BY GLENN GAMBOA
STAFF WRITER

May 18, 2005

U2 kicked off its sold-out New York City area stint Tuesday night at Continental Arena with a dazzling version of "City of Blinding Lights," a song recalling the Irish band's first experience in the Big Apple and one of its many tributes to the city.

"Tonight, Jersey turns Irish," said Bono after walking around the elliptical track, which allows the band to walk into the middle of the crowd. "You're all so beautiful tonight."

The recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees are scheduled to play in Continental Arena in East Rutherford again tonight before moving to Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

The current leg of the tour, promoting the recent album "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," ends next week in Boston, although the band is set to return in the fall, including seven more shows at Madison Square Garden.

At Tuesday night's show, the band dug deep into its catalog, playing "The Electric Co." from its first album, "Boy," released 25 years ago. Like much of the band's set, it updated the song by throwing in pieces of Smashing Pumpkins, "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" and the Broadway classic, "Send in the Clowns."

© Newsday 2005