U2 Soars in 2005 Tour at the HP Pavilion
By Nickee V. de Leon
Asianjournal.com
Talk about the ultimate tour de force. Tickets to this gig got sold faster than you can say U2. I had to endure a 14-hour road trip from L.A. and back plus a hundred-dollar-a-night’s stay at one of the lousiest motels in San Jose (A major rip off! Remember that greater consideration was given to proximity rather than function), just to witness what is considered as the “most celebrated event of 2005” in America.
Two decades of pure talent and sheer activism have made U2 one of the most transcendant and formidable Irish rock bands of its time. It all started in the autumn of 1976, when drummer Larry Mullen left a note on the bulletin board at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin in his attempt to form a band. Four friends signed up: Paul Hewson (aka Bono Vox), Dave Evans (aka The Edge) , Dik Evans and Adam Clayton. Dik moved on to join another band called the Virgin Prunes while the other four stuck together to form “Feedback” which then evolved to “The Hype” and finally to U2. The release of their first LP ‘Boy’ in October of 1980 received widespread acclaim. U2’s intense popularity emerged with the release of “War’ in March 1983. ‘New Year’s Day’,hit the UK charts at Number One and catapulted U2 to mainstream fame. (www.threechordsandthetruth.net/u2bios)
Throngs of fans and supporters packed the gargantuan venue which is the HP Pavilion. It was a pleasantly cool Sunday night to witness an adrenalin-pumping performance and state-of-the art lighting concepts and stage design which is yet another trademark of U2’s gigs. The show kicked off with a front act performance by the Kings of Leon, a Nashville-based band of brothers with Caleb (vocals and rhythm guitar), Matthew (lead guitar), Jared (bass) and Nathan Followill (drums) enticing the crowd with their raucous vocals, powerful guitars and a Southern rock and rollish drumbeat. The Kings’ music pacified the already rowdy crowd.
Despite that stellar performance by KOL, U2 won’t be U2 sans the dramatic entrance. Clad in black, the foursome entered the circular stage, carrying powerful maglights. ‘Love and Peace’ from ‘How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb’ was the first song of the evening, followed bya more energetic ‘Vertigo’ that sent the crowd on a wild frenzy, singing along with Bono. The stage was explosive with its astounding display of red and orange lights and circular-moving red neon lights surrounded the stage reminiscent of the music video. ‘Elevation’ was third on the list followed by ‘Cry/ Electric Co.’, ‘An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart’ with a guitar solo performance by Edge, ‘City of Blinding Lights,’ where Bono fished a lipstick off his pocket, put some on and said “We are in the Bay Area…” The crowd grew wild and ecstatic at the remark.
‘Beautiful Day’ was followed by a moving introduction by Bono about his encounter with the Pope before the pontiff’s recent demise. He then brought out the rosary given to him by the pontiff, put it around his neck and sang ‘Miracle Drug,’ his tribute song to the Holy Father. The crowd grew reverently silent as Bono crooned on.
‘Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own’ was next in line,and yet another exciting song that brought cheers from the crowd. ‘New Year’s Day’ was met with the same thunderous applause as it did twenty years ago.’Sunday, Bloody Sunday’ was dramatic with Bono wearing a cloth around his head with writings that suggested unity between Jews and Christians. ‘Bullet the Blue Sky’got Bono walking blindfolded onstage. ‘Running to Standstill/The Hands That Built America/When Johnny Comes Marching Home,’ a combo of song snippets, was a tribute to all the brave men and women of the United States. Articles of Human Rights scrolled onscreen and drew cheers from the audience. ‘Pride’(In the Name of Love), ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’ showcasing a montage of different flags as the backdrop and ‘One’ was the climactic succession of songs for the evening. ‘One’ is the carrier single of Bono’s ONE campaign aiming “to rally Americans ‘ONE by ONE’ to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty”. Here, Bono promoted the cause with a photomosaic backdrop of people from around the world, and a number flashing onscreen “To join, text UNITE (86423)”. A display of of the texters’ names also grazed the screen immediately after. The ONE Campaign was met with much enthusiasm and support and was the moving force that got me wearing the ONE wristband after the show. (For more information regarding the campaign,visit www.theonecampaign.org).
‘Zoo Station’ the next song came with a solo piano introduction by Edge. ‘The Fly’ followed suit with a flashing montage of words as death, color, etc. Yet another climactic moment in the line up soon ensued when Bono picked a girl from the crowd, a girl named Iris who started gyrating to ‘Mysterious Ways,’much to the amusement of the crowd. The songs that followed were Original of the Species, All Because of You and Yahweh. U2’s trademark finalé ‘40’ was the final song, where Bono took the rosary off his neck to punctuate his cause for the evening. The audience made another wild,enthusiastic and extended applause for an encore performance.
Overall, the gig was highly-energetic, fast-paced, visually spectacular, and movingly political and spiritual. It was a night that was not merely meant for a fanatic’s musicfest or a spectator’s eyecandy. It was a night of U2’s regal performance to instill a worthwhile cause to its audience and sent goosebumps into our souls. Drunk and lightheaded with ‘Vertigo’ we galloped four blocks back to our cheap beds, the best sleep we’ll ever have in years.
