The one definitive statement about U2 is, no matter what props they decide to toss up on stage, no matter what the conceptual theme of their tours, the songs always win out in the end.

Take this selection of live tracks from Mexico City towards the end of U2's 1997 PopMart tour. (U2 fans are already familiar with this concert from the pay-per-view special and eventual full-length video -- PopMart Live From Mexico -- from the same show.)

Songs such as "One" -- re-cast here as an emotional tribute to late INXS frontman Michael Hutchence -- and "Please" seem to make the 120,000 seat stadium shrink to the size of a crowded club.

That's not to say that all the performances here are classics.

"With Or Without You" has never made the leap from a great studio recording to a great live experience, and a track like "Mofo" doesn't measure up without the giant lemons and golden arches. Even a staple like "New Year's Day" isn't as potent here as it was on the "War" or "Joshua Tree" tours.

Still, the ringing introduction of "Where The Streets Have No Name" hasn't lost its power, and the haunting "Bullet The Blue Sky" continues to be the highlight of every U2 tour.

The songs on "Hasta La Vista Baby" manage to overcome the visual obstacles that dogged the PopMart tour. With U2, it's all about the power of the music the four members generate on stage.

From "Under A Blood Red Sky" to "Wide Awake In America", U2 has used their live albums to bring closure to that part of their career. "Hasta La Vista Baby" continues this trend. Now it's time to start another.