LFC Article - U2 Tour Review

"360 Degrees And Rising"

One gets the feeling that the most recent U2 album, No Line On The Horizon, generated much less interest than expected. Its leadoff single, Get On Your Boots, did garner some heavy airplay for a week or two, before it became overwhelmingly obvious that most people did not care for this song. At this point the remaining eleven tracks on the disc were seemingly pushed out simultaneously in a second bid for a hit, but none of those caught fire either despite for the most part being better than Boots. Now they are performing one such number in a frequently aired commercial, yet those patented ringing ching-a-ching-ching notes have me wondering if guitarist The Edge is not completely out of ideas. The band as a whole, really: despite having viewed the spot countless times, I still cannot hum the melody as I write this.

But who are we kidding? At this point in their career, each CD release amounts to little more than a banner flying behind the world's largest airplane, bearing the legend WE ARE ABOUT TO GO ON TOUR AGAIN. And oh, what a tour it shall be. With the Stones surely one step away from retirement, Michael Jackson gone and no serious contenders emerging since this Dublin quartet's debut some thirty years ago, U2 may not be the biggest act on the planet but I'm having trouble picturing who else is.

While thankfully devoid of such overblown props as giant lemons, and autos hanging on chains above the stage - gimmicks intended to be ironic but coming across as merely ridiculous - a U2 pit stop is still likely the most hotly anticipated event to visit your city in years. These days they are content to make up in numbers what they have scaled back in grandeur. Though this year's 360 Degrees tour, which kicked off in Barcelona on June 30th, does feature an almost crab-like awning that hovers over the band, and a stage that continually rotates, video screens and all, the band's preferred vibe since the 2000 All That You Can't Leave Behind effort has been a muted majesty. As muted as Bono can ever be, anyhow. Make no mistake about it, they are still moving millions through the turnstiles, but the band is more content now to let the back catalog speak for itself, and to book, say, seven consecutive nights in a Chicago arena - as they did on their last tour - than to throw down for 150,000 at a time as they might have done in years past.

Bono's pomposity can turn stomachs - I've no doubt he means well, and has made the band far more popular than they'd be without him, though this remains the number one complaint you hear from detractors - except that what's overlooked in all the hype has always been what a terrific lyricist he's been through the years, and that his range is far better than people give him credit for. "You don't notice how good a singer he is until you try to do these songs yourself," a musician friend recently said to me, and I suppose he is correct. Though the band members themselves are surely to blame for much of this attention diversion (whether it is an "ironic" 80 foot by 100 foot bank of videos or not playing behind you, this is likely to distract an audience quite a bit), the public has also generally overlooked what fine musicians drummer Larry Mullen Jr and bass player Adam Clayton are, and this is one overlooked dimension that these last few intimate, bells-and-whistles-free tours have attempted to rectify. Amid all the hoopla, you almost forget no one has lodged more permanent hits into our collective minds than U2.

Even the often overrated Edge is not without his charms, and certainly knows the guitar. It Might Get Loud, which opened here in the states on August 14th, is a documentary focusing on just three musicians: Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White. Based on what I've seen, it's a fascinating look at the songwriting and recording processes for each man and his respective bands, and goes into great geekish depth to unearth how they create their signature sounds both in the studio and on the road. Rather than some contrived attempt to drum up interest for each's latest project, its trio of participants seem to genuinely revel in this opportunity to reveal all, and none more than the former David Evans, who has been holding onto that nickname and the axe in U2 from day one.

This current tour's set list has more often than not kicked off with two or three songs from the new album, and plenty more sprinkled throughout. But don't let this dissuade you from forking over the often astronomical ticket price: there are more than enough hits packed into this fairly lengthy show, and anyway the latest batch of songs are better than we were able to admit those few times we heard them on the radio.

You also know you're in store for some political speeches from the sunglass wielding frontman. These are often delivered with a healthy dose of humor, however, and this tour's semi-amusing stab at activism is a life sized cutout mask you can print from U2's website of Myanmar's elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent the last two decades under house arrest. The idea is to wear this mask out in public, and send the band photos of yourself doing such, and that by posting these to their website U2 will raise awareness of Kyi's plight. Which is all very well and noble. Still, if you tried to tell me that at no point in these discussions did one or all of the band members crack up with laughter, I'm not sure I would believe that.

Having said that, no band before or since, probably, can pull off heartfelt sincerity the way U2 can and does. At a recent tour stop, Gary Lightbody of opening act Snow Patrol was visibly moved to tears by watching the headliners play. Whether a brand new offering or a classic from the vaults, they deliver the goods with a passion and an earnestness that's a catharsis for us all, which is why this remains the must see show of this or any other year.

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