100,000 people standing up, hands in the air, singing to their fullest, "Amazing grace how sweet the sound," led by Bono is enough to send a chill down the spine. At the U2 360 Degree concert at the Texas Stadium this past Monday they led into "Where Streets Have No Name" with this great hymn. Be on the lookout for blogs and You Tube videos devoted to finding deep significance in this as people try to make it some profound statement of the band's faith, but I'm not going to do that. I'm just jazzed about the concert and was personally touched by that particular set.
Most of us will never have the opportunity to set foot in the new Cowboys stadium, seeing as NFL ticket prices continue to climb to heights that will soon be obtainable only upon refinancing your house that just lost half its value, so let me just say that the stadium is an architectural and engineering wonder. You walk into the behemoth and are actually at the top of the second tier of bleachers. The field looms some 75-100 feet below ground level with bleachers stacked above it several hundreds of feet. There is no post to block any seat from having a clear view of the field, just a massive expanse that could probably develop its own weather patters if left unattended.
For the concert, U2's stage made this massive enclosure seem almost cramped. The stage's top spire rose to near equal height with the stadium's flat panel display, the largest in the world, that hangs from the roof of the stadium. Its four legs created an arch that enveloped the stage and made what was probably a 50-yard total stage diameter appear puny and insignificant. Above the band was a circular screen composed of hundreds (thousands?) of independent LCD displays that could be joined to form one continuous screen or could be stretched from the of the arches towards the surface of the stage.
So, in the midst of a monumental stage inside a marvelous stadium U2 entered to the deafening cheers of 100,000 fans. They did a great selection of music that wasn't restricted to No Line on the Horizon, but provided a smattering of music from the breadth of their extensive repertoire. The fans were so numerous and enthusiastic that at one point even Bono, who typically is un-phased by massive crowds, said, "Wow, that's a lot of people." The energy level of both the crowd and the band didn't waiver, but only built as the night continued.
This was my first major concert. Previously, the largest crowd I'd been a part of for a concert probably numbered about 3000. That's likely why I've dedicated so many words to describing the event last night. They still have a few more stops left on their tour, so if U2 is coming to a town reasonably near you I recommend finding tickets (if they aren't sold out yet).
"I believe in the Kingdom Come, then all the colors will bleed into one, bleed into one, but yes I'm still running. You broke the bonds and you loosed the chains, carried the cross of my shame, of my shame, you know I believe it..."
~may Yahweh be praised...
