The Concert Of a Lifetime -- Part 1

If you have been in any sort of contact with me in the past month, you will know that I had been looking forward with what could understatedly be called rabid enthusiasm to a concert on September 16. Those of you who have known me for a long time know that I am a massive fan of U2, and I secured tickets to their 360 tour on September 16, in the Skydome. I have been looking forward to blogging about this for some time, but I have been fairly busy. Prepare yourself to read about this concert in detail which will either be excruciatingly drawn out or deliciously detailed, depending on your point of view.



Simply put, seeing U2 live was something I wanted to do before I died. I'm almost ashamed to say how important this was for me... a dream for years.



I was delighted to hear that U2 was going to be playing in the Skydome (which sold out for a rock concert in only the second time in its history) and that, as the weather was good, they were going to be playing with the top open (also for only the second time in its history). After working at York that day (it was a delightful day) I scooted downtown on the reliable TTC, rendezvoused with my friend, and headed over to the 'Dome. My seats were not amazingly close, being seated in the 500 level, but they were directly across from the front of the stage, if you could call it that. True to its name, the 360 tour features a massive stage -- the biggest in rock history -- which features no bad views. The stage is quite literally monstrous, a colossal green and yellow set of tentacles which look like they were ripped out of a 1950s Japanese sci-fi.



Adding to the delight of the evening was the fact that so many of my friends were at the concert. After excitedly talking on the phone with as many of them as I could, we sat down and watched the opening band, Snow Patrol. I hadn't had a huge exposure to the band before the concert, although I tried to do my homework before the show, and my friend was fairly knowledgeable and had a good appreciation for them. The crowd was understandably smaller, but the boys from North Ireland (Dundee, Scotland? Glasgow?) did not disappoint. The band was tight, and the lead singer had a certain self-deprecating charm, tinged with awe-filled humility to be opening for the greatest rock act of our time. I can't quite find Snow Patrol's setlist, but they seemed to play a lot of stuff from their "Eyes Open" album. Their rendition of "Shut Your Eyes" in which they got the audience to sing along (I'm a sucker for band sing-a-longs) drew me in to the band's performance; it's just a hauntingly melodic, yet rocking song as it is. Not surprisingly, "Chasing Cars" was a run away success, performed flawlessly live, with the dramatic, throbbing crescendo of guitar and beautiful, passionate vocals which made it such a hit song. One of their last songs was "Open Your Eyes", a tune I was not that familiar with but which was my friend's favourite Snow Patrol song. It was a winner, combining rock-out rattle and hum with a flirtatious taste of what the 360 screen was capable of, flashing unrelentingly and rapidly between shots of the individual band members and a couple who made out for the camera with a love for exhibition. Snow Patrol gained my unqualified respect by the end of their set. Overall, the band was solid and Gary Lightbody was impressive as a humerous, Celtic frontman and as a passionate singer with a unique voice. As we went to get our Skydome burgers, I couldn't help but reflect, like a true English lit major, on the band's insistent imagery focused on eyes and hands, coupled with imperatives to the audience as the second person, combining for a sense of immediacy in the moment which lent themselves to a sort of intense, earnest passion.



And, as their set went on, the Toronto sky, framed behind the CN Tower and the newly mushrooming glass condos, shifted from daylight to a beautiful dusk. Night was approaching, and with it, U2. My excitement was rising, even as the temperature dropped to the point where it necessitated sweaters. I was stoked.



Part 2 is coming...