Less than a month after the U2 Elevation show in Tacoma, I found myself in Lexington, Kentucky. I was going to make a weekend of U2 and the Kentucky Derby. At the time, I thought this U2 show was the best I had ever seen – as I would write after every Elevation show because U2 actually got better with every show. We flew into Lexington around 11am, went to lunch, shopped a little, then I got in the GA line at Rupp Arena around 2pm. Bono came out around 4pm and thanked us. He was only out there for a few minutes. I hung out with a bunch of nice people in the GA line, including Brad, who I met in Charlotte.

Even though I was within the first 150 people in line, I still stood at the tip of the heart. At the time, I thought this was the best place to stand and you couldn’t convince me otherwise. PJ Harvey opened again. I heard “Kite” and “Stay” for the first time. U2 also played an acoustic version of “Desire,” but they did not play “Gone,” “Staring at the Sun,” “Discotheque” or “Ground Beneath Her Feet.” I touched Bono’s hand once – the first time he leaned into the crowd. And then I patted his shoulder as he ran between the catwalk and us (where security is) – first time for that. I think “Pride” may have been my favorite this time. Bono was much more talkative than he had been and much more political. What a great night in Kentucky!

The set list for the Elevation show in Lexington on 5.4.01 was as follows: Elevation, Beautiful Day, Until the End of the World, New Year’s Day, Kite, New York, I Will Follow, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Stuck In a Moment, In A Little While, Desire, Stay, Bad/40, Where the Streets Have No Name, Mysterious Ways, The Fly, Bullet the Blue Sky, With or Without You, Pride, One, Walk On.

Check back here next week when I finally move into the heart in Pittsburgh.