U2 remember Paris victims on Dublin homecoming

“Liberté, egalité, fraternité,” intoned Bono near the end of U2’s first indoor gig in Dublin for more than 25 years.

In other times, such sentiments would be dismissed by some as ’typical’ of a man who has often taken long strides beyond the usual job description of a singer in a band. But tonight in the 3Arena was different.

Coming just 10 days after the massacres in Paris, any hint of bombast or pronouncement is replaced by significance and relevance. “Our people,” was how the singer had described the victims in the Bataclan. How true it felt.

As the huge screen that ran the length of the runway from the main stage of the 3Arena carried images of war in the Middle East, ’Bullet the Blue Sky’ took on a whole new level of meaning.

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“Remember the victims,” was one of the slogans that flashed up during the playing of an excellent dubby reworking of ’Sunday Bloody Sunday’, while audio samples of news reports of the 1974 Dublin bombings served as a reminder that the band’s birthplace had also been touched by the horror.

Today's back page picture is 'Beautiful night' by Conor McCabe. @U2 #U2ieTour #U2Dublin pic.twitter.com/vFGUc5Mfzj

— Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) November 24, 2015

But this triumphant homecoming wasn’t all about such wordly issues. It was also a reminder of the importance of music and celebration. The four fifty-something-year-olds on stage (even Larry Mullen is finally beginning to age) have long been among the finest purveyors of rock music on the planet.

It’s true that tonight’s glorious highlights (’I Will Follow’, ’Pride (In The Name Of Love’), ’Beautiful Day’, etc) are from the vaults, but even recent material that’s quite forgettable on record works brilliantly in the live arena.

Well, that was very special #u2 #dublin pic.twitter.com/ylNQysgWX2

— Sinéad Crowley (@SineadCrowley) November 23, 2015

’Cedarwood Road’ has a projection of him walking along a digitised version of the street where he grew up. On ’Iris’, Bono sings about the mother he lost when he was 14 as grainy footage of his parents’ wedding plays on screen. How could you not be moved?

His speaking voice creaks a bit at times, possibly because of seasonal afflictions or the hammering it’s taken over a nine-month tour, but he still manages to sing through a blistering set that runs over two hours.

Bono walking down Cedarwood road finglas #u2 #dublin @finglasportrait pic.twitter.com/jYwIj7tubb

— Samantha Libreri (@SamanthaLibreri) November 23, 2015

And, amidst the fancy technology, worldly issues and decades of incredible success, it’s apparent that, at the core of it all are four guys from down the road still playing music just because they love it. Plus ça change...