U2 Rocks a 8 Song Set At The iHeartRadio Music Festival

SEAN PENN did the honors for U2, bringing them on to the strains of the “2001: A Space Odyssey” “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” theme.as “four gangsters from IRELAND to crash a pop concert with rock ‘n’ roll.” BONO, THE EDGE, LARRY MULLIN JR. and ADAM CLAYTON hit the stage with the tom-tom beat of a fevered “Desire,” way back from the 1988 album, “Rattle and Hum.” “LAS VEGAS, are you ready to gamble the American Dream?” asked BONO of the crowd. “What do you have to lose? Everything!” Then it was time for the “uno, dos, tres” intro to the soaring “Vertigo,” the group with something to prove, coaxing yelps from the delirous crowd. A fuzz-toned punk rave-up of “Elevation” follows — “We’re going up,” shouts BONO — before the band locks into “Beautiful Day,” basically performing three of their usual set-openers in a row. Quoting COLDPLAY’s :Yellow,” they segue into a pretty much definitive “Pride (In The Name Of Love).” “Sing for the peacemakers in CHARLOTTE, NC… Sing for TULSA, too.

More than ever, we need the spirit of Dr. K. The spirit of non-violence. Not just in this land, but across the world. Peace is love. Organize. So get out and vote. Whoever you vote for.” “One” brought a suitable global perspective, with BONO praising AMERICA “as the best idea the world has ever had… Thank you for listening to some Irish guys who may be testing your tolerance for freedom of speech.” BONO then thanked “those brave DJs” for playing the plaintive, aching “Every Breaking Wave,” which he called “a song for lovers,” one he claims to have written for his wife. “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” was the perfect ending for an evening that proved the sheer diversity of today’s contemporary music scene. “Take it to the church… LAS VEGAS, let’s get married!” Rock might not rule the radio airwaves these days, but it certainly lit up the T-MOBILE arena tonight.

See more at: http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/157978/u2-expletive-laced-drake-twenty-one-pilots-sia-ido

“‘What do you have to lose’? Everything!” — @U2‘s Bono on Donald Trump at #iHeartFestival pic.twitter.com/Skz3c9qi3C
— Katie Atkinson (@ktatkinson) September 24, 2016