CALGARY -- Well, U2 fans wanted it raw.

And last night, the few that ventured into the 'Dome before their heroes took the stage got a taste of rock 'n' roll so abrasive and so raw, you needed a dozen stitches to close the wound. But the bleed, courtesy of opening act PJ Harvey, was so wonderful and deep and honest that the scar itself will be something to remember.

Taking the stage alone with her guitar and walking like alluring hell-on-high-heels, Harvey, with her full-frontal track Rid Of Me, launched into one of the most unintentionally antagonistic sets you'll ever see.

And one of the coolest.

Half high-class seductress, half Gothic poet, Harvey raunched and purred through 40 minutes of material that stretched back a decade up to her latest release, Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea.

It was truly astonishing.

Astonishing to see a bassist and drummer join her on stage for a blistering rendition of Man-Size.

Astonishing to see her joined on stage by more musicians for an even more naked version of The Whore's Hustle and the Hustler's Whore.

And even more astonishing still to watch her keep flashing away mercilessly as the half-full, mostly-confused Calgary audience silently looked on.

It was like dosing the city's water supply with vinegar ... except a whole lot sweeter. (More on PJ Harvey and U2).