U2

Everyone in my section of the Rose Bowl stood throughout the entire Rose Bowl gig. So what, right? Well, actually, this is quite a statement. Bands large and small lament the cellphone distracted audiences Los Angeles routinely offers. Instead, tonight, U2 were treated to a 97,000-strong sell-out crowd on its best behaviour; the audience, in return, were gifted with an excellent show. Sure, there were some early technical problems, most noticeably with Bono’s microphone. And there were moments where he appeared more subdued than usual, but, overall, U2 justified the considerable hype surrounding this show, which had another gazillion viewers around the world on YouTube.
They opened with songs from No Line On The Horizon, with the rockin’ ‘Get On Your Boots’ eliciting the loudest cheers. Later, the crowd erupted during classics like ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’, ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’ and ‘Beautiful Day’. Bono’s voice sounded other-worldly during quasi-acappella versions of ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘MLK’. Adam and Larry, meanwhile, showed what they can do during a funked-up version of ‘Mysterious Ways’ and Edge continued down the path of rock guitar heroism, giving the songs glorious light and shade while supplying gorgeous back-up vocals.
Adam still gives Bono bemused looks and Edge still smiles exuberantly when he plays the guitar. As it should be. Despite the massive numbers attending and the gargantuan stage set, U2 made the cavernous Rose Bowl feel intimate. Now that is some achievement, even for the biggest rock band in the world.