It has been fun posting the lyrics of some of my favourite U2 songs this week. Last night was the concert, and it was simply amazing. It was the 5th time I've seen them, and they have yet to disappoint me. Bono has a charisma that is unrivalled. He captivated and mesmerized the crowd for 2+ hours. Of course, the rest of the band members - the Edge, Larry Mullen Jr, and Adam Clayton - are no pushovers either. It is no surprise they are called the biggest rock band on earth.
During Vertigo
My favourite songs of the night were Bad, All Because Of You, and New Year's Day. The music set was brilliant, ranging from the old raw (Gloria, Sunday Bloody Sunday) passion-driven (Pride, New Year's Day) sounds of the 80's and the 90's techno sounds (Zoo Station, The Fly), to the latest back-to-the-roots fervour (Vertigo, All Because of You). Interspersed in this mix were ballads (Bad, Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own), and of course, the spiritual laments (40).
Cub during Where The Streets Have No Name
By the end of the concert, we'd pondered themes relating to birth, death, peace, war, joy, and sorrow. The depth of the lyrics is astonishing: there is not an ounce of shallowness to be found. In fact, it is virtually impossible to pin this band down theologically. The most obvious example of this happened during Sunday Bloody Sunday: "Jesus was a Jew, Muham*ad, it's true." What is one to make of this? How to interpret this?
There is no doubt Bono believes in a loving creator God. Themes of love, forgiveness, and grace permeate many songs. He is not shy to inject Jesus in his songs either, and he challenges our comfort zones. Yet, he does not come out and declare himself a "follower of Jesus" or a "Christian". Maybe this is a good thing: it makes him and his band more compelling, and it drives us to study the lyrics in his songs. Yet, vague, blanket statements such as the one above are confusing, if not downright misleading.
During New Year's Day
Politically too, the band is without rival. Bono kept his promise to be a pain in the arse of Paul Martin, should he not come through on his pledge to dedicate .7% of the national GDP towards the eradication of poverty in Africa: "I thought it might be a good idea if we made a call to Paul Martin" suggested Bono, as the band played behind him and the Prime Minister's phone number was flashed on the giant screens. "Take your phones out, I think I've got Paul Martin's number. These are dangerous little devices, these cell phones."
After listening to 23 songs, including two encores, in a stadium packed with 18,000+ screaming, sweating, dancing, adoring and delerious fans, there were only three minor disappointments to the evening: They didn't play Yahweh, With Or Without You, or Even Better Than The Real Thing. But given the plethora of songs they had to choose from, one cannot complain. It was a night to remember.
Before the show: Cub and DL.
Below is the Set List of the concert:
City of Blinding Lights
Beautiful Day
Vertigo
Elevation
Gloria
The Ocean / New Year’s Day
Miracle Drug
Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet The Blue Sky
Running to Stand Still
Human Rights
Bad
Pride
Where The Streets Have No Name
One
Zoo Station
The Fly
Mysterious Ways
All Because Of You
Original Of The Species
40
During All Because of You
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