LIVE REVIEW: U2 at the Rose Bowl (Oct. 25, 2009) - WATCH ENTIRE SHOW HERE

October 26, 11:33 PMMusic ExaminerPaul Gargano

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U2's 360 Tour, earlier this year in Milan, Italy

(Photo by Diana Scrimgeour)

Touring the world with a stage production that is without rival in the history of live music, U2 managed the improbable at the Rose Bowl Sunday night, delivering a set in which the colossal staging was dwarfed by the magic of the band’s performance.

The magic came in the form of celebration, Bono dropping to his knees and raising his arms high above his head during “Beautiful Day,” and a sold-out crowd of nearly 100,000 responding in kind. Opening with a trio of tracks from new album No Line on the Horizon – “Breathe,” “Get on Your Boots” and “Magnificent” – Bono , guitarist The Edge, bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen not only set the pace for the rest of the evening’s music, they set the tone for the evening’s mood.

“The future needs a kiss,” Bono sang in the opening line of “Get on Your Boots,” and U2 meant it.

The 360 Tour – which concludes its current leg Wednesday night in Vancouver, BC – was never meant to be a rehash of old hits (many were missing from the 24-song set) but rather, a beacon of hope in a world where hope is at a premium. The beacon was cast from the stage, illuminated by the crowd, and – especially in the case of the Rose Bowl show, which was being broadcast live to five continents via YouTube – reflected in waves throughout the world.

Bono called America the heart of the world at the end of “Beautiful Day,” but he wasn’t pandering. It was part of his ongoing message of solidarity, a message that was repeated a few times during the night. “Can you hear us, Iran? Radio Tehran, this is the United States calling – All who love freedom, and all who don’t, we’re speaking to you, can you hear us?” he said prior to “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” and he dedicated “Walk On” to Burmese nationalist Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1991 who has spent much of the past two decades under house arrest for her opposing political beliefs.

The 24-song set was a testament to the fact that U2 are bigger than their hits, and can be bombastic without leaning on their classic catalog. “Enough of the folk mass… Judas!” Bono decreed, transitioning from new album track “Unknown Caller” - seven songs were played from No Line on the Horizon - into Achtung Baby’s “Until the End of the World.” The song let loose in a bottom-heavy buzz of guitars, occupying a similar place in the set to “Bullet the Blue Sky” on tours past.

A 100,000-person crowd sing-along to “Stand By Me” jarred “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” into Edge and Bono’s acoustic “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of,” but the night’s most moving pair of songs came in the encore, when “Amazing Grace” bridged “One” and “Where the Streets Have No Name.”

A massive cone of lights and video engulfed the stage during “The Unforgettable Fire,” and the night’s magic came further to life during “City of Blinding Lights” – when Bono sings, “Oh you are so beautiful tonight, in the city of blinding lights,” you not only believe you are, but you also believe you can make a difference, the musical sense of empowerment and purpose having an even more resounding impact in celebrity-centric Los Angeles.

Musically, U2 were spot-on throughout the two hour, fifteen minute performance. Bono’s vocals showed their customary soft spots, but his talent has never been his pristine singing. On the contrary, his unparalleled ability to work masterfully within his limitations only serves to enhance his presence as a frontman. Yes, he hit a clunker or two in “Beautiful Day” and “MLK” sounded a little rough around the edges, but that roughness brings true life and emotion to his delivery.

“One” was an obvious crowd-favorite, but “Where the Streets Have No Name” was the night’s epic performance, the song that proved once and for all that U2’s goliath stage of gear and gadgetry wasn’t the night’s destination, it was just the vehicle that got us there.

The real story of U2 at the Rose Bowl wasn’t transported in the 120 trucks that carried the staging from city to city, but in the music for which the stage provided a platform. The real magic is the music that played on that vehicle’s radio, with no roof over our heads, the breeze in our hair, and nothing but the open road between U2, 100,000 fans, and the place we all hope to someday inhabit.

That message may have been lost on many of those who came hoping to hear nothing but hits, but U2 have always been about more than just hits. U2 have always been about making a lasting impression on the world we share, and they accomplished that with flying colors at the Rose Bowl.

The Black Eyed Peas may have seemed like an unlikely opening act, but they delivered a dynamic set that not only featured three Top 10 singles from latest album, The E.N.D – “Boom Boom Pow,” “I Gotta Feeling” and “Meet Me Halfway” – but also an appearance by guitarist Slash, who joined the band for a surprise cover of “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” will.i.am is clearly the centerpiece of the band’s four-headed lyrical front, but Fergie stole the opening set with her stellar performance of the Guns N’ Roses classic.

U2 Setlist – Rose Bowl
1. Breath
2. Get on Your Boots
3. Magnificent
4. Mysterious Ways
5. Beautiful Day --> In God’s Country --> The Maker -->God Only Knows
6. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For --> Stand By Me
7. Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of
8. No Line on the Horizon
9. Elevation
10. In a Little While
11. Unknown Caller
12. Until the End of the World
13. The Unforgettable Fire
14. City of Blinding Lights
15. Vertigo --> It’s Only Rock and Roll (But I Like It)
16. I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight --> Two Tribes
17. Sunday Bloody Sunday
18. MLK
19. Walk On --> Never Walk Alone
ENCORE
20. One
21. Amazing Grace --> Where the Streets Have No Name
ENCORE
22. Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
23. With Or Without You
24. Moment of Surrender

LINKS: Video feed of U2's Rose Bowl set / The Black Eyed Peas & Slash performing "Sweet Child O' Mine" / Upcoming dates on U2's 360 Tour

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