The sudden downpour on Sunday may have stopped most people from leaving the comfort of their homes, but there was nothing Mother Nature could throw at U2 or their fans that would stop them from hitting the Bradley Center.

There were plenty of the diehards who wouldn't let the weather dampen their spirits and chose to wait anxiously all day — some camping outside of the venue as early as 5 a.m. — for the Milwaukee show of the Vertigo 2005 tour.

This concert marked a week-long break for the band before they gear up for another leg of the tour and also something a little special for the boys from Ireland: the band chose to celebrate its 29th birthday with the Brew City fans.

"Twenty-nine years to the day, this band met," lead singer Bono said, possibly a little awestruck at how long the journey has been.

But by the looks of the concert, it's been worth it.

The concert

U2 spared no expense on the decor, especially on the stage and the lighting. The stage had an egg shape with the middle cut out for one of the two massive, standing room only sections. A long runway divided the two sections and also served as a space for Bono and The Edge to prance and play off of the crowd.

Lighting was a wildly entertaining and hypnotizing part of the show. The back of the stage was draped with massive beaded lighting curtains that hung down from the heights of the Bradley Center to the stage below. The stage itself was outlined by lights that sent out shooting star-like bits racing around in time with the music, illuminating the band and accentuating the songs.

U2 opened the show with an array of confetti and some of their newer material in, "City of Blinding Lights," "Vertigo" and "Elevation." This set the mood for the entire night: it's a party, wave your arms and sing along. The band performed songs from all its albums — older songs for the lifelong fans and newer cuts for the younger generations in attendance.

The fans knew the songs well enough that Bono would turn his microphone around and let the crowd do the singing for him. He enjoyed it so much he prolonged the opening of "Elevation" because he loved the crowd mimicking the "ooh-uh-ooh" sounds that start the song.

Probably the most interesting parts of the concert dealt with U2's interaction with the fans. Most of the time the band members avoided getting too close, shaking hands or touching outstretched fingers as little as possible. However, during "With or Without You" Bono pulled a young lady from the crowd and they slow danced throughout the entire song with her head resting on his shoulder.

U2 stayed on stage for almost two hours, including two encores. All concert-goers should know: no matter how many times the band says its goodbyes, don't leave till the lights come on. Especially when something interesting could happen during the encores, like Bono and Edge getting a little mixed up during "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" and having to tell the audience jokingly to give them a minute.

The politics

It's common knowledge that U2 — especially Bono — wears politics on its sleeve. If anyone thought they could go to the U2 concert and Bono wouldn't mention anything happening in the news, they would be sadly mistaken. But being able to learn the news from Bono is pretty cool.

Much of what Bono was talking about affected him personally. Before "Sunday Bloody Sunday," he told the audience that he never felt comfortable holding the Irish flag. He pulled one from the crowd to explain that starting the very next day he would be proud because the Irish Republican Army was disarming.

According to Shawn Pagtchnik of the Associated Press, the IRA is giving up everything from ammunition to rifles to missiles and handguns.

The ONE bracelet was the fashion statement for the night. Bono proudly showed his white band throughout the night and there were several places to sign the declaration of the organization. If you don't know what the ONE campaign is, it is an organization which dedicates itself to helping some of the poorest countries in the world in any way possible. Bono has been very active for the group along with many other famous celebrities, most of whom appeared in a television commercial for the group.

The good news came from Bono about the decision the G8, comprised of the world's wealthiest nations, made to eliminate the debt of almost 20 countries, most of which are in Africa to whose occupants the song "Where the Streets Have No Name" was dedicated to.

One of the most striking political related moments of the show came during "Miss Sarajevo." The history behind the song was explained to the audience — the fact that during the war in the Balkans the beauty pageant still went forth as an act of defiance — and at the end of the song, on the screen above the stage scrolled part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Besides being excellent showmen, U2 showed that it pays to be informed and have something to believe in – and that having a few dozen hits doesn't hurt in getting the point across either.

This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 29, 2005.