We had a great time at the U2 concert! Jenny, her sister Katy, Katy’s husband Eric, our friend Sarah, and I piled into the Hoffs’ car in Midlothian and rode together. Traffic wasn’t as bad as expected in the area. Thanks to a tip from Keith at BagOfNothing.com, we parked at Lincoln Square at Collins and Road to Six Flags. If you spend at least $40 there and leave your receipt on your dashboard, you can leave your car there during any Cowboys Stadium event for free. It’s only about half a mile from the stadium so it worked great. We ate dinner at Jason’s Deli and reached the stadium before 7:00.
The Stadium and Stage
As you’ve probably seen, Cowboys Stadium is BIG. Really big. You can only enter through the gate listed on your ticket, so we took a long walk to the other side of the stadium and entered through the party pass area. Our seats were in the lower bowl “behind” the stage but still gave us a great view since U2 designed the show to play in all directions. The stage was circular with an inner ring for the band’s equipment, an open area for screaming fans, an outer ring where Bono, The Edge, and Adam could walk among the crowd and get closer to our side of the stadium, and two movable bridges linking the two rings. A huge spider crab / spaceship thing towered over the stage and suspended a fascinating video board made of hundreds of movable panels.
Muse
A Welsh band named Muse kicked off the show with a high-energy blend of strong vocals, guitar, and keyboard. Think Depeche Mode meets The Juliana Theory. I actually recognized one of their songs from the radio and liked it, but I enjoyed several of their other songs even more. The sound was very loud and muddy, as I expected, but I heard enough that I definitely plan to check them out on iTunes.
U2
U2 played for two hours, finally wrapping up around 11. U2’s website posted the set list in case you are curious. The sound was not quite as loud as Muse’s and clearer, about as good as I would expect in a stadium like this. I keep hearing that the sound in the upper deck was terrible. In general, I still prefer listening to music at home so I can hear every detail, but the energy of the crowd and band in a live setting is enough to bring me to a concert on occasion.
With such a large catalog, U2 couldn’t possibly play every song that every fan wanted to hear, but they did include good mix of old and new stuff with a couple of my favorites: “With or Without You” and “Where the Streets Have No Name”. Other highlights include their rendition of “Amazing Grace”, accompanied by many of the 70,000+ fans. I LOVE hearing massive crowds sing together. It reminds me of the choir that we’ll join in heaven, millions upon millions of voices strong, singing praise to God night and day.
One of the things I like about U2 is their use of their fame and influence to make a positive difference, particularly in Africa. Bono in particular has lobbied for AIDS funding, bednets to fight malaria, and debt forgiveness for African nations and made large strides in boosting awareness of these issues among Westerners like us. They weave Christian themes into their music – love, brotherhood, faith, forgiveness – with power and grace yet somehow avoid sounding preachy. Their music, whether recorded or in concert, touches your spirit and reminds you that there is more to life than merely living, that God has called each of us to something higher and better.
Here are a few pictures:
U2 Pictures
