In September, I was presented with the opportunity to venture to Giants Stadium in New Jersey to see U2. I grew up with Bono and the boys, thanks to my dad's rabid obsession with the Irish megastars. I knew I would someday see these songs of my childhood live; I just didn't realize it would be so soon. Needless to say, I had some pretty high expectations. U2 doesn't just put on a show--they give their audiences the best performances of their lives. Along with expert showmanship, the charisma of Bono as frontman gives every song a sermon-like quality, and as such, he adopts a fairly obvious messianic complex, standing with arms outstretched and head held high. In some strange way, this doesn't seem wrong to me. It's just Bono.
This part of the entry is going to be painful, for you and me both. There's this band called Muse, who are pretty big in their own right (sold out Wembley Stadium in Wales three nights in a row), displaying the power of epic themes in rock and roll, and doing this well with only three band members. I was extremely excited to see them perform, as they were opening for U2. I think the traffic system in New York understood just how excited I was, and deliberately made me wait two hours in the parking lines from the stadium while their entire set played out just one mile away from me. I missed Muse. So, let's talk U2.
I have never before seen such a massive stage. With architecture I can only describe as "intergalactic meets Dr. Suess", over 90,000 people stood and sat captivated by the enormity of it all. The excess here almost mocks U2's incomprehensible fame, and celebrates that sort of indulgence. The band opened the show with an homage to Bowie, playing "Space Oddity" before lighting up the stage for their first song, "Breathe", from newest release No Line on the Horizon. While I am more familiar with (and prefer) old U2, live performances of all of their newest material brought a fresh perspective to even songs I blatantly disliked on the new album (namely "Magnificent"). While my seats were in the 300 level of the stadium, my view was extremely clear, and it was enhanced by video screens that displayed magnified images of each of the band members, along with creative graphics to accompany each song. I sang and danced along to all of the songs that I knew, and jammed to ones I didn't yet. U2 engages the crowd by performing snippets of other well known rocks songs at the beginnings and ends of their own (Bono worked in "Blackbird"from the Beatles after performing "Beautiful Day", and "Stand By Me" after "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"). This integration is seamless and is not contrived, or far-reaching.
Bono's vocals soared as he acoustically performed "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)", a semi-obscure track from their Passengers side project, and his operatic vocal quality resonated chillingly within me. I mean, this guy is freaking BONO and I SAW HIM. And the Edge skillfully recreated the succinct and recognizable opening guitar strains of "Where the Streets Have No Name" with an equally holy feel. Bono picked up an acoustic guitar and led the entire stadium in singing all of "Amazing Grace" before segueing into "Streets". I was floored. If these guys don't give you a preview of real worship, don't ask me what will.
U2's politicism was not hidden in this show, nor in any of their past. As they performed "Walk On", advocates from Amnesty International displayed posters with the face of the Burmese president-elect, who has been held under house arrest for longer than I've been alive, all because she chose to strive for freedom in the face of an oppressive regime. They also flashed images of violence in Iraq on the massive screens before playing "Sunday, Bloody Sunday". These powerful statements are not just statements, but because U2 uses their fame to reach those in need, and to advocate for social justice, their meanings are magnified. It's not just another publicity stunt.
After coming back onstage for a three song encore including "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" and "With or Without You", complete with driving (annoying) looped bells, this fantastic show had to come to a close. My experience with U2, seemingly thorough for my age, was completely enhanced by seeing them live. Even though I might not want to admit it (because they're my dad's band and all that), they truly put on the best show I have ever seen. Yes, they have the resources to do that, but it's not just the glitz of it--U2 packs power, politicism, and spirituality into every performance, and it is this unrelenting commitment to what they started as that keeps them grounded and functioning for over thirty years with the same lineup. I was blessed by rock and roll that night, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.
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