BY MARTIN BANDYKE
FREE PRESS SPECIAL WRITER

Playing the first of two shows at the Palace of Auburn Hills, U2 delivered a triumphant, career-ranging show Monday. While it lacked some of the complicated staging effects of the band's previous tours, it still easily won over the sold-out crowd of 20,000 plus.

Taking the stage beneath fluttering confetti and strings of LED lights resembling huge beaded curtains, the Irish quartet began with a sleek, confident version of "City of Blinding Lights" from its latest album, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb." But the joint really exploded when U2 next launched into "Vertigo" from the same CD.

From there, the band whipped out some of its best-known songs. "I Will Follow," "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "Pride (In the Name of Love)" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" were among those getting the biggest receptions.

Bono, in basic black, prowled the stage's oval catwalk, engaging fans with the riveting presence that gets the attention of world leaders from President George W. Bush on down.