Above: The Edge, inspiration embodied, author of U2's unique guitar sound, and in my opinion, underapplauded. If you have the chance, see the documentary film, "It Might Get Loud". Funny: It really isn't that loud! But very very good.
An amazing night, the clearest evening we've had, desert arid autumn as though Arizona or maybe New Mexico, somehow reminding me of an illfated day in September 8 years ago, too perfect, unnerving electricity in the air. But luckily this buzz and crackle was due to an entire community anticipating what was proclaimed THE concert event of the season. U2. Every news cast and traffic report made reference and seemed to include and circumvent the coming event.
We had tickets. A gift. In a private box in an outdoor stadium. Catered beautifully and freely. An intimate event. I feel so lucky. Grateful.
We planted ourselves in the front row of the box, where the wall size plate glass windows had been raised. As the sun faded from the sky, leaving a smouldering glow, a delicious chill quickly came into the uncharacteristically crisp air.
The others hung back, avoiding the cool, and not appreciating the unknown to them opening act.
The opening act, frequently credited by Stephenie Meyer as her inspiration for and while writing, and featured on the Twilight Soundtrack, who's Supermassive Black Hole has been played by me COUNTLESS times VERY loud... (play it!#86 on Player @ bottom of page)
>
*MUSE? I said. Are you SERIOUS? Excellent! Stunned gazes that I should somehow know this band, with a smattering of appreciating nods-- "Good, maybe they DON'T suck", perhaps, possibly on their minds. Then later enjoying the shared joke that the drummer from MUSE really was channelling Dana Carvey. Party on, Garth! Party on, Wayne.
The evening was magical, beginning with the trek over the new bridge, somehow avoiding every iota of snarled traffic warned of for hours prior on the radio, by going against our better instincts, taking the route which normally has the WORST traffic (thanks, iPhone!). Clear night, clear sailing, clear inspired musical genius. Am I making my self crystal clear? Ringingly so, you say? I wish it were true. Wish I could capture the essence and deliver it to you.
And what was amazing to me was that while I shouldn't have been surprised, I was. Joyfully so. The music if anything, after all these years, only gets better, they perform without a hitch, without a dull moment, with precision, and while remaining true to what we love about the songs, not morphing them into something new and unrecognizable in an attempt to keep their attention or ours, nor playing merely by wrote, bored but placating as they so easily could. Their passion is in every song, and it crackles and zaps and reaches out to you anew in ways you never anticipated, though you already love the songs fullheartedly. This is not the advent of crowd hysteria, fan worship crackling through. This is unmitigated U2. Fresh. Alive. Heartfelt.United.Distilled. Delivered. Their take on the songs, not yours. Their hearts and souls. Evolving imperceptibly there in front of you, asking you to join their consciousness, to hold hands for this one night.
And in this sense they are unique and unsurpassed: they do all this, Bono does all this, as a platform for world change. It is not hidden nor does he hit you with it. It is done with such hope energy and joy that it is edifying of spirit. Even if heart wrenching. Inspiring. While sending you on a reality trip. And you don't mind a bit. They are the spoonful that makes the medicine go down. The spoonful like no other, while they are the medicine themselves. Wellness. For one. For all. For ONE.
REALITY CHECK. While making the experience so brilliantly real you don't want it to end.
For example, they dedicated a song to Aung San Suu Kyi. Of Burma. I refuse to call it Myanmar. 
I don't know how many of the 80,000 in attendance knew who she was. I did. But what I didn't know, hadn't considered in years, was that she is STILL UNDER HOUSE ARREST. It has been nearly 20 years. I was so sad, yet so glad to see her remembered, hoped for, and I'm sure, prayed for.
I don't know how many of the 80,000 in attendance knew who she was. I did. But what I didn't know, hadn't considered in years, was that she is STILL UNDER HOUSE ARREST. It has been nearly 20 years. I was so sad, yet so glad to see her remembered, hoped for, and I'm sure, prayed for.
Another way Bono breaks to mold is to call it like it is. One example. Who today in America would boldly proudly publicly thank (amoung others) GEORGE W. BUSH for ANYTHING? Very few. Not I. And yet Bono did. For the alleviation debt slavery in Africa, for the saving of millions lives through aids antiviral medications. "God bless George W. Bush." he said. And whether you wanted to or not, you sort of agreed. "God bless America." And you wanted to cry, and to thank Bono for that. If you can't understand why that should be, just know, it is hard to be an American these days, hard to be one with an expanded Worldview, knowing what the world thinks of us, has thought of us. Especially these days. It's good to feel proud of our essence as a Nation once more and to have someone honestly and outside our system be the one reminding us, instilling and okaying it.
Mega Music Mojo & More
What more could one want?
(contented *sigh*)
;D
I want the kicks: http://www.joinred.com/Shop/shop_converse.aspx?prod=3 these are designed by The Edge, but there's something for every ONE.
No comments:
Post a Comment