Author: paulucla

Since I have gotten into it around here with some folks about Bono, thought I would post my review of the U2 show I saw in Vegas on Saturday night that I wrote up for another site.  I’ll include some of the pictures I took after the review.
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I am not a gifted enough writer to do justice to last night’s show. About the only way I can think of is to say that, once again, U2 has made me feel as though they happened to put on one of the shows of their lives on the very night that I happened to be in attendance.

I saw then in 2001 and April 2005 and the only question was which show I liked better, both of which were ten times better than any other of the considerable number of rock concerts I have been to in my life. I never thought either of those concerts could be topped, particularly since the April 2005 show was the first time they pulled out “Bad” on the Vertigo Tour and that is my favorite U2 song.

Last night, they, unbelievably, outdid themselves once again. Of course, I may be biased since my wife won us passes into the ellipse, where we positioned ourselves about 3 back from the rail, front and center. We spent most of the night feeling like we were in a packed barroom being played directly to by the world’s greatest rock band.

Let me take a quick moment to say Damian Marley was fun. Of course, the thing that puts them over the top was the flag guy. He is the real TALENT in that band. I am a fan of Bob Marley, so this was a treat for my wife and me, particularly when he did two of his father’s songs, which were very well done.

The show opened with the standard three song set, with the standard huge amount of energy. I figured we were in for the same extraordinary show we were treated to in Glendale. Then, all of sudden Edge jammed into the Mysterious Ways riff! This was a great addition to the early part of the show that I did not expect, and the girl that got pulled out from directly in front of us did a very nice job bellydancing for Bono. Next came the first real take-my-breath-away moment of the show, when they broke into Until the End of the World, among my favorite U2 songs. Wow, they were shaking up the standard set list and man was the crowd digging it! I also noticed that Edge’s energy was way higher than in Glendale. He was clearly VERY into this show and the crowd. Adam was being his usual self, exuding coolness with that usual grin of his, looking right down at us in the front and seeming to enjoy our presence as much as we were enjoying his.

I then was treated to I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking for, which I had not heard live in 2001 or 4/2005. I had anticipated that this song, as much as I love it, would not be a powerful song live. Wow, was I wrong. It was VERY powerful and emotional, with a beautiful live translation that the crowd was just soaking up. I was now realizing this show was moving into epic territory. I knew as soon as we got into the ellipse that this would be a night I would never forget, but it really was sinking in during this song. Such powerful lyrics that were just working themselves with the music right into my soul.

Beautiful Day through One were all standard for me in that they were songs I had seen performed live before. Bono nailed the operatic-note in Sometimes and the crowd went crazy. Love and Peace or Else is just such a great live song, Sunday Bloody Sunday never fails to rock my world, or the entire crowd’s. Miss Sarajevo was the exception that I had not heard live and this was a powerful part of the show with Bono nailing, again, the operatic parts. My wife was particularly moved by this song.

Pride to Streets, wow. Pride was standard, but Streets (unbelievably) took on even more energy tonight than in Glendale. The crowd went insane, and after they had blown the roof off the place, the boys got the loudest ovation I have ever heard at a rock concert. They seemed genuinely taken aback.

Being a One Campaign supporter, I was kind of glad to see the speech introducing One way cut down, with Bono doing a great job with the suprise of bringing Mary J Blige out on stage. She was amazing, singing that song with every ounce of her considerable soul. I am not a fan of her music, or I should say I am ignorant to her music, I only know her place in music history generally and that this woman absolutely blew us away with her performance, and she sure blew away U2 as well.

Wow, what a run it had been to get here, and now the shock would set in again when Zoo Station fired up, which I did not see in Glendale as they went right into The Fly. I was really stoked and found Zoo Station to be better than I thought it would be live, since this song has never been one of my favorites. I am so glad The Fly came back into the setlist last night. That is just such a great live song and I love Edge’s singing.

With or Without You was just fantastic, as always, and again since they didn’t play it in Glendale this was a wonderful addition that was special to me. The boys again left the stage and I thought, how could it be any better? What could they possibly have left? Will it be the standard finish, All Because of You, Yahweh, and 40, or will they top things off for me by delivering me my favorite song.

They came out and delivered a blistering performance of All Because of You. Then, probably the highlight of the concert for me and a HUGE surprise. I LOVE The Killers, and another of my favorite U2 songs is In a Little While. Wow, what a treat! Probably the coolest thing is that Brandon Flowers looked how I felt. I couldn’t believe I was a few feet away from my favorite all-time band, the greatest rock band of all-time. Brandon couldn’t believe that he was on stage singing with his favorite band. He was humble and excited, and I loved that right as he was about to walk down the back stairs he turned back and ran and gave Larry a huge hug. Perfect.

Then, of course, how else could it end? A few of us were wondering how this would end, and I turned and said it had to be Bad. And, as if it was destined, Edge broke into one of the most beautiful rock riffs of all-time and my perfect night ended in blissful perfection. I loved the “People Got the Power” snippet inserted into Bad to end the show, and I loved seeing Edge mouthing it as they walked off the stage.

U2 inspires people to realize and use their power, and that is perhaps their greatest gift. I left their show just as I had in Glendale, inspired, exhausted, and feeling as though MY band had just written up the setlist and left every ounce of blood and sweat they had out on the stage just to put on a special show for ME. And judging from everyone else’s reactions, they all felt the same way. Thanks, guys. You have written the soundtrack to my life, and I thank you for it.

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Pictures:

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As I said in the comments section of the diary, I found the diary on the front page of Booman Tribune that lampooned U2 and their efforts to alleviate suffering in Africa terribly disappointing.

I became an avid U2 fan over 18 years ago when, in the height of my self-centeredness (my senior year of high school), I saw “With or Without You” on MTV (yes, they still played music back then) and heard that bassline for the first time.  I was blown away, and while I was a casual fan before then, they became my favorite rock band from that day forward.

But, their influence on my life goes way beyond drinking beers and rocking along.  It begins with “Pride (In the Name of Love”) as a 16 year old in an all-white hick town, really asking for the first time who this Martin Luther King guy was and what he was all about.  Why would this Irish, mullet-wearing rocker sing so passionately about him?  

It continued with seeing Bono strut across the stage in the live video from Red Rocks singing “Sunday Bloody Sunday” to that uniquely Larry Mullin Jr. drum beat, and for the first time asking myself why something meant to be so peaceful as religion could cause so much destruction and hatred.

They followed me along into my early twenties, inviting me to ask, while stationed overseas with the US Navy taking care of Marines as a hospital corpsman, what the heck is this “One” Bono says we are all a part of.  And, of course, in 2001 and long into my “grownup” life Bono helped partially heal my heart in the aftermath of 9/11 by belting out “Where the Streets Have No Name” to a scrolling (and breathtaking) list of 9/11 victims behind him.

And now, when U2 songs are more relevant to me than at anytime before, I see him contantly bashed, not by the right-wingers that you would expect, but by my fellow liberals, lampooning him for flying around in a private jet or showing up to a state event in rock star attire.  This is shocking and puzzling to me, when we are at a time when U2 songs would seem to have so much relevance to the issues that are so important to all of us.

Sunday Bloody Sunday: “I can’t believe the news today / I can’t close my eyes and make it go away / How long? How long must we sing this song? / How long?  How long?”

Bullet the Blue Sky: “Across the field you see the sky ripped open / See the rain come through the gaping wound / Pounding on the women and children who run into the arms of america”

New Year’s Day: “Under a blood-red sky / A crowd has gathered in black and white / Arms entwined, the chosen few / Newspapers say, it says it’s true / And we can break through, / Though torn in two we can be one. / I will begin again, I will begin again. / Oh and maybe the time is right, / Oh maybe tonight.
I will be with you again./ I will be with you again.”

Peace on Earth: “Sick of sorrow / I’m sick of the pain
I’m sick of hearing / Again and again / That there’s gonna be / Peace on earth”

Pride (In the Name of Love): “One man come in the name of love / One man come and go /One man come, he to justify / One man to overthrow”

And, of course…

One:

Which brings me to where U2 is now in my life.  We went to see them last spring.  They managed to bring all of this together with a very powerful message, and yet still rock the house.  They combined powerful imagery (a young African lady reading the UN Declaration on Human Rights as the words scrolled across the screen, Bono wearing a headband with Christian, Muslim, and Jewish symbols and the words “COEXIST” during Sunday Bloody Sunday, and a torture performance by Bono during Bullet the Blue Sky) with powerful music.  And, of course, the most powerful of all messages was playing “Pride (In the Name of Love)” and singing about MLK and his dream, and talking of how his dream is bigger than the borders of the United States, and then singing “Where the Streets Have No Name” to African flags, and then talking about the One Campaign and singing “One.”  It was more powerful than words can convey.  

But that’s simply writing words and singing songs live.  What else has Bono done for this world?  Well, he has probably done more for this world than just about any other human being.  He not only devotes his riches, but his TIME, to the point of bringing U2 to the brink of destruction on several occasions.  Should he sell his private jet and donate the proceeds to Africa?  Would that have more impact on alleviating suffering than what he is doing now?  Perhaps some around here would be the most impressed if he donated everything, quit U2, and blogged from a cheap apartment somewhere.  

This is not to criticize bloggers, who serve an important function for the liberal cause, but to sit behind your keyboard making fun of, and criticizing, Bono for his efforts to alleviate suffering on the African continent is to rise of the level of the deepest and most hurtful cynicism.  It is against the very ideals that I hold true as a liberal, and assume other liberals to hold true to as well.  There is nothing funny about what Bono has been devoting his life to, even if he does show up to receive a medal for his efforts via his private jet while wearing sunglasses.