Beautiful Super Bowl

4 Feb 2002
U2's half-time performance at the US Super Bowl became a moving tribute to those who lost their lives on September 11th.

The band performed Beautiful Day, MLK and Where The Streets Have No Name.

As Beautiful Day wound down and MLK opened, a giant screen scrolled the names of victims in the attacks, introducing the opening chords of 'Where the Streets Have No Name.'

The names reflected in overlapping patterns across the stands, which were dark save for countless camera flashes.

The set was in contrast to glitzy halftime shows of the past, the effects were limited to strobe lights and all attention was on Bono as he pulled back his lapel to reveal an American flag to the roars of the crowd.

'Most emblematic,' reports the New York Times this morning. 'There was Bono, fresh from the World Economic Forum, where on Saturday he had a formal debate with Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and lobbied for the cancellation of third-world debt. He led U2 in a live performance during the halftime show, a one-man walking, talking, singing symbol of how politics and entertainment mixed here.'

Sunday's pregame lineup opened with the Boston Pops. and the pregame lineup also featured Paul McCartney, Barry Manilow, Marc Anthony, Mary J. Blige, Patti LaBelle, James Ingram, Wynonna, Yolanda Adams and Mariah Carey.

The pregame show also included a video of current and former star players reading the Declaration of Independence. In another video, former presidents Carter, Clinton, Ford and Bush joined Nancy Reagan in quoting Abraham Lincoln.

McCartney, who was in New York when the hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center, sang his Sept. 11-inspired song, ''Freedom.''

More news and reports as we get them.

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