1twentyeight — Brad Hamilton

Let me start by saying I’m a huge U2 fan. It would hard for them to disappoint. I’ve been a fan since the age of 11 in 1986…you can do the math. Having said that, of the five times I’ve seen U2 last night’s concert in Cowboys Stadium in Arlington (Dallas) was not my favorite. In fact, last night’s show would come in 3rd or 4th depending on which day you ask me.

The song selection last night did not disappoint. And to be honest, the music was quality as well. The Edge was on fire. He sounded better last night than any other time I’ve heard him. Bono’s voice seemed weak and a little off. I’d like to blame it on the stadium, which I’ll cover in a minute, but he wasn’t on the top of his game. Larry Mullen Jr. absolutely brought his A game in songs like Sunday Bloody Sunday with a hard, tight, pounding drum line. They played the favorites and played them well, including Elevation, Vertigo, and Beautiful Day. Highlights for me included I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, with a snippet of Stand By Me, which they did in the 1997 Pop Mart tour, One, with a snippet of Amazing Grace, and Where The Streets Have No Name. They played MLK which I can’t remember hearing in another tour, but I’d have to check the setlist to be sure.

On the negative side, the stage was too big. The band, at times, seem disconnected from the audience and from each other. This type of setup is not conducive to Adam Clayton. He looked lost and awkward as he wondered the stage during songs. Larry looked like a rotating duck in the middle as they appeased the crowd by spinning him around for everyone to get a front side shot of him. Bono and the Edge looked at home wondering around, but it was too much space to cover. I really missed the more intimate stage setup from Elevation and Vertigo tours. I also missed the more intimate venue as well. Watching U2 in the old Reunion Arena and in the American Airlines Center were as close to true worship experiences as I’ve been to, but that was completely lost in the big stadium. I know that U2 are big enough to carry big stadiums, but it didn’t work last night at the Cowboys Stadium. That stadium is too big. And the acoustics suffer because of it. The roof was closed and I wonder it that hurt the sound even more. I’ve heard from others that sat up in the top levels that the sound was terrible, with some leaving before the show was over. It would be interesting to see this concert in an open stadium. I could only hope that it sounds better. I don’t go to many concerts but I won’t be going to one at the Cowboys Stadium. It may be great for football, but it’s not a concert friendly stadium. Just a side note, Muse sounded horrible. I do know a few of their songs but I couldn’t make out a single word. Complete mush mouth. Again, I’d like to blame this squarely on the stadium and it’s acoustics, but since I’ve never heard them I can’t be sure that it wasn’t their, or their sound engineers, fault. The “space” concept for U2 didn’t work for me. Bono kept making vague references to “taking off” and it just didn’t go over well.

Overall I enjoyed the show. Like I said, it’s U2 and I just can’t come away disappointed with them. I did come away disappointed with how the stadium played and the concert concept.  If you’re a star kind of ranker, I’d give last night a 3.9 out of 5. Here’s the setlist from last night’s show.

Setlist:
Breathe
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Mysterious Ways / Sweet Lord (Snippet)
Beautiful Day / Blackbird (Snippet)
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / Stand By Me (Snippet)
Stuck In A Moment You Cant Get Out Of
No Line On The Horizon
Elevation
Until The End Of The World
The Unforgettable Fire
City Of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight (Remix)
Sunday Bloody Sunday
MLK
Walk On

Encore:
One / Amazing Grace (Snippet)
Where The Streets Have No Name

Encore:
Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
With Or Without You
Moment Of Surrender

Today on my Twitter stream I’ve been posting my all time top 5 songs from U2. I’m headed to the concert in Dallas tonight and am a little pumped about it. U2 is my favorite band, with Joshua Tree as my favorite album. I’ve seen U2 4 times dating back to their 1997 Pop Mart tour. That show was held at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. The next 3 shows went indoors…once in Reunion Arena, once in the new(er) American Airlines Center, and once in some arena in Kansas City. Tonight’s is back to the outdoors (kind of) in the new Cowboys Stadium. I’ve read good reviews of the opening band, Muse, and am excited to hear them live for the first time.

Here’s my top 5 (and a couple of honorable mentions):

1. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
2. One
3. Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
4. Walk On
5. Yahweh

Honorable Mentions:

1. 40
2. Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own
3. Magnificent
4. Gloria

I’ll have a review of the concert tomorrow.

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A few weeks before we left Cardiff I found myself getting a bit nostalgic. We attended a community parade and festival. At the festival they had displays from different organizations in the Grangetown community. One of the displays was from St. Patricks Karate Club. During the display they played a song, Brothers In Arms, by Dire Straits. It took me a few seconds to recognize the song since it had been so long since I had heard it. But when I did recognize it I was immediately transported back to the mid 80′s.

When I was 11 or 12 my father bought me a Kenwood stereo system. This was no ordinary stereo. This was a system of separates (amp, pre-amp, dual cassette, turntable, CD player, tuner, remote control) with speakers almost as tall as I was at the time. If I can find a photo of it I’ll post it, but let me just say, it was an awesome behemoth. At the age of 11 I wasn’t real big into music. I was more of a baseball guy. But hearing Brothers In Arms a few weeks ago reminded me of playing the cassette tape of the Brothers In Arms album over and over. CD’s were still relatively a new thing but for some reason my dad had Elton John’s Ice On Fire CD. When I thought of Dire Straits, I then thought of Elton…oh Nikita you will never know. I then thought about the the vinyl version of The Joshua Tree by U2 that I was given as a Christmas present. That album changed how I viewed music, even as an 11 year old. It remains to this day my favorite album.

Since I was firmly planted on memory lane I thought back to things I had long since left behind, but for some reason found myself missing just a little. Things like Keller High School football games, good conversations with my group of friends, camping with Ryan…you get the picture. I guess part of my nostalgia had to do with us getting prepared at the time to leave Cardiff for a few months and return here to the States. Knowing I was coming back caused me think of things that have long been a part of my past.

I then thought about how I would love for my kids to experience some things while they are here in the States that will become memories for them, something that they can become nostalgic about when they’re older. But last Sunday I changed my mind about what I want for my kids while we’re here in the States, and what I want for me as well. I’m not looking for “experiences” for them, or me, to have and remember. I’m looking for relationships that can both change their lives and allow them to change others lives. I’m looking for the same for me.

I’ll take relationships over experiences any day. To invest in others, and have others invest in me, is infinitely more valuable than any trip down memory lane…even when that trip includes the greatness that is Dire Straits.