u2

"Back in the day" I was quite the U2 fan. It wasn't uncommon to for me to wait in line for hours for midnight album releases, or even sleep out for concert tickets {so fun!}.

While I've never been able to compete with some friends {Becca} or certain family members {Jeff} who on separate occasions have danced with Bono onstage, I used to consider myself their biggest fan. I remember crying when I saw them in 1997 and telling Becca, "I can die happy now!" Yeah--I was pretty dramatic. I soaked in the whole experience of seeing them live for the first time... Becca and I spent the day at the U, just existing with "our people".

Fourteen years later, I was excited to do it all again--this time with my brother, and fellow freak, Scott. Scott and I made fun of the mid-life-crisis people arriving "in style" in rented stretch-Hummer-limos. We laughed at our former selves and how we used to wish they sold U2 tickets according to how big a fan you were. And we pointed and laughed at the couple in front of us {"Snookie" and a bigger version of "The Situation"} who were sitting in the wrong seats and appeared to me smuggling their cigarettes or boxes of fries in "Snookie's" bra. It was a good night.

I was excited to see U2 too... I'm just not the fanatic I used to be. Music used to be my main passion and now my awesome hubs and kiddos are. I'll also admit that I don't love their newest album, No Line on the Horizon. It's okay. It's good. It's just no All That You Can't Leave Behind, Joshua Tree, or my personal favorite, Achtung Baby! So, when U2 took the stage, I wasn't ready for the nostalgia and U2 love that would permeate my entire being. This was the band that I love so much, and this was a concert for their fans. They played something for everyone--something from every single major album or project they've put out. This concert was a culmination of their entire career. And needless to say, it was really, really cool. Highlights for me were: Love Rescue Me, Stay, Until The End of the World, One, Where The Streets Have No Name, and Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me.

Scotty and me.

If you've ever seen the movie, PCU, you know that when you go to a concert, you should never "be that guy". Apparently, Scott wants to "be that guy". {He told me so.} Also, I'm pretty sure this shirt used to be mine.

This is Scott's friend, John and John's friend, John. I thought it was funny and cute to call them, "John squared". No one thought it was funny but me, so I kept calling them that all night. I thought about calling them "John cubed" so John's mustache didn't feel left out, but I thought that might be pushing my limits.

Two really good things.

"The claw" was seriously one of the coolest things I've ever seen. 

And here are the boys...

The screen broke apart and descended around the band for a couple songs.

The rotating walkways were so cool.

The greatest thing about a U2 show is that they really know how to touch everyone in the place. They make themselves "accessible" to the people with the best seats and those like me in the stands.

Scott's handiwork.
Have I mentioned how much I loved going to this concert with him? We had so much fun.
 He's the perfect U2 concert buddy.
{Thanks again, for getting us tickets, brother.}

This tour is kind of a big deal. It's surpassed Rolling Stones and is on pace to earn over $700 million. Wow.

Here's a cool concert review from the Daily Herald if anyone's interested.

And the night's set list too.

1. Even Better Than The Real Thing
2. I Will Follow
3. Get On Your Boots
4. Magnificent
5. Mysterious Ways
6. Elevation
7. Until The End of the World
8. All I Want Is You
9. Love Rescue Me
10. Happy Birthday (to Bob Dylan)
11. Stay (Faraway, So Close)
12. Beautiful Day / Here Come's The Sun
13. Pride (In the Name of Love)
14. Miss Sarejevo
15. Zooropa
16. City Of Blinding Lights
17.  Vertigo / It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It)
18. Crazy Tonight
19. Discoteque / Mofo
20. Sunday Bloody Sunday
21. Scarlet
22. Walk On / You'll Never Walk Alone


Encore:
23. One
24. Blowin' In The Wind / The Times They Are A-Changin'
25. Where The Streets Have No Name
26. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
27. With Or Without You
28. Moment Of Surrender