There's really nothing to be gained by opening that kind of show with a set that seeks to tap into the same vibe U2 spent the night exploring. In a way, seeing Beck in that context was an odd fit. Bono was in incredible voice, exemplified by Running to Stand Still and Every Breaking Wave. U2's music always was and will be the star attraction. But the songs performed on the satellite stage showed that the music transcended any effects or technology requirement. He brought his portion of the concert to a climax and a close with 'Where It's At,' an epic version that introduced the other musicians on stage via crowd-pleasing snippets ofВ 'Good Times' by Chic, 'China Girl' by Iggy Pop and David Bowie (on which he changed the lyrics to 'my little Jason Falkner'), Talking Heads' 'Once in a Lifetime,' Gary Numan's 'Cars' and Phil Collins' 'In the Air Tonight.' The incredible backdrop added another dimension to the Joshua Tree experience. Then, he took out a blues harp and treated the hardcore fans to 'One Foot in the Grave.'

The undeniable groove of 'Dreams' and the loopy rhymes of 'Wow' made a strong case for 'Colors' as one of those albums that inevitably get compared to 'Odelay.' After telling the fans, 'All right, if you feel like headbanging to this one, feel free,' he delivered a version of 'E-Pro' that practically dared you not to bang your head.

But in this case, it worked like a charm because вЂњLost Cause,вЂќ from вЂњSea ChangeвЂќ and вЂњHeart is DrumвЂќ from 'Morning Phase' are just that good.

Then, Beck announced вЂњWeвЂ™re gonna play a couple quiet ones,вЂќ which is rarely a good thing to say in the opening slot on a stadium tour. After setting the tone with the raucous groove of вЂњDevilвЂ™s HaircutвЂќ and вЂњBlack TambourineвЂќВ вЂ“ by which point I found myself frantically googling the name of his show-stopping drummer (Chris Coleman)В вЂ“В he reached back to the breakthrough track that briefly threatened to define him as a one-hit wonder, вЂњLoser,вЂќ slipped a bit of Donna SummerвЂ™s heavy-breathing disco classic вЂњI Feel LoveвЂќ into вЂњThink IвЂ™m Love,вЂќ and followed through a hard-hitting вЂњGo It Alone.вЂќ

U2 the joshua tree scene