U2 here is still larger than life
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U2's 360 World Tour at Heinz Field -
Bono performs "Mysterious Ways" during U2's 360 World Tour at Heinz Field. -
U2's Adam Clayton, left, on bass guitar and Bono perform in the 360 World Tour at Heinz Field -
The Edge performs "Mysteriuos Ways" during U2's 360 World Tour at Heinz Field. -
U2's 360 Tour at Heinz Field.
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When you travel with a stage that rises 168 feet in the sky and looks like a space invader from "War of the Worlds," you risk making the performers themselves seem, well, tiny.
Unless, of course, you have a Bono handy.
Despite standing less than 5 feet 9, the 51-year-old U2 singer has a mighty big presence, which cast its shadow for the first time Tuesday night in the Steelers' house, Heinz Field.
Pittsburghers have been on the sidelines hearing about this record-breaking, $700-million-grossing "360 World Tour" now since the spring of 2009, and we managed to squeeze in there on the last week as the penultimate show (it ends Saturday in Moncton, Canada).
Having gone through the paces through 60 shows over three years, U2 might be burned out on this 360 number and ready to move on to the next album cycle, but it didn't show as the band barrels to the finish line.
- Even Better Than the Real Thing
- The Fly
- Mysterious Ways
- Until the End of the World
- I Will Follow
- Get on Your Boots
- Still Haven't Found
- Stay
- Beautiful Day
- Elevation
- Pride
- Miss Sarajevo
- Zooropa
- City of Blinding Lights
- Vertigo
- I'll Go Crazy / Discotheque
- Sunday Bloody Sunday
- Scarlet
- Walk On
- One
- Streets
- Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
- With or Without You
- Moment of Surrender
- Bad
The occasion for the tour, which might be forgotten now, was "No Line on the Horizon," the band's 12th album and first since 2004. However, you might have thought it was the "Achtung Baby" tour when the top spire started smoking at 9:10 and U2 hit the stage with "Even Better Than the Real Thing" followed with "The Fly," "Mysterious Ways" and the electrifying "Until the End of the World," all from that 1991 classic.
U2's sound was forged in clubs but designed for stadiums with the muscular rhythm section of Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr., The Edge's ringing guitar heroics and Bono's anthemic scope. It was all there in the fifth song and U2 template "I Will Follow," which had the Ketchup Bottle bouncing.
The stage's ramps and hydraulic bridges made U2 look like it was floating right on top of the sea of 55,800 fans.
Bono was handy with the applause-generating local references. He gave a shout out to "our neighbor and Irish ambassador [Dan] Rooney," noted that "the world would not be the same without Andy Warhol" and introduced himself as the Christina Aguilera of U2. The crowd helped him out with the name of The Decade, the club the band played in Pittsburgh 30 years ago on it's first U.S. tour.
First Published July 27, 2011 12:29 am
