Audio By Carbonatix
And, while you’re at it, throw in the May 12, 1997, Cotton Bowl show from the Popmart Tour and the October 29, 2005, Vertigo-go at the American Airlines Center. Really, all we’re missing is the April 2, 1981, Bijou debut; the February 16, 1982, gig at Cardi’s; and that immortal June 13, 1983, pit stop at the Bronco Bowl. (Though there is this.) The last one may be my first “best … concert … ever.”
For now, those early ’80s gigs exist solely as memories; fine by me. But I do recall fondly the ’85 stop at Reunion in support of The Unforgettable Fire. It wasn’t my favorite U2 album — that was (and is, most days) War — but those songs were custom-made for an arena; even this kinda-sorta-but-not-too-muddy audience recording fills up a room. And the set list back when was still full of early- and non-album cuts, among them “The Electric Co.,” “11 O’Clock Tick Tock” and “Party Girl.”
And, of course, the band had yet to grow weary of playing a song like “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” which still seethed with a fresh urgency — unlike, say, the version they brought back to Reunion during the Elevation tour in 2001. Which isn’t to say those shows were a drag; far from it. Those were triumphant appearances in support of All That You Can’t Leave Behind, a late-date masterpiece performed in an arena that now seems quaintly intimate. Went to the April and November trips through; loved them both. Except I never heard ’em through Bono’s earpiece.
