We were all elated as the bright lights that opened the encore lit up the Joshua Tree in a disco ball haze. The beginning of "Beautiful Day" looked very different to me in Seattle than it had in Vancouver two nights prior. It helped that I had been ready for the scene before "Exit". It helped that I was home in America again where I didn't feel I needed to apologize for our lack of leadership. It helped a great deal to hear Bono telling the crowd literally, "We love you, America", rather than essentially, "Hey Canada, let's show America how to get it together". It helped a lot.
During "Beautiful Day" I listened to Bono describe a world where we would all want to live... and I held up my license plate, one more time. I heard him describing a place I thought of as U2OPIA.
The women next to me resumed their drunken banter a bit as "Miss Sarajevo" subdued the crowd's high energy that had permeated the performance of "Elevation". I was in bliss with Bono still only feet away on the tree stage. I was also beginning to feel a bit of a nagging worry though... how disappointed would I be to walk away without a moment of personal recognition directly from any of the band members? And how crazy was it to feel that way? How crazy, selfish, and lost was I still, in the midst of my own progressing recovery?
The nagging doubt was just a hint of a shadow on the evening as the band got together and got down to business on their new song, the "Song Of Experience" and the very LAST song of Experience, a detail that Bono shared on this night in Seattle, "The Little Things that Give You Away". Before he introduced the song they'd only played once before, he thanked us all for giving them "what's turned out to be a really ridiculous life", and I said back to him, "right back at you, baby".
Chasing the muse that U2 channels has shaped my life for 25 years. It has been ridiculously glorious, heartbreaking, bitter, miraculous, tragic, breathtaking, and mundane all at once. "Sometimes I can't believe my existence" is exactly right.
After the crescendo jam that ended "The Little Things", the band huddled on the stage together for a moment. Bono broke from the huddle and asserted, "That is the end, but there's one more, for people who've travelled all over....... the city.... lets get back to where we started: 'I Will Follow'... Take the fucking roof off! I Will Follow!"
https://youtu.be/bBi4V5p0N6s
Suddenly Edge was tiggering around in front of us, and we were all hopping with joy in the old familiar joyful energy of this unconditionally loving song. And tonight, the bridge, spoke to me... "We surrender, surrender to your sign... we surrender... your eyes make a circle, so we see you when we come in here!" Sam and Trish and all of us were jumping, and I was pumping my fist, and flying into a fit of joy, laughter, solid grinning bliss as the show came to a glorious finale finish!
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The Afterward
Mad joyful grins and blissful chatter bounced around us as we found our way out. Astrid walked past from her post at the main stage and I grabbed her for a happy post-show hug, wishing her safe travels home. To Margaret and Bridget, it was "see you in Chicago!". To Stephen Dorsett, it was wow yes that was great, oh lovely you were right up in front on the rail! To Kevin, we took the conversation to another level altoghether, I'm quite sure, though I'm helpless to tell you the details of it all at this point.
Just joy. Followed by a long, thirsty walk home to the hotel room with Heather, then late night pizza, and the spinning satisfaction of flipping through social media until my eyes would no longer stay open.
Great writing! Really enjoyed it
ReplyDeleteThank you!
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