HelloAngel
ONE love, blood, life
[SIMG]http://forum.interference.com/gallery/data//585/11265singalongmiami-sml.jpg[/SIMG]
By Kimberly "hippy" Egolf
2005.11
Almost four years ago, my life was changed by four lads from Dublin who brought their "traveling show" to Miami for a night and succeeded in stealing my heart.
It's almost cliché to talk about how the band has changed your life, but I believe that's what weaves us as fans together in international bonds of friendship. No matter where we go or what U2 fans we meet, we know we're always talking to someone who gets it. Though our families and friends might roll their eyes when we talk about U2, we can always delight in the flame that ignites in a fellow U2 fan's eyes when the band is mentioned.
And U2 playing in Miami was all about that flame. From the first strains of Arcade Fire's "Wake Up" as the band took the stage, the arena was on fire. Before the lights even dimmed, the place exploded in a roar that must have been heard across the entire city of Miami. During the second show, Bono described the noise of the crowd as a "fucking 747 taking off in here." Many times during both nights in Miami you could see the smiles on the faces of the band members as they marveled at the energy and love coming from the Floridian audience. Bono even stopped the show on the second night, right before "One," as the cheering reached fever pitch. With a huge grin on his face, he turned to the other members of the band and said, "This is crazy."
The audience gave all it could to U2 and U2 gave it back tenfold. Adam, Edge, Larry and Bono turned in two nights of the most fantastic, inspiring and fun performances I have seen yet. Smiles abounded in both band and audience as U2 blasted through many of its all-time hits and much of its newer material.
Miami 1 (November 13) began with the now-standard "City of Blinding Lights"/"Vertigo"/"Elevation" triple threat. But just because it was standard by no means diminished the power of these three songs on this night. As the confetti fell and the music built, the audience surged forward, ready to be taken wherever U2 might lead. We got Spanish lessons from Bono during "Vertigo" and flirting lessons from Larry during "Elevation" when Bono encouraged Larry to "flirt with the people," which he did by giving us a huge grin and then singing along with Bono for the rest of the song.
"Mysterious Ways" immediately followed the "top of the world" songs (as I like to call the "City of Blinding Lights"/"Vertigo"/"Elevation" combination). This is one of my personal favorites and the band did not disappoint. The highlight of the song was the "Edge shuffle" when Edge did some fancy footwork across the front of the stage while playing his guitar solo. The crowd cheered loudly as Edge showed us his moves and Bono laughed and yelled "Skinny white boy." This favorite song was immediately followed by perhaps my all-time favorite song, "Until the End of the World." It was an incredible treat to see this one live again and I could hardly stop myself from doing the spastic Bono shake like in the Boston Live DVD. But then I probably would have fallen out of the stands and missed the rest of the show, so I calmly refrained.
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" pulsed its way right into my heart, with Bono adding a snippet of "In a Little While." If ISHFWILF stole my heart, "Beautiful Day" flew away with it. This is the song that began my journey with U2 back in 2000. Since then it has become a personal mantra. It's impossible for me to describe what seeing this song live again meant to me. But that goes back to the "U2 community" idea, I don't think I have to describe it in order for you to understand.
"Miracle Drug" gave us an even more embellished story about The Edge being from the future. Apparently, "Gas is $39 ... but it's still better." Then came "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own." I will admit to being wary of this song in concert. I have heard a number of other U2 fans talk about how it has lost its power and feels contrived, etc., so I didn't want to set myself up for disappointment. I actually did quite the opposite. I respected the simple graphic and the total emphasis on Bono's vocal performance during the song. As an introduction, Bono described how he would spend Sundays with his dad, chatting about the week. And this song felt like a chat with his Dad, whose 80th birthday would have been on Sunday. As Bono made his way around the ellipse and the graphic walked along in the background, it occurred to me that Bono was indeed having a chat and a stroll with his dad. It was as if the two (Bono and the graphic Bob Hewson) were walking along together and Bono was pouring his heart out. Which made it all the more poignant when the graphic simply walked away toward the end of the song. The conversation was not over, but one of the parties had left. I was incredibly moved by this song, despite the bad rap it has gotten with some U2 fans.
If the crowd sounded like a 747 taking off, the band helped by adding the real sound effect in the background as "Love and Peace or Else" lead us directly into the "Heart of Darkness" set. Though standard by now as well, seeing the "Love and Peace or Else"/"Sunday Bloody Sunday"/"Bullet the Blue Sky" combination for the first time was amazing. And I have never heard the Universal Declaration of Human Rights cheered before. It gave me hope for the future of the world as we all listened to a young woman state that no one shall be subjected to torture; increasingly relevant in the United States recently.
Then came the tender "Miss Sarajevo" as the hope leading us out of the "Heart of Darkness." "Pride (In the Name of Love)" ignited the fire again as we all joined our voices in celebration of Martin Luther King's dream, which Bono stated is "not just for Africa anymore." The dream continued into "Where the Streets Have no Name" as the entire crowd began to pogo. The main set ended with an emotional (but what version isn't?) version of "One." Having just watched the Live 8 DVD that included this song, I was struck by how far we've come in the struggle against poverty and AIDS, but also by how far we have left to go.
Bono and Edge returned to the stage to dedicate "Stuck in a Moment" to the late INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence. Larry and Adam soon joined in for a full-band treat. Then "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" made its full band appearance, dedicated to "Patti [Smith], the punk rocker." "With or Without You" finished off the first encore and, while always a great song and a crowd pleaser, held no new or revelatory moments for me.
After a break to let the cheering build, the band wailed back onto the stage with "All Because of You." This featured Bono on tambourine, which then decided to do a bit of flamenco dancing around Adam during the guitar solo. Then the show began to slow down again with "Yahweh," which has taken on new meaning since being performed live. With the dove graphic flying in the background (a symbol that means a lot to me—I have a dove tattoo on my right wrist), Bono sang of hope in spite of hardship: "Always pain before a child is born." Then Phil, Bono's guitar tech, was invited on stage to share his birthday with the entire crowd. While the cheering from "Happy Birthday" continued, Edge and Adam quietly changed instruments. The distinctive bass line stealthily crept up on us until Larry kicked in with the drums and we all realized that "40" had begun. "How long to sing this song?" was chanted over and over by the crowd as the band members slowly departed the stage in one of the most understated exits I've ever experienced. U2 let the crowd take over singing, as if passing the responsibility for all we had seen and experienced back to us. It was up to us to end the show (or not end it). It was up to us to determine what had happened in the arena that evening. And it was, ultimately, up to us to continue the feeling as we journeyed back home.
***********
It was hard to tell how U2 was going to top Sunday night in Miami. Would the energy be there? Would the setlist be exciting? Would the general atmosphere even begin to match Sunday night? These questions were answered with a resounding "yes" as soon as "Wake Up" started on Monday night. The atmosphere was even more playful and fun. Before the show, Bono and Edge met fans (I shook Edge's hand) outside the arena. Edge led us in a less-than-rousing chant of "Where the streets have no name," which then morphed into "Bono, Bono" as he quickly realized that the "Streets" chant wasn't working. Bono had a camera and walked the length of the line filming people and asking, "What do you think of The Edge?" Neither Bono nor Edge signed autographs; Bono because he was holding a camera and Edge made his excuses saying, "I have to go, I'm the guy that does that music" and mimed playing a guitar. As if we didn't know.
(The Edge leads us in a chant while Bono films him. Credit: Kimberly Egolf)
As "City of Blinding Lights" opened, Bono appeared on stage holding the same camera and filming the crowd and The Edge. "Vertigo" and "Elevation" followed, burning up the house for the second night in a row. I held my breath as we got to the portion where changes might be introduced. Earlier in the day, I had been talking with other fans and expressing my desire to see some of the older stuff. I especially wanted to see "Electric Co." and "I Will Follow." Well, apparently the band was listening because both songs followed in quick succession! "I Will Follow" started and I had a hard time not leaping off the stairs upon which I was standing. "Electric Co." kicked in with incredible energy and was one of the highlights of the evening for me.
We returned to "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "Beautiful Day" as we had the night before. I found myself remaining quiet during these songs, as I stood in awe of what U2 can do with a crowd. I felt like I had 20,000 close friends all sharing the same secret. It's at moments like those that I simply cannot understand how anyone can not love U2—the unity, the love, the community—it's an incredible feeling.
After these few moments of awe, "Original of the Species" blindsided me. I don't think anyone saw it coming (at least not so early in the set). It was a full band version introduced by Bono as "the best song on the album." And live, it was hard to dispute that claim. I'm not sure where I got the idea, but I have always thought that "Original of the Species" was written in one sense about Bono's daughters. It's a tender song, making it the perfect couple to Bono's song about his father, "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own."
(U2 plays "Original of the Species." Credit: Kimberly Egolf)
After the tenderness of "family time," we returned to the "Heart of Darkness" for a similar emotional rollercoaster as we had experienced on Sunday night. The anger and scorching fire of "Love and Peace or Else"/"Sunday Bloody Sunday"/"Bullet the Blue Sky" (symbolized by devastating red light) led into the calm and healing of "Miss Sarajevo"/"Pride"/"Streets" (symbolized by blue and green light). After "Streets" the cheering became so incredible that Bono, as mentioned earlier, paused to listen and exclaimed "This is crazy!" before proceeding into "One."
Then we started to get antsy again. Encores are generally where some setlist changes occur and I was eager to see what would happen. I had already been stunned by "I Will Follow" and "Electric Co." The encore did not disappoint. The Zoo Baby appeared on the screen and started calling "Mama, Mama" as the guitar wailed into "Until the End of the World." I went crazy. Two nights in a row is lucky for a song that has been largely absent on the tour so far. "Until the End of the World" led right into "The Fly" which was as wicked as ever. Bono still gets into the Fly character during this song as was strutting around the stage as the platitudes from ZooTV era flashed across the screen in a multimedia overload. This overload was immediately countered by the incredible simplicity of "With or Without You," which once again thrilled everyone but held no really new moments, except for the fact that I know the girl who was pulled onstage.
("The Fly." Credit: Kimberly Egolf)
The second encore began with the ear-splitting screech of Edge's guitar as he launched into "All Because of You." As Bono sang the line "all because of you," every finger in the arena was pointing toward the band. Not that this hasn't been said before, but the song should rightly be called "All Because of U2." That's why we were there and that's why we were loud! Adam and Larry disappeared as Edge and Bono came to center stage and performed an acoustic version of "Walk On." But by far the most incredible moment of the evening was the closing song—"Bad" took my breath away. Bono turned in an amazing vocal performance, no doubt boosted by the fact that 20,000 people were also singing along. There was no hint of tiredness in the band as the song stretched, faded, and grew again. When Bono, backed by the fans, sang, "I'm wide awake" no one in that arena was silent. If I had to choose one moment as the pinnacle of these two shows, it would be that moment. I think it says a lot that perhaps the most amazing moment of the two-day run in Miami happened as the band was closing the set.
It was difficult to leave the arena and return home last night. I had such an incredible experience in Miami that was largely due to the people I met and hung out with on Sunday and Monday. I want to thank those people (you know who you are) who honored me by sharing a portion of their lives and opening up their hearts. I started by writing about the U2 community and it is, as always, to the U2 community that I return. Thanks for helping me make great memories. See you in Tampa, Atlanta, and Boston.
By Kimberly "hippy" Egolf
2005.11
Almost four years ago, my life was changed by four lads from Dublin who brought their "traveling show" to Miami for a night and succeeded in stealing my heart.
It's almost cliché to talk about how the band has changed your life, but I believe that's what weaves us as fans together in international bonds of friendship. No matter where we go or what U2 fans we meet, we know we're always talking to someone who gets it. Though our families and friends might roll their eyes when we talk about U2, we can always delight in the flame that ignites in a fellow U2 fan's eyes when the band is mentioned.
And U2 playing in Miami was all about that flame. From the first strains of Arcade Fire's "Wake Up" as the band took the stage, the arena was on fire. Before the lights even dimmed, the place exploded in a roar that must have been heard across the entire city of Miami. During the second show, Bono described the noise of the crowd as a "fucking 747 taking off in here." Many times during both nights in Miami you could see the smiles on the faces of the band members as they marveled at the energy and love coming from the Floridian audience. Bono even stopped the show on the second night, right before "One," as the cheering reached fever pitch. With a huge grin on his face, he turned to the other members of the band and said, "This is crazy."
The audience gave all it could to U2 and U2 gave it back tenfold. Adam, Edge, Larry and Bono turned in two nights of the most fantastic, inspiring and fun performances I have seen yet. Smiles abounded in both band and audience as U2 blasted through many of its all-time hits and much of its newer material.
Miami 1 (November 13) began with the now-standard "City of Blinding Lights"/"Vertigo"/"Elevation" triple threat. But just because it was standard by no means diminished the power of these three songs on this night. As the confetti fell and the music built, the audience surged forward, ready to be taken wherever U2 might lead. We got Spanish lessons from Bono during "Vertigo" and flirting lessons from Larry during "Elevation" when Bono encouraged Larry to "flirt with the people," which he did by giving us a huge grin and then singing along with Bono for the rest of the song.
"Mysterious Ways" immediately followed the "top of the world" songs (as I like to call the "City of Blinding Lights"/"Vertigo"/"Elevation" combination). This is one of my personal favorites and the band did not disappoint. The highlight of the song was the "Edge shuffle" when Edge did some fancy footwork across the front of the stage while playing his guitar solo. The crowd cheered loudly as Edge showed us his moves and Bono laughed and yelled "Skinny white boy." This favorite song was immediately followed by perhaps my all-time favorite song, "Until the End of the World." It was an incredible treat to see this one live again and I could hardly stop myself from doing the spastic Bono shake like in the Boston Live DVD. But then I probably would have fallen out of the stands and missed the rest of the show, so I calmly refrained.
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" pulsed its way right into my heart, with Bono adding a snippet of "In a Little While." If ISHFWILF stole my heart, "Beautiful Day" flew away with it. This is the song that began my journey with U2 back in 2000. Since then it has become a personal mantra. It's impossible for me to describe what seeing this song live again meant to me. But that goes back to the "U2 community" idea, I don't think I have to describe it in order for you to understand.
"Miracle Drug" gave us an even more embellished story about The Edge being from the future. Apparently, "Gas is $39 ... but it's still better." Then came "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own." I will admit to being wary of this song in concert. I have heard a number of other U2 fans talk about how it has lost its power and feels contrived, etc., so I didn't want to set myself up for disappointment. I actually did quite the opposite. I respected the simple graphic and the total emphasis on Bono's vocal performance during the song. As an introduction, Bono described how he would spend Sundays with his dad, chatting about the week. And this song felt like a chat with his Dad, whose 80th birthday would have been on Sunday. As Bono made his way around the ellipse and the graphic walked along in the background, it occurred to me that Bono was indeed having a chat and a stroll with his dad. It was as if the two (Bono and the graphic Bob Hewson) were walking along together and Bono was pouring his heart out. Which made it all the more poignant when the graphic simply walked away toward the end of the song. The conversation was not over, but one of the parties had left. I was incredibly moved by this song, despite the bad rap it has gotten with some U2 fans.
If the crowd sounded like a 747 taking off, the band helped by adding the real sound effect in the background as "Love and Peace or Else" lead us directly into the "Heart of Darkness" set. Though standard by now as well, seeing the "Love and Peace or Else"/"Sunday Bloody Sunday"/"Bullet the Blue Sky" combination for the first time was amazing. And I have never heard the Universal Declaration of Human Rights cheered before. It gave me hope for the future of the world as we all listened to a young woman state that no one shall be subjected to torture; increasingly relevant in the United States recently.
Then came the tender "Miss Sarajevo" as the hope leading us out of the "Heart of Darkness." "Pride (In the Name of Love)" ignited the fire again as we all joined our voices in celebration of Martin Luther King's dream, which Bono stated is "not just for Africa anymore." The dream continued into "Where the Streets Have no Name" as the entire crowd began to pogo. The main set ended with an emotional (but what version isn't?) version of "One." Having just watched the Live 8 DVD that included this song, I was struck by how far we've come in the struggle against poverty and AIDS, but also by how far we have left to go.
Bono and Edge returned to the stage to dedicate "Stuck in a Moment" to the late INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence. Larry and Adam soon joined in for a full-band treat. Then "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" made its full band appearance, dedicated to "Patti [Smith], the punk rocker." "With or Without You" finished off the first encore and, while always a great song and a crowd pleaser, held no new or revelatory moments for me.
After a break to let the cheering build, the band wailed back onto the stage with "All Because of You." This featured Bono on tambourine, which then decided to do a bit of flamenco dancing around Adam during the guitar solo. Then the show began to slow down again with "Yahweh," which has taken on new meaning since being performed live. With the dove graphic flying in the background (a symbol that means a lot to me—I have a dove tattoo on my right wrist), Bono sang of hope in spite of hardship: "Always pain before a child is born." Then Phil, Bono's guitar tech, was invited on stage to share his birthday with the entire crowd. While the cheering from "Happy Birthday" continued, Edge and Adam quietly changed instruments. The distinctive bass line stealthily crept up on us until Larry kicked in with the drums and we all realized that "40" had begun. "How long to sing this song?" was chanted over and over by the crowd as the band members slowly departed the stage in one of the most understated exits I've ever experienced. U2 let the crowd take over singing, as if passing the responsibility for all we had seen and experienced back to us. It was up to us to end the show (or not end it). It was up to us to determine what had happened in the arena that evening. And it was, ultimately, up to us to continue the feeling as we journeyed back home.
***********
It was hard to tell how U2 was going to top Sunday night in Miami. Would the energy be there? Would the setlist be exciting? Would the general atmosphere even begin to match Sunday night? These questions were answered with a resounding "yes" as soon as "Wake Up" started on Monday night. The atmosphere was even more playful and fun. Before the show, Bono and Edge met fans (I shook Edge's hand) outside the arena. Edge led us in a less-than-rousing chant of "Where the streets have no name," which then morphed into "Bono, Bono" as he quickly realized that the "Streets" chant wasn't working. Bono had a camera and walked the length of the line filming people and asking, "What do you think of The Edge?" Neither Bono nor Edge signed autographs; Bono because he was holding a camera and Edge made his excuses saying, "I have to go, I'm the guy that does that music" and mimed playing a guitar. As if we didn't know.
(The Edge leads us in a chant while Bono films him. Credit: Kimberly Egolf)
As "City of Blinding Lights" opened, Bono appeared on stage holding the same camera and filming the crowd and The Edge. "Vertigo" and "Elevation" followed, burning up the house for the second night in a row. I held my breath as we got to the portion where changes might be introduced. Earlier in the day, I had been talking with other fans and expressing my desire to see some of the older stuff. I especially wanted to see "Electric Co." and "I Will Follow." Well, apparently the band was listening because both songs followed in quick succession! "I Will Follow" started and I had a hard time not leaping off the stairs upon which I was standing. "Electric Co." kicked in with incredible energy and was one of the highlights of the evening for me.
We returned to "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "Beautiful Day" as we had the night before. I found myself remaining quiet during these songs, as I stood in awe of what U2 can do with a crowd. I felt like I had 20,000 close friends all sharing the same secret. It's at moments like those that I simply cannot understand how anyone can not love U2—the unity, the love, the community—it's an incredible feeling.
After these few moments of awe, "Original of the Species" blindsided me. I don't think anyone saw it coming (at least not so early in the set). It was a full band version introduced by Bono as "the best song on the album." And live, it was hard to dispute that claim. I'm not sure where I got the idea, but I have always thought that "Original of the Species" was written in one sense about Bono's daughters. It's a tender song, making it the perfect couple to Bono's song about his father, "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own."
(U2 plays "Original of the Species." Credit: Kimberly Egolf)
After the tenderness of "family time," we returned to the "Heart of Darkness" for a similar emotional rollercoaster as we had experienced on Sunday night. The anger and scorching fire of "Love and Peace or Else"/"Sunday Bloody Sunday"/"Bullet the Blue Sky" (symbolized by devastating red light) led into the calm and healing of "Miss Sarajevo"/"Pride"/"Streets" (symbolized by blue and green light). After "Streets" the cheering became so incredible that Bono, as mentioned earlier, paused to listen and exclaimed "This is crazy!" before proceeding into "One."
Then we started to get antsy again. Encores are generally where some setlist changes occur and I was eager to see what would happen. I had already been stunned by "I Will Follow" and "Electric Co." The encore did not disappoint. The Zoo Baby appeared on the screen and started calling "Mama, Mama" as the guitar wailed into "Until the End of the World." I went crazy. Two nights in a row is lucky for a song that has been largely absent on the tour so far. "Until the End of the World" led right into "The Fly" which was as wicked as ever. Bono still gets into the Fly character during this song as was strutting around the stage as the platitudes from ZooTV era flashed across the screen in a multimedia overload. This overload was immediately countered by the incredible simplicity of "With or Without You," which once again thrilled everyone but held no really new moments, except for the fact that I know the girl who was pulled onstage.
("The Fly." Credit: Kimberly Egolf)
The second encore began with the ear-splitting screech of Edge's guitar as he launched into "All Because of You." As Bono sang the line "all because of you," every finger in the arena was pointing toward the band. Not that this hasn't been said before, but the song should rightly be called "All Because of U2." That's why we were there and that's why we were loud! Adam and Larry disappeared as Edge and Bono came to center stage and performed an acoustic version of "Walk On." But by far the most incredible moment of the evening was the closing song—"Bad" took my breath away. Bono turned in an amazing vocal performance, no doubt boosted by the fact that 20,000 people were also singing along. There was no hint of tiredness in the band as the song stretched, faded, and grew again. When Bono, backed by the fans, sang, "I'm wide awake" no one in that arena was silent. If I had to choose one moment as the pinnacle of these two shows, it would be that moment. I think it says a lot that perhaps the most amazing moment of the two-day run in Miami happened as the band was closing the set.
It was difficult to leave the arena and return home last night. I had such an incredible experience in Miami that was largely due to the people I met and hung out with on Sunday and Monday. I want to thank those people (you know who you are) who honored me by sharing a portion of their lives and opening up their hearts. I started by writing about the U2 community and it is, as always, to the U2 community that I return. Thanks for helping me make great memories. See you in Tampa, Atlanta, and Boston.
You expressed the thoughts and emotions that many of us have shared, but perhaps are not able to articulate. Thank You! 
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