This is my first-ever posting. It's been five days since the Nashville show and I am still on an adrenaline high. I joined Interference just so I could talk to other fans about it.
In my regular life, I'm a newspaper reporter who also writes a twice-monthly personal column, so naturally my column next week will be about the concert. I just finished writing it, and I'd like to post it here if I can. Thanks for your patience.
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All I want is U(2)
I would never have gone to Nashville if Bono hadn’t hurt his back.
Let me explain. Bono is the lead singer of U2, one of my favorite bands. I last saw them at the Georgia Dome in October 2009, as they launched a world tour that is still ongoing.
U2’s plan was to play indoor arenas during the fall and early winter, then return to North America the next summer to play open-air stadiums.
But in May 2010 – just after his 50th birthday – Bono suffered a serious spinal injury during rehearsal and had to undergo emergency surgery, followed by months of rehabilitation. The band had no choice but to push back the summer tour from 2010 to 2011.
Fortunately, Bono made a complete recovery, and the band figured since they were going to be in the U.S. anyway, they might as well add some shows in cities they don’t normally visit.
When I heard they were coming to Nashville, I grabbed a ticket. Frankly, I didn’t enjoy the Georgia show as much as I should have (largely the fault of the venue, not the band), and I didn’t want that to be remembered as my last U2 concert.
That’s how I ended up in Vanderbilt Stadium on Saturday, July 2, on a clear but steamy night, sweating along with about 45,000 other fans.
The band kicked off the show with a blistering set of four songs from their 1991 album Achtung Baby. Then Bono apologized to the audience for waiting so long to perform in Nashville again.
“It only seems like yesterday since we played the Underwood Auditorium, 2nd of December, 19…,” Bono hesitated, wincing, “…81.”
Then he ducked, as if he expected the crowd to start throwing rotten tomatoes at him.
But U2 more than made up for their extended absence. They played 26 songs, pulling material from almost every album in their 35-year career. There were the obligatory hits, but also some hidden gems that got little or no radio airplay.
Among those was The Wanderer, a catchy ballad from the 1993 album Zooropa that featured Johnny Cash on lead vocal. This show marked the first time U2 ever performed the song live. It was their way of paying tribute both to Cash and to Nashville’s musical heritage.
Bono made the startling choice to sing it in the voice of Johnny Cash, and his imitation was uncanny. He’s known for his soaring high notes, so it was surreal to hear him channeling Cash’s distinctive bass-baritone.
That was the first big surprise of the night. But the biggest one came at the end of the show. The four band members had completed their second encore and were walking off when Bono noticed a man holding up a sign at the front of the stage.
He walked over and said, “You want to play what?”
At that point I couldn’t see the sign, but I surmised what was going on. The guy was asking if he could play guitar with the band and dedicate a song to his wife.
Bono quickly agreed. “We have a surprise guest,” he announced as he helped a security guard bring the man up on stage. Then he told a crew member, “Give him my guitar.”
Now, you need to know that while U2’s lead guitarist, Edge, owns about 200 guitars and switches to a different instrument on every song, Bono almost always plays the same guitar. It’s a forest-green Gretsch Irish Falcon, and to him it feels comfortable, like an old friend.
I was impressed that he would loan it to this stranger, who I later learned was Adam Bevell, a 36-year-old father of four from Mesa, Arizona.
“What’s your wife’s name?” Bono asked him.
Almost speechless at what was happening, Bevell could barely croak out the word “Andrea.”
“I’m real nervous, man,” he said. But when Bono began to sing All I Want Is You, Bevell overcame his jitters and did a very competent job of accompanying him.
After a couple of verses, the rest of the band took up their instruments and began to play backup. Then the audience joined in on the chorus, shouting, “All I want is YOOOUU!”
Many fans cried as they watched this man fulfill his dream, imagining how they would feel if they were in his shoes.
When the song ended, Bono hugged Bevell, who held out the guitar to return it to its owner. But Bono gently pushed it back toward him.
“I’m giving you my guitar,” he said.
“No! Are you serious?” Bevell screamed, and the audience went wild.
After the show, as I was walking from the stadium back to my car, I saw Bevell cross right in front of me. He was not carrying the guitar, which would be shipped to his home later.
And he looked different from the man I had seen on stage. His left hand was grasping a friend’s arm, while his right hand held a white cane.
My God, he’s blind! I hadn’t even realized. But now that I knew, it all made sense. I understood why Bono had so carefully guided Bevell on and off the stage, reassuring him, “You’re okay. I’ve got you.”
Rock stars have a reputation for being arrogant, self-centered jerks, and the stereotype is all too often true. But in Nashville, I witnessed the most genuine act of kindness and generosity I have ever seen.
Bono had given a gift to all of us, not just to Bevell. No, I didn’t get a free guitar, but it was one of the most memorable nights of my life.
Thanks, U2. That was all I wanted.
It was great meeting you and wonderful to see the show with a fellow interferencer 
) & it was an amazing night. 
