I could not visit Denver without going to Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, site of U2’s legendary 1983 concert during their War tour, which would ultimately be released as U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky. Even non-U2 fans are familiar with this show. If you watched MTV at all in the 80s, you undoubtedly saw the video for Sunday Bloody Sunday, filmed here, that was prefaced by Bono’s famous “This song is not a rebel song. This song is Sunday Bloody Sunday.”
The atmosphere of this concert was unearthly, and made for an epic performance captured on film (the kind of “epic” that used to mean something, before it was used to describe movies like The Hangover). Torrential rain fell all day ahead of the show, and the lingering mist rises up to create a mystical glow around the giant torches. It’s early June, but still cold enough that Bono’s breath is visible with every song he sings. And as he struts around the stage with his sweaty mullet, sleeveless shirt and leather boots, massive rock forms are visible behind him. All of this was fresh in my mind after watching the remastered concert DVD on my flight out to Denver. I couldn’t wait to see the historic venue in person, to replay the concert in my head as I stood among the same rocks, to shout from the stage, “Hey, this is Red Rocks!” Read More
From the GA list to the emptying stadium, here’s what U2 360 looked like in Denver.
Recap: Denver, 5/21/2011. (Contains setlist spoilers.)
The U2 360 show in Denver took my breath away in so many ways. For starters, mile-high Denver is 5,280 feet above sea level. Tallahassee is 200 feet, on the high end. Between doing laps around the stadium looking for the best vantage point to peek in on U2’s sound check, charging the field at full throttle after speed-walking past security to get the best placement on the rail, and climbing up and down and up again on the many stairs at Red Rocks, I was gasping for air. I’m not in the best shape of my life, but I will safely blame it on the altitude this time.
But, the lack of oxygen only added to the euphoria of the trip. Read More
U2 is kicking off their second U.S. leg of the 360° tour in Denver and my plane for the mile-high city leaves in about five hours. Here’s a peek inside my suitcase before I catch a few hours of sleep to last me through the next few days of excitement, exhilaration, exhaustion. Read More
I’ve seen U2 five times in concert on four tours: PopMart in 1997 (Tampa, FL), Elevation in 2001 (Charlotte, NC), Vertigo in 2005 (Charlotte, NC) and 360° in 2009 (Charlottesville, VA, and Raleigh, NC). When I decided to more than double that with about eight more shows on the second 2011 U.S. leg of the 360° tour, I decided it was time to blog. I’m still figuring it all out, but I’ve had some outstanding help getting me set up. Read More
I’m quitting my job to follow U2 around on tour all summer.
That’s what I declared a few months ago, anyway. I still like to say it for the dramatic effect, even if the circumstances have changed slightly. I’d decided I was ready to leave my job of four and a half years — didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do next, but knew I was ready to try a different company or a different profession or a different city or a different country. U2 had extended their 360° tour back to the United States, and I also knew I wanted to see more than my usual single show. So, setting forth with more vision than visibility, I started shaping my summer plans around about eight of their concerts, which would require way more than my vacation allotment. Read More
