Some sexy mama's and funky papa's in Boston last night as U2 got dizzy with Vertigo again.
Last night's show was the first after a week off but you wouldn't have known that crew and band had been chilling for a few days. City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, Elevation...this was a show sizzling and crackling within minutes. Someone had a smart idea to attract the singer's attention too: 'This baby in my belly wants to dance with Bono' read a sign held by one young woman. She was on stage and dancing with the man in seconds. 'This is the kind of thing that happens around here ... Mama... sexy mama.'
Adam is in a very cool new shirt tonight, seems to be sparkling, and Larry and Edge are also on fire. Feels like everyone has had a good break, arriving in Boston just hours before the show. Different members of crew and management have flown in from all parts of the globe and everyone knows that with a week in New York coming up, that's all the rest for the foreseeable future.
Cry/Electric Co climaxes with a snatch of 'Rat in a Cage' and soon Still Haven't Found, always a rafter-raiser, is underway. 'We want to thank the beautiful mecurial melodies of Keane that are accompanying us here in Boston,' says Bono, before thanking everyone for 'hanging around for us...and giving us a great life.'
U2, he continues, are just getting going, just at the start of their career. (Not sure where that puts Keane but they went down great anyway.) John Kerry gets a namecheck in Beautiful Day and Bono is 'thinking about America' as he breaks into 'Many Rivers To Cross'. And in a city of learning, Miracle Drug is dedicated to two doctors - 'huge inspirations' - who have come to the show tonight: Paul Farmer and Joia Mukherjee who are AIDS specialists and activists with Partners in Health. (Interesting aside: there is a brilliant book by the Pullitzer Prize winning author Tracy Kidder all about Paul Farmer. It's called Mountains Beyond Mountains.)
A moving performance of Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own follows, and then we're into the fiercely aggressive trio of Love and Peace, Sunday Bloody Sunday and Bullet the Blue Sky before Miss Sarajevo tingles every spine as Bono again finds 'the opera in me'. This is one song that this tour is going to be remembered for.
Just as he hoped, everyone gets our their cellphones to 'turn this place into a milky way' for One and it reminds the singer of an extraordinary man, Tom Brady, who has just signed up as a supporter with the ONE Campaign - the two millionth person to sign up. 'I also want to salute someone (else).. without him we would not see the AIDS emergency taken seriously in Washington DC - John Kerry!'
Big response for that one. The First Time and Wild Horses are two neat surprises, songs that you hope might be in the list, but you can't be certain. There was no doubt that With or Without You was going to be in - surely the volume never goes higher at a U2 show, so many singing along with such passion. Also time for another step into the spotlight for a lucky lady in the audience: ' Where are
You? Where are you?' asks Bono, scanning the audience. 'Where's my girl ?'
All Because of You fairly races by and as Yahweh begins, Bono wants to set the record straight about the aforementioned Tom Brady and a hitherto obscure conversation with Edge about Superbowl allegiances. Clearly some shocking misunderstanding had taken place: 'Edge has asked me to finally set the record straight - and if Tom Brady doesn't believe it he will meet him at dawn at a place of his choosing. And I tell you - because I have personal experience of this - do not pick a fight with a man who makes a living from hand to eye co-ordination.'
Before you know it Larry is introducing '40' and there's no disagreement on the allegiances in this one. A ancient psalm closes a very modern night.
