U2 at the Rose Bowl!

Inside the Rose Bowl

I've been a fan of U2 since 1985, and I saw them for the first time in 1987! I since then have seen them in 1992, 1994, 2001 and now 2017 at the Rose Bowl where they are playing Saturday and Sunday. That is four decades of supporting this band! As I type this blog entry, I hear U2 playing tonight - right now, they are playing In The Name of Love. It was a fantastic concert and it reminded me of why I have loved their work for so long. Back in 1987, U2 toured for The Joshua Tree and I saw them at their ever first stadium sold out show at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan. As U2 rose to more and more commercial fame, I fell to the side because their music changed to something more pop and significantly moving away from the heavier political messages of their earlier music. Their music post-1995 still had some political messages, but the style was stamp approved corporate pop music. I got more interested in the anti-corporate sound of the alternative rock scene from Seattle (Pearl Jam is my all time favorite band).  There was a special dedication to Chris Cornell, the lead singer of Temple of the Dog, Soundgarden, and Audioslave, who sadly passed away this past week.

Since I live 4 miles from the Rose Bowl, there was no way I was going to pay $50 to park my damn car. Saving that $50 allowed me to buy a $45 t-shirt. So I found a side street to park my car for free, and it was only a 20 minute walk to the stadium. My seat was up in the heavens so I knew that in order to avoid the rush of fans at the end of the concert, I had to leave about 15 minutes before the concert was scheduled to end at 11pm and to avoid the 60k people in attendance trying to leave at the same time. I heard them sing I Will Follow, another of my old time great songs from U2, as I walked to my car. And it's a good thing that I got a head start because the concert ended on schedule, and I made it home at 11:10. No traffic headaches at all.

I look forward to seeing U2 in concert again, but I'll have to get used to the nosebleed seats as I'm not interested in joining their fan club for pre-sale tickets, nor do I have $3000+ to spare to buy a VIP ticket for access right at King Bono's feet. I love him, but I love Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam more. But I do see why U2 is the biggest concert attraction of all time; they put on an excellent show, very visually beautiful and fun. I'm proud to say I've been a fan of U2 for over 30 years. Maybe one day I'll be able to see them on their turf in Ireland!

Here are some pictures from the concert. It was a great experience and now I have one concert event under my belt from the Rose Bowl (I'll see Coldplay there in October).

About to get in line to enter the Rose Bowl. 

A view from my seat in Sec 9, Row 76, Seat 128.

My seat. I was lucky to get my bag through security.

The show begins. The Joshua Tree in lights!

Beautiful scenes on the screen behind the band as they play.

King Bono!