All the people at the U2 concert

Well, That Man took me to task for not posting last night. Sorry...

One of the other things I loved about the U2 concert was the variety of people. It was so interesting to see people of all ages- young boys sat with their parents in the row in front of us, and an older couple sat behind us. I also had to come to grips with the fact that we're no longer in the young, hip crowd. Well, okay, we were probably never in the hip crowd, but I am starting to realize that we're no longer as young as I'd like to think we are.

Still, it was funny to see the variety. And to be able to tell pretty quickly who the die-hard fans were. I told hubby that the guy sitting next to me probably hasn't heard any of their albums other than The Joshua Tree. This guy sat there drinking his beer and looking bored through everything but those songs. The kids seemed to only know the songs from the recent albums. And then, there were folks like us who knew and loved all the songs. I don't think there is a bad U2 song out there. Which was why the variety of songs U2 played was great. Other than, of course, The Great Disappointment. *sigh*

My one complaint about the people is that there were people near us smoking pot. Ugh. Now, I don't have anything against people who smoke pot. They can smoke it if they want to, just don't smoke it around me. This is the first concert I've been to where people were smoking it. I guess maybe I'm too sheltered or something, or maybe I just go to the wrong concerts. But YUCK!! Save that for The Grateful Dead or one of those other bands. It was pretty interesting, though, because some songs seemed to be the pot smoking songs. I wouldn't smell it for a while, and then U2 would start playing another song, and the pot smokers would light up. I asked hubby (who didn't know) how much of that it would take to get a contact high- I didn't feel any different, other than a little queasy because the smell of that stuff makes me sick. So, ew.

I think U2 is one of the few bands I can go see and notice a whole cross-section of people from all parts of society. I really appreciate that. We rode a train with an older successful-looking couple, a young couple with tattoos and piercings, a dad with his two pre-teen kids, a group of ladies who seemed to be out having a ladies' night out, and I think that's what made it so great. Everyone was there, and could be who they were, and it was all good. I love that.

U2 and sound...

I was just telling someone at church tonight that I've had a hard time listening to U2 since the concert. Hubby pointed out that he read in the program that their songs were made to be played live (and I think I already mentioned), and it's definitely hitting home post-concert as I try to listen to my favorite songs. It just doesn't sound right.

Speaking of sounding right... big kudos to the U2 sound guys. I mean that, I really do. This is the first concert I've been to in a long time that I didn't need earplugs and my ears didn't hurt afterward. I think that says a lot to talent of the people behind the scenes. And okay, U2 probably can afford the best equipment out there that produces good quality sound without killing people's ears. But still, I know some sound guys, and they'll all tell you that it can still sound good and not be so loud that everyone goes deaf. Which U2 proved during their Denver show.

I haven't talked about The Fray, but since we're on the topic of sound quality, well... the vocals were really muffled at times. So I didn't enjoy them as much as I would have liked- I don't know their songs nearly as well as U2's, so when I couldn't understand the vocals, it was like listening to "blah blah blah." But you could tell the guys put their hearts into it, and they otherwise did a nice job.


Back to U2...

As I told my friend tonight, you really don't know U2 until you've been to one of their shows. There's something really beautiful and organic about their sound and the way the music flows that you just can't duplicate on an album. And, even though we do have a concert DVD from their LA show, the DVD doesn't capture the sound as well as being there. Being surrounded by the sound and the people creates a special symphony you can only experience live.

Oh, the ideas...

The trouble with being a writer is that the ideas never stop. So there I was, at a U2 concert, surrounded by a million different people (okay, over 70,000), which means plenty of fodder for book ideas.

Because I don't want to get the attention of U2 security, or give any wackos ideas, I'll be non-specific about most of them. However, as I sat in a completely full stadium, I couldn't help but think of The Sum of All Fears. Great movie, great book, and super scary, because as I sat at Invesco Field, I realized how easy it would be. It wasn't like we went through metal detectors or anything like that. Security guys looked in our bags (but not very thoroughly, IMO), and then asked if our bottled water was factory sealed (it was). My point being, any number of the 70,000+ attendees could have been carrying weapons and completely gotten through, and... there we have The Sum of All Fears. OR, we could have had something like what we saw in The Event's finale... what if someone came to the concert with the intent of infecting concertgoers with a massive species-ending virus so that aliens could take over our planet? (Which would totally fit in with some of U2's space themes from the night.)

On top of that, it was supposedly Doomsday. From what I heard, there was supposed to be a massive earthquake to start off the end of the world. So as I sat in this big metal stadium, I wondered... what would happen if a massive earthquake hit right now? Is Invesco Field built to withstand an earthquake? What magnitude? What would a natural disaster look like with all those people trapped in that big bowl?  It was a zoo trying to get out to light rail to get home, I can't imagine what a rescue response would have looked like trying to help that many people. But it would make for great fiction.

All right, so let's get beyond the massive incidents. What about seemingly benign things, like when I was in the restroom. A woman exited the stall, so the next lady went in to that stall, and called out to her, "Hey, you left your beer in here." The woman replied, "it was there when I got in." Wouldn't you know, I ended up in that stall, with that leftover beer? What if that beer had been spiked with something, and the woman who left it there was stashed in a closet somewhere, dead? What if that beer was the only clue to the woman's disappearance? Or maybe she was raptured... leaving behind her beer at a U2 concert?

Or... as was the problem at the concert (70K+ people, go figure), the restroom lines were ridiculous. I was behind about 50 people waiting my turn, when a woman came by and said, "hey, did you know there's a virtually empty restroom over there?" Of course, we all went to the place she indicated, but what if it had been a lure for more nefarious dealings?

Then there was the helicopter circling the place. First off, I want to know why they had to have a police helicopter circling a concert venue. Anyone know for real? Me, I kept thinking that at some point, it was going to shoot missiles into the place. And then, I saw a plane come dangerously close to the helicopter. Hubby and I thought for sure those two were going to crash into each other. Wouldn't that have been something? A plane crashing into a helicopter over a U2 concert. Not even Bono could have planned that.

The sad thing was, hubby thoroughly did not appreciate all of my great ideas and conspiracy theories. I kept thinking it would have been so much more fun to have a writer friend with me who would appreciate all of my great ideas. Instead, I had to wait to blog about it... and here we are.

Do these pictures give you any ideas....

Happy U2 Week!

Last night, hubby and I finally used our anniversary gift to each other for last year's anniversary. Tickets to the U2 concert. Bono made a comment on stage about us all being two years older than when we bought our tickets. I turned and told hubby, "well, since it was an anniversary gift, I guess it's a good thing we didn't get divorced in that time." :) No, we weren't in danger of getting divorced. Which is why it was funny.

Sooo...

The concert was FANTASTIC!! Those boys from Ireland know how to do it right. It was such a great concert that I'll be blogging about it all week. By the end of the week, you'll either be sick to death of U2 or you'll be sure to make the next one.

That said, we must discuss my great disappointment. They did not play "40." "40" is my all-time favorite song, and it has been since I first heard it. There is no song on earth that can top "40." Please do not try to argue with me on this point. Therefore, I am extremely bitter that when creating their setlist, U2 did not consult me. Nevermind the fact that we are not BFFs and do not have each other's phone numbers. We are also ignoring the fact that "40" has not been played at any of the venues for the 360 tour. Yes, I checked. After The Great Disappointment. So, if I find out they play it at any of the other 360 shows, I will be even more bitter. I'm just saying.

However... other than The Great Disappointment, I LOVED IT!!!! And, as I have begun sorting out my thoughts, there's no way I can cover it all in one blog post. Why? Because it was that great.

Here's the thing about U2, and they may have said this somewhere or maybe in the program hubby bought- their music is designed to be played live. You can't fully appreciate even your favorite U2 song unless you've heard them do it live. There's something powerful about being a part of the music as they are making it. (And yes, I've heard "40" live- on the Vertigo tour. It was awesome.)

When you go to a U2 concert, you're not just going to hear music. You're going for an experience unlike anything you've ever experienced. I've been to tons of concerts in my life- some I'll admit to, and others I won't. :) There is nothing like U2 out there.