Seats: General Admission – Front Row Centre
I still love Even Better Than The Real Thing as the opener – a song to be experienced in the pit. The visuals for Magnificent failed to appear again, but that did not detract from the performance or quality of the song. Opinion is split among U2 fans on the new Magnificent arrangement. I like it myself, perhaps because it’s different and that I am craving for a bit of change from the norm developed over the tour. Zooropa is my favourite song on the tour so far because of its poetic narrative and trance like departure from the rest of the songs on the set list. Unlike Edmonton, the screen did come all the way down, but U2 did not wear their cool LED jackets. Many of us die-hard fans wish for their return because of their funkadelic, futuristic look, and out-right weirdness!
The highlight of the night was Beautiful Day. I’ve heard this song several times, but again, the context changes the complexion of the song. On this evening, Commander Mark Kelly made an appearance from the International Space Station on the screen and replaced the the part when Bono invites a female on stage to read a poem before the song commences. When Bono asked him what’s on his mind, Commander Kelly responded, “Looking forward to coming home, tell my wife I love her very much… she knows.” It was an unbelievable poignant moment. Kelly’s appearance was classic U2 — finding a way to connect with their fans at a deep and emotional level. As Bono correctly announces, “These people are heroes.” Couldn’t agree more.
