U2: Elevation

U2: Elevation Tour
Centre Molson
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
27 May 2001

The Montreal shows were surrounded with the anticipation of my very first photo pass. Adding to the stress, however, was a phone message that said my pass was for Monday the 27th... Sunday was the 27th!

As fate would have it, I was indeed on the list for Sunday, but took pictures on Monday thanks to confusion at the Box Office and Security Desk. That's beside the point, though...

The show was a stunning, fast-paced set of roughly 2 1/2 hours. At one point, Bono notified the crowd it was the loudest so far on the tour. They have some sort of equipment packed along to track such things.

"This is a funky city," Bono said as he recalled their first tour stop in Montreal, when they played a place called, appropriately enough, Le Club... then there was the monstrous Olympic Stadium on the last tour. "This feels great," he said, referring to the more "intimate" setting of the Centre Molson, with all the fans euphoric about the boys being back in town.

Bono was quite playful, having grabbed a camera and sunglasses from the crowd for playing with on stage; he also ripped his T-shirt open in a moment of bravura.

With great amusement, Bono also introduced "the rest of the Spice Girls." Larry Mullen, Jr., nearly jumped out of his seat with laughter when he was introduced as Baby Spice. Lord Adam Clayton was, naturally, Posh Spice. And The Edge... he was either Sporty or Scary, Bono wasn't sure!

Bono introduced Stay with a funny story about how the fall of the Berlin Wall impacted them. After the fall, they went to East Berlin to attend a celebratory party. The band thought the Germans had a funny way of throwing a party, but hey, they ARE German! As it turns out, they were at the wrong party! They were surrounded by people that didn't want the Wall to come down! The way Bono told the story was priceless, and far more entertaining than this poor description would indicate. He concluded by saying, "Just thought I'd share" and offered to talk more, which brought cheers from the crowd for the Rock Star/Statesman. And some people think he doesn't have a sense of humor... Sheesh!

Notable nuances: They performed Mysterious Ways, but without the cyber belly dancers. Also, Bono didn't dance around the stage during Elevation like he did in Denver, sticking mostly to one spot this time.

It was also the first time I saw Bono do his impression of a fly on fly paper at the end of The Fly. Truly funny, a very nice touch. In Denver, he jumped into the crowd and tore across the floor to the exit.

Also, during New York, only three "drapes" were lowered. I'd swear all five were lowered in Denver.

And, to uproarious cheers, With or Without You was concluded with the lyrics, "We'll shine like stars in the summer night. We'll shine like stars in the winter night. One heart, one hope, one love... With or without you..."

Some of the other songs:
Bad
Pride
Desire - performed by the whole band, at the tip of the heart
Kite - dedicated to those things you don't want to let go of, whether it be children, parents, or a manager...
Out of Control
Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of - this song has so much power live, as does In a Little While

#8-)3

TC