sustain:if:able kiwi

hello hello it’s a beautiful day: U2 in new zealand

It’s difficult to find the words to describe our U2 concert experience. Thanks to friends (who we will owe until Kingdom come!), we managed to score a backstage tour, complete with walk on stage.

We then got dropped in the elipse at about 7 pm. A bit of focused movement and we ended up about 4 rows from the front. Quite close really.

Some highlights would include:
: Unexpectedly meeting friends as we sheltered from the rain under the stand – Andrew, Danielle, Steve, Kate, Bron …
: “Aotearoa right in front of you;” the lyrics of Beautiful Day personalised for a New Zealand crowd.
: The koru designs during One Tree Hill. Again that sense that this band are willing to work to make this concert unique for this audience.

: Bono taking off his sunglasses when singing One Tree Hill. He normally takes them off for his father on Sometimes You Can’t Make it On Your Own. So Greg Carroll is honoured and again, this sense that for this rock star, people matter.
: The balloons. Many in the elipse had been given green, orange, white balloons with instructions to release them when the house lights go up during Where the Streets Have no Name. Being part of a rain of balloons being thrown toward the front was magic.

Nothing’s perfect, so lowlights would be
: Watching Bono trying to get rid of his limpet-like fan as soon as the spotlight went off them during Mysterious Ways. The point of Mysterious Ways is to dance, dance, dance, not cling, cling, cling!
: The punch in the back. OK, I was moving toward the front, but a punch! It put a whole new spin on Love and peace or else.

Thanks Tony and Jan and U2 for creating lifelong memories.