The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 25

MONDAY, MA juiH Tim II i on (1 i. is i LivinylArts Music Review FAST, CONVULSIVE U2 sermonizes and struts with equal fervor 1 U2 Wllllk.Hi6..tlriill At Our UrclCrntrf, Salunlay 1 I ft I0IMI I'WO TIIUMIJS III' "Nicole Kiilinau uml Seun I'enit il'i null a great jul" NIC-MAUD 0(PIH NICOLE KIDMAN SEAN PENS INTERPRETER -t i i By Joan Andeniutn The rock concert a church MTVkv nu-Uphor 1 (rvrnm-U and run-ly apt. Ilnw riKhtaitia in ntoralty sound, not Mally rad are hum rock Ur? Hut it can't, and khouldu't, lx avi.ulrd In the caM? of U2. By the tune the lrih rmken ikflly, nynteiuatically de livvml an arena full of wopihijwi to a utatc of euphoria for the tiiird tinte in Us than a week, nmtu-r that trantcend the fcimple (lea-urea of chord and choruM had conic into play. That' not to ay that there weren't momenta, plenty of them, where Bono' tirelesH humanitarian work and spiritual soul search-InK were kicked to lite curb In the rush of a btje.

uncoui)licated anthem. "VertiKo," a set highlight that the band repried at the close of Saturday's show, amounted to nothing more than a a of pump-inje fists and beating hearts -something we can feel, to paraphrase the song lyrics. But here the garden variety rocker Is happy to leave it at that, Bono (like all tite great crusaders) expertly wove the visceral and the topical. The last of the Irish quartet's trio of Boston dates varied only slightly from the previous two. The deep-catalog cuts "An Cat Dubh" and "Into the Heart," from V2's WHO debut, "Boy," wen trotted out during the flashback segment.

"Who's Gonna Ride Your inent in time it's U'J's constancy -the seme of purpone and conscience that once again defines Its imutc that matter uwt. Just how effurtleiwty Bono inhabits the roles of preening Icon and conscience of a generation mind txigglmg. One minute the Noliel Peace Prize nominee was beseeching President Bush and British prime minister Tony Blair to end poverty as the band launched into the galvanizing sing-along "One," and the next he was wrapied in a feather Imm and wearing a rakishly skewed captain's hat as "The Fly." Granted, that Zoo IV -era alter ego was an Ironic guise, but crawling on the gargantuan circular catwalk while fans frantically snapped cellphone pklurcs was pure in-star pose. Of course, each feeds off of, and deccns, the other. When at the end of the two-hour show Bono offered "all praises to our Heavenly Father and Larry Mullins," he wasn't kidding.

Faith in Cod and his band and the possibility of making the world a better place has given Bono his unique credentials, expertly deployed in political arenas and hockey arenas. tHitmtatmm linn iMAt mhukh Damyims iuwjum it iTASiCMMU tMVMnilUS rM(wilU VU CAt M4I jaul Mi rnmtm mhcioiii imimh-wul ti let ivl ifi tu 4if (. I i'i iaiixui ,1 nMa him ituin fttmioK mi MIAN1MI tX'l lH(CIOi SOCikl. 101 Xa tMO VnCW5 Uu't IAIF F-oUvRiN w.jlH I rontman Bono, pictured Tuesday at the FleetCcnter, expertly wove the visceral and the topical during l'2's Saturday show. uiiuiie nriY ncTinii FILM YOU UWEEUER SEEM' Wild Horses" replaced "With or Without You" as the night's ethereal, soul-searching love song.

A blistering "New Year's Day" fleshed out L'2's protopolitical mini-set that included "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Bullet the Blue Sky." And while, generally speaking, we award big points for spontaneity and veering off script, at this nu- Juun AtultTiium can be mwhetl at ndrrman (rf e. com. 2 jit ii r.iuKsnM rnt gr.ir.M Bca unburns QDCsDILimSDaCEi Hornsby, Vega have tiin with the familiar i'Jii i 'IftlK. JOSION COMMON FENWW THEATRE DANVERS MIHIXHIIM V1 UliimlKIIUll 81 Ifi'-t Silt CI IrffifhtS! i uniMOuKtAN ti uu iiwmumuam The River Birthday Show With Brure Hornsby, Suzanne Josh Rilti-r At: Avalun, Friday nielli REVERE RANDOLPH BRAINTREE 10 fRAMINGHAM 16 in (itwufio nxiniju.ini4 vi Bimi 781 286 1660 781963 5600 II 141 100 S062I4400 i 1 inm mill Jr. wft subtly emotive "Marlene on the Wall" and the spry caper "Tom's Diner," sadly suggested that even this talented songwriter has struggled to attract fans to newer material.

But her gifts were affirmed by how well these older songs hold up. longtime Boston favorite Ritter was the perfect pick to kick off the night's festivities, as his clever narratives and simple, sophisticated arrangements resonated as if he were the love child of Hornsby and Vega. Few performers transmit such pure joy from the stage, and Ritter gamboled and grinned while leading his three-piece backing band through a short set that included the ode to small town simplicity "Me and Jiggs" and the gorgeous, celebratory love song "Kathleen." By Sarah Tomlinson GlOfit COmtSPOMXNT Independent radio station WXRV-FM (92.5) celebrated its 10th birthday in appropriate style Music at Avalon on Friday night by spotlighting ReVICW both the literate pop on which "The River" built its reputation and the emergent folk-rock talent that continues to woo new listeners. The concert showcased smart songwriting and deft musicianship, as stalwart favorites Bruce Hornsby and Suzanne Vega were joined by the up-and-coming Josh Ritter before a sparse but enthusiastic crowd. Headliner Bruce Hornsby demonstrated both his talents as a musician and a bandleader during his impassioned 90-minute set.

From his perch at his piano, he merrily led his five-piece in jazzed up, jammed-out versions of his classics. His extended interpretations kept even his most recognizable material fresh, and his band's superior skills helped retain the focus when his solos risked becoming too busy. Often, his updates were sly and fun. He displayed his enduring vocal suppleness while tossing the funk chorus from Hot Chocolate's "You Sexy Thing" into the narra- AH Ilk PHOIO Bruce Hornsby, shown in a past performance with the Grateful Dead, played lively reinterpretattons of his material on Friday. WMrw.MrwdomofhMvgmTMrfttxoni wr www flMU NOW LOEWS AMC BOSTON COMMON FEMWtV TMMTK tOfWS tOFWS HARVARD SO.

S0MERVUE io chuich si cawkoci sstai so mf 1 -SOO-FAWAKCO 173 1 -S0O-FWI0AIIGO 1737 ernous space feel intimate. She peppered it with charming anecdotes, describing the English camp counselor who inspired her first song, the keenly observed "Gypsy," at age 18. This reliance on oldies-but-goodies, such as the PI HYlun wsinfMoinsi wiBmii. miinu i-mi-FUNowiaiiTM 6i7--66 AMC AMC AMC BRAINTREE 10 FRAWNGHAM 16 CHESTNUT HIU HI BUS fHtlIMffSKIU illHNWMST 7B1-S48-I0TO MfrSJS-MOO 6I7-2T7-2SO0 oo(g OOD H0UYW000 HITS MKVfllS 978-777-4000 tive-driven and saxophone-embossed "Funhouse." And his smart new take on "The Way It Is" added a sassy salsa flavor while maintaining the song's understated melancholy. Hornsby also adeptly refurbished others' work, delivering Leon Russell's "Manhattan Island Serenade" with a bluesy vocal trill over gently affecting piano.

Vega looked as fresh-faced and tomboyish as ever and sounded as heartfelt and pure. Her comfortable and familiar set made the cav IP "wrmnMiT! rVrfr-V Hgyy' jf --pJf'7 1 "OUTRAGEOUSLY FUNNY. The best comedy since 'Meet The Parents; -Jew Wi ns PEOPLE MU.VZINK I 1 "A wonderful comedy. 1 A million am 'a laughs." Lm King 4 "It's a hoot to 'y watch Fonda cut yT loose and mix it un with Looez." yA -Pcur Trncn. Rlll l.lV.

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