U2

By my count, U2 played seven songs from the 80's, seven songs from the 90's, and nine songs from the 00's. Relevant songs. There is not another band on the planet that can do such a thing. (Sorry R.E.M., I really like your new album, but your last decade was rough). Perhaps the most satisfying thing about the concert was being enveloped in this staying power. Experiencing the relevance. Four lads from Ireland still playing together thirty years later. They look great. And they sound great. Sure, Bono has a sleight Messiah-complex, but there is no one with his level of fame and access that has had his heart in the right place more often. The D Man enjoyed every minute of the spectacle.

• Even Better Than The Real Thing. The Edge's dance-fueled, buzzsaw guitars ripped forth. A great opener.
• I Will Follow. A nod to longtime fans from the band's first album, Boy.
• Get On Your Boots
• Magnificent
• Mysterious Ways
• Elevation. Some of the band's best work the last decade has clearly been inspired by playing in outsized stadiums all over the world. This song is no exception. A pan-global rock song that everyone just gets. Absolutely kicked.
• Until the End of the World. Love this song from the band's sonic masterpiece, Achtung Baby. Sounds as fresh, vital, and original as it did twenty years ago. Nothing quite like those shimmering, dance-addled tracks that helped U2 take over the world a second time.
• All I Want Is You
• Stay (Faraway, So Close!). The Edge pulled out the acoustic guitar and did just fine in slowing things down. Bono looks better than he has in years. He has lost weight and looks rejuvenated after his back surgery--even joked he has a new spine. His vocals were as good as they have ever been--he was born to front a band and bring God's message of rock to the masses.
• Beautiful Day. The D Man loves this song. Maybe his favorite soaring U2 lyric: Reach me, I know I'm not a hopeless case. Isn't that the message of messages? We are not cast off forever.
• Pride (In The Name of Love). The mere fact that The Edge can pierce the heavens--while strolling around so casually, so stoically--makes him one of the five best guitarists of all time. Not to mention one of the coolest dudes ever. His ringing, pedal-fied guitar tectonics altered the rock landscape forever, delivering post-punk riffs to the globe and leaving behind the (even in 1980) tired blues-based guitar tropes. His mighty axe is the sound of the cosmos moving.
• Miss Sarajevo. Bono even broke into some Italian on this one. He had a cheat sheet on the floor of the bridge to help him out. The D Man holds no grudges, as I can hardly speak proper English.
• Zooropa. The (incredible) visual round came down over the top of the band and formed a glittering hive. Showtime!
• City of Blinding Lights
• Vertigo
• Crazy Tonight
• Sunday Bloody Sunday. The most righteous march of all time? How long must we sing this song?
• Walk On. Bono helped free a Burmese lady from prison. The D Man is all about setting people free. And a big proponent of keeping only the bad ones in jail.
• One
• Where The Streets Have No Name. The screen flashed iconic images of the young band, circa 1987, walking through the California desert. The Joshua Tree. The song's matchless, epic exploration of Self and America is still inspiring.
• Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
• With or Without You
• Moment of Surrender