That U2 concert sure is the huge music event of 2009, to say the least. Then again, every U2 trek is a big deal. Bono and company have perfected the art of arena splash and substance. The 360 Degrees Tour, which stops tonight at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, boasts 200 trucks, a crew of 400 and a daily expense of $750,000, according to USA Today.
Each of those claw structures, which make the stage look like a cross between a spaceship and a spider, rang up at more than $40 million.
But even if you don’t have tickets for the show, all you need is a CD player and these five discs for your own homemade U2 concert performance:
•No Line on the Horizon (2009)
According to the set list from the band’s Friday gig in Atlanta, six tunes from the latest studio effort are included in the show. And all are keepers, particularly “Get on Your Boots,” “No Line on the Horizon,” “Moment of Surrender” and “Magnificent.” Horizon is the kind of album that gets better with repeated listening.
•How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004)
Two Bomb tracks, “Vertigo” and “City of Blinding Lights,” made it into the repertoire. “Vertigo” should be a highlight of the night. That’s U2 on hyperspeed adrenaline. Bomb is a good record but one that hasn’t aged as well as other projects.
•All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000)
An excellent U2 creation, Behind was the CD that brought them back to artistic prominence after the misguided messes that were 1993′s Zooropa and 1997′s Pop. Four songs, “Beautiful Day,” “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of,” “Elevation” and “Walk On,” are part of the tour. Of those, “Beautiful Day” is perfect for mass excitement.
•The Joshua Tree (1987)
Tree is the disc that turned U2 into a superstar rock band. “Where the Streets Have No Name,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and “With or Without You” get time onstage. Those songs are classics. Tree is an album that transcends the decade in which it was released. It’s timeless.
•War (1983)
OK, U2 only does one War cut in concert. That would be “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” By contrast, they do four from 1991′s Achtung Baby. But War, the band’s third studio effort, immediately defined U2 as a passionate rock band with plenty to say about worldwide social and political issues. “Sunday,” with its militaristic marching beat, and “New Year’s Day,” highlighted by a haunting keyboard melody, both delve into tragic political unrest.Plan your life
U2, with opening act Muse, performs tonight at Cowboys Stadium, 925 N. Collins St., Arlington. The show starts at 7 p.m. Only $30 party pass tickets are available. Ticketmaster.
