all you need is love & a rocket ship (part 2)

What can I say about the actual show? Seeing U2 live is like no other musical experience - we were in Soldier Field, for god's sake, with 70,000 people and it still felt like an intimate show. We were on our feet for the entire thing, cheering, dancing, singing along at the top of our collective lungs. It was nearly a religious experience - the shared love of the audience to the band, the love of the band for the audience, all led by our musical poet-prophet, Bono. What power he has. And impressively, he chooses to use it for good. He doesn't seem to be one of those crazy frivolous rock gods - he is sincere about using his fame for doing good - the ONE campaign, the inspi(red) clothing line and when he speaks, the world listens. This is fame on a whole new plane. They are even sort of above the critics at this point - a new album comes out, it is snapped up instantly - because hello? It's U2. Tickets go on sale, and people stop what they are doing the instant they go on sale to grab them. Personally, I will do just about anything to score U2 tickets. In the olden days, I remember ditching work to go and stand on line outside ticketmaster outlets waiting to purchase them. There is nothing quite like holding the treasured tickets in your hands. I remember another time when we were all on the phone to ticketmaster - their number was on speed dial. This most recent time, I was logged into ticketmaster online, finger poised over the button and ready to pounce. My neuroticness finally paid off, since I got in under the wire. Moments after I'd made our purchase, they were SOLD OUT. I know arts venues that would KILL to have this kind of problem (ahem! Lyric!!). I was so happy the rest of the day, just knowing I had tickets.

I loved every single minute of it - being with my friends, on a clear and gorgeous night, under the stars, listening to this awesome band. Is there anyone cooler than the Edge? I mean, come on, his name is the Edge (wouldn't you have loved to hear that playground conversation?? Little dave: "I am the EDGE!" Classmate: "No you're not! You're Dave!" etc) and he plays a mean guitar. And Adam Clayton? You know how in snowboarding there are 2 positions - looking cool and dead? Well, bass players only know how to look cool. It comes with the bass lessons, I think. It's all about the stance (I have no idea if what Bono told us during the show of his well-endowedness is true, and I don't want to find out!) And, oh, Larry. I wish I was a drummer. He really is their thunder and lightening. There was an awesome point in the show (well, heck, it was all pretty awesome) when Bono asked us to hold up our cell phones, so he could see us all with our lights. The stadium was filled with little screen sized beams of light, like our own little constellation. Stick with Bono, kids. With him, I think we really can change the world. He believes it, and during that show, I started to believe it too. Magnificent, indeed.