"Membership in the family of God is neither inconsequential or something to be casually ignored. The church is God's agenda for the world. Jesus said, "I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it." The church is indestructable and will exist for eternity. It will outlive this universe, and so will your role in it."
- Rick Warren
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The City of Blinding Lights -- for me, that was Houston, Texas on the evening of October 28, 2005.
On that evening me and a few friends and family members saw U2 at Houston's Toyota Center. As the evening faded, and the downtown lights of Houston flickered on, me, my brother, sister, and three of our friends waited patiently in line with our general admission tickets, ready to watch the greatest band in history play especially for us -- little did we know how special that evening would turn out to be.
Thanks to my brother's fan club connections we were able to secure coveted General Admission (GA) tickets. The GA tickets on U2's Vertigo tour were the best thing going. They were ground level, and with a GA pass you had the opportunity to be chosen, at random, to enter into the ellipse, which would put you front-and-center for the show -- the inner circle.
When you arrived inside the Toyota Center on that evening, an employee scanned your ticket, if the computer adjacent to the employee lit up "VERTIGO-VERTIGO-VERTIGO" then you won entrance into the ellipse. My sister was one of the first of our group to enter the arena that night, and I'll never forget her screams of joy as the computer flashed "VERTIGO!" before her eyes. My brother, who was next to her, quickly gravitated to her; since you were allowed to take one person with you into the ellipse, he had just gotten his ticket to a front row show.
Our three friends then entered the arena, scanned their tickets, and nothing happened. I was the last one to enter, and when I handed the attendee my ticket, she scanned it with a quick flick of her wrist and then -- euphoria! The computer screen lit up. I was in!
As we entered the inner circle, our little group secured a spot on the rail, just a few feet from The Edge. (In fact, during "Love and Peace ... Or Else," I screamed "Edge!" and he looked down at me and winked. ;-) I can truly say the entire experience -- being surrounded by hard core U2 fans, being so close to the band it was ridiculous, and hearing the incomparable U2 live in concert -- was perfect. From the opening piano notes of "City of Blinding Lights" to the worshipful closing of "40," the evening couldn't have gone better. My only regret was not having my wife with me.
As we were leaving, my brother said that it felt like "U2 played a private show for us." Yeah, he was right. It felt something like that.
Yet again we have floor tickets to on October U2 show in Houston. This time it's at Reliant Stadium in just a few short days. This time my wife, Brandi, will be with me, and we'll be braving the crowds, and the Houston traffic, to once again get a decent view of the greatest band in history.
I'm ready, ready for the gridlock.
Trackbacks:
Trackback URL: http://thinklings.org/bloo.trackback.php/5122.
Comments on "The City Of Blinding Lights":
4. Doug
- 10/09/2009 8:20 pm CDT
Hey Bird, glad you're going. I just saw your question on the other thread, sorry I missed it. UM, my brother and I got there at 10:30, and we made it into the inner circle about 5-6 people back. Like, when Bono threw his water bottle on the crowd, we were sprinkled. No lottery this time, just first come first served. Most of the people who made it had been there since at least 1:30-2, with doors being at 7. However, there were two ladies next to us who had gotten there at 6 and somehow made it in. They were super cute though, which may have played into it. ;-)
As for the new album, I bought it the day it came out, and really haven't listened to it too much. The week before the show, I decided I should just to be ready. It really started to grow on me. Having seen them perform a bunch of it live, I REALLY love it now. SO GOOD. For anyone going, you'll really want to give it a listen or two before going. Have fun Bird! Also, if some old guy starts stepping on your toes and crowding you while they play "I Still Haven't Found" just try to not let it bother you...I'm not bitter...
5. Don C.
- 10/24/2009 1:25 am CDT
I went to the Dallas-Fort Worth show with friends, and was fortunate enough to get to the inner circle. It was the first time I've seen U2 in person, and it was just incredible. Hearing them perform live was an experience I'll never forget, especially hearing thousands of people singing "Amazing Grace" along with Bono.
Leave a Comment:
That is just flat awesome. We had good seats for their 360 Tour concert in Charlottesville, VA last week, but I was jealous of the people down there on the floor with the band. Loved the concert. I was glad we had already purchased No Line on the Horizon and knew most of the songs pretty well. They played some old favorites (and dusted off a few other less frequently played old ones), but it helped being familiar w/ the new stuff too. The more I listen to it, the more I like No Line on the Horizon.