U2 Rings Out Through Gillette

The U2 360 tour swept through the Northeast in late September and I was one of the lucky 60,000 to catch the second show at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA. While this was my third time seeing the band, it was my first in an outdoor venue. Questions as to sound came to mind after the horrible audio indoors (concrete cynderblocks are not exactly the best for creating a quality sound) and whether or not the large football stadium would swallow up even a band as big as Dublin's finest.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised and in the end, I can say the show met all my expectations and was a great success. The energy built up from Snow Patrol's outstanding set had my juices rolling by the time the first notes of Bowie's Space Oddysey started pumping through the enormous speakers mounted overhead.

There's something about the entrance and opening number that gives me the chills with excitement. Magnificent opened the gig and truly rocked the place. Known for their outstanding live performances, the band whipped the crowd into a frenzy, moving swiftly through songs from their latest album while pulling out a few from the collection to keep the show cruising.

Perhaps a highlight for me was the beautiful "Your Blue Room" and the mesmorizing Ultraviolet - Light My Way from Actung Baby - the best U2 album in my opinion.

The one disappointment from the nearly two hour show was the closing number. Moment of Surrender is a beautiful song with great melodies, but it is just not a great song performed live. Well, maybe if refined, but I though the bass was a bit clumsy and just never seemed to have the same feel as the CD track.

They may be getting up in their years, but these guys can still rock.