We are Family!!!!

First night of the new leg of the tour and it´s like they´ve never been away!!!
From U2.com:

Arriving on stage to a new instrumental track titled 'Return of the Stingray Guitar', straightaway Bono was pacing the perimiter ring of the huge 360 production, serenading every corner of the audience: 'Torino, Torino...'

And from the unmistakeable opening chords of Beautiful Day  to the closing benediction of 'Moment of Surrender', two and a quarter hours later, this capacity Italian crowd powered the show into orbit.

Mixing up the set list with tracks from  eight  different albums, the band also gave a debut to two more new songs: 'Glastonbury' a driving, guitar-led rock number inspired by the UK summer festival,  and the meditative, acoustic  ballad, 'North Star', described by  Bono as ' a love song to the universe'.

Any U2 show is a celebration but this was a special night with the band back on stage and playing live for the first time in nine months. It was a bit of a family occasion.

'You care a lot about family in Italy, right?' asked Bono. 'This band is also a family:  the black sheep of the family, Adam Clayton on bass guitar; on the drums, the baby of the band, Larry Mullen Jnr; and The Edge, our middle child... it's his birthday on Sunday.'

Cue 40,000 Italians singing Happy Birthday to Edge.

'And I'm the prodigal son,' continued Bono. 'And I want to thank you for all the love and letters you've sent me in recent months, thanks for that. That's in the past now and I'm very much fit for the future...'

It was a seriously fit performance from band and production tonight, with a dazzling  creative makeover in the on-screen visuals complementing the surprises in the set list which also included the rarely performed  'Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me',  from the Batman Forever movie,  and  'Miss Sarajevo', originally written for, and performed with, Luciano Pavarotti. No-one sings opera like these people.

Setlist:

   1. Return Of The Stingray Guitar Intro (new intro)
   2. Beautiful Day
   3. Magnificent
   4. Get On Your Boots
   5. Mysterious Ways / My Sweet Lord (snippet)
   6. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
   7. North Star (new song)
   8. Glastonbury (new song)
   9. Elevation
 10. In A Little While
 11. Miss Sarajevo (debut in the tour)
 12. Until The End Of The World
 13. The Unforgettable Fire
 14. City Of Blinding Lights
 15. Vertigo
 16. Crazy Tonight / Discothèque (snippet)
 17. Sunday Bloody Sunday
 18. MLK
 19. Walk On / You'll Never Walk Alone (snippet)

      Encore(s):

 20. One
 21. Amazing Grace (snippet) / Where The Streets Have No Name
 22. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me (debut in the tour)
 23. With Or Without You
 24. Moment of Surrender

Northstar:



Glastonbury:



Two climatic moments of sensational night. Yes, U2 are back and with more energy and zealous than ever!!! Salute U2!!!

More pics here.

www.U2.com/www.u2gigs(videos)/www.U2miracle(pics)