s politicking, for the long three decades they have been together, these four men from Dublin have neither lost the need, nor the talent, for the one thing that initially brought them together, and which brought thousands of us to FedEx Field that night:
Rock and Roll. Thank God.
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42 Comments
I've always liked his sound and style. And I'll never forget his complimenting Bush on providing the most aid to Africa of any president in U.S. history.
Say what you will about his F bomb drop on LIVE TV those years ago, his is the kind of rebellious soul that libertarians, independents and conservatives should unite with and support. No one says you have to agree with everything an artist says or does, but when they go out on a limb, a very precarious limb, like Bono and Geldof have in supporting and giving credit to President Bush for efforts he's made, which go unreported, or maligned in the mainstream and entertainment presses, one would be wise to acknowledge that effort.
I've always liked his sound and style. And I'll never forget his complimenting Bush on providing the most aid to Africa of any president in U.S. history.
Say what you will about his F bomb drop on LIVE TV those years ago, his is the kind of rebellious soul that libertarians, independents and conservatives should unite with and support. No one says you have to agree with everything an artist says or does, but when they go out on a limb, a very precarious limb, like Bono and Geldof have in supporting and giving credit to President Bush for efforts he's made, which go unreported, or maligned in the mainstream and entertainment press, one would be wise to acknowledge that effort.
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I remember the good old days when the Irish drank too much and got into fights. Ahhh, my ancestral blood weeps at how sissyfied the Irish have become. Oh, by the way, was this the same George Bush that Bono bragged not taking a phot with to Obama.
Schizoid_Mann said it better in his comments than I can. And although I don't always agree with them politically, I love U2's music (huge fan since the 80's).
i will never forget Bono for bragging on nat'l tv about dodging a hug from GW Bush — he sucks, and I was a U2 fan from the zootv tour days, my spouse from the beginning, the anti-IRA days in great britain. he will need to make things up a lot more to Bush for us to ever look at him in a positive way again.
I must be the only guy in the world who doesn't get what the big deal is about U2. Their songs do nothing for me.
I still love U2, not the biggest fan of the latest album, but still, I just ignore Bono when his goes on his liberal based rants.
I am soooooo excited to see them at the Rose Bowl. my first U2 concert!!
I loved them and saw them a lot in the 80s, now for some reason, can't get excited about U2 anymore. Seeing them recently on SNL only confirmed my ambivalence.
After "Achtung…" I regrettably bought "Zooropa" (and subsequently got rid of it), whose only saving grace is "The Wanderer" and probably only because it's got Johnny Cash singing it. I listened to (but didn't like "Pop"), though I bought and for the most part enjoyed "All That You Can't Leave Behind." Listened to "…Atomic Bomb" and didn't really care for it either. Haven't bought an album since "All That You Can't…" and have no desire to see them in concert anymore. My tastes have taken me heavily into Country music, which, while not necessarily musically complex or filled with profundities, is about as close to a truly "American" music as one can find nowadays.
Be prepared for the crunch: http://www.sgvtribune.com/rds_search/ci_13539129
I hated U2 in the '80s. I never tried to listen to them again. BUT I have much respect for Bono for being consistent in his efforts to make the world a better place, to which his contributions are great.
Prez Hussein should decline the Nobel and give it to Bono.
Hate them. So much good music out there: Black Sabbath, Badfinger, CCR, Conway Twitty, The Beach Boys, Sam and Dave, Otis Redding, James Brown, The Spinners, Wilson Pickett, and the list goes on. But U2 is not on my list. They suck and I mean really suck out loud. There are many guitar players, drummers, bass players, and singers right here in my hometown that would knock them on their unbathed asses. And none of them would be as politically preachy and devoid of content as U2. These are the bastards who fly all over the planet in lear jets and preach about global warming. Why are they on a conservative web site? To hell with U2, to hell with Dave Matthews, to hell with John Mayer, to hell with all douchebags, to hell with going green. Jesus Christ just learn to play and sing in tune and then shut the hell up.
Ironically, there are thousands of bands that sing and play much better than Bono and U2. They also don't go on liberal rants. They make great music. Fuck U2.
I'm in a small minority here, I realize, but I think Zooropa is both highly underrated and one of their best albums.
I don't get a lot of "thumbs down" here, but that statement might get me some…
I am conservative. I will never, never, never, never, never, never, support Bono. He is a poseur. The F bomb on television? What does that matter? HE IS A POSEUR- that means much, much more.
Seansie, you dipshit, since when does U2 EVER "preach about global warming"? Africa maybe, but they never talk about global warming. Stop making stuff up. Schmuck. And U2, "devoid of content"? Listen to 'Sunday, Bloody, Sunday' , 'Please', 'One', and a million other songs, you ignoramus. Ugh…
As the saying goes about advice.
I understand your anger. Believe me I do. But as far as DM, Mayer and Bono, (not talking music) I think Bono has at least been sincere in his efforts to help others. His dissing of Bush is news to me, so I'll have to look into that further, I suppose. But I do recall reading, in TIME or Newsweak of all places, Bush and Geldof defending Bush's work in Africa. Concerning hugs, I don't know anything about that. If Bush can forgive him that slight, so can I.
I'm supposed to love them too since they do the sort of music I enjoy! Just never got into them for whatever reason. And I'm a girl! You'd think I'd be swooning over Bono at least. But nope, not even that. Makes me sad because I feel like I'm missing out.
Still, they do some good in the world, I will give them that.
[...] http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ VN:F [1.6.3_896]please wait…Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)VN:F [1.6.3_896]Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Review: U2 360° — Great Music, Bi-Partisan Politics", url: "http://u2ol.net/2009/10/17/review-u2-360%c2%b0-%e2%80%94-great-music-bi-partisan-politics/" }); Post Published: 17 October 2009 Author: Found in section: Review, U2, U2 360 Tour North America, U2 360° Tour [...]
Saw them in Dallas this past week. U2 show is what rock and roll is all about — great music, delivered with skill, soul, & energy. Remarkable to see their connection with a huge and distant crowd in a football stadium.
I'll give them credit for their political parts in the last two tours, because they've put out issues that both sides of US politics can agree on. This time, they talked up Iranian dissidents and Aung San Suu Kyi. Hard to argue with those causes. (Well, I guess Obama doesn't agree with Bono on Iranian dissidents so much).
Bono gave a big Thank You to W, followed by "God Bless America." He also praised America's leadership in fighting AIDS and malaria and Africa. If only our Dem politicians loved America (and Texas!) as much as Bono does. . . .
P.S. Highlight for me was the a cappella sing-along of Amazing Grace, followed by Streets. Can't top that.
Their music is good and their politics has ALWAYS BEEN LEFT. The IRA were justified in each and every murder according to Bono. That man is pro-terrorist all the way and once again ALWAYS HAS BEEN. So what if he found the negative aspect of giving GWB the cold shoulder after having DONE MORE FOR AFRICA THAN ANY PRESIDENT EVER warranting addressing at a concert.
Every little dog yaps so what's one more with a sleight Irish accent to the current cacophony?
I liked Zooropa. Not as much as the Auctung, before it, or Pop, after it. But some good cuts on it. Great band to see live.
No thumbs down from me. Zooropa is sooo underrated.
I'm always annoyed when some girly co-ed goes off for 15 minutes about how much she loves U2 and then names The Joshua Tree, or Achtung Baby as their favorite albums and can't name any other songs from any other album.
In the words of the late great Fats Waller, "Shut-up and play!"
Brandon Flowers of the Killers is reportedly conservative; to what extent I could never tell. Some years ago in an interview he had expressed his sympathy with President Bush. Asked about his politics he refused to comment. His Mormonism is well-known, however, and the band surpasses U2 in particular respects. I can understand an entertainer who decides to remain politically androgynous for sales' sake; it was Bono, after all, who had said (as I remember it): "The left mocks the right; the right knows it's right. Two ugly traits. How far should we go to try to understand each others' point of view? Maybe the distance grace covered on the cross is a clue." Dodging hugs from politicians is right and proper. But if he singled out Bush for this gesture I would force-feed him the Edge–so does anybody know if Obama got a hug from this guy? Or are they cuddly? In any case, God bless Mr. Bush for his support of Africa when nobody else cared to hear the panhandling Irish shtick from Bono Vox.
Not from me, Gordon. Totally agree and while no soup, one thumb-up for you!!!
You know, it just occurred to me – Bono was thanking GW for an essentially lefty act. Call me mean or evil or unfeeling or whatever, but really – since when is throwing millions (or possibly billions) of US taxpayers dollars at AIDS in Africa the act of a conservative? I suppose that it was argued as a "national security" issue, but if you wanna spend the cash on national security, I'm thinking they can do a lot better job of boosting security here at home. I don't know – maybe I'm just too much of a curmudgeon.
From what I understand, U2 was fairly anti-IRA and I remember Bono making an an anti-IRA statement in the concert that I saw (Unforgettable Fire era). For example, from this article:
ONE OF THE few things Bono did utter on stage in New York was a brief salute to the Irish Republican Army, who had announced that they were ready to begin decommissioning their weapons. Bono's views on Irish paramilitary violence have never been in doubt — in the concert film that accompanied 1988's Rattle and Hum, he famously introduced the song "Sunday Bloody Sunday" with a scalding anti-IRA tirade, the keynote phrase of which was "f— the revolution" — but how much applause is the organisation due for announcing that after 30-odd years they're going to destroy as much or as little of their arsenal as they deem expedient?
Do you have any evidence to the contrary (a specific quote or reference to back your point that they supported every murder), especially in light of the slanderous fake quotes attributed to Rush Limbaugh about blacks?
He's probably not conservative. He is a patriotic American however. Whatever he said about Bush was likely in context with his criticism of bands like Green Day that go overseas to insult America to benefit from anti-Americanism overseas. Green Day shot their American Idiot DVD in the UK.
http://www.nme.com/news/the-killers/24702
I suspect that what he said about Bush had more to do with understanding that the president always has to make tough decisions and will always be criticized by somebody somewhere for those decisions, rather than specifically endorsing any Bush policies.
U2 is an excellent band with an understanding of set design, musical accompaniment and thought. They craft each show to its stadium. Each song is a hit and there's nothing more fun than singing Elevation with a huge crowd.
but even the liberal media admitted during Obama's African tour that Bush is more popular in Africa. Bush banned funding international abortion with tax dollars and reversing that ban was the first thing the Lord of Death, Obama reversed — Life is the new Bush — bash Bush, try him for war crimes, all while using US tax dollars to kill MILLIONS of babies worldwide — I agree, the aid was liberal, but it was to SAVE MILLIONS OF LIVES. Isn't that what America is SUPPOSED to be about? Bush was still bashed and Bono only mentions it because he must. As usual, no one gives Bush or America credit. So now let's consider the alternative, the anti-Bush, anti-Life alternative….. Obama. Even Africans don't want him.
I always find it hard to believe that U2 are anyone's favourite rock band. At least I wasn't the only one who thought they totally sucked on SNL. When I read that each show on this tour costs approximately $750,00.00 to stage and needs 200 trucks to haul it around, I had to wonder how serious the band's committment to activism actually was.
The link is appreciated.
Sorry Matt, but the words Hard Rock and U2 don't go together. If you want to see a good show catch Godsmack.
Your point is valid. At least now the money is out of Obama's reach ("someplace safe") as in Raiders of the Lost Ark when the titular Ark is crated and stashed away in a government warehouse at the end of the movie. Hence I can imagine Obama, Axelrod and all the other Democrats setting out on an expedition to "recover" W's treasure in Africa for the glory of the Democrat Party. But again, the money is someplace safe where Obama can never hurt anybody with it.
If I want to hear a political agenda, I'll look up a politician. Bono has the microphone because he can sing. The moment an entertainer (any entertainer) enters the political arena, I treat him/her exactly as I would any other politician. If I don't like the politics, I vote for someone else. With entertainers, the only way I can vote is with my pocketbook. But I make sure I vote.
If Bono wants to donate money to causes he believes in, I applaud him for doing so. But he would gain a lot of credibility in my eyes if he would help out the citizens of his native Ireland by paying his fair share of taxes at home, rather than funnelling his countless millions into companies and fronts set up specifically to avoid paying his fair share. Furthermore, if he wants to comment as an "expert" on issues like central banks, global economies, etc. he should pay his dues by taking a college class or two, at the very least. (Did he even finish high school? I don't think so.) Why are people willing to believe that being an accomplished musician qualifies him as an expert on any subject he chooses to wade into?
I was at the same show–it was a tremendous experience. I second all your points here.
I saw the Tampa show at Raymond James a few weeks ago and couldn't agree more. I was also struck by the reference to Africa, although Bono didn't mention George Bush by name in Tampa and I found myself wondering how may people would get the reference. I'm glad me made it more explicit in the show you saw.
I also thought the effect of the lights being dimmed and everyone opening their cell phones was pretty spectacular.
Thats some shitty list, I think you are the douchebag.
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