The U2 show in Tacoma on April 12, 2001 marked a lot of firsts for me. It was my first time visiting Seattle, my first real GA experience and my first time seeing P.J. Harvey open (I would see her 13 more times). I had a friend in Seattle, so I flew out Easter weekend for the U2 show. We spent the day before the show sightseeing around Seattle, visiting the Space Needle, Fish Market, etc. The day of the U2 show, we arrived in the GA line about three hours before the doors opened. I had such a great time hanging out with everyone in the GA line talking about U2. Although I was GA for the previous show in Charlotte, I only arrived shortly before the doors opened – not enough time to get the full affect of the camaraderie that is the U2 GA line.

At the time, the Tacoma Elevation show was my favorite. It was better than the previous three Elevation shows and better than any shows on the Zoo Tv and Popmart tours. It was unbelievable! And my feeling after the show was over was indescribable! There were two points in the show where I almost broke down and cried. U2 played two encores and the show lasted over two hours! It felt like they played forever! Along with our new U2 friends from the GA line, my friend and I stood just to the left of the tip of the heart on the outside. P.J. Harvey opened, and I didn’t care for her too much, but would soon grow to love her. Edge’s entirely family was at the show, including his five children and his parents. Bono danced with two of Edge’s daughters during two different songs. The morning after the show, I got the newspaper as I always did to include the review in my U2 scrapbook. Much to my surprise, I was in the paper! It was a picture of Bono walking along the heart with me in the audience just to the right of him singing my little heart out. I wrote to the newspaper, and they sent me an 8×10 glossy print of the photo.

The long 23-song set list for the Elevation Tacoma show on 4.12.01 was as follows: Elevation, Beautiful Day, Until the End of the World, New Year’s Day, Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of, Gone, Even Better Than the Real Thing, New York, I Will Follow, Sunday Bloody Sunday-Get Up Stand Up, The Sweetest Thing, In A Little While, Desire, The Ground Beneath Her Feet, Bad-40, Where The Streets Have No Name, Mysterious Ways, The Fly, Bullet The Blue Sky, With Or Without You, Pride, One-Unchained Melody, Walk On.

Check back here next Friday as I reminisce about the Elevation show in Lexington.

01 Elevation

02 Beautiful Day

03 Until the End of the World

04 New Year’s Day

05 Stuck in a Moment

06 Gone

07 Even Better Than the Real Thing

08  New York

09 I Will Follow

10 Sunday Bloody Sunday

11 Sweetest Thing

12 In a Little While

13 Desire

14 Ground Beneath Her Feet

15 Bad

16 Where the Streets Have No Name

17 Mysterious Ways

18 The Fly

19 Bullet the Blue Sky

20 With or Without You

21 Pride (In the Name of Love)

22 One

23 Unchained Melody

24 Walk On