On one of the hottest days this year, U2 (along with opening act MUSE) broke the attendance record for Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The night started off with an up and coming rock band, MUSE. MUSE, who has become largely popular in Europe due to their amazing live performances, rocked a half filled stadium despite the scorching heat. But as the sun drifted below the stadium walls and more people filtered in, the excitement for one of the worlds most popular bands grew. As the lights dimmed and David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” played over the speakers, four men from Dublin emerged from their spaceship like stage. They started off the show with two of their newest songs, “Breathe” and “Get on your Boots”. To the delight of the crowd they played through some of their greatest hits, “Mysterious Ways”, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, “Vertigo”, and “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” But it was the more unexpected things throughout the concert that really made it one of the best U2 has ever done. Throughout the show they sprinkled in snippets of songs by other artists: the classic “Amazing Grace”, Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me”, and Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough.” Also to the surprise of the crowd, Guy Laliberte (the creator of Cirque Du Soleil) made an appearance from the International Space Station and Nelson Mandela gave a heartwarming speech on AIDS drugs via the Jumbotron. But the most unifying moment of the night was when Bono dedicated “Walk On” to Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest since being elected prime minister of Burma in 1990.By the end “Where the Streets Have No Name” the audience was already satisfied but they didn’t stop there, they played three of their strongest songs of the night, “Ultraviolet”, “With or Without You”, and “Moment of Surrender.” As they bowed and left the stage, everyone in attendance knew that this was one of the best concerts they have ever attended; not only did U2 satisfy with their music, they also united thousands of people with their contributions to society and the world in general.
