Madonna Only Likes You......
'So,' says Bono, introducing Kite, 'We have been five times here in the Globe, pretty good, twice on Zoo TV once at the MTV awards last year. 'How many times has Madonna been here ? See - she only likes you, we love you. 'This is a song about I guess, letting go of someone you don't want to let go off, could be a lover or a father or a child or whatever, anyway it's called KiteS'
And the second show in Stockholm, the fourth show in Europe and the fifty fourth show of Elevation 200', is well under way. This crowd are elevated, clapping throughout Elevation which Bono ends by singing 'Elevation, celebration, jubilation, jubilation..'
For the End Of The World he takes a sunflower from a fan in the heart and holds it over his shoulder, he kisses Edge - in his burgundy No. 7 shirt tonight - he lays on the catwalk, he kicks and pulls at Edge's guitar.
'First single, out of Dublin Ireland, on the drums Larry Mullen Jnr, on the bass guitar Adam Clayton, the Edge and Bono, we're called U2S' and suddenly U2 are playing Out Of Control and it might be twenty years ago, with Bono drop-kicking a glass of water into the audience: 'Is it blind faith or just blind, Is it blind faith or just blind...20 years ago, just 20 years ago, '9 years old, out of control, out of control...'
Kite is followed by New York, while In My Life introduces Stuck In A Moment and then, In A Little While. 'Joey Ramone loved this song and he was just a great singer and the Ramones were the reason why, in our band, way back where we were coming from. 'Joey Ramone changed this song from a song about a hangover into a gospel song and he's made it a lot better.'
And then it's Desire. 'Larry, let's try this down hereS 'You think that the guys at back want to be at the front but they really don't. 'The poshest member of U2 Lord Alam Clayton. 'This is for any punk rock bands or hard rock or hip hop or pop or r'n'b bands if you're starting out, this is for you, it's about how stupid you have to be if you want to get there,' at which point Bono leans into the audience and kisses a girl, he asks her her name and as the band go into Gloria he shouts it out - C H R I S T I N E - in the climax to the song. 'That was a bit pub rock of us, wasn't it the Edge? Thank you Christine, wow, you got lucky in the gene lotto.'
The Ground Beneath Her Feet is dedicated to 'another singer of the punk rock group called the Salman Rushdies' and then comes All I Want Is You, Streets, Mysterious Ways and The Fly.
'Love, love, you walk down into a sports hall, lights go down and everything changes, light and motion, light and motion, light up your emotions..'
And theis band are gone, to be replaced, momentarily, by an ageing American actor with his pro-hand gun apologetic and then Bullet the Blue Sky which blows the apologetic sky high. And One with Bono and Larry discussing off-stage on-stage protocol.
'Larry is saying - cos he's a drummer - that it would be better if we didn't go down there (i.e off stage) and come up a minute later. He says it's more efficient to stay up here...(laughs) ...
'Thanks to the Stereophonics, I want to thank Thomas Johansson (U2's Swedish promoter), he's been with us a long time and he has great dignity and has always shown us a good time in this town. 'Thank you for following us down the Jubilee 2000 road, it's really important and there's a lot more to doS' but not much more in Stockholm this time round, as U2 perform the first verse and chorus of Wake Up Dead Man which segues into Walk On which segues into the night.
