U2 Live in Chicago Night Two (With Photos)

Early on in U2's second "360 Tour" show at Soldier Field in Chicago (their second North American show) Bono told the crowd "We've got new songs, we've got old songs, we've got songs we've never played before". It was an ostentatious proclamation that could have meant several things. Following a strong-willed and enlivening trifecta of "Beautiful Day", "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "Elevation" the band revealed into the moody sexiness of "Your Blue Room", a jewel of a song from their often overlooked and forgotten Passengers: Original Soundtracks 1 album from 1995 done with Brian Eno. The album is chock full of musical ambience you would hear in a coffee house, but somehow, U2 took this never-performed track and weaved it into their colossal stadium show seamlessly. The noir facet of the song could be felt amidst the Chicago skyline and perfect late summer night. Bono's voice induced a dark power reminiscent of a foreign black and white film from half a century ago full of mystifying circumstances and characters. "Your Blue Room" is evocative and should only work in a smaller setting and yet they finagled it to work amid the enormity of a sold-out stadium. This one-off rarity was a crucial example of the indomitable nature of U2. These shows should only be a fraction as good as their 2001 and 2005 arena treks yet over the course of their two nights in Chicago, they exceeded expectations. They're playing to crowds three to five times as large and yet a third of their set list is from their latest idiosyncratic album, No Line on the Horizon. However, despite the grandeur nature of these shows, there is a prevailing delicate connection; this is something only U2 could pull off, they made the stadium feel snug and cozy. 

The second night in Chicago found U2 more fluid and free. They executed their opening night on these shores with relatively few hiccups and as a result, their confidence level was boosted and they stepped up to the plate to take some chances. Premiering "Your Blue Room" would be enough to answer the cynics, but by dumping "(Pride) In the Name of Love" for the first time in a quarter of a century and keeping such stalwarts as "New Year's Day", "I Will Follow", "Bullet the Blue Sky" and "Mysterious Ways" on the sidelines, it made the show all that more invigorating and novel. For a production as epic as this, the band members appear one by one with little flair at the beginning of "Breathe" putting the focus on the music and not the spaceship stage. A total of seven songs from No Line on the Horizon were performed showing that this isn't a band that is going to let slower than expected sales dampen their need to bring this music to the masses. "Unknown Caller", a veiled melodic gem, featured abundant participation from the crowd. "Stay (Far Away So Close) with the Edge's brooding acoustic plucking and Bono's bravado vocal was languid as it was gorgeous with a breeze sweeping through the crowd from Lake Michigan. "Until the End of the World" found Bono demonstrating his best marathon runner in a performance where the band's sheer audacity made it work. Make no mistake; they are not resting on their laurels in these stadiums despite the amount of money that is already in the bank. They are actually working twice as hard to make that connection with everyone from the general admission pit to the upper reaches of the stadium. Bono may be the greatest salesman to ever live. He called out Chicago neighborhoods and streets like a lifelong inhabitant of the city making the crowd open their arms, hearts and minds to him in ways few people would. Off the cuff comments like these pull the crowd in and it made him feel like one of us. It may be an act or manipulative, only Bono knows for sure, but I'll be damned if he didn't speak it and sell it with persuasion. 

One of the most impressive aspects of the stage is the shifting screen which is like a cylinder one minute and a multi-colored ice cream cone the next. The visual imagery was awe-inspiring and never did the screen impede anyone's view of the stage even when it was mere feet above the band's heads. It was used to distinguished effect on "The Unforgettable Fire", "City of Blinding Lights" (which featured further laps by Bono with a young child accompanying him for his jog) and the scintillating "Vertigo". The conviction of the band's musicianship with the other worldly theatrics complimented each other hand in hand. The answer and call of "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "MLK" and "Walk On" engaged the audience while Bono, at his mightiest, made sure his charisma bleed through as he wielded the crowd like a weapon of expressive force. U2 had to work hard to ensure the crowd didn't feel alienated or lost amidst the gargantuan nature of the event. "Walk On" completed the main set opening up the encores to be a far more enthralling emotional release. After a video of Desmond Tutu explaining the impact of the ONE campaign, the band re-appeared for a no frills performance of "One". Beneath a shade of purple, the stage was understated bringing U2's grittiness, sophistication and a tidal wave of emotion to the forefront. No stage tricks of lights were needed as the band played amongst their own shadows allowing for the meaning of the song to swell amidst the 65,000 in attendance. The lyrics of "Love is a temple, love the higher law" found 65,000 voices singing in-sync with rock's greatest preacher and it hit the sweetest of spots. Followed immediately by a concentrated a capella rendition of "Amazing Grace" which bled immediately into "Where the Streets Have No Name" proving that sometimes music is best experienced amongst a stadium allowing for a communal aspect unlike any other. We seek solace in music but even more so, it allows us to feel things we seek out in our own lives. Whether you witness a show in a club, theater, arena or a stadium, we're all in search of something more theoretical and on a late summer night in Chicago, U2 nailed it. 

Opening the second encore "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" is one of the preeminent non-singles of the band's career, this song is a long overdue inclusion in the set list. When Bono sung the lyric of "Your love was a light bulb hanging over my bed" you could literally sense your heart expand and become bigger. The lyric of a lover who yearns for the time where their significant other revealed roads of revelation and devotion, this is a reminder of the turmoil that can embed your life at the loss of love. The lyric is frank, exhaustive and ultimately heart wrenching. And yet, the smoky and soulful demeanor of Bono's pleading vocal erupted like a symphonic crescendo making you feel vitally alive. Beneath the dry ice, the lit up red jacket and spectacle of U2's "360 Tour", it's moments like this that tear through your insides whether you are mere feet in front of Bono or a football field away. The beauty of a concert is the way an explicit performance can unearth hidden memories long forgotten or put away. Like a great painter, U2 paint these sensations with wide brush strokes so that it could be felt by everyone. The canvas which U2 is painting on this time around is the immeasurable, yet they appear to be reaching the upper corners leaving no piece vacant. U2's "360 Tour" has proven to be more than an over-the-top spectacle, but is an evening where the songs will penetrate your soul and if you're really blessed, the other 65,000-plus in attendance will revel in this revelation as well. 

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

U2 Live in Chicago Night Two (With Photos)

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