U2

Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA  


I've seen U2 about a half-dozen times, and this night was the most remarkable of all of them.

It's not that it was the best performance I've ever seen the band give -- I'd probably give that to either the 1985 show or their Zoo TV concert -- but it was the first and only time I've ever met a band member. It was actually 3/4 of the group.

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I met up with someone from U2's record label prior to the concert and he gave me a lanyard and told me to go to the Club Level of Heinz Field for a little pre-show party they were calling "The Desert Lounge." He hinted that there was a chance of meeting one of more members of the band, but, you know, no promises. I've been through that song-and-dance before and I mentally put the odds of something like that occurring at 10%. The Lumineers were the opening act and I have seen them yet, so at 7:17p I put the question out to Facebook:

Everybody was pretty unambiguous - wait to see what would happen. So I did. And as I followed-up on Facebook to friends, 

I along with a half-dozen others got to go to a deep backstage room and preview 4 tracks from the next U2 album. At the end of the first one Bono wandered in. He then set up the 2nd song with a backstory, and while he was doing that, The Edge came in. They said they were working on tracks earlier today, so they were very excited about them and seemed to want reaction. So we all listened to one called "Summer of Love" and Bono would occasionally start singing along with his recorded self. Then he made Edge sing along to his harmony parts. Someone showed up to tell Bono and The Edge they had to go, so Bono set up another song and they left while we were listening to it. But Adam moseyed in during the song. He plopped himself down on a couch and held court, professorially, about music and radio for a short while. Then picked a 4th song for us to listen to and said goodbye.

Quite amazing.

No pictures, unfortunately, but a great experience. And what a great concert, as well. There are not many shows you can see that will have an opening seven-song sequence as strong as this one.

U2 setlist:

• Sunday Bloody Sunday
• New Year's Day
• Bad
• Pride (In the Name of Love)
• Where the Streets Have No Name
• I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
• With or Without You
• Bullet the Blue Sky
• Running to Stand Still
• Red Hill Mining Town
• In God's Country
• Trip Through Your Wires
• One Tree Hill
• Exit
• Mothers of the Disappeared

(encore break)

• Miss Sarajevo
• Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
• One
• Beautiful Day
• Elevation
• The Little Things That Give You Away