Since we didn’t want to miss the opening act (Green Day) my friends and I took the day off of school to get to the venue (Desert Sky Pavilion) by noon. Looking back, I’m not sure what I saw in the bands playing that day (Green Day included), but that is neither here nor there at this point.
An early arrival to the concert may have been a good plan had we, say, lived somewhere a little farther north. As it turned out, we had uncovered lawn seats for a 12 hour concert on August 24, 1994. In Arizona. Anyone who has spent ANY amount of time in Arizona in late August knows first-hand the thermometer reading coupled with just enough humidity from the monsoon season makes for a sweltering experience. Hot. Real hot. (And for all the fragile Utahns out there, the heat hovered around 110 degrees for most of the day.)
Having never been to a concert, I asked one of my friends what she was going to wear. Jeans and a t-shirt. Ok. Done. Looking back, that was not the best decision I made that day. We roasted. Obviously. And we took many trips to the restroom just for some shade and a chance at the water fountains. Finally, the concert started (about 1:00 ish in the afternoon). To our surprise (and immense satisfaction) everyone rushed the stage to formulate the obligatory mosh pit as soon as Green Day so much as picked up a guitar. Hey, I wasn’t complaining. This gave us a chance to also move forward and upgrade our tickets. Finally, not only did we have shade, we had chairs. Nice.
About 5 hours later (is this starting to sound fun, or what) the Beastie Boys made an appearance. We decided to get up and take a chance at moving closer to the stage, but found that the idea was not original to us. Plenty of other people opted for the same plan and we ended up on the bottom of a particularly large pile of people. I will say this, there was a point in time when I wondered if I would get out of that and still be breathing. We did manage to fight our way out and take refuge in the safety of our ‘borrowed’ seats. And that is where we stayed for the duration of the concert.
After that experience (and please don’t misunderstand… the friends were great, the bands were just not my thing) I decided that my future concert attendance would require more stringent editing. And I have to say that from that point on, only two other concerts proved to be a disappointment. One of those took place a few weeks later at the Arizona State Fair. The band? Green Day. (Just not impressed with them. That performance solidified the need for the aforementioned editing). The second one was an Everclear concert in Utah about 5 years later. This one was irritating for reasons I won’t even go into at this point in time.
I wouldn’t say that I’m well versed in concert attendance, but I have been to a few. And out of that list, there were some that were amazing. Sarah McLachlan. Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley. Journey and Heart. Rascal Flatts.
But there is one band who I have seen 4 times now. Because the concert entertainment they provide is, well, exceptional. Nearly everyone who has come to a concert with me has been converted.
U2.
That Bono holds the stadium in the palm of his hand. And it makes for some good, clean fun. I have loved the 3 other performances of theirs that I’ve seen and this last time was no less amazing. And although the fans were more intense this year than I had remembered or encountered in the past, the only way to see a U2 concert is by being 20 feet away or less. I’ve been in the stands before and it just aint the same. Though, to be quite honest, I think that was the last general admission ticket that I will buy in my life. I’m at the point where I think I’d rather have a chair. Or a cd. Don’t judge.
For this concert, we stood for 6 hours straight. Nearly in the same spot. Despite the spirited emotions of the crowd, and the patient tolerance of The Fray, it was worth the wait. Loved the set list.
A few friends came with me this year and whenever I have people come with me, it never ceases to amaze me that the first comment they have is: “We just want to watch YOU.” Most of them have always communicated that since I’m a big fan, I must be an interesting spectacle. Not to get anybody’s hopes up, but I’m not much to watch. I don’t jump up and down. I don’t get crazy. I rarely even scream. I just like to watch them perform and sing along. Every word. As loud as I can. But that can be chalked up to the fact that I love me some karaoke… What can I say. I referenced it here, but I’ve always wanted to be a rock star.
And if you ever have a chance to see U2? Take it. Even if you find yourself in the farthest seat from the stage….
Here we are… can you see me?
Photos from U2.com
