U2 goes Pop and swallows “corporate monster” Dorina Lazo Editor-in-Chief While hundreds of Americans were off trick-or-treating or engaging in other festivities on Friday, October 31, more than 50,000 people gathered at the Pontiac Silverdome for a little masquerade of their own. The host of the party was Irish rocker Bono of U2 and he had with him his cohorts in costume, bassist Adam Clayton, drummer Larry Mullen, and guitarist, The Edge. But the U2 concert was hardly a party. It was more an extravaganza. The stage was lavishly dressed in a 170’ by 56’ video screen. A 100 foot-golden arch (singular) was strategically placed in front of the screen as the gateway between the band and the audience. Highlighting the ensemble was a 40-foot lemon and a giant stiring rod with a neon-lit olive. Throughout the show cartoonish images and camera shots of the band would flash on the screen in MTV fashion giving those of us who are vertically challenged an opportunity to be in on the entertainment. The images, rather than stealing the show, helped portray some of the meanings and themes behind the band’s very introspective lyrics. In the song “One” off Achtung Baby oversized hearts and Matisse-like colored figures danced on the screen. At first glance these images seemed a cheesey simplification of the song. Yet, the struggle between the figures on the screen turned out to be more symbolic, bringing light to the struggle in the song. The Silverdome proved an appropriate venue for the stadium-style concert that U2 had prepared. Its hugeness only underscored the themes of excess and materialism. The sounds reverberated off the walls creating an echo that somewhat distorted Bono’s voice and the music. But maybe that is what the band wanted. When U2 started to become big on the charts in the early 1980’s the band feared being eaten alive by “the corporate monster.” As Bono told one reporter, that before the monster could eat the band, “we decided to eat the monster.” Yet, the music U2 played did not fully express anger at this “corporate monster.” A quiet version of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” off War captivated the audience. The Edge was the star on this one, singing an acapella version of the song which tells of the historical fighting between the Catholics and the Protestants in Ireland. After a generous number of old and new songs, U2 said their first goodnights to the audience and exited through the middle of the stage. The spaceship image on the screen served as a signal that they were ready for take off. The audience, of course, was not. And as anyone could have guessed, U2 saved the best show for last. After much applause the seemingly stationary lemon on stage burst and began spinning like a giant disco ball. Appropriately, the music to “Discotheque” pervaded the stadium. After an amazing club-style light show, the lemon, now center stage, split in half. Out stepped the four band members themselves led by Bono. This time U2 outdid themselves. But perhaps that was the point. The concert was a strange juxtaposition of excessive pop culture and the simplicity of U2’s standard ballads. While the crowd was wowed by the lights and the technology, it was apparent that most were there to hear the timeless melodies that have lasted more than two decades of music evolution.