U2 at Gillette Stadium 9/20/09

On Septmber 20th, two events occurred that centered around Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA. One was bad and one was good. The bad was connected to the stadium's chief occupants, the New England Patriots. They suffered a rather humiliating defeat at the hands of the assheads known as the New York Jets at Jets Stadium. The good thing? A little band known as U2 played the first of two shows as part of their "360 Tour".


The 23-song performance, which played to an almost-sold out audience (thank you, ticket-scalping and reselling agency scum), was a terrific show for fans both old and new. Bookended by selections from their recent album "No Line On the Horizon", Bono and the boys served up some of their biggest hits, like "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (which took on new relevance thanks to the recent rigged elections in Iran and the subsequent crackdown by its dictatorship), "New Year's Day", "Vertigo" and "With Or Without You". They also snuck in a couple of tunes that I had not heard live in a long time (The Unforgettable Fire) or ever (Ultraviolet). Based on what I read and heard from friends who attended the second night's show, U2 dropped a tune or two from Sunday night and added the seldom-heard "Your Blue Room" (from the 'Passengers' CD) and the one-two Wim Wenders' fueled "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" and "Until the End of the World".


Stadium tours are always a dicey proposition. The last time I saw U2 at a Stadium show, it was at the old Foxboro Stadium in the summer of 1987 during the "Joshua Tree" show. If there are two things I remembered from that show, it is this: Bono had his arm in a sling and the sound kind of sucked. Well, Bono definitely was sling-free this time around and the sound, at least from where I was sitting, was excellent. Only once or twice did Bono's vocals display a slight bit of echo and that was only when he was talking to the audience (I could still hear him loud and clear). And with the massive overhead video screens capturing all the action, it wasn't tough to see the band from any angle.


Was it the best show I have seen from U2? Despite the excellence of last Sunday's night performance, I would have to say no. The massive set, while of benefit to those sitting far away (like myself), also seemed to keep the band at a slight distance from the audience. The band certainly did their best to remain close to its fans last Sunday night, but in the end the immense set won out.


The stadium itself may have also contributed to the energy level of the show, which seemed to be at a lower level than previous tours. Once again, this is not the fault of the band's performance. Bono, Edge, Adam and Larry all put their best foot forward and played the hell out of the songs. But the vast openness of a football stadium like Gillette, which is a hell of a nice place, let the energy trail out into the cool late-summer evening air hovering over New England. I left satisfied, as I always do after seeing U2 in concert, but I didn't leave quite as charged as I did following the June 2001 show I experienced at the TD Banknorth Garden. Come back soon, guys, it was great seeing you again. Just keep it indoors the next time around.