Concert of the year

I have just returned from what I would have to say was the concert of the year-U2 Vertigo 2005! This year, I've seen some good shows- Keane and Coldplay, but they are pale in comparison. For this show,I needed to drive 4 hrs to St.Louis trying to keep up with A Forrest's driving (we took separate cars), but the show was well worth it. To put it simply- U2 shows you how good music can get.
After I dropped $70 for 2 T-shirts, rapper Kayne West took the stage. Being the rock fan that I am, I've hardly ever seen a rap show, but Bono came on stage and personally introduced Kayne West, so I thought I would give it some attention. I have to respect U2's idea about bring rock and rap music together. Here are 2 artists that make music with a purpose. West wasn't as bad as I thought. Unlike most rap acts, he didn't swear every other word and he actually used real instruments with real musicians.
I've seen U2 8 times over the years, and this was by far their best entrance. The opening song "City Of Blinding Lights" has the same uplifting effect of "Where the Streets Have No Name." Watching U2 is like watching a well oiled machine. These are the same 4 guys that have been playing music together for almost 30 years, so you can tell that they really know each other and their different styles.
Once the band started playing "Love and Peace or Else", the climate got very political and focused on the Third World. Bono had on a head band that read "Co exist" and he talked at almost every opportunity about the plight of Africa.
One particular moment during "Sunday Bloody Sunday", Bono pulled up a young boy out of the audience, probably not much older than 6, and had him sing "NO MORE" during the guitar bridge. I thought that was pretty cool and showed the song's message in a different light.
I think I had one of those surreal moments during "Where the Streets Have No Name". This is the song that builds with guitars and explodes with lights and sounds. I remember thinking, "Music doesn't get any better than this. This is what music is all about. Freedom of the spirit, and no one on the planet does it better than U2