Four boys from Dublin

Before it even became trendy to create a bucket list, and hopefully without sounding too morbid, I had already written down a few things that I wanted to do before I die. Probably like most people, my list included the usual suspects like exotic travel to far flung places and several exciting thrill-seeking activities, but it also included the wish to one day see a certain band from Ireland play live in concert. Just this week I got my wish.

Growing up in Ireland during the 80′s you couldn’t be anything but amazed at the music being produced by U2. They had a style all of their own, and quickly developed a reputation for raw, high energy shows. There aren’t many bands you can instantly identify within the first few seconds of just about any song they play, but there is definitely a unique and unmistakable U2 sound. Before long they had established themselves as a world-wide phenomenon and it became incredibly difficult to score tickets… oh, and along the way they produced some truly remarkable and memorable music.

With the mercury in New York City hitting 95 degrees, Sam and I drove the 35 miles from Granny and Grandpa’s house across Manhattan to the Meadowlands Stadium in a very frustrating and seemingly never-ending 4 hours! Traffic was horrendous, with the struggle to get into the Lincoln Tunnel an absolute bear. We persevered though, and at about 8:00 p.m. we rolled into New Jersey and ultimately the very crowded parking lot of the stadium. As we found our seats, we were amazed by the elaborate and impressive 160 ft tall set, and as the stadium filled to capacity, the huge crowd became quite a scene.

The four boys from Dublin – Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. – collectively better known as U2, put on a show to remember. Even though our seats were fairly high up in the stadium, we still felt as if we were a part of the performance, and as Bono and the boys cranked out classics like Sunday Bloody Sunday, City of Blinding Lights, I Will Follow, and Vertigo… along with the rest of the 80,000 concert-goers, we were treated to an awesome show full of intensity and energy… one that neither Sam nor I will ever forget.