Feature: U2 in Ireland

WASHINGTON, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- U2's pair of concerts at Ireland's Slane Castle was a special sort of homecoming for the Dublin quartet.

"They were very emotional and came toward the end of a very long (European) tour," guitarist The Edge says of the concerts, which provide the basis for the CBS special "U2's Beautiful Day," airing at 10 p.m. EST Friday. "And playing your hometown is always a special thing, with special rewards and special difficulties."

There was some emphasis on the latter for these particular shows, in fact. When the first concert, on Aug. 25, sold out of its 80,000 tickets in just minutes, promoters announced their intent to put on a second show on Sept. 1. However, that ran counter to a local ordinance in County Meath, which prohibits more than one concert per summer at the facility.

But after hearing appeals from both sides -- including a request from the Irish prime minister's office to allow the show to proceed, the county council voted to grant a permit for the second concert, marking the first time in Slane's 20-year history as a concert venue that multiple shows were held there.

"It wasn't so much our struggle as the promoter, who was desperately trying to make it happen," says The Edge, whose real name is Dave Evans. "In the end, the politicians decided to step in and make it possible purely on the basis that there was so many people who really wanted to come and see the show and couldn't get it.

"It was democracy at work. People really wanted it, so they rolled over and everything went well and it was two great shows."

In fact, The Edge says the two Slane concerts were among U2's highlights of 2001, which also included Grammys for its multi-platinum album "All That You Can't Leave Behind" and a lauded world tour.

"My memory of both nights was just how amazing the audience were," he says. "The crowds were so into it and really carried us. If there were any moments of the show that were not completely as we would have wanted them, the atmosphere made up for that.

"I think in that respect they turned out to be some of the best shows on the tour."

Some fans are circulating Internet petitions asking U2 to issue the Slane concerts in home video form; no decision has yet been made about that. U2 is currently promoting a new hits collection, "The Best of 1990-2000," which features the single "Electrical Storm" and "The Hands That Built America" from the forthcoming Martin Scorsese film "Gangs of New York."

A video compilation covering the same years is due out on Dec. 3.