“If we fuck up, just blame Larry. He doesn’t show up for rehearsals…No one’s heard this one. Well, maybe three people.”
–Bono, introducing “Fast Cars”

U2 gave fans a treat at the opening of third leg of the Vertigo tour in Toronto by performing a swanky, hip-swaying rendition of “Fast Cars,” a song they have never performed lived. The Toronto audience also received another Vertigo tour first with the addition of “In a Little While,” which has not been heard since the Elevation tour in 2001. After muddling through the song, Bono apologetically explained, “We haven’t played this one in…[laughs] a little while.” Also new to the tour was “Old Man River” tagged to “One.” (Promo Bono would call it an extended snippet.)

“We normally start in Toronto and move west. We moved up to Toronto,” said Bono, who asked the audience not to forget about rock ‘n roll while the city endures the international film festival and its many celebs.

In the audience were U2 producer Daniel Lanois; actors Cuba Gooding Jr., Orlando Bloom, and Kate Blanchett; film makers Neil Jordan and Atom Egoyan; Barenaked Ladies’ singer Stephen Page; media personality George Stroumboulopoulos; and Canadian singer and activist Chantal Kreviazuk.

(Photos: U2log.com)

• Globe and Mail review
• Photos at umusic.ca
• Toronto Sun review