Their show began with Patti Smith’s empowering “People Have the Power,” and they immediately broke into “The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone),” prior to singing “Gloria” and “Vertigo,” the latter of which incorporated a medley of “God Save the Queen.”
The visuals on the televised giant screens were quite striking throughout the evening. Equally noteworthy were the follow-up tunes “I Will Follow” and “Iris (Hold Me Close),” as well as “Cedarwood Road,” which deals with life in Dublin. “Song for Someone” was an added treat since lead singer Bono wrote it for his wife.
They continued with an acoustic version of “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” prior to changing up the pace with the soaring “Raised by Wolves.” Another exceptional rendition was their piano-driven rendition of “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of,” while “October” was a crisp ballad, which they hadn’t played in over two decades.
U2 had the crowd reciting the lyrics of “With or Without You” back to them verbatim, and they closed with “Bullet the Blue Sky” and “Pride (In the Name of Love).”
For their encore, they returned to sing the fan-favorite tune “Beautiful Day,” and they included “Bad,” coupled with a medley of “Moment in Surrender,” and they concluded their encore with “Where The Streets Have No Name” and on a powerhouse note with “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”
The Verdict
Overall, U2’s show at Madison Square Garden was top-notch from start to finish. They really put their hearts in their performances, and they were able to get the audience involved in their set, by having them sing along, and by advocating peace to them. Their New York concert garnered an A rating.
