U2 Kicks Off Tour in Florida

F O R T   L A U D E R D A L E, Fla. March 26 -- Though there had been much talk about how best to safeguard general-admission fans at U2's new Elevation Tour, it wasn't the fans who needed protecting as this road show made its debut. Rather it was the band's frontman, Bono, who took the most serious tumble Saturday night.

The show, which launched at the National Car Rental Center arena, was just over three songs in when Bono lost his footing midway through "Until the End of the World," stumbled backward off a ramp and crashed to the floor. The ramp — a huge, heart-shaped platform that encircled the stage and fans, was indeed designed to bring him closer to his devotees. But not this close.

After security guards applied a Secret Service-style tackle, they hoisted him back onstage, where Bono laid himself out in an effort to regain his bearings, all while valiantly continuing the song.

Apparently it all looked worse than it was. Within a minute or so he was back on his feet, the remainder of the two-hour evening all straight-ahead raging rock, and far less pomp than the band employed throughout the '90s.

Sticking to the Music

In fact, this back-to-basics show is as intimate and real as an arena concert could be. Featuring just a few simple stage effects, the evening stands as an unabashed apology to the faithful, many of whom tuned out during the over-the-top excesses of the band's 1997 PopMart Tour.

The cold shoulder was something U2 could not have envisioned just a few years before that, when its delightful Zoo TV tours were all the rage. While other bands were laying on the costumes and dancing girls, U2 was having a field day with high-concept TV screens, flying cars, and novelty moments like phoning the White House every night mid-show. But that's all gone now, leaving the songs to live or die on their own.

As one might expect, muscled rock classics like "With or Without You," "Mysterious Ways," "New Year's Day," and "Where the Streets Have No Name" have only grown dearer with years of familiarity. But it was also a night for new music from the band's well-received album All That You Can't Leave Behind.