On December 12th, I attended the U2 concert held in Seattle's Kingdome. As the last North American venue in the band's Pop Mart 1997 tour, it contained all the energy typical of a last show, and all of the extravagance that the Pop Mart tour has become known for.

The setting included a large stage with a catwalk that stretched out 25 rows. A huge 170 foot by 56 foot high LED screen served as a backdrop for the stage. To the side of the stage sat a giant lemon and an olive on a cocktail stick. Framing the middle of the stage was a giant yellow arch, on top of which sat a Christmas tree.

The show was opened by Smashmouth, out of Southern California. The band's upbeat, ska/punk music sounded just as good as it does on their CD. Unfortunately, the crowd was composed largely of thirty-somethings, who were not all that impressed with Smashmouth's performance. They broke the spell however, by ending with their hit single "Walking on the Sun". The song's brassy, Door's-like feel appealed to almost everyone.

After a lengthy intermission, U2 took the stage and jumped right into the music, opening with "Mofo", off their new album Pop. Throughout the night, the band played a perfect mix of new and old songs. The music was supplemented by the effects of the colossal video screen. The back drop was used for a combination of live video for the band as well as animation and video collages. For "Bullet the Blue Sky", cartoons by Roy Lichenstein and Run Wake showed planes attacking each other. The combined audio visual effect was stunning.

As for the quality of the music, it was excellent, as one might expect from such an epic band as U2. On the rare occasion that the vocals would become muddled by the guitar and drums, Bono would recover quickly and professionally.

On a whole the concert was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I was able to see in person a legendary rock band whose music transcends age and great music, and left me feeling dazed.