U2
Barcelona Camp Nou, Spain
30th June, 2009

View: press box

Honey, I Shrunk U2, as it seemed high up in the press box. The second impression was that opening with the startling Breathe and three more selections from current No Line On The Horizon is a bold move. The group perform under a supersize, futuristic canopy, and halfway through the two-hour set, the whole caboodle of video screens and speakers comes alive during a dazzling City Of Blinding Lights. Before that, we get Bono referencing Michael Jackson hits during Angel Of Harlem, and the welcome return of The Unforgettable Fire to the 22- song set-list. The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. exchange awkward glances throughout I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For and come a-cropper during the closing One. A link-up with astronauts on the International Space Station drags, but Bono’s militancy carries Walk On, and Sunday Bloody Sunday and Pride take on a new post-Obama meaning. U2 still transcend the limits of stadium rock.

Reviewed by Pierre Perrone
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