Still Got A Bulging Bag of Tricks

22 Mar 2002
The NME's BRAT Winners edition celebrates U2's Best Live Act Award by highlighting three of the 2001 Elevation shows for special mention.

Want to know what those shows were really like ? Check our Tour Archives.

NME carried reports of three U2 shows in 2001:

* Live at London's Astoria back in February last year.

' They close with '40',' wrote Victoria Segal, 'And Bono tells us God loves us. Well, whatever. If tonight was bestowed as a rock star blessing then such charm and grace is a small miracle. They got to see the whites of our eyes and in return, we got to see a little of their heart.'
Check what U2.Com said about the show here.

* Live at the Toronto Air Canada Centre in May last year.

' Make no mistake,' writes Mark Pytlik, 'Just as you wouldn't go to a Geri Halliwell show and expect, say, a series of Faust covers, you don't go to a U2 arena gig and expect, well, subtlety. As such, their movements, finely cultivated after years of playing even larger venues, come off as broad strokes on this cavernous canvas. And although over-the-top ostentatious moments or rock opera glitziness are far behind them, they've still got a bulging bag of tricks.'
Check what U2.Com said about the show here.

* Live at the Birmingham NEC last August.

'Now, that 'alternative' means braindead nu-metal f**k,' writes Stephen Dalton, 'It is actually heartening that literate, creative, non-macho do-gooders like Bono still have the key to the executive washroom...'
* Check what U2.Com said about the show here.

And don't forget, as you are looking through the Elevation Tour dates for last year, you can still send us a short review of a show you were at. No more than 250 wds and send to elevationreview@U2.Com

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