Last night’s U2 show was really great: super music, great show, perfect sound (for a sports arena).

Bono was in fine voice, The Edge played some wonderful, understated guitar, Adam Clayton kept his simple basslines chugging along, and Larry Mullen was a rock on the drums. The stage – an adaptation of their heart-shaped setup from the “Elevation” tour of 2001-2002 – kept the band close to its audience. sprite and I were in the general admission section, on the floor, and had a great view of the whole thing.

One thing that U2 still remembers is how to make a show work: bring the audience in, give ’em a mix of old and new, keep things moving, and involve the fans in what you do. Granted, it’s a lot easier to do this in a small club, but U2 somehow manages to make large spaces seem small and intimate. It’s amazing what four guys can do on stage, and it’s better yet that they don’t come across as being road-weary.

Some of this perceived “freshness” is due to the fact that U2 loves what it does: they are a band that loves the music, loves performing. They change their setlist as the tour progresses: adding a song here, dropping a song there, yet still managing to fit in all of the hits and some of the old gems that keep the hardcord fans happy. It’s a tough balance to manage – especially when there are 14 albums’ worth of material from which to choose. Yet U2 manages to do it, time and again, and it’s a lot of fun.

Another thing worth noting is that Bono injects his political causes into the show, but in a way that doesn’t overtly distract from the momentum of the performance. If anything, his intense amount of spirit is somewhat intoxicating and uplifting. If there is a model of a modern protest singer who can connect with today’s youth, then Bono is the guy to learn from.

This was the fourth U2 show I’ve seen (I saw them in 1997 on the “PopMart” tour at Foxboro Stadium, and twice on the “Elevation” tour in 2001-2002), and it was probably the best of the lot.