This was quite an amazing U2 show in my opinion. It had to be the largest stage I've seen since the time I saw the band's Pop Mart Tour in 1997 at the Astrodome. And since then I've seen The Rolling Stones twice...so that tells you something. This performance was much better than the last time I saw U2 at The Toyota Center with a more stripped down stage. I like the big stages and theatrics. That's why I went to see Alice Cooper in Houston last Sunday after all.
The show kicked off with a lot of energy and Bono took it to the next level by not only saying the usual "Hello Houston" but he also said hello to Harris County too. How many singers mention the county they are playing in?
The star of the show was the massive stage and of course the 360 degree screen. Oh, and this screen is even more impressive than Jerry Jones' at Cowboy Stadium. The U2 screen actually came apart and grew longer while still displaying an image. Beyond that, Bono came out at one point wearing a suit jacket made of lasers (trust me, it is hard to explain). He also sang into an interesting looking microphone at this point. Mikemcguff.com blog contributor Michael Penix texted me with the thought, "is this a secret ad for Target?" I thought the same thing.
The set list (I think this is an accurate song list) was full of hits and new songs, but the band also played some deep tracks. I actually heard two dudes on the escalators as we were leaving complain about this fact. Other fans I talked with wanted more Joshua Tree era material. The song selection stopped mattering to me because the entire event put me into a trance like state. And no, I did not ingest any drugs or alcohol before, during or after the event.
It wouldn't be a Bono event without some inspiRED talk. He talked about jailed Burma (Myanmar) leader Aung San Suu Kyi. You might remember Suu Kyi from the American swimming to her home this year causing her to be under house arrest for a longer period.
But I have to mention the opening band Muse. If I remember correctly, a few years ago when Muse played Houston, it was on the UH campus. Now it is Reliant Stadium. Muse was freaking awesome. I often wondered how the trio could play these amazing songs live. Don't worry, they did not have a problem. Muse could be the band that fills U2's shoes one day. Bono mentioned this was the last show Muse was opening. We were so lucky then.
Make sure to check out Groovehouse's photos of the U2 stage from before the concert.
I made sure to link to U2 Houston concert photos and video.
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- CLICK FOR VIDEO
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