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Attention “PopMart” shoppers.

U2’s ambitious new world tour got off to a bold, frequently spectacular but occasionally shaky start Friday before a capacity crowd of 38,000 at Sam Boyd Stadium.

“Well, this is our first night,” the Edge, the Irish quartet’s superb guitarist, said as a sort of apology after the band had to restart “Staring at the Sun,” the band’s mystic and melodic new single.

Given the massive tour staging, however, it was remarkable that there weren’t more opening-night mishaps.

The “PopMart” video monitor--10 times as large as the biggest screen on U2’s landmark 1992-93 “Zoo TV” tour--is one of the wonders of the rock ‘n’ roll world and it passed its first public test gloriously.

More than the tour’s other flashy but stationary visual effects, including a 100-foot golden arch, it’s the screen that defines the technical side of U2’s new pop extravaganza, which continues tonight at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium and arrives at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on June 21.

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As the band went through two dozen songs, the screen, which covers some 7,000 square feet, accented the action on stage with either Pop Art animation or huge blowups of the band members--all with striking fidelity and brightness.

Think of it as the Imax of pop.

You could measure the impact of the screen on the intimacy of a stadium performance by comparing U2’s set with that of the opening act, Rage Against the Machine.

Though the politically minded Los Angeles quartet is one of the most dynamic live acts in rock, lead singer Zack de la Rocha looked from most stadium seats like a clone of the Incredible Shrinking Man as he danced about with his usual hyper-athleticism for 45 minutes.

By contrast, the screen brought U2’s Bono, sporting a new buzz cut, to the far reaches of the football field with far more clarity and detail than if you were watching him through a pair of high-powered binoculars.

In the end, arena shows are more satisfying than stadium shows, just as club shows are more rewarding than arena shows.

But stadium concerts are the only practical way for bands with the worldwide superstar appeal of U2 or the Rolling Stones to meet the fan demand. There’s always pay-per-view, but television rarely captures the electricity of a concert--a point demonstrated by the infomercial-style U2 tour documentary aired by ABC-TV on Saturday night.

Where the Stones and Pink Floyd helped pioneer the modern concept of stadium spectacle, U2 brought it to a new level during its flashy, high-tech “Zoo TV” tour by using the stage elements--including the video screen imagery--to underscore the message and mood of the band’s songs.

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Beyond the staging, however, the most important element of any tour is the music--and it’s the strength of U2’s music that enables the band to hold your attention in such a massive setting.

From its early, uplifting “I Will Follow” single through the inspiring material of “The Joshua Tree” album to the edgy, searching “Achtung Baby” highlights, U2 has the most absorbing body of work of any band of its generation.

What gave Friday’s show its artistic punch, however, was the generous number of songs from the excellent new “Pop” album. Where most bands would stick mostly to their proven hits in a stadium setting, U2 devoted almost half its set to the demanding new songs, which explore the tensions and contradictions of love and faith.

Given its flashy, Pop Art theme, U2 couldn’t have selected a more appropriate spot in the U.S. to begin its yearlong tour.

In a city where hotels and casinos in the shapes of a pyramid and the New York skyline stand virtually side by side, the golden arch rising above Sam Boyd Stadium seemed almost modest from the highway leading to the facility.

It was only after the fans got inside and saw the stage from close up that it started living up to its advance billing. Besides the arch, there was a green olive sitting atop a 100-foot toothpick and a 40-foot lemon that eventually transported the band to a second, smaller stage on the field--all of which were brightened at times in the desert night by rolling waves of multicolored neon.

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With all the focus on the staging, the band--which also includes bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen--surprised the crowd at the start of its set by walking through the audience to get to the stage.

Once there, the group swung into “MoFo.” It was a striking opening because the song is at once the most aggressive number on the album, sonically, and yet the most personal song.

In it, Bono--in much the primal scream tradition of John Lennon’s first solo album--contrasts the emptiness he still feels over the death of his mother during his teen years with the power of rock stardom: “Now I’m still a child / But no one tells me no.”

As the band’s set continued, the screen was brightened by contrasting Pop Art work by such celebrated artists as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.

In the most striking moments, the images fit the music nicely--as in the biting “Miami,” where Bono added to the satirical sting of the song by adopting the wacky strut and garish clothes you might find in a Robin Williams-as-tourist skit.

At other times, however, the colorful graphics seemed too casual or light when measured against the serious and demanding elements in the music. This is the area of the show that needs the most attention if “PopMart” is to live up to the challenging sensory overload of the unforgettable “Zoo TV” experience.

But U2 has time. Since this is a band that constantly rethinks its approach, there are likely to be substantial changes in the show as it progresses. With “Zoo TV,” for instance, the show evolved for months in indoor arena settings before turning into the grander stadium show it became by tour’s end.

Unlike most stadium acts, from the Stones to the Eagles, U2 doesn’t celebrate its past in the new show, but rather toasts its continued growth. That daring approach, “PopMart” shoppers, is why U2 continues to be a brand you can trust.