One such act is U2, one of those crowd-pleasing, epic live performing bands that makes them one of the "Bucket List" bands you HAVE to see. So when they announced their 30th anniversary Joshua Tree Tour for this summer... I sat it out, because I didn't think I could afford it.
Last week, an old friend from high school announced she had an extra ticket to sell. At this point, I *could* afford it - my parents have helped straighten out my budget - so I bartered and got a ticket.
So... for the seven readers who know I'm a huge U2 fan... YEAH I WENT TO SEE THEM PERFORM AND OMG IT WAS A RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE I WANNA GO OUT AND SAVE THE WORLD NOW I HAVE TO SHOUT MY EARS ARE STILL RINGING WHAT DID YOU SAY I THINK YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT EARDRUM SURGERY WHAT WHAT NOW
Just to note, since I was going, the Gods deemed it fit to have it rain all day over Tampa Bay. So it was still drizzling getting into the stadium:
There was a weather delay for the opening act One Direction, and when they did come out to perform there was still enough drizzle to have them cover up half the stage and the lead singer's piano. But as they finished, the storm moved on and the sun began to set over the Gulf Coast and the Gods brought forth the most beautiful rainbow:
You could see the double rainbow at one point:
Then the sun set and the rainbow left and then in the darkness they began playing "Sunday Bloody Sunday":
U2 played a handful of their pre-Joshua Tree hits while out on the in-crowd dais, wrapping up with "Pride" before moving onto the main stage to begin their Joshua Tree performance in its entirety.
Remember how I wrote about how awe-inspiring it was to hear "Where the Streets Have No Name" for the first time? Try adding a stark, haunting video backdrop of the Joshua Tree National Park to the stage:
That's me "WHOOOOOO"ing every five seconds.
I didn't video the whole concert on my smartphone because I did not manage my battery power to last (argh), so I took a bunch of photos during the rest of the concert:
My high school friend Kim showed up with her family and friends - the extra ticket was for her husband Sim who had to stay behind at work - and I asked her to get a picture of me with the stage in background.
As promised, U2 played EVERY song off Joshua Tree which made for an epic night. When they finished with "Mothers of the Disappeared", they took a bow and left the stage... which you're supposed to do so the audience can stand there for ten minutes screaming for the inevitable Encore. :) They then played their greatest hits post-Joshua Tree, including a haunting update of "Miss Sarajevo" only this time focusing on the plight of Syrian refugees fleeing that civil war (has it been SIX YEARS already?).
All in all, an epic night. And yes, my ears are still ringing.
Naked flame
She stands with a naked flame
I stand with the sons of Cain
Burned by the fire of love
Burned by the fire of love
3 comments:
I've seen U2 five times, which isn't an unusual number for me to have seen any of my favorite bands. I think the only bands I've seen more times are Yes and Rush.
U2 is a special band, though, and I've felt a connection to them since the first time I heard them in '83, when I was still an aspiring rock guitarist.
The first time I saw them was at the Cow Palace when they were still touring on The Unforgettable Fire, which is one of my all time favorite albums, and they did something that really made an impression on me. They were playing "Knocking On Heaven's Door" and Bono started preaching, like he does, and he said "Are there any guitar players in the audience tonight?" and pulled this kid onstage and handed him his guitar. The kid knew the three chords just fine, and played with them for a verse and a chorus, after which, one by one, they all left the stage except Larry Mullen Jr. on the drums, and the spotlight fell on the kid playing those three chords on Bono's guitar. You could see him hesitate for a fraction of a second before he heard the sound of ten thousand of us cheering him on, then he just played the shit out of those three chords for awhile before they came back onstage to take over again.
Since those days they've grown into a thing that is unique in scope and seen the kind of success that routinely destroys those who get a taste of it, and seemingly without straying from their vision artistically and socially.
I haven't been able to manage any shows of that size since my stroke in 2008, but I've seen videos of entire concerts they did to sort of get the feel of what they've been up to, and perhaps I'll get to see them at least one more time before they quit.
-Doug in Oakland
I hope you get the chance. I feel bad that the stroke's hurting you that much. I'd like to think watching U2 perform can lift your spirits enough to actually get better. :)
Oh, it would. I'm up to one rock concert per year at this point. 2015 was The Joy Formidable at a winery in Sonoma, and last year it was Neko Case at the Fox Theater in Oakland. Both of those venues are small enough for me to get around OK, and make it to the bathroom and stuff like that. I'm hoping that this year I get to see Lucius, but they aren't on tour, and their singers are touring with Roger Waters right now, so I may have to wait.
-Doug in Oakland
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