U2 has always been my fiancé’s favorite band, and I’ve grown rather fond of them after several years of exposure to their expansive discography. So last week I found myself in Madison Square Garden for their iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour, eagerly awaiting my first in-person glance at the illustrious Bono that I’d heard so much about. Since we bought our tickets last minute, we sat in the nosebleeds — definitely not my first or last time doing so — and I was really surprised at how great the view was from our vantage point. I’ve been in arenas that are much, much worse for attendees sitting up top. I was expecting the crowd to be more on the mature side (let’s face it, most teenagers are not listening to U2), but I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was a pretty even mix of age groups in attendance. The concert started about half an hour behind schedule, which was annoying but to be expected and, after a drink and the show began, completely forgotten. The set list was a good mix of new and old, slow and upbeat. The stage set-up was impressive as well, and there was always something to look at that coincided perfectly with whatever song was being performed at that moment. In addition, U2’s live sound is just as good as their albums, a feat that not many artists and bands achieve. The show lasted for about two hours. There were supposedly five encores afterwards, but we had to leave after the first in order to catch our train. Overall, it was a great time, and I would love to see U2 perform again in the future! — Holly Godbey, marketing & sales assistant