40,000 give U2 a special welcome home

This was not just any sort of homecoming for U2. This was a full, open-armed, lustful embrace, 40,000 welcomes shouted out at the top of Dublin's collective voice. It was apparent from the moment Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton emerged in the centre of Lansdowne Road stadium that the home crowd was right behind them all the way, and it was plain from the level of enthusiasm that U2 still mean something to a lot of people.

On a clear, balmy Saturday night in Dublin 4, all begrudgery was swept aside and replaced by a tidal chorus of approval.

U2 have taken the long way round back into our hearts; their recent album, POP, though a brave attempt to break boundaries, didn't quite manage to seep into our consciousness, and when U2 opened their PopMart tour in Las Vegas, American audiences didn't see the joke and didn't want to hear the new songs either.

Four months later and it's a different story altogether. U2 have dropped some older songs into the set, balancing the show nicely between new material and classic U2 anthems; they're reinterpreting some of their classic moves, and proving that some of their more recent songs have staying power.

Comparing Saturday night's concert with the band's first gig in Las Vegas is like comparing a movie's faltering, first take with its Oscar-winning final cut.

The band have tamed the PopMart beast, and they now ride the tiger with consummate ease. Bono's singing has never sounded so mature and emotive, The Edge plays guitar with the skill and speed of a gun-slinging ninja, Adam Clayton's turbine-driven bass playing should carry a nuclear hazard warning, and Larry's drumming is the strong, steady heartbeat of the band.

This is probably the best you'll ever hear U2 perform onstage, and it's probably the most spectacular U2 show you'll ever see. Bono has expressed doubt that the band will ever do something on this scale again, so PopMart could well be U2's last big splash of colour and light.

This was U2's first time to play Lansdowne Road. But the venue, with its panoramic views of Dublin city and Dublin Bay, is the perfect setting for this homecoming. The band came onstage to their new theme tune, M's Pop Muzik, then alternated new songs like Mofo and Gone with old favourites like I Will Follow and New Year's Day.

The first thing you notice - besides that great big yellow yoke and the oversized VCR - is the crowd, arms moving as one, and singing along loudly to every word.

American and European audiences don't join in with such gusto, but Lansdowne Road was drowning in chants as Bono's lyrics were echoed back at him from 40,000 throats.

Staring At The Sun needed only two acoustic guitars and some harmonising from Bono and The Edge - the fans took care of the rest. All Kinds Of Everything, however, required a large vat of salt, and some of us were too busy laughing at the karaoke parody of it all to remember the words of Dana's 1970 Eurovision winner.

Things got serious for Bullet The Blue Sky, and the screen went into battle stations for a burst of animated action. But this was nothing to the emotional punch of Please, the one song on Pop which really comes into its own onstage.

By the end of the song Bono was down on his knees, his heartfelt plea reverberating around the stadium. When the rumbling intro to Where The Streets Have No Name began to roll, the whole place erupted in a scene reminiscent of U2's concerts at Croke Park 10 years earlier, when The Joshua Tree was perched atop the world of rock.

If U2 had chosen to emerge from the giant lemon at the beginning of their show, it could have been construed as overweening egotism, a Spinal Tap touch too much. But by the time the 40-foot citrus mothership comes forward, U2 have already proven their power, and the lemon becomes little more than a great big in-joke between U2 and its knowing audience.

The loud, garish colours of Discotheque are followed by the soft tones of If You Wear That Velvet Dress, but With Or Without You still has the fabric of greatness in its slow, steady gait.

"I couldn't do this without you!" Bono tells his homeboys and girls, and they respond by cheering loud and long for the returned heroes.

The second encore starts with Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me, Bono facing the crowd directly through the giant screen, continues with a straight-shooting rendition of Mysterious Ways, and ends with the poignant One, dedicated to the memory of the rock journalist Bill Graham, who died a year ago.

When U2 walked offstage to thunderous applause, they left some lasting memories of their own. We'd better hold on to them, because they may turn out to be the best ones yet.