The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • Page 39

MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 1992 THE SUN TODAY 3E U2's music is a match for dazzling show Cable programmers adjust political coverage for audiences Stunning as they were, however, the visuals rarely stole the music's thunder. planning, most of it belongs with its playing. U2 is, at this point, probably the most accomplished concert act on Earth, and not even the crummy acoustics at RFK could undercut the band's power, precision or unerring musicality. Granted, the song list hadn't changed much since the spring, when U2 played the Spectrum in Philadelphia, but that didn't mean what we were getting was more of the same. A few tunes had been retro-fitted with different rhythmic approaches.

"Desire," for instance, took on a snarling, industrial edge that added grit to Its groove, while "Mysterious Ways" was presented with a throbbing, house-style pulse that made the most of the sound system's bass-heavy boom. There were also occasions when U2 seemed to strip away the distance that hobbles most stadium shows and made the crowd feel as if they were seeing a club show. More often than not, these moments came during the quieter songs, like Bono's solo rendition of "She's a Mystery to Me" or the band's acoustic reading of "Angel of Harlem," which segued into an unexpectedly poignant version of ABBA'S "Dancing Queen." But they didn't always, and in some sense, the concert's most memorable moments came during the loud bits. "Bullet the Blue Sky" was one of the best, building through a howling, Hendrixlan solo from the Edge to a climax that found Bono on a catwalk In the middle of the crowd, reciting the line, "As we run Into the arms of America." And to see him standing there, arms outstretched, as the fans lifted their hands to him was to understand Just why so many people still believe in the power of rock and roll. IE But all that was nothing compared to the video display system the band brought along.

With four mega-screens, four Vldl-Walls and 36 studio-sized video monitors nestled in and among the instruments and speakers, U2's stage had more total TV screenage than many suburbs. And the band made good use of it, too, Integrating musical and visual content so completely that It was, at times, like watching a live version of MTV (which is, not-so-coincidental-ly, one of the tour's sponsors). Whether as pointedly comic as the set-opening sequence that took a Gulf War clip of George Bush addressing Congress and edited it so that it seemed as if the president were quoting Queen will, we will, rock you," he droned), or subtly subversive as the flood of messages neck film critic Joe Bob Briggs, "Match Game" show host Gene Ray-burn and Roy Blount Jr. Franken, who originated the SNL's popular "Weekend Update" feature, compared Comedy Central's coverage to what some college students do when they gather in a room to watch, comment on and mock the political conventions as shown on TV. "We'll even order out for pizza," he said.

Comedy Central's audience Is defined by sensibility or attitude. MTV's and Nostalgia's are defined by age. BET's audience Is determined by race. The audiences of other cable channels are a matter of gender, religion or education. Multichannel TV equals multicultural America.

As the convention hall opens to new reporters, hopefully, the political process Is made more relevant and inclusive to Its audiences. TV, from IE Tang, director of news and public affairs. "We had a different perspective and viewpoint than the mainstream networks." Offering a different perspective than Just about anybody on the planet, Comedy Central is also expanding its lineup from the team led by anchorman Al Franken, of "Saturday Night Live," which covered the Democrats. Franken will be Joined this week by Calvin Trillin, staff writer for The New Yorker, and Merrill Markoe, formerly of "Late Night With David Letterman." among others. Trillin will be Comedy Central's floor reporter at the Astrodome.

Markoe will be the network's "street reporter" In Houston. Others offering in-studlo analysis will include: Spy magazine's Joe Queenan, Showtlme's red that flashed on screen during The Fly," U2 never let the medium turn into a massage. Even when Bono did his own little couch potato bit, using an actual remote control to flick from channel to channel between songs, the effect was as much satire as celebration. After all, nothing underscores the crassness of home shopping shows as a 20-foot screen. Stunning as they were, however, the visuals rarely stole the music's thunder.

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In 1940. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Canadian Prime Minister William Mackenzie King met in Ogdensburg. N.Y., where they agreed to set up a Joint defense commission. In 1 942, U.S.

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