U2's much-hyped secret appearance went off Tuesday night at Wrigleyville's Metro rock club.
Fans lined up behind police barricades outside the club waiting to greet Bono, Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr., who gave a radio interview but no concert. Band members stopped on their way inside to sign autographs and shake hands with fans.
"We were at Applebees watching a KU game and the radio station was giving out tickets, so we were like, ya, we'll go, it'll be cool," fan Stephanie Hunh said.
The band is promoting their new album, "No Line on the Horizon."
Each member of U2 chose a song to play, and they explained the story of why they chose each song before playing it. Mullen was first, and thank goodness he chose "I Wanna Be Sedated" by The Ramones, because prior to the broadcast the DJ at the Metro played that song and for some unknown reason abruptly stopped playing it and threw on a country song resulting in an angry crowd screaming profanities at the poor guy.
But the best part of this intimate U2 experience was what did not get broadcast across the country. As each song played and during commercial breaks, the host, Shirley Manson of Garbage, fielded questions from the crowd. It's too bad that no one was able to record this part because there were some great questions and fabulous answers.
For instance, someone asked The Edge if he would ever sing lead vocals in the future since he has such a great voice. Bono stepped in and said jokingly that "his BACKING vocals are particularly good," causing the audience to erupt in laughter.
Bono was asked to name his favorite song on their new album "No Line On The Horizon." He said that his favorite part was actually about 1/3 of the album, particularly "Breath," because it's autobiographical. "Here we are, traveling town to town selling you our wares."
When asked what their favorite song to play in concert is, Larry Mullin said it's "a song that hasn't even been written yet."
Several members in the audience commended Bono on his humanitarian work, including the One campaign. How did Bono feel when the wall came down in Germany? "The idea that geography decides whether you live or die -- I want to outlaw that."
The sweetest answer came from Bono when someone asked him his secret to having such a good marraige.
"I don't feel like I've fully gotten to know her," he said. "She's a very beautiful person, but hard to know."
Bono explained how he met his future wife as a kid when she was "in class with The Edge, that bastard!"
U2's 360 Tour launches June 30 in Barcelona, Spain. The first stop on the North American leg of the tour is Sept. 12 at Chicago's Soldier Field.
The band claims 85 percent of the concert tickets will cost under $120, with many going for half that or less.
Cara Carriveau is a radio host for "The Mix" and a member of the NBC Chicago Street Team.
