U2 Go Old School in Cali Irish rockers mix "Boy" and "Bomb" on tour kickoff This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the release of U2's debut album, Boy. And while the band's current world tour, which kicked off last night before a sold-out crowd at the San Diego Sports Arena, is in support of last year's chart-topping How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, the four lads from Dublin were clearly feeling a bit sentimental, making for some surprising vintage moments during the two-hour set. The lion's share of material came from the new record, starting with the opening "City of Blinding Lights" and the album's punchy first single, "Vertigo," which singer Bono introduced by saying, "Spanish lessons in San Diego . . . I don't think so." The night's first surprise came soon thereafter, when Bono announced, "We're gonna go back to where it started." As a flag unfurled over the backdrop featuring the Boy album cover, the foursome -- Bono, guitarist the Edge, bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. -- jumped into the way-back machine for "The Electric Co.," with Bono segueing into a snippet of the showtune "Send in the Clowns." U2, who have largely ignored their distant past on recent tours, then treated longtime fans to "An Cat Dubh" and "Into the Heart" -- both also off of Boy. "An Cat Dubh" was the concert's moody highlight, with its hard bass line pulsing under the bluish stage lights. As Bono worked the runway -- as on the previous tour, the stage set featured a circular ramp that extended out into the middle of the floor -- the band jumped into "Beautiful Day," from 2000's All That You Can't Leave Behind. "New Year's Day," the band's 1983 breakthrough U.S. hit, followed and received an uproarious ovation, proving that U2 weren't the only ones feeling nostalgic. The alternation of new and old tracks continued throughout the set. The band effectively combined the new album's mid-tempo ballads "Miracle Drug" with Bono's tribute to his late father "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own," during which he removed his trademark sunglasses to deliver his most impassioned vocals. The rocking "Love and Peace or Else," which found Larry Mullen Jr. banging away on the drums at the apex of the ramp, was followed by War's "Sunday Bloody Sunday." During an acerbic "Bullet the Blue Sky," off of 1987's The Joshua Tree, a blindfolded Bono got down on his knees and held his hands over his head as if bound. The staunch anti-war song ended with snippets of "Johnny Come Marching Home" and the chorus from "The Hands That Built America," a song the group contributed to Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York. The political statement continued, as "Bullet" was followed by U2's beautiful Joshua Tree ballad "Running to Stand Still." Featuring Bono on harmonica and acoustic guitar, the song provided the intro for a video listing the articles of the United Nation's Declaration of Human Rights. The band then delved into material from 1991's Achtung Baby, with guitarist the Edge taking the spotlight with the fierce solos that fuel that record. "Zoo Station" and "The Fly" featured provocative sayings flashing quickly on the backdrop of beaded curtains. The show went on to close with a lively rendition of All That You Can't Leave Behind's "Elevation." Coming back for the encores, the quartet revisited 1984's The Unforgettable Fire for a rousing "Pride (In the Name of Love)," with Bono taking the opportunity to refer to the work he's been doing on behalf of third-world debt relief by asking the crowd to "sing for Africa" at the song's close. And during "Where the Streets Have No Name," an African flag unfurled over the backdrop. Proving he can be high-minded and smooth-talking at the same time, Bono announced, "We are more powerful, we are extraordinary as one" . . . as the band struck the opening notes of Achtung Baby's "One." This was followed by impassioned versions of new songs "All Because of You" and "Yahweh." The band saved the night's biggest revelation for last, as Mullen began the repetitive drumbeat to "40," the biblical sing-along that used to close U2 shows. In a nod to the early days, at the song's conclusion, Bono walked off the stage first, followed by Clayton and the Edge, while Mullen provided the beat to the crowd's chanting of the chorus "How long to sing this song." When the lights came on, most in the San Diego Sports Arena were still singing.

Bulldozer und CElevate via <a href="http://66.147.238.223/~u2day/cgi-bin/iB/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=8;t=5555;st=360">U2-Forum.de</a>: Hier unser Review mal wieder exklusiv für u2tour.de: <b>City Of Blinding Lights:</b> » CElevate: fand den Einstieg ganz ok, wir wussten ja seit der Rehearsal Show bescheid. Aber der große "Wegblaser" war es nicht. » Bulldozer: irgendwie zündet der song nicht. was nicht nur daran liegt, dass ich ihn generell nicht sonderlich mag. das publikum sprang auch nicht besonders drauf an, hatte ich extra drauf geachtet!! fazit: an der stelle fehlbesetzt, bitte was anderes in zukunft (ich weiss - wunschdenken...) <b>Vertigo:</b> » CElevate: Jaaa, das passt hier besser. Andererseits wird visuell schon viel Pulver verschossen. » Bulldozer: jo, an Nummer 2 genau richtig, da gehört er auch hinne! kommt gut. <b>The Electric Co:</b> » CElevate: ich fands geil, der Text wurde etwas verändert. Rockt auf jeden Fall sehr! » Bulldozer: geil, geil, geil - und dann noch in einer entsetzlich langen version!! bitte beibehalten !! <b>An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart:</b> » CElevate: Mit Publikum in der Halle definitiv besser, auch wenn sich viele Amis hinsetzten. Gut, dass vorher Vertigo kam. » Bulldozer: kommt doch erstaunlich gut, noch besser als beim rehearsal. kennt zwar kaum einer aber das wird schon noch mit der zeit - beim publikum wohlgemerkt... <b>Beautiful Day:</b> » CElevate: Klassisch und Gut. Weckte die Menge wieder auf. » Bulldozer: geiler song, keine frage. kommt aber irgendwie nicht in der intensität wie bei der elevation tour. dennoch ein grower, und gut platziert. <b>New Year´s Day:</b> » CELevate: Auch wenn ich den Song nicht so mag - definitiv gut, dass sie den eingefügt haben. Tat der Stimmung sehr gut. » Bulldozer: huch, überraschung !! hätte ich heute nich unbedingt mit gerechnet. dachte es wäre ausgenudelt, nyd kam aber sehr geil rüber, muss ich schon sagen! <b>Miracle Drug:</b> » CElevate: Das hat noch Potenzial, irgendwie kam die Lichtshow noch nicht so richtig cool. Aber gut gespielt von der Band. » Bulldozer: einer meiner favoriten auf dem neuen album. und auch live imho sehr gut. manko - offenbar beim publikum noch nicht so bekannt, hätten die leut heut mehr mitsingen können. aber dafür kann der song ja nichts :-) <b>Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own:</b> » CElevate: Das ist bislang eine kleine Enttäuschung. Gefällt mit irgendwie nicht so recht, weil es so vor sich hin plätschert. » Bulldozer: Jo, laaaaaaaaaaangweilig. ungefähr 10000 leute setzten sich hinne! <b>Love And Peace Or Else:</b> » CElevate: Weiterhin ein Höhepunkt. Perfekt. Ging auch in der Halle gut ab. » Bulldozer: ungefähr 10000 leute standen wieder auf !!! absoluter hammer!! larry auf der ei-spitze, bono am schluss auf larrys ei-spitze-trommel - wow !! <b>Sunday Bloody Sunday:</b> » CElevate: Ähnlich wie bei New Years´s Day: Der Song war hier sehr gut für die Stimmung » Bulldozer: geschickt hits eingestreut, für das große publikum, was beim rehearsal halt noch etwas fehlt. souverän vorgetragen, nix zumeckern <b>Bullet The Blue Sky / The Hands That Built America:</b> » CElevate: Daumen runter. DER Song hat es hinter sich. Das Snippet macht es auch nicht besser. Nicht mein Ding. » Bulldozer: ja genau, da ist die luft deutlich raus, btbs hätte eine tour-pause redlich verdient! haut keinen mehr vom hocker, und wurde auf vergangenen tourneen deutlich besser vorgetragen! <b>Running To Stand Still:</b> » CElevate: Jaaa, mit Mundharmonica. Solide gespielt. Prima. » Bulldozer: Jau, fast richtig klassisch gespielt, nur der schluss... wo bono sich geschickt vor dem "still running" mitsingen drückt, in dem er "hallelujah" anstimmt. nun ja, egal! <b>Zoo Station:</b> CElevate: Jepp, das rockt. Text offenbar leicht verändert, ich konnte es nicht ganz so gut verstehen. Geil. Bulldozer: YEAH YEAH YEAH !!! Mehr muss ich dazu nicht mehr sagen )))))))))))))))) <b>The Fly:</b> » CElevate: Hmm, der Instrumentalteil war gut, die Stimme leider nicht laut genug gemixt. War ok, aber ausbaufähig. » Bulldozer: klang "anders"... absicht oder nicht... hmm, ich fands trotzdem cool, besonders mit der klassischen screen-begleitung! ok, ein paar verhauer waren wohl dabei <b>Elevation:</b> » CElevate: Hier hatte mich schon beim Rehearsal genervt: Die erste Strophe ist ohne Schlagzeug nur zur Gitarre. Das bringt den ganzen Song aus dem Gleichgewicht. Zudem für mich kein "Closer" des Main-Set. » Bulldozer: schwierig..., ok am anfang fehlt was, definitiv. dennoch sorgte er für stimmung. ob an der stelle im set richtig gestetzt, kann man drüber streiten. aber nochmals üben wäre schon ok :-) <b>Pride:</b> » CElevate: Überraschend frisch gespielt. Wiederum: Ein Crowd-Pleaser, der den Stimmungspegel wieder anhob. » Bulldozer: ich wollte dem song ja immer eine tour-pause gönnen, wenn er nicht richtig schnell & hart gespielt wird. jo, ist diese tour deutlich besser als die letzten ca. 15 jahre. kann so bleiben !! <b>Where The Streets Have No Name:</b> » CElevate: War prima, hab mich auch daran gewöhnt, dass am Anfang die Blender fehlen. Stimmung am Ende war dennoch gut. » Bulldozer: ohne lights am anfang fehlt dem song irgendwie die seele... vor dem letztem refrain kam die lights dann und alle konnten ihre arme hochhalten -> zu spät... schade. <b>One:</b> » CElevate: Nein. Das war nix. Meine Befürchtung: Der Song wird diese Tour zu Tode gespielt. Irgendwie uninspiriert und fade. » Bulldozer: Jau, zum glück ersma ohne nerviger webseiten werbung wie im rehearsal. der song macht in der entwicklung einen schritt zurück - leider. wurde schon besser vorgetragen, irgendwie ausgelutscht <b>All Because Of You:</b> » CElevate: Besser als beim Rehearsal aber fehlplatziert. Zudem singt Bono beim Mittelteil nicht mit. Ausbaufähig. » Bulldozer: Kurioserweise sprang das ami-publikum, im gegensatz zu anderen vermeintlich bekannteren songs, erstaunlich gut drauf an. mir hats gefallen, war auch sehr laut! <b>Yahweh:</b> » CElevate: Besser als beim Rehearsal, aber auch fehlplatziert. Wäre mehr was für die B-Stage. » Bulldozer: Wurde von der crowd durchaus angenommen, in dem relativ laut mitgesungen wurde, zu meiner verwunderung. war schon ordentlich, wenn auch noch ausbaufähig. <b>"40":</b> » CElevate: Die Konsensnummer am Schluss. Punkt. » Bulldozer: der absolut klassische closer! sehr geil, soll so bitte bleiben, weil es alle mal erleben sollen, mit diesem song den set zu schliessen. ham wir uns alle mal verdient! <b>Gesamteindruck in einem Satz:</b> » CElevate: Bis Sunday ein Super-Set danach ging es etwas bergab - mit ein paar Setlist-Änderungen könnte aber was sehr gutes draus entstehen, » Bulldozer: Mir hats gefallen! OK, hier und da hats noch etwas gehackt, aber das wird schon noch. Ich wünsche mir halt nur einen anderen opener, und btbs bitte ne pause. dann wird diese tour noch so richtig leiwand!

<b>U2 Again Looks to Reach New Heights, as 'Vertigo' Tour Opens</b> <i>San Diego Union-Tribune, March 28, 2005</i> George Varga You might expect U2's four members to feel pretty confident when they kick off their world concert tour at 7:30 tonight at the newly named ipayOne Center at the Sports Arena (formerly the San Diego Sports Arena). After all, the legendary Irish band won three Grammy Awards last month and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 14, while virtually every show on its Vertigo/2005 tour sold out in a matter of minutes. Guess again. "We are nervous, yeah," U2 bassist Adam Clayton said Wednesday from Vancouver, where the band was rehearsing. "We're always nervous when we're starting a new tour. It's [been] four years since the last one and we know we've gotta come up with something just as good, if not better than, the Elevation tour [in 2001]. Were playing around with a lot of material, so -– as well as learning how to put across the new songs in a live situation -– we're also working on pulling out some old songs and some unexpected songs as well. So between now and Monday, there's a lot to straighten out before we get it right. "So we're a bit nervous. We've set a high standard in the past, so maybe the first show will have a few kinks in it. But it will be 98 percent of what we want it to be." Prior to its tour preparations in Vancouver, and before its Hall of Fame induction, U2 spent 10 days rehearsing near Rosarito Beach at the 20th Century Fox studio (where parts of the films Master and Commander and Titanic were shot). However, contrary to widespread rumors and unsubstantiated San Diego radio and TV reports, U2 singer Bono did not hang out in an Irish bar in the Gaslamp Quarter on St. Patrick's Day or visit the Fashion Valley shopping mall to buy a pair of sunglasses. In fact, Clayton said, none of U2's members ventured north of Baja at all. "No," he said. "We were staying down there. There were some accommodations about five minutes from the studio, so it made sense to stay there." U2's move to Vancouver was prompted by the need to rehearse in a larger facility that could accommodate all of the band's extensive audio and video projection equipment, as well as the complete stage, which should look somewhat familiar to fans who attended the Elevation tour. (The band was scheduled to perform a dress rehearsal Saturday night at the Los Angeles Sports Arena to work out the kinks, with some radio station contest winners in attendance.) "What we kind of did this time is we stayed with the kind of stage we had last time, which was a very inclusive working space [with] that runway that went into the audience -– what we called the heart. We've hung onto it, so Bono will still be able to get out in the audience," Clayton said. "But we've updated it, for us anyway, in that the Elevation tour was very much a back-to-basics, no-nonsense kind of production with not much in terms of gizmos or effects. This time around we've updated the staging and there's a lot more lighting and streamlined video content. But we're trying not to repeat what we've done in the past and to make the content very emotional so it doesn't overpower the band." The band's oldest member at 45, Clayton doesn't do many interviews. But he spoke for more than an hour about his band and its music, as well as its worldwide success, the family illness that nearly led to this tour being canceled, and U2's early days as a cover band called the Hype. ("We were just atrocious," he recalled.) He also sang the praises of U2's young opening act, Kings of Leon, and apologized for the computer snafu that left many frustrated U2 fans unable to buy advance tickets for the tour. Clayton predicted that tonight's concert could feature as many as eight songs from the band's new album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, as well as old favorites and a few surprise selections. "I don't know whether we'll do all eight in the show on Monday, but certainly we'll probably be adding or dropping some new songs after the first couple of shows," he said. "We really do try very hard not to repeat ourselves and to deliver something different. But I think also that it's an emotive show, a show that requires people to be committed to be part of it. I think it's hard to come to a U2 show and just eat hot dogs and drink a soda, and not be moved by it. We really do want people to be a part of it and be involved. "...when we first got together, you know, there were those kinds of dreams and ambitions that every young band of young men who come together have. We thought we might have a shot at getting some records out. But the idea that we'd still be putting out records and doing sold-out tours in 25 years' time -– other than on the Holiday Inn circuit -– is not something we thought would happen. "...and it's not over by any means."

<b>U2 Celebrate, Encourage Unity During Vertigo Tour Kickoff</b> You know it was a powerful show if every single seat in the arena is still occupied by fans singing at the top of their lungs even after the band is done and the house lights go up. That was the scene Monday at the San Diego Sports Arena, where U2 kicked off their Vertigo Tour with a two-hour celebration of the new and the old and a few favorites in between, including a grand finale of "40" that felt more like the end of an Easter service than a rock concert the night after. "We haven't played this one since 1983," Bono said as guitarist the Edge, bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. subtly started the War anthem, which instantly turned into a sing-along. As the tune came to an end, each member strolled off the stage one at a time, eventually leaving the sold-out crowd to continue the chorus of "how long to sing this song" a cappella. It was a fitting ending to a night clearly about unity. After an opening set from Kings Of Leon, whose sexy Southern rock had the beer drinkers raising their plastic cups, U2 took the stage in front of what looked like beaded curtains, but actually served as projection screens. With "City Of Blinding Lights" as the soundtrack, the beads reflected white light across the arena, as colorful mirrored confetti fell from the ceiling. "This is San Diego; you don't need any lessons in Spanish," Bono said next, before counting "Uno, dos, tres, catorce," (translation: "one, two, three, fourteen"), the intro to the world tour's title track, "Vertigo." Later, after working in some lines from "Stories For Boys," Bono gave the audience another shout-out, changing the lyric "I'm at a place called Vertigo" to "San Diego." (Good luck in East Rutherford.) During the tune, and for much of what was to follow, Bono strutted (almost dancing, but still walking) from one side of the stage to the other, to the back to greet fans behind them and then all around an egg-shaped catwalk that circled a small group of fans in the front rows. Above the stage, a monitor just as wide as the platform was split into four screens, each one televising a different member of the band, often in black and white or other retro hues. "I want to go back to where we started," Bono declared, boldly leading the band through three tunes from 1980's Boy just a few songs into the show. A pair of "Days" (when you have nearly a dozen albums, you can use the same words over), "Beautiful Day" and "New Year's Day," followed, giving even the diehard fans a needed adrenaline boost. U2 then jumped back into last year's How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, beginning with "Miracle Drug" and perfectly segueing, musically and emotionally, into "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own," Bono's elegy to his late father, which he sang at his funeral. "My father Bob would love to say 'in show business,'" Bono shared as he started to sing the tune. Later, as he seemingly drifted off the stage and into his own world, the singer took off his signature sunglasses, wiped away a tear and continued singing. Next, the band changed gears for another new tune, "Love And Peace Or Else." At the start, Mullen made his way with a few drums to the front of the catwalk, but by the end he was back on his set while Bono pounded away in tandem, looking like a soldier leading his troops as he stomped his feet and raised his drumsticks. Coming off what was easily the highlight so far, Bono, now in a white headband holding back his long hair, wisely marched into patriotic classics "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Bullet The Blue Sky," during which he pulled his headband over his eyes, kneeled for a symbolic moment and then added some lines from "The Hands That Built America." Rounding out the set, the band played four tunes from different albums -- "Running to Stand Still," "Zoo Station," "The Fly" and "Elevation" -- which, put together, made for a perfect playground for the musicians to play, especially the Edge, who occasionally switched guitars during songs and also played a little piano. For "Elevation," U2 brought the upbeat anthem to a crawl during the bridge and then exploded into the final verse, even getting a little mixed up in the pacing. "It's OK to screw up, right?" Bono asked. "We're a close-knit group." For the encore, U2 returned with the one-two punch of "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" and "Where The Streets Have No Name," during which Bono stepped up his preaching of unity. "Martin Luther King's dream was bigger than America," he sermonized during the former, while the crowd repeated the "uh oh oh oh" part of the tune. "It was big enough to fit the whole world. It was a dream where everyone was equal. Asian. European. African. Let's sing it for Africa!" Bono continued on his tribute to Africa during the latter, dedicating the tune to Nelson Mandela while different African flags scrolled on the projection beads behind him. While the band finished out the tune and started into the next, Bono asked the audience to participate in the band's One campaign "to show there's equality in Africa and America." (An address to send a text message to join was shown on the big screen later.) "We are more extraordinary and more powerful when we act as one," he said, just as the Edge kicked into the infectious opening to "One." "One life/ But we're not the same," Bono sang. "We get to/ Carry each other/ Carry each other." It wasn't the final song, but it did seem the final message. The Vertigo Tour continues Wednesday, again at the San Diego Sports Arena, before heading up the coast of California.

U2 starten "Vertigo"-Tour mit atemberaubender Show 30.03.2005 New York - Mit einer atemberaubenden Show und einem Wirbel alter und neuer Songs hat die irische Rockband U2 ihre neue "Vertigo"-Tour im kalifornischen San Diego gestartet. Unter weltweit mehr als 100 Konzerten haben die Rocker auch drei in Deutschland zugesagt: in Gelsenkirchen (12.6.), Berlin (7.7.) und München (3.8.). Die Musiksender MTV und VH1 äußerten sich begeistert über den Tourneeauftakt. Bandleader Bono und seine U2-Mitspieler kehrten erstmals nach knapp 20 Jahren wieder zu ihrer Tradition zurück und wählten den auf einen Psalm gegründeten Song "40" als Grand Finale. "Den haben wir seit 1983 nicht mehr gespielt", sagte Bono, als U2-Gitarrist Edge, Bassist Adam Clayton und Drummer Larry Mullen die Anti-Kriegs-Hymne leise anstimmten. Die Band hatte längst die Bühne verlassen, als das ausverkaufte Stadium noch immer im Chor wiederholte: "How long to sing this song."

<b>U2 launches tour in San Diego U2 is da bomb</b> <i>By JANE STEVENSON -- Toronto Sun</i> SAN DIEGO -- "Oh, you look so beautiful tonight!" sang U2 frontman Bono as the Irish rockers kicked off their much-anticipated Vertigo world tour on Monday night in San Diego. Backed by astonishing visuals that complemented their larger-than-life music without overwhelming it, the band itself looked pretty smashing, too. The evening's opening song, City Of Blinding Lights, from their How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, was an inspired choice to kick-start the hour-and-55-minute show, which reached dizzying visual heights but managed some more subdued, emotionally charged moments. Interestingly, the most spiritually uplifting song came via audience participation, as the band dredged up the gorgeous "40" -- from 1983's War -- as their closing song of the night. One by one, group members left the stage, leaving drummer Larry Mullen Jr. to provide a beat until the crowd eventually sang the chorus -- "How long to sing this song," -- a capella for another five minutes, hoping for their return. It felt like Easter Monday all right. The concert was far from musically perfect -- they messed up Elevation -- but as the ever-charming Bono said: "We can screw up a little bit, right? We're amongst friends!" About 17,600 friends made up the sold-out audience at the San Diego Sports Arena, recently renamed iPay One Centre. The band, rounded out by guitarist The Edge and bassist Adam Clayton, first appeared admist a sea of glittering confetti, a moment normally reserved for the end of a show. But if U2's Vertigo stage initially recalled that of their Elevation 2001/2002 tour -- the heart-shaped catwalk has been replaced by a larger, oval one -- there was a mighty impressive addition in the form of large light panels that dropped down from an enormous lighting and sound rig above the band. Resembling beaded curtains, the light panels changed colours or had striking images or words projected onto them. "We've taken the best bits of the last tour and added stuff that no one has ever imagined before," said Bono. The singer, a naturally gifted performer, made good use of the panels, gingerly walking through one while introducing Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, saying, "This is for my father Bob; he would have loved to have been in show business." It was a clever bit of performance art that quickly turned into an emotional high point as Bono removed his trademark tinted glasses, wiped the sweat from his brow and sang from the heart. Ever the hambone, Bono also made good use of that longer catwalk, crawling on all fours and even turning over and lying down with his hands behind his head at one point, much to the delight of photographers. "Spanish lessons in San Diego? -- I don't think so," said the singer, launching into the night's second song, Vertigo: "Uno, dos, tres, catorce!" The moment was memorable but U2 didn't stay stuck in the present for very long, immediately following two new songs with material from their 1980 debut, Boy. It included the beautiful instrumental Into The Heart, while Bono threw water at the crowd or roared like a lion. Bono's antics aside, some of the best songs were the most unadorned: Crisp, clean versions of Beautiful Day, New Year's Day, Miracle Drug, Pride (In The Name Of Love), which all provided particularly great guitar moments from The Edge, and such crowd singalongs as Sunday Bloody Sunday (even if Bono sounded out of breath.) Mullen played a stand-up set of drums at the front of the catwalk during the new song, Love And Peace Or Else, which Bono, now wearing a white headband, would eventually take over. He later pulled the headband over his eyes, and dropped to his knees with his hands raised to simulate a prisoner of war during Sunday Bloody Sunday. They also touched on his well-known battle to fight the spread of AIDS and poverty in Africa with Where The Streets Have No Name and One. The singer talked about having to postpone the tour -- it was originally going to start March 1 in Miami -- after someone in a band member's family became seriously ill. (Clayton explained the delay in an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune.) "It's a great, great, great, great, great night for us," said Bono. "Putting on a tour that we didn't think we would. It's a miracle!" What it is is a damn fine rock show that's only bound to get better by the time it reaches Toronto for four sold-out shows at the Air Canada Centre in September.