U2 360 Tour

The above image is not a space ship. Nor is it a large claw from a creature crushing down on FedEx field and the DC area. It's the crazy over-the-top stage that goes along with the U2 360 Tour. And I've been sitting here the past two days trying to find the right words to describe this concert and mega-light show that went along with it.

You know what? I can't! There is no way to truly describe what I saw and experienced on Tuesday night, Sept. 29th. The U2 360 Tour came to DC and left 80,000 fans charged, out of breath and speechless.

The fact is, I don't typically go to big-time rock concerts. I was telling Joelle on our walk back to the Metro, my last real concert was Velvet Revolver in Tampa back in 2005. Prior to that I think it was either Jimmy Buffett or the Beastie Boys in North Carolina sometime in 2002. I just don't go to these big concerts, nor have I been real impressed. I recall a DMX concert that sounded like nothing more than muffled grunting. Jimmy Buffett was fun in the parking lot because of all the tailgating, but all I could see in the venue was the side of the stage and very little of Jimmy Buffett.

But U2 has officially changed my impressions of a big-time rock concert. The combination of inspiring technology, mythical lighting and amazing music left me completely astounded at the entire production. I would look over at my buddy Dan (who got us the tickets in a suite by the way - Thanks Dan!) and just shake my head, unable to say anything. There were moments throughout the show where I almost teared up from the emotionally charged messages sprinkled throughout. Watching some 50 or so members of Amnesty International walk into the 360 degree stage, all wearing the mask of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese pro-democracy leader who has been in and out of house arrest the past 20 years was incredibly powerful. Or Bono welcoming the young man wearing a turban and embracing the American flag to the stage for a sing along. All of these things added to a show that literally touched all of your senses.

I could go on and on about the production and details of the concert, but like I said, it's really hard to put words to this experience. I'll just leave that to Washington Post music writer Chris Richards. I will say this...if you enjoy music and theatrics, U2 is worth the money and efforts to see.

Below are the images I shot with my phone. They basically suck because it's, um, a phone. But you get a sense of the sheer magnitude of this production and why it's making noise in every city it visits. And I'll leave you with one last quote from U2 front man Bono that stuck with me all night... “America, a Great and Powerful Idea.”

The same could be said for U2 and their tour.

Labels: concerts, Entertainment, Music

posted by DVS @ 5:41 PM