Nine years ago, on July 18, 2015, I was seeing U2 in concert for the first time on the “Innocence + Experience” tour at Madison Square Garden. This was a transformative experience that made me a fan of Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr.
After narrowly making it to my seat by showtime, a blonde-haired Bono began walking through the crowd. This was the first of eight straight shows in Madison Square Garden — I don't believe the band has stayed in a venue that long until the Sphere — before they headed to Europe. And what a special show it was.
U2 began their set with “The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone).” It is one of my favorite Songs of Innocence tracks, and it kicks ass live. The band followed that up with a song I did not know very well at the time, “The Electric Co.,” which included snippets of “Send in the Clowns” and “I Can See for Miles.”
At the time, I was unaware of how much Bono utilized snippets in his songs. Now, I excitedly look out for them during concerts. Little did I know this show would feature some gems. After two more songs I did know, “Vertigo” and “I Will Follow,” the band began the Songs of Innocence suite that captured my attention.
The Innocence Suite
This Songs of Innocence set began with Bono explaining the origins of “Iris (Hold Me Close),” written about his late mother. She died when he was a teen, as so many other rockstars — such as Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and even U2's Larry Mullen Jr. — have experienced.
I had the best seat in the house, thanks to my aunt. We sat in the first row on the balcony in the middle of the long LED screen that scaled the floor of the Garden. During “Iris,” Bono sang to his mother with a galaxy of stars in the background.
Even Bono will acknowledges that singing about his mother is not very rock-and-roll. But that did not matter to me. There was something intrinsically interesting about seeing a 50-year-old rockstar croon about his mother.
Maybe it is due to my connection to my mother, or perhaps it was the hormones I was feeling as a teen (I was starting high school that fall, after all). Nevertheless, this led to “Cedarwood Road,” during which Bono walked down an illustrated version of his childhood street.
Nine years later, I visited 10 Cedarwood Road myself. The animation during this song captured the spirit, which I am sure was even rougher in the seventies. As the song reached its crashing crescendo, cherry blossom leaves covered the screen.
It was such vivid imagery for a supposed rock and roll show. This was when I began realizing this was far more than that.
A “Song for Someone”
After the intensity of “Cedarwood Road,” it was nice of U2 to scale it back for a song. “Song for Someone” begins with a drawing of Bono in his childhood bedroom. He is playing guitar, as he explains, “This is me, age eighteen, trying to write a song to impress a girl called Alison Stewart. She's here tonight. I'm still working on it.”
At the time, I was pretty head-over-heels for a girl (again, teenage hormones). This performance inspired me to attempt to learn how to play the song (it would be years before I played it for anyone, and luckily it was the right girl).
A stripped-down “Sunday Bloody Sunday” with Mullen only playing a snare drum followed. Some of the car explosions during the Troubles are shown as the song ends, and the one-two punch of “Raised by Wolves” and “Until the End of the World” closes out the first act.
The second act of greatest hits
I almost needed a minute after such an emotional journey. “Invisible” opened the second act, which I was familiar with thanks to its Super Bowl promotion. I did not know “Even Better Than the Real Thing,” but I loved what I heard.
The upbeat “Mysterious Ways” and “Elevation” came next and provided a much-needed pick me up after the heavy first act. Right after, U2 began another slew of acoustic songs — the Oscar-nominated “Ordinary Love,” “October,” and “Every Breaking Wave.”
What's cool in retrospect is that this was U2's first performance of “October” since November 11, 1989. “Every Breaking Wave” is U2's modern-day “With or Without You” and was beautiful. Bono's was underrated during U2's “Innocence + Experience” tour.
In hindsight, the pacing of the last four songs of the main set was odd. “With or Without You,” my favorite song by the band, was played with the “Shine Like Stars” coda. I did not know how rare it was to hear, but I am glad I did.
They then played the anthemic “City of Blinding Lights” before going into two politically-charged songs, “Bullet the Blue Sky” and “Pride (In the Name of Love).”
The encore
The encore consisted of three of U2's biggest hits — “Beautiful Day,” “Where the Streets Have No Name,” and “One.” I remember the joyous feeling of hearing the intro to “Streets.” It was as if a weight was lifted, and the entire arena was in unison.
“One” was a powerful closer and remains my favorite. Even if U2 fans do not like when Bono lets the crowd sing along, it creates a poignant feeling when hearing it in person. The song has an epic conclusion, as the band slows down towards the end only to build it back up and Bono wailing out the final falsetto notes.
“No them, there's only us,” as Bono sings.
Why U2's “Innocence + Experience” tour is perfect
The “Innocence + Experience” tour should not have been as good as it was. U2 found a balance of telling a narrative while also playing their biggest hits.
It sold me on the band as a group willing to take risks. Nowadays, the only narrative that artists are telling is of their “eras.” In the years since U2 has done everything from retrospective anniversary tours/residencies and the “Experience + Innocence” tour.
At this time, U2 was teetering on the line of a legacy act. U2's “Innocence + Experience” tour (and the “Experience + Innocence” sequel tour) proved they are anything but. They are confident in their new material, playing seven songs from Songs of Innocence, but also know when to cater to their casual fans.
Oh, yeah — and they once again revolutionized technology usage in concerts. The previous “ZooTV” tour and the recent Sphere residency overshadow the technological feat of the “Innocence + Experience” tour.
Not only did a giant LED screen reside in the middle of the arena every night, it had a purpose. Throughout the show, U2 tells a narrative that is both engaging and powerful.
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