By Michael Kennedy
It’s the largest stage that has ever been built, and standing on it is Bono, who is telling the audience that they built this 165-foot behemoth to get closer to the fans. There are more than 65,000 people here tonight, and the Chicago weather is perfect for the opening North American leg of the U2 360 Tour.
U2 has been performing for more than 30 years straight, but they still sell out the biggest stadiums in the world in a matter of minutes, forcing them to add a second and third date to many of the appearances. They played two shows at Chicago’s Soldier Field.
U2 played 23 songs each night, totaling over two hours of music per night. They played songs spanning their storied career, with a heavy emphasis on their latest album, “No Line on the Horizon.” The classics were still the crowd favorites, and “Where the Streets have no Name” drew the loudest applause. The band was as energized as ever, with Bono swinging from a microphone for a portion of both shows.
U2 is a political band, and throughout the show Bono called attention to the democratic protestors in Iran, deposed Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and AIDS prevention in Africa.
The U2 360 tour is a reference to the circular stage, which is designed to give an equal viewing experience to all sides of the stage. There were few obstructive boxes and amps, giving the audience clear sightlines from all around. While a nice idea, this works better in theory than in reality. The band focused far more on the front of the stage, and those sitting behind the stage were forced to watch the video screens for the majority of the concert, despite paying just as much for tickets.
The stage itself is as spectacular as the performance. It has four legs, and stretches above the audience. Hanging from it is a 74-ton 360-degree video screen. Altogether, the stage takes 120 semi trucks to transport from stop to stop. There are three of them, leapfrogging their way across the country.
Opening for U2 were fellow Irishmen Snow Patrol, who played a string of hits for 45 minutes, while almost entirely neglecting the audience behind the stage. British rock group Muse will open the next nine dates, and American hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas will play the last five.
It’s the biggest band of the past 30 years, on the biggest stage, with one of the most energetic audiences – and U2 knows it. Bono tells the crowd: “When you put this band with this crowd, there is no room for modesty. Anything is possible.”
