Apostles of the Modern Age

I'm a believer that every married couple should have a "Band". For me and Laurie it's U2. I have personal favorite bands...the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Springsteen; and Laurie has her own favorites...Bon Jovi, Loverboy, Honeymoon Suite (snicker, snicker). But when we combine our marital forces, our #1 Band is unquestionably U2. They were there when we first fell in love, and they've seen us through the good and the bad ever since.

Last night, amongst 70,000 uninvited guests, we renewed our communal relationship with Bono, The Edge, Adam and Larry. It was, as it always seems to be, an uplifting experience for the six of us. Bono poured out his soul to us, while also informing us of the latest global injustice we need to be aware of. When it comes to Bono, I've always felt he has complete liberty to preach to me about whatever he wants. I trust his research, I trust his judgement, and I believe in his cause. There are very few modern men I would nominate for Sainthood, but Bono stands near the top of that list. If Jesus had revealed Himself to us as a rock star as opposed to a carpenter, Bono is who he would look like. The guy simply never allows his conscience to rest. If he sees something wrong with the world, no matter the scale, he takes it out on tour with the band and works tirelessly to address it. And he doesn't just sing about it. When U2 is not touring, Bono spends his free time meeting with US Presidents and begging for more aid to the global needy; visiting and studying poverty-stricken African nations; and influencing powerful men and women who can make a difference. It can be argued that Bono and U2 have done more to raise the Global conscience and awareness level than any group of people since the Apostles. The only difference, instead of speaking in tongues, they speak in Rock n' Roll. It is for all these reasons I've always felt purchasing a ticket to a U2 concert should be a charitable tax write-off. In spending $100 for a ticket, I'm basically telling Bono, "Here's my money. This is my support for you to help you keep doing what you're doing. Feed the hungry. Give medicine to the sick. Expose the tyrants. Save the planet. I support you wholeheartedly. Just sing me a couple songs before you leave".

The concert itself was as intimate as a concert can be when played in front of 70,000 people in a monstrosity of a dome. The circular stage consisted of bridges and tunnels and sidestreets and alleyways to help connect Bono to more people than ever before possible. And hovering over the stage on four legs was a menacing beast of machinery with brilliant lights for its eyes, massive sub-woofers for its mouth, and a dangling, expandable projection screen capable of stretching all the way down from the belly of the beast to the stage itself. Like most U2 concerts, the "show" was as good as, if not better than, the concert itself. But this is by design. While bombarding our senses with searing guitars and a barrage of visual eye candy, Bono's lyrics always manage to counter-balance the experience with poignant intimacy. In their classic hymn "One", Bono reminds us that "Love is the Temple, Love the Higher Law", and little by little the grandeur of the spectacle was reduced. Early in the show, Bono claimed they built the alien mothership stage to help them get closer to their people. But he boldly predicted by the end of the show all that would be left standing would be U2 and me. And you know what? He was right. After two-plus hours of spiritual cleansing through songs like "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", "Where the Streets Have No Name", "With Or Without You", "Walk On", and "Beautiful Day", U2 made good on Bono's promise. Miraculously the menacing beast was destroyed while Bono fed the masses.