SYCMIOYO....how emotional is it?

[Jenn121]

Just wondering if SYCMIOYO has been a really emotional point in the show? I've got full-on pregnancy hormones and am afraid I'll start bawling when he hits that note when he sings, "Can you hear me when I SIIIIIIIIIINNNNGGG/You're the reason I sing"...so in past performances has it been emotional? Do I need my tissues?

 

[Chizip]

yes, bring tissues

 

[rastacruz]

I know some don't liek the slow songs, but that and Running To Stand Still were big time for me.

 

[bombergirl1978]

SYCMIOYO had me getting teary. Its such a wonderful song, and Bono pours his heart into each performance of it.

 

[mkdominatr]

It was even more emotional that he hit it right in front of me. my mom was in tears. he had his fist clenched and was putting everything into it.

 

[mirrorballman]

unfortunately edge has decided to play it different from the album, which...well, i dont like it! it kills the best part of the song...

i was looking forward to hearing this song live, but it doesnt get close to the album or the brooklyn bridge performance...dont know what edge is thinking...

 

[wydok]

Yes, it was very emotional. At Philly 2, he hit the notes perfectly, in a crystal clear tenor. As he sang the "no tears goodbye snippet", he changed one of the lines to "I want to die."

It was very sad. When I hear it, I think about how I would feel if i lost my dad, wife, or child.

 

[TheFly40]

I thought SYCMIOYO sounded OK but it was so staged. Bono taking off he glasses and wiping a 'tear' from his eye--very corny moment.

I thought Running to Stand Still was a much more emotional . Gave me the chills.

 

[KUEFC09U2]

I thought SYCMIOYO sounded OK but it was so staged. Bono taking off he glasses and wiping a 'tear' from his eye--very corny moment.

I thought Running to Stand Still was a much more emotional . Gave me the chills.

oh now come on, the songs about his decest father, of course he is going to get teary, he is human after all

 

[tiny dancer]

I get a tear drop every now and then everytime I hear this song. It makes me think about my late parents who have gone to their rest.

 

[love2bmama]

It was pretty emotional for me when I was on the rail in GA and could really see and feel Bono's emotions in singing it. When I was up in seats it wasn't as emotional. ITA about RTSS, it was also a tear-jerker moment, but nothing came close to touching hearing Streets live in person for the first time ever at Seattle1. I was a total wreck! Adam was walking by near the end of the song and looked me and actually did a double-take, rofl!

So yes, bring your tissues!

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

This particular song has been emotional for me since the very first time I heard it, and seeing Bono hit the "siiiiing" note right in front of me last weekend in Philly made me lose it.

 

[Jenn121]

I'm doomed!

I lost it on the Elevation tour when I saw them in Providence...it was 10/31/01, so not too long after 9/11 and One and Walk On just got to me.

Okay, I'll have tissues in hand!

 

[neutral]

Personally I don't know how he puts himself through singing that song night after night with the image of Bob up on the curtains. I found it pretty emotional but that was probably a given.

 

[one4u2]

It's amazing! Running to stand still did it for me both times, I that song.

 

[Liesje]

It's not that emotional for me personally, b/c I can't relate to the experience like a lot of people can, but both times I watched Bono sing it live, he seemed to be in his own world. If it's been emotional for you off the album, it will be emotional live.

 

[daygloeyes2]

I always tear up when I heart it on the album. When I see them, I'm pretty sure the waterworks will be flowing.

 

[melsbud]

It was definitely emotional for Seattle 2 when he had Jason, that lucky boy, up there. He held his hand and they strolled around the run as Jason sang along. Bono was clearly teary, as was the first few rows in the GA (including meself). Bring tissues. I get teary just listening to the boot.

 

[TheFly40]

It's theater people!!!!! Almost everything in a U2 show is staged...from the positioning of the band to Bono's speeches which are written for him. It's the same calculated, BUT very effective routine EVERY night. That's what makes Bono the ultimate frontman--he can sing and act.

Haven't you ever heard him speak about this song--he tells the SAME story during every interview. "My father was a postal worker who loved the opera. He conducted with knitting needless..."

Don't get me wrong, if the song touches you and makes you emotional then you're experiencing the music on a different level--go with it. That being said, this "teary eyed" (probably sweat) Bono is no different then him playing McPhisto...it's all part of the act.

 

[WildHoneyAlways]

It's not emotional for me either. Perhaps it's just the song. I got teary eyed during WOWY. I have more of a connection with that song so it affects me more so than others. Everyone has different connections to music.

 

[EPandAmerica]

He wasn't acting on April 15th in Phoenix.

I'm sure some nights he doesn't 'feel' it as much as other nights, but it is still very much real.

I think you have to be on the floor and very close so you can see for yourself.

Being in the nosebleeds for SD1, I too thought he was maybe 'putting' on a little for the song, but after being on the floor for both Phoenix shows, it was very clear that he was not 'acting' upset, he WAS upset during that song.

 

[sociopathetic]

I understand the context of the song but it doesn’t affect me one way or another on an emotional level and I’ve yet to witness anyone tearing up during a performance. It’s a great song and Bono does belt it out with a lot of passion live.

 

[neutral]

nevermind.

 

[tryan101]

It was definitely emotional for Seattle 2 when he had Jason, that lucky boy, up there. He held his hand and they strolled around the run as Jason sang along. Bono was clearly teary, as was the first few rows in the GA (including meself). Bring tissues. I get teary just listening to the boot.

As the dad here, I obviously have a biased opinion, but I've collected all the quotes, reviews, and reactions to my son's experience. I've had countless strangers write to me about what that moment meant for them, how emotional that song was for them with their own father's memories. Bono pulling Jason up was in no way staged, and every time I listen to the crowd roar as Bono pulls him up I get a little overcome. When he purposely calls him Paul, which he has not done again, it seemed to be a pure honest moment between Bono and his father, with Jason playing the role of young Paul Hewson. Everything I read/hear says this was no act. About later shows, I don't know. Here's one shot I have from that night.

btw fly40, you're right, much of the show commentary is scripted. but having been in the heart/ellipse about a dozen times, I (and others) have no difficulty telling the difference between sweat and real emotion.

 

[PhoenixGNX]

It's theater people!!!!! Almost everything in a U2 show is staged...from the positioning of the band to Bono's speeches which are written for him. It's the same calculated, BUT very effective routine EVERY night. That's what makes Bono the ultimate frontman--he can sing and act.

Haven't you ever heard him speak about this song--he tells the SAME story during every interview. "My father was a postal worker who loved the opera. He conducted with knitting needless..."

Don't get me wrong, if the song touches you and makes you emotional then you're experiencing the music on a different level--go with it. That being said, this "teary eyed" (probably sweat) Bono is no different then him playing McPhisto...it's all part of the act.

There's definitly some truth to this. But I know one thing for sure, he wasn't acting when he sang the first live performance of Kite on April 20. He lost it midway through the song. It was pure, unreligated emotion. And I was happy to be four feet in front of him when it happend. Of course, I and everyone else in the heart was a mess too.

 

[starsgoblue]

I disagree with TheFly40. Sure, I'm sure some nights Bono's not feeling it. But there definetly have been nights where he has and you can't fake that kinda emotion....it's coming from somewhere deep within himself those nights.

 

[walkon11]

I disagree with TheFly40. Sure, I'm sure some nights Bono's not feeling it. But there definetly have been nights where he has and you can't fake that kinda emotion....it's coming from somewhere deep within himself those nights.

Agreed. With a song that has so much personal relevance to him, it's going to choke him up one way or the other. Just because he might not be "as" emotional one night compared to the next, doesn't mean the entire thing is staged.

 

[RademR]

Sometimes is a great tune, I'll go as far as to say it's becoming a u2 classic. I love it more every time I hear it, live or on the record.

RTSS was amazing at Madison Square on Saturday night.

 

[mirrorballman]

why did edge have to change the live version though a bit???

listen to the album or brooklyn bridge, the guitar part after the solo and during "a house just...don't leave me here...", its THUNDERING!

but on the tour, he plays that part a whole step down, which completely ruins it for me. it was the part that gave me the chills...

 

[MattFromNYC]

his speeches are written for him? um from what i know, he wrote them himself and just repeats himself with the same speech everynight. so wtf's wrong with that? who the hell said someone else wrote it for him?

each thing they do is so great that it shouldnt be missed the next night, etc.. so they repeat the same other stuff. so what?

does that make u2 any less real? no, not really.