In deference to the man whose home turf they were occupying last night (9/23), Irish rockers U2 [ tickets ] marked Bruce Springsteen's 60th birthday by inserting the Boss's "She's the One" into their set at Giants Stadium, segueing it into their own Bo Diddley-derived "Desire." Not quite prepared to do the "Born to Run"-era track full justice, they forged past the sloppiness to ensure that the performance retained the sanctity of its intent. Bono and the crowd had a few chuckles as the song fizzled at its end, but it confirmed U2's continued willingness to reveal themselves as humanly as possible, even in ridiculously oversized settings such as a football stadium.

No act commands a stadium stage the way U2 does, scattering about enormous wings and ramps to get close to fans and, in the case of the three guys not named Bono, nonchalantly delivering some of rock's most passionate popular music of the last three decades.

This is U2 as a rock 'n' roll quartet, making a joyous noise that that thrives on a message of community and benevolence. Bono ensures that phrases with positive sentiments rise above the din just as The Edge’s guitar roams the sonic space with careful intent; it's four guys concerned with an overriding message rather than duplicating their records.
Bono, as we have seen over and over, is one of the best at reducing the perceived distance between superstar and fan. The question on any U2 tour is what effect the behemoth presentation will have on the music. The giant spaceship never gets in the way here: The show's pacing had the beat of a military march, a perfect foil for the many moments that rely on precision. The Edge's guitar--even in the most familiar terrain--had the power to mesmerize and rouse, and the rhythm section of Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton was, as usual, a powerhouse unit.

A half-dozen tunes from the current album, "No Line on the Horizon," made it into the 24-song set, starting with the trio of "Breathe," "Magnificent" and "Get On Your Boots." In contrast with the rest of the set, the new songs have a wobbliness about them--none of them have the backbone of "Vertigo" or "Beautiful Day," two songs from recent tours that found their footing quickly as the band hit the road. Bono tries his hand at Dylan vocalizing and rhyming on "Breathe" and "Boots," yet there's nothing fully convincing about either. Still, although they have not penned the great crowd-galvanizer on this record, the song structures fit well with U2's past without sounding formulaic.

Beyond the six new songs, U2 is not out to surprise anyone with this meat-and-potatoes tour: "Beautiful Day," "The Unforgettable Fire" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday" remain invigorating anthems; politics--the situation in Burma--entered the picture on "Walk On"; and the combination of vivid lights, live video and a few artistic shots made the massive visuals consistently compelling. The Doors-ian ballad "Your Blue Earth" was lyrically fitting but too slow for the middle of the set; the electronically driven dance tune "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" felt out of place.

The treat on this tour for longtime fans has been the inclusion of cover songs, tacked on to one of U2's hits. Bono saluted Quincy Jones Wednesday with "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" on "Beautiful Day," "You'll Never Walk Alone closed out "Walk On," and "Amazing Grace" was sandwiched between "One" and "Where the Streets Have No Name," which closed with The Beatles‘ "All You Need is Love." Bono opened "I''ll Go Crazy" with a single line from Sly Stone's "Thank U (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin)," though it seems like we're a long way from any U2 funk experiments.

"Magnificent," one of the more powerful songs on "No Line," is accompanied by a great visual: The band members gathered together as warriors, facing the crowd beneath a giant spaceship set, Bono's left hand on bassist Adam Clayton's shoulder with a fully engaged The Edge by their side. It's a view rarely seen on the last tour, as that outing's horseshoe set made rare gathering spots for the quartet. On the current 360 tour--a reference to the production's in-the-round design--they have restored the feeling of four equal parts.