U2 Moving to Montreal

Last night's U2 concert at the Bell Centre in Montreal was amazing. U2 were in top form, with Bono even singing the Luciano Pavarotti parts of Miss Sarajevo. The show was electric and the crowd, as always, was louder than the band. Montreal is one of those cities that knows how to rock out, and last night was no exception. The band was noticably stunned by the energy and volume coming from the fans, with Bono telling the crowd: "You are crazy people."

So crazy, in fact, that a few hundred people (myself included) stood outside in -10 degrees Celsius (that's 14 degrees Fahrenheit) cold for upwards of three hours (some people were in line since 5:00 am). Also joining U2 on stage was producer, and Montrealer Daniel Lanois on guitar for the final song of the night, "Bad." Bono also urged everyone in the audience to put pressure on Canada's Prime Minister, Paul Martin, to live up to his promise of debt relief and aid for Africa in the upcoming Canadian election, saying that it would be impossible to wipe out poverty in the world without the help of Canada.

What really got the crowd going, however, was when Bono announced that U2 would be moving to Montreal. He may have been joking, but the audience roared once again in delight, and after a few more words from Bono, the show continued on. Yet some of the U2 fans I met last night apparently have some deeper insight into Bono's seemingly fleeting comment. According to a source, U2 spent the day at the Cirque Du Soleil headquarters in Montreal, and may be planning a show with the famed acrobatic company. If so, they might actually be moving to montreal, and living in our frozen oasis.

One last note: Montreal band The Arcade Fire opened the show in superb fashion, almost stealing the spotlight from U2. Now the favourite band of Coldplay, David Bowie, and U2, I strongly urge you to catch The Arcade Fire in concert if you can. While only on the U2 tour for three shows (one in Ottawa, and two in Montreal), Arcade Fire's song "Wake Up" is featured as the lead-in music when U2 takes the stage each show. They are one of the few acts who's music reach new heights when performing live. Perhaps in a few years, they may be as big as U2.

Visit U2.com and The Arcade Fire. Read more about the fans at The Montreal Gazette.