Get Out of Your Own Way...just Go to the Show!

[konasunset]

 

                                                               Get Out of Your Own Way…

                                                                              Get to the Show!

                            U2 Experience & Innocence Tour 2018 SJ RedZone/GA/Seats

U2’s Surfs Up Friend! Go! Don’t overthink,

just Go & Experience the Show! Now, I’ll tell you why:

I went, because I love their music: Adam’s flowing bass lines, Larry’s precision soulful drumming, Bono’s poetry, and Edge’s meticulous quest for new soundscapes. To be honest, I was also excited to see what Joe & Willie’s staging, sound, and lighting creation for this album tour:how they put their Experience into Art.

I was intrigued: How could they put such an album with Sometimes Dark Contemplative Moments, Bright Moments into Performance Art? Oh, and did I share most of said album scared the * out of me? It hit home on so many levels.

Ultimately, I went, because Science says I’m not suppose to be here: My body isn’t going to make it. Each year I proved them wrong. By the Grace of God and new Scientific breakthroughs. Unfortunately, MF is winning, but I’m still fighting. Too many things to do!

  So, I decided to celebrate, and go. Either these were my next or last shows- I was going. So glad I did!

   Parking was easy! Yea! We found all the attendants at the venue helpful and the RED volunteers were informational & well informed. The ladies managing the ONE desk were keepers-inspired by what good philanthropy can do! The SAP greeter employees Love U2 and were so happy & excited to be there & help anyone. So much better than the the last 2 tours where things seemed a little more chaotic.

When you walk down into the venue, beyond the amazing rigging, lighting, and hanging speakers, you can see that all areas of the venue have a great view of the stages, platform, and large screen that raises & lowers dividing & then joining North Side GA with South Side GA. GA is the way to go: great views!(The second nightie sat to watch the light show & friend took pics from low)  The Red Zones were smaller to me in stage rail access than the Innocence tour, but there was more machinery, security, workers and a nice U2 community. Beverages  could be purchased for RedZone & that was helpful too. I saw one attendant have a step stool for a little boy to see the concert bordering the GA&RedZone gate:a very nice idea. Cool to see so many more new young people in the GA & on the floor of the REDZone. Enthusiasm was in the air!All were there for the music!!! All were there to sing, dance, and celebrate:…& I must say they new all the words to each song: U2 should be quite chuffed about that. :-)

There was the 2 usual RedZone/GA problems: #1 If you are on the rail of either Zone or GA- remember this is a visual experience too- so there are U2 cameras zipping around, up/down filming the stage & audience, so try not to get behind them or be patient for them to move.(Not a Big Deal) #2: Non-engaging guy whose sole intent on filming the band with his phone, every song, and every movement of the backstage crew up front, even their technical computer gear & operator for cameras, what their computer screens had on them with his phone and pushing people to get his shots with small stuffed backpack that hit us when he moved: 4 people could of easily filled the rail. Not Cool! Be thoughtful to those around you. We all would like a cool pic or two, but in reality, it obscures the view of everyone behind you.Take your pic & put it away. We want to watch the show- experience the music & performance-not look at bad shot/filming through a bad phone screen. No one does!!! We love getting up close, studying the bass & guitar techniques, passionate vocals, and Larry’s cadence; we love supporting U2, ONE, and RED, but it spoils it when you can’t see the show. REDZone & Security need to fix that now,Please. ?

Maybe it’s the reason U2 had the clever U2eitour app to be used at home w/album and before the show-not during. Everyone is watching and then somebody decides to put a phone in your view- it ruins the moment for everyone on the floor! 

U2, right now, on stage,(even the crew) gave off a very Cool Open Zen Vibe all night. Groovy Rockin’ Catz.Even though they are a four piece: They were One.

U2 were in sync, chill, excited, and professional. A determined unity I had not seen in a while.

That Oneness, transferred to the audience. The Love was in the room. You cld feel it, with the imagery on the screen & music during the Preshow.

(Great Preshow Music by the way! Loved the new indie selections and new wave’s Gary Newman’s “Cars”.:-D!)

As the anticipation excitement builds, and the first background sounds and Bono’s first lyric from”Love is all we have left.” Tears well up in my eyes, with understanding. I understood the background noises and what I saw on the wall screen before Bono AR spirit came out of the screen, and reached out to the audience to join U2’s journey. I have experienced that sound many times- I was intrepid of what was to come next. As U2 shared this experience with us, I relived the trials I faced to keep alive and it’s true: When your facing your mortality, when you are fighting to breathe, fighting pain, and at the same moment…All you See is the people and places you have loved in your heart. That Love can be possible anywhere - everywhere in that moment and in the world and needs to happen now.   Then, the driving bass of Blackout, awakes one up to seeing the band members inside the moving screen caged walkway, trying to break free from the shadows to the Lights of Home,(Like in an Anton Corbijn photograph) segue into It’s A Beautiful Day. The sun’s rays spreading joy and hope enlightening the life in front of us.

Though out the performance, favorites were celebrated, like “I Will Follow” (Thank you!), Gloria, Edge’s growling guitar on Elevation, and Until the End of the World, and Acrobat. I was intrigued how on the circle stage the AR brought Mepho.2018 to life and he definitely was a shot of top hat selfie-gluttony wasn’t he? Never know what is going to pop out of TopHat’s mouth!:-D I LOVE the DOBRO Edge! Great Spaghetti Western Feel on Lights of Home. A Dobro!? Dudes you Hit it! Then, then the way the signature 60's groove change, ”Free Yourself to Be Yourself!” and  ending alt. keyboard flutter from the 70’s! Brilliant!

People at front stage would of liked to see a bigger picture of him on the screen at the beginning of the song, but I understand Willie’s moving circle of lights & disco ball that flowed into the music. Maybe we will see the return “Lemon” or “DGPFYCC” or “ZooStation” 2018? I’d love to hear more U2&Kygo colab, snippets from ATTYCLB and HTDAAB albums, but maybe we will see that in future tour/venues. (Edge&Dallas have more AXEFX2s than me, so far, thus, it could happen.;) )? Fans hoped Kendrick Lamar might appear and sing XXX, since he was in the area, but no dice, maybe later? There were many good moments and favorite singles that we could see represented on the walkway screen. Those, will be yours to discover on your ride.(Hehe)

  We also pondered how many times the mesh screen wall would keep dividing North and South Sides of the venue, two different sides- two different view points?Was this on purpose again?: Were we both seeing the same images on each side? We could see glimpses of citizens across the walkway when the screen was partially up: singing together as a piece of hidden choir, hidden partially by mesh fences- with Hope in their Voices and Love in their Hearts.

The lighting and Sound were spot on, each year they bring in new cutting technology that find us melting into one rollercoaster adventure with U2.

(Actually, U2, you can turn it up even Louder, if you’d like…and yes gentleman…you can Mic up & Turn up everything in each of your mix (lol)…including the Drums….Don’t panic, just kidding Joe ;)) ?

Ultimately, I think you should go.

Songs of Experience is an OutStanding Concert Album.

Be prepared for new experiences, feelings,and thoughts.

U2 wove the journey inside the ebb and flow their  rolling tide.

Go, share a ride on the wave that U2 is traveling on, follow the break to the shore, and find Ordinary Love, because “Love is Bigger than Anything in it’s Way”.