Longevity? 1976-present
Grammy awards? 22
Turn over? same 4 guys
Hall of Fame? on the first attempt
Fan Base? U2 360 is the top-grossing tour in history
Going to my 6th U2 concert ever isn't very stellar when compared to other U2 fans. A gal next to me in line was on her 11th stop just on this tour. I thought I was a dedicated follower but pale compared to other fanatics, and apparent millionaires. This was, however my 3rd concert in 3 weeks. But this was different. I was in line for GA for the first time. And my number in line was 199. Enough about me or how I got to that point, but on to the music!
After seeing the Chicago and St. Louis show's I had an idea of the line-up but I was watching from inside the ellipse, on the rail between The Edge and Bono. It was the perfect spot for me. I was allowed to bring my DSLR camera inside after checking beforehand with event staff. After having to go back to the car before the Chicago show which had stricter rules, I didn't want to be caught off guard at the gate when timing is essential to claim a spot. The people around me in line and in the ellipse were really cool. Rick from Toronto was next to me and had taken a bus! He had a sign that said "U2's No. 1 Black Fan" and actually got an acknowledgment from Bono as he walked by us. We were all pretty giddy with that early in the show. I wish I'd been taping, but was just taking in the whole vibe at that point.
What's the big deal about a U2 show? Why is it the best concert experience? I guess if you don't like their music it wouldn't work for you, but I do think to be in a crowd of tens of thousands who are on their feet chanting, jumping and singing along would get most music enthusiasts psyched. This music speaks to those of us in attendance. It has been a recording for the moments and memories in our own lives from tunes about the memory of a father or mother to a love song for a wife to American icons to a troubled Ireland. In 1983, I taped 2 tunes off the local classic rock station, WLUP during their "two for Tuesday" on to cassette, Pride and New Years Day. The cassette is still in a box in the basement even after CDs replaced vinyl or tape, and the former was replaced with digital files.
This July evening in Pittsburgh was warm but breezy enough to keep things comfortable. After Interpol played their opening set, the ellipse continued to fill up with wall to wall fans. The big screen on the claw came to life after scrolling random facts in between acts. It showed the 4 Irishmen walking up the steps toward the stage to the music of Bowie's Major Tom. Everything went dark. Drum beats pounded our hearts and bass notes vibrated anything in its way. We all knew they'd open with this. But since it was the last night in the US and the 2nd to last show of this 2 year tour, it just seemed that much more special. The Edge added guitar as Even Better Than The Real Thing came to life. The crowd was fever pitch but when Bono walked out the place just went nuts. There he was closer than ever as I held out the camera to document this moment on video. I had been feeling tired from lack of sleep the night before since I camped out. Sitting on concrete all day left my back and legs weary, but every twinge or ache was gone now.
Their 7th full album, Achtung Baby (1991) may be their best effort according to my tastes, with The Joshua Tree being a close second. After 20 years, Achtung was one of the most represented albums of the concert including the opening tune Even Better Than The Real Thing, The Fly, Mysterious Ways, Until The End of the World, and One. But their set spanned their entire career going back to the first tune on their first album, I Will Follow from Boy (1980), one of my personal favorite tunes that features glockenspiel. The latest release, No Line on the Horizon (2009) had 2 tunes in the line-up, Get on Your Boots and Moment of Surrender which has been the closing tune in the encores lately (but not tonight). I'll Go Crazy was also featured in the disco segment which is one of few moments in the show I wasn't so crazy about in the set. At their opening night in North America when I saw them in Chicago on 12 Sep 2009, the covered this album more thoroughly. I would have liked another tune or two to remain such as Breathe, Magnificent or Unknown Caller, or even the title track which was the tune they opened with on the 2009 leg of the tour.
As the last usual tune, Moment of Surrender, in the encores finished, it just didn't seem like it was time for the show to be over. I know we always feel that way, but it was a vibe that seemed to emanate from the band too. This was the last show in the US and we all realized we might not see them again for several years and highly unlikely in this type of setting. Bono outstretched his arms to bring his band mates together for a huddle. It was obvious they were agreeing to do something else. What tune would it be? Would they do something like Acrobat which has apparently never been played live? Or would they pull out Bad again which had been played in 2009? Or would they do something else like they did in Chicago when they played One Tree Hill? The answer was revealed quickly as The Edge's chords struck the night with piercing clarity. Bad! The tune lasted almost 9 minutes and just like in Chicago almost 2 years ago, I have it videotaped to cherish again and again, because it wasn't enough to end the night. They could have played for another 2 hours and we would have stood and sung along with them. They have the tunes to do it: New Years Day, Out of Control, Gloria, All I Want is You, Bullet the Blue Sky, The Electric Co., In God's Country, Stuck in a Moment, Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own, All Because of You, Angel of Harlem . . .
I wouldn't sleep for 3 more hours after the last note. Although I was working on only brief moments of sleep from the night before, I drove out of town to make some distance from the packed hotel rooms only to find more No Vacancy signs well into Ohio. A pipeline is under construction for the next 3 years so every hotel along I-70 in w. PA, the WV panhandle and eastern Ohio is booked for the workers. A last minute cancellation got me a bed. Sleep, sleep tonight and that I did till a call the next morning at 11:30am telling me check had been at 11.
There will be some videos posted on You Tube soon. Just check the home page for "celticmaps". This is a link to the first two tunes from the show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk4ReF1T4GU
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