Review: U2 fans find what they're looking for at Santa Clara show

You could see it in their faces.

To the 50,000 fans who filled Levi's Stadium to capacity on May 17, this was not merely another concert.

It was something bigger and more significant. And it was something that some of these fans – probably most, actually – had waited 30 years to witness.

It was U2 performing “The Joshua Tree” in its entirety.

And it was great.

The Irish rock act – consisting of vocalist Bono, guitarist The Edge, bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. – definitely lives up to its own legend on The Joshua Tree Tour 2017, which celebrates the 30th anniversary of U2's most popular album.

The group, which has hid behind big props and elaborate stage shows on many recent tours, takes a stripped-down approach this time around and somehow manages to make a concert for 50,000 feel surprisingly intimate.

There was a human element to this concert that has been missing for years, as the band spent its time blowing our minds with giant claw-shaped stage designs and other eye candy. This time around, the group simply let the music do the talking – and it said volumes.

The year's most highly anticipated concert – which sold out in a matter of minutes – got underway in ultra low-key fashion.

While the house music was still playing, a mix of Pogues and other artists, Mullen simply appeared on the main stage and began to stroll down a catwalk to a secondary stage located about midfield. As fans began to realize who it was, Mullen sat down at a drum set and started beating out the rhythm to “Sunday Bloody Sunday” from 1983's “War.” Bono and the rest of the crew then quickly joined and U2 was off to the races.

They'd follow up with another “War” classic, “New Year's Day,” making for as solid an opening double-shot as you're likely to get in concert, then moved forward one album for three straight cuts from 1984's “The Unforgettable Fire” – “A Sort of Homecoming,” “Bad” and “Pride.”

The group performed that whole opening segment on the smaller stage, without the benefit of video screens conveying the action or, really, any type of bells or whistles. It was just four guys rocking under the spotlights, like they use to do before the 25-million-selling “Joshua Tree” made U2 the biggest band on the planet.

As “Pride” drew to a close, U2 finally ventured to the big stage and began to tackle “The Joshua Tree” one track at a time. With a giant video screen behind them now turned on, the four Rock and Roll Hall of Famers opened this portion of the show with the mighty one-two punch of “Where the Streets Have No Name” and “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For.”

The first side of the album is loaded with big songs, such as the two just mentioned as well as “With or Without You” and “Bullet the Blue Sky,” while the casual U2 fan might have a hard time naming most of the cuts that come later on “The Joshua Tree.”

Still, U2 got better as they progressed through “The Joshua Tree,” to the point where more obscure tunes – like “Red Hill Mining Town” and “Trip Through Your Wires” – actually sounded better than the album's hit singles on this night.

Of course, Bono delivered a few preachy/political messages, but they never really distracted from the music. It was just Bono being Bono, using his position to try and further the things he believes in.

The “Joshua Tree” performance – like the album itself – concluded on a tender note with the slow “Mothers of the Disappeared.” It's slow, sad and anything but a typical main set closer, so some members of the audience appeared confused as Bono and the gang began to leave the stage.

Fortunately, they weren't gone for long, quickly returning to ignite a terrific encore that included high-voltage takes on “Beautiful Day” and “Elevation.”