U2 HAS BEEN coming to Atlanta for nearly a quarter century. The Irish legends moved up quickly from the intimate, now-defunct Agora Ballroom in 1981 to the Civic Center in 1983 to the Omni in 1985.

By 1992, U2 was filling the Georgia Dome. For its 2001 appearance and this weekend’s two sold-out shows, Philips Arena has been home.

Based on AJC reviews and set lists gleaned from two fan Web sites, here are some highlights down memory lane:

–> Dec. 1, 1981: "Boy" tour, The Agora BallroomSet list highlights: "October," "Out of Control," "I Will Follow" (No set list available for U2’s first Atlanta appearance in May 1981)

–> June 25, 1983: "War" tour, Atlanta Civic CenterSet list highlights: "An Cat Dubh," "Two Hearts Beat as One," "Gloria," "Party Girl"Bonus fact: U2 soundalikes the Alarm opened

–> April 29, 1985: "Unforgettable Fire" tour, the OmniSet list highlights: "MLK," "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "Bad," "Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door," "40"Review excerpt: "U2 successfully has made the transition from intimate clubs to arenas." — Russ DeVault, Atlanta Constitution

–> Dec. 8-9, 1987: "Joshua Tree" tour, the OmniNight 1 set list highlights: "Where the Streets Have No Name," "In God’s Country," "With or Without You," "People Get Ready"Review excerpt: "The band was embraced with a warmth that bordered on frenzy. After the concert was well over and the lights were up, the audience — 16,000 strong — continued to sing the refrain from ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday.’ " — Bo Emerson, Atlanta Constitution

–> March 5, 1992: "Zoo TV" tour (first leg), OmniSet list highlights: "Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses," "Angel of Harlem," "I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For," "Love is Blindness"Review excerpt: "Ripping free his mask of piety, Bono got down to the business of being a good, old-fashioned, vulgar rock star. What welcome relief." — Steve Dollar, AJC

–> Sept. 25, 1992: "Zoo TV" tour, second leg, Georgia DomeSet list highlights: "Zoo Station," "Mysterious Ways," "One" "Stand By Me," "Desire"Review excerpt: "The inaugural rock concert at the spiffy, spacious ultra-venue often was less a pop spectacular than a mad crush at a fraternity keg party." — Steve Dollar, AJC

–> Nov. 26, 1997: "PopMart" tour, Georgia DomeSet list highlights: "Even Better Than the Real Thing," "Last Night on Earth," "Lemon," "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me," "40"No AJC review. A preview by AJC’s Russ DeVault noted, "The once-revered Irish rock band has fallen on such hard times that its ‘PopMart’ tour has been dubbed ‘FlopMart.’ "Bonus fact: Bono sang a bit of INXS’ "Never Tear Us Apart" in homage to the lead singer Michael Hutchence, who had committed suicide the night before.

–> March 30, 2001: "Elevation" tour, Philips ArenaSet list highlights: "Beautiful Day," "Sweetest Thing," "Mysterious Ways," "Walk On," "One" with snippets of "Losing My Religion" and "Everybody Hurts."Review excerpt: "Bono and the boys kept it simple, delivering a largely unscripted, stripped-down rock show that put song and spontaneity front and center." — Nick Tate, AJC– Compiled by Rodney Ho.

Sites with U2 set lists are www.elevation-tour.com and www.u2setlists.com

- Atlanta Journal 

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