By Scott Iwasaki
Deseret News music editor

U2 and No Doubt in the Delta Center on Nov. 9; one performance only.

It was the perfect U2 concert. There were no glitches and there were no oversized sets. Instead, the concert was focused on the music.
U2 — vocalist Bono, guitarist the Edge, drummer Larry Mullen Jr. and bassist Adam Clayton — kicked off the show with a casual nod. With the houselights up, the band walked onto the stage and the crowd went wild.

"Elevation," a new song from the band's latest album "All That You Can't Leave Behind," snaked out of the system that hung suspended above the stage.
Speaking of the stage, there was the staple place where the drums and band jammed, but there was also a heart-shaped ramp that jutted out into the crowd. That gave Bono and the boys another way of making this sold-out Delta Center show a bit more intimate.
Up next was the Grammy Award-winning Record of the Year, "Beautiful Day." The music rang clear throughout the arena and really had the audience singing along.
Bono, dressed in black, slithered around the heart, and the Edge attacked his guitar in strumming frenzy. Drummer Mullen was all concentration as he pounded the steady cadence to the songs. And not to be forgotten was Clayton, who highlighted the arrangements with his funky and sometimes driving style.
Older tunes like "New Year's Day," "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "I Will Follow" were a welcome sound to the screaming audience.
The songs weren't the only dramatics last night. During "I Will Follow," the Edge made like a mad animal, and Bono became the tamer as they sparred on the ramp. Bono used his foot to kick at the Edge's guitar strings to the audience's delight.
Then true to U2 form, the band had its political agenda ready to unfurl. And that happened during "Sunday, Bloody Sunday," a song that hasn't been played live for a few years. During that political anthem, Bono strutted around the heart and borrowed a United States flag. He stood with it for a few heart-pounding moments and then hugged it passionately.
"How proud and humble we are to be on tour in the United States at this time," Bono announced. "And it's wonderful to be in Salt Lake City. You have stayed with us when U2 were making those far-out records."
With that the band launched into "Kite," which the singer dedicated to his late father. Soon after a fan was pulled out of the audience to play piano on one tune, and the Edge and Bono sang an acoustic duet on another new song, "Wild Honey."
U2 still has it, and last night's show was the perfect balance between music and passion.