U2 Plays the Linc
"69th Street Station ... Fern Rock ... City Hall ... 30th Street Station!" Bono was apparently riding around on public transportation, or at least studying a SEPTA schedule, in preparation for U2's show before 67,000-plus at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday night.
"69th Street Station ... Fern Rock ... City Hall ... 30th Street Station!" Bono was apparently riding around on public transportation, or at least studying a SEPTA schedule, in preparation for U2's show before 67,000-plus at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday night. After making obligatory Eagles, Phillies and cheese steak references, he called out the station stops in "The City of 'Love Train'," nodding to the 1972 O'Jays hit penned by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.
In a terrifically energetic and crisply performed set in which the four guys in the band inevitably vied with the 164 foot tall alien spacecraft-like stage known as The Claw for the audience's attention, U2 played for 2 hours and 15 minutes. They kicked off with the tough-to-beat careening combo of "Even Better Than The Real Thing" and "I Will Follow," celebrated the freedom of Burmese dissident Aung San Suu Kyi, and gave video screen face time to astronaut and Gabrielle Giffords husband Mark Kelly during an out-of-this-world melding of "Beautiful Day" and David Bowie's "Space Oddity." The Irish rockers raised quite a ruckus along the way, then ended with the almost subdued "Moment Of Surrender," from No Line On The Horizon, the 2009 album that occasioned the 360 Tour in the first place, followed by a sweet "Happy Birthday" sung to Nelson Mandela, who turns 93 next week.
A full review will be up online on Philly.com on Friday, and in Saturday's Inquirer. The set list from Thursday's show is below. As you'll see from the list, there are lots of snippets of covers tacked on to U2 songs, like the two Rolling Stones numbers that fit in between "Vertigo" and I'll Go Crazy." It's possible I missed a snippet or two while multitasking at the Linc on Thursday. Dear reader, feel free to correct me if I left anythng out.
Even Better Than The Real Thing / I Will Follow / Mysterious Ways / Until The End Of The World / Get On Your Boots / Magnificent / I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For w / The Promised Land / Stay (Faraway, So Close!) / Beautiful Day w/ Space Oddity / Elevation /Pride (In The Name Of Love) / Miss Sarajevo / Zooropa / City Of Blinding Lights / Vertigo w /It's Only Rock and Roll (But I Like It) / Miss You > I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight w / Discotheque + Psycho Killer + Life During Wartime / Sunday Bloody Sunday / Scarlet / Walk On
Encore: One / Hellelujah / Where The Streets Have No Name / Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me / With Or Without You / Moment of Surrender / Happy Birthday (for Nelson Mandela)
Previously: It's a Beautiful Bastille Day Follow In The Mix on Twitter here
