U2 at Rogers Centre – July 11, 2011

You could not ask for a more perfect night for an open sky and a spectacular show like U2 presented last night at Toronto’s Rogers Center.  The energy in the place was astounding as thousands of U2 fans prepared to experience an inimitable musical spectacle under the stars.

The U2 stage was a magnificent piece of art in itself.  Bono referred to it as the “Spaceship”, a four legged canopy hanging over the round path, topped up by a disco ball that reflected particles of glittering lights over the balconies of the dome.  Lights shimmered all over the stage, glittering all over the fans, the aura embracing each and every fan transporting them to a journey far and beyond. To further amplify the band’s concept, a drop cylindrical screen displayed images that sent out U2’s intended message of “peace, justice, solidarity and love”.

One could feel the band’s spirit and vigour all the while. Bono’s vocals were majestic, ever so breathtaking. Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen solidly conjoined their rhythm section and kept band so connected and alive. The Edge’s extravagant guitar work commanded the stage with a powerful boldness that reached out to fans in a profound tone.  The band members ventured around the stage at various times engaging with the audience, walking and pacing along moveable bridges. Bono dangled from a glowing microphone and laid on the edge of the stage, even went as far as picking up a young boy from the crowd to sing with him around the spaceship’s  launch pad. That must have been quite an unforgettable experience for him!

The band’s set list consisted of newer selections, however the crowd reacted thunderously to the U2 songs of the past, such as “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, “Beautiful Day”, “Elevation”, “Pride (In the Name of Love)”, “Vertigo”, “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, and included in their encore were the tunes of “One”, “Where the Streets Have No Name”, and “With or Without You”.  Everyone sang along to these with such delightful gratification. Their alluring voices taking over as Bono stood back and released his microphone to the audience’s sound, singing verses in jubilance.  Closing the night off with “Moment of Surrender”, under the moonlight, all lights off and the CN Tower illuminating over us, U2 gave us a heartfelt ending to a spectacular night.

Lucky were those in attendance of the U2 360 Degree Tour concert that night. It was surely a captivating journey into the world of music by one of the planet’s best bands ever.  There were plenty of pleasurable moments that contributed to a memorable evening, we traveled on the U2 360 Degrees spaceship, and had the trip of a lifetime. Thank you U2!