DAVID BIANCULLI/NY DAILY NEWS

U2’s BEAUTIFUL DAY. Friday night at 10, CBS.

As investments go, 500 Irish pounds was a small price to pay to get Bono, the
Edge and the rest of U2 started on their path to pop stardom.

But that’s how much the parents of each band member forked out, 22 years ago,
to finance the recording of the group’s first album.

On the last night of the band’s 133-date "Elevation" tour, U2 wanted to return
to Ireland, and to Slane Castle, where its 1984 album "Unforgettable Fire" was
recorded, to perform for the home crowd.

It’s a huge crowd, too, for this high-energy, whole-lotta-love performance,
captured by CBS for a one-hour concert broadcast Friday night at 10.

"I want to thank my old man for 500 pounds," Bono tells the crowd, then relays
the similar gratitude of other band members to their own supportive parents.
Then, to great waves of applause, Bono thanks the crowd itself.

"You’ve given us a great life," he says during an instrumental break in the
middle of "Pride (in the Name of Love)." Then he adds, "This is our love," and
looks back at his bandmates and beams a wide smile.

Behind-the-scenes glimpses show Bono and the rest preparing for the concert and
raving about the locals in attendance ("This is our tribe!"). Mostly, though,
"U2’s Beautiful Day" is about the music.

"Elevation," "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (a song with deep resonance to the
aforementioned tribe), "Beautiful Day," "One" and "Where the Streets Have No
Name" are among the other songs performed.

In the arena-like staging, with Bono working his way across a semicircular
catwalk over the audience, there’s a similar look to every number - but Bono
sings passionately and gets the fans to respond passionately.

Though the production values of "U2’s Beautiful Day" are repetitious, the songs
are not. If you’re a fan of this group, U2 will enjoy it a great deal.

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