I Know That This Is Not Goodbye, U2
Like many U2 fans, I’m really sentimental tonight as the U2360 Tour lifts off for its final time in Moncton. I jumped on board this spaceship while it was still in its infancy back on March 11, 2009 in Somerville, Massachusetts during U2’s “Three Nights Live” promotion for No Line On The Horizon. My daughter was just one month old.
Since then, I’ve seen her learn to eat solid foods, sit up, crawl, walk, stumble, lift herself up again, clap, talk, sing, count and almost be potty trained. My heart has been overflowing seeing her come to an understanding of the world around her, how she fits in it, and how to express joy at almost anything. Watching the world revolve through her eyes has given me such a different perspective on U2.
Her developmental milestones have given me a unique view on the metamorphosis of the U2360 Tour. I was fortunate to have seen it five times in person, and I’ve followed the majority of it online through various streams and online communities. I’ve seen this tour evolve from a band trying to prove their new material is just as strong as their old material to a band who has grown into the joy of just playing whatever songs they want on any given night. The mood of the band in Pittsburgh last week was much different than what I saw in Foxboro back in 2009. Granted, being so close to the tour’s end can alter anyone’s mood. However, after taking in several end-of-tour gigs over the past few tours, there was a definite difference in the way U2 was on stage. There was no cocky confidence, rather a level of comfort with each other that only comes with decades of friendship. They weren’t on stage because they needed to, they were on stage because they wanted to. (Well, contractually they needed to, but that’s a minor point.)
With this tour, they’ve already proven everything they’ve set out to accomplish: They are the biggest and best rock band on the planet. The tour statistics should be proof enough. If you still need convincing, how many other bands are confident enough in themselves to pull fans up on stage and let them play your guitar (Nashville), slow dance (Pittsburgh), sing a song snippet (Raleigh) and so on and so on. They have found ways to make their shows magical for fans worldwide. For those lucky volunteers who got to join U2 on stage during “Walk On” (myself included), the transformation from wearing Aung San Suu Kyi’s mask to being a beam of light to bring awareness to the thousands still imprisoned in Burma was a game changer with the show.
In my 50+ concerts I’ve seen since 1992, this tour has moved me in ways I didn’t expect. I found there was a maturity level in the U2360 shows that wasn’t there in others in that the subtlety of messaging meant you had to be looking for the show’s theme as opposed to other tours where it was more in your face, such as ZooTV. More than anything, I found the U2360 Tour to be more of a spiritual journey than a political one. Maybe ending with “Moment of Surrender” would make me feel that way. I found the theme of surrender to be a thread throughout the show. In Pittsburgh, Bono made it a point to watch the audience with their hands up in the air during “I Will Follow” as we all surrendered to the moment.
At the end of this long journey, I found that the best shows were the ones where U2 surrendered to that moment and played with abandonment. Taking the pressure off to prove themselves, they found their footing and their better performances came through as a result. They did what came naturally to them, and as Larry has said “Live is where we live.”
So, as my now 29-month-old daughter is fighting to find her independence and her identity, the U2360 Tour can finally claim its own too. We’ll all be talking about this tour for a good long time, and hopefully we’ll all look back on it with the same fondness and sentimentality as a parent looks at their kids’ photos and how they’ve grown up too fast.
The Pittsburgh show provided me with soul food that I couldn’t find at any restaurant in the three rivers area. Walking out of the show, I had the same grin on my face as fans who have seen this band since the very beginning over 30 years ago. As I finish this U2360 Tour eulogy, I am at peace that my favorite band in the whole wide world rocked the planet in a way that no other band ever has … and perhaps ever will. For tonight in Moncton, it’s celebration time. So, let’s all get on our party hats and raise a glass to everyone who made this tour happen. I know that this is not goodbye.
Last 4 posts by U2isABLE
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- How Photographer Andrew Macpherson Pictures U2 - March 7th, 2012
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- Paul McGuinness and U22 Final Tally - January 21st, 2012
Thank you for the insightful and heartfelt message. In a nutshell, I think you’re saying U-2 has evolved into a mature, confident rock band with a solid comfort level amongst themselves and with their fans. They just don’t get on the stage and play their instruments and sing; they create live art. Whether their performance evokes an emotion, a memory, or the desire to simply get up and groove to the music, it’s all a very electrifying experience. One that shall not be forgotten!
Beautiful words from a beautiful fan (and mother) about a beautiful tour. Many thanks for sharing this with all of us.
Loved the article, but these words gave me pause: “[They] evolve[d] from a band trying to prove their new material is just as strong as their old material to a band who has grown into the joy of just playing whatever songs they want on any given night.” This is both euphemistic (I mean, let’s be honest: what you’re saying here is that they gave up on their new material and went with a kind of oldies show-more of a de-evolution, really) and also a tad disengenious (ie, the band didn’t just take the stage and play whatever struck them in the moment; for the most part, they had a very carefully crafted setlist, which makes their abondonment of the new LP all the more damning). Now, I promise: I am neither a carper nor a troll. I attended the Pittsburgh show last week and I did love it (really). But I do worry about U2′s distancing itself from NLOTH (which I think is an excellent LP and indeed as good as anything in their back catalogue), and like many fans, I worry about their tendency in the “aughts” (especially) to sort of apologize and backpdeal every time they don’t seem to be pleasing every last soul who ever liked them. In the end, I agree that they are an amazing live act, but I worry that on the recording side of things they may grow more tepid at best and even somewhat riskless at worse. And even as far as the live show goes, I don’t think it would harm it one bit to drop “With or Without You” (which has been played 9 trillion times) or “Sunday Bloody Sunday” (ditto) in favor of a few tracks from NLOTH. Just my .02.
Well said Rubicon25!
I do not think they they were distancing themselves from NLOTH. They started the 360 tour in support of of that album, but as the tour progressed, they had no need of showing off NLOTH. They dropped some some of those songs, not in favor of “sure things”, but for some deep cuts for the real fans. I attended a show from both north american legs, and was much happier the second time around to hear Zooropa, Miss Sarajevo rather than Unknown Caller, or No Line. They did keep three songs from no line, which is a very strong representation of that album. In fact the show I went to (Denver) had more songs from No Line (3), than the Joshua Tree (2). Additionally, the show I went to had a fantastic remix of Magnificent (much better than the original). I just don’t think you are being fair Rubicon25. Just because they are no longer fresh off of a new album, and a third of their setlist is no longer NLOTH doesn’t mean they are shying away from it, in fact it is quite the opposite, they are embracing their new works as much as ever.
Thank you for your beautiful words!! And yes..i believe it: this was not the end!!! My Heroes come back - soon!!!
the edge is up there with the dali lama , bono the passive domminater ,giving all of him self for what jesus did ,still common sence prevailing spiritual wind coming thru , they say an ill wind blows no good,u never see that from the masters
“They did keep three songs from no line, which is a very strong representation of that album.” I’m not sure what you consider a ‘strong representation’ of an album, but I consider a strong representation to play all, or close to all, of its songs. Saw Bon Iver the other week, played all but one track off of his new record, Radiohead played pretty much all of In Rainbows at every single show on their 2008 tour (which, needless to say, is a much much better album than NLOTH), The National played 10 out of 11 songs from their new record when I went to see them.
Did any of those acts have a 3 year tour with so many legs? 1st leg in NA had a good amount of NLOTH and the second leg was supposed to come quickly…correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t it going to be back to back legs in NA except for the back surgery changing everything up?
This was so well written…..I feel like jumping up and down and shouting out loud at how much I love U2. I managed to see ten 360 shows. I eagerly await the next tour. I had the same grin that you speak of in your article. Thank you. See you soon U2.
Unfair? Moi? In fairness (tee hee), I might be. Certainly, I am in the sense that I had a great time at the show and I am still finding something to be jittery about!
Also, I agree wholeheartedly that they added some excellent deep cuts when they could have really played it safe (“Scarlet”?-Awesome-I was jumping out of my seat! I was probably the only geek there who wanted them to play the whole darn thing instead of just a “segue”!). So for now, I’m humble enough (I hope) to accept a tentative “guilty as charged”! But doggone it, if they now spend the rest of their career making only records like “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb” (ie, really really safe and really really pleasing to most everyone, with lots of lame-O Grammys to show for it, and with songs that are NOT quietly dropped-as HTDAAB’s weren’t-later in a long tour), then I will demand a re-brand! 
Look, I love this band, but I really don’t want to surrender to them to such a degree that they become a Rolling Stones oldies jukebox right before my eyes. And I am just sayin’ . . . there are *some* indications that this could happen. Not declaring “done deal” yet, by any stretch, but I believe that I and others are playing an import role in U2 fandom by sometimes reminding the band (or at least, more accurately, reminding other fans!) that U2 need not apologize for not pleasing every last soul who ever hummed along to “Beautiful Day.” I mean, they’re *still* apologizing for “Pop,” which is a pretty darn good album, and if they do it one more time I will descend upon them in a giant lemon myself, and they better hope the thing doesn’t open again ‘cuz I’ll be bringin’ my can of whoop-ass! 
What a fantastic, moving article. There’s a huge community (well, at least 7 million) who feel this same way, and I’m already nostalgic for it, and can’t wait until the next tour.