By Chuck Myers
Knight Ridder Newspapers

SLANE, Ireland -For the rock band U2, it was more than just "A Sort of Homecoming." It was a rousing welcome normally reserved for returning heroes.

After a five-month blockbuster tour in the United States, Canada and Europe, the Irish rock band returned home and was greeted by 80,000 ecstatic fans at a concert Saturday on the grounds of Slane Castle, about 30 miles north of Dublin. U2 headlined the annual concert. The show marked their first formal concert in their Irish homeland in four years. The band made its only other appearance at Slane 20 years ago -- as a supporting act for the group Thin Lizzy. U2's two-hour plus performance capped off a daylong music festival. Each group on the program, from up-and-coming Irish band Relish to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, primed the crowd for the show's main event.

The band has been riding high with the success of their 2000 hit album "All That You Can't Leave Behind" and the enormously popular "Elevation" tour. But the death of Bono's father, Bob Hewson, earlier this week cast a shadow over the group. Many wondered how it would affect Bono's Slane performance.

The answer came quick. As the band members came on stage, Bono genuflected and crossed himself in tribute to his late father, who had lost a battle with cancer. He then charged into the show with a spirited performance of the band's latest hit, "Elevation." A few songs into the set Bono thanked God for "taking him (his father) away from his sick body and giving him a new one." His voice then cracked slightly as he introduced the next song, a poignant ballad about parenthood called "Kite." The crowd responded with a sea of flickering lighters.

For the occasion, the band played "A Sort of Homecoming," recorded at Slane Castle in 1984 for their album "The Unforgettable Fire."

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