Irish rock band U2 was formed way back in 1976. After releasing the iconic The Joshua Tree in 1987, the act's career took off in the United States with radio-friendly hit singles. Now, in 2017, a 30th-anniversary celebration arrives in arenas to celebrate. The band played two dates, June 3 and 4, at Chicago's Soldier Field, with Denver band The Lumineers as an opener.
U2 kicked things off with "Sunday Bloody Sunday"appropriate for the Sunday-night performance. Frontman Bono explained that he loves performing on Sundays and Mondays. The band changes the order of the songs each night and met for a huddle to spontaneously mix things up this night as well.
The band performed the classic "New Year's Day," then mentioned that Chicago felt like home before playing "A Sort of Homecoming," from The Unforgettable Fire.
A huge red Joshua Tree lit up the main stage to feature songs "Where the Streets Have No Name" "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "With or Without You." Bono said, "These songs belong to you now. Sing your heart out." The mostly older-than-40-year-old crowd did just that.
As time went on, the band turned more political. There was a classic western movie montage with a Trump reference of building a wall, then a Jordan refugee camp was projected on the screens while "Miss Sarajevo" was sung.
During "Ultraviolet ( Light My Way )," inspirational women were shown across the large video screens; Michelle Obama, Patti Smith, Ellen DeGeneres, Alice Walker and Rosa Parks were among them. Bono spoke of social change and poverty. "Nothing makes a politician more nervous than being organized," he said, chanting, "We don't agonize, we organize" several times to hit home the point.
He described all taxpayers as AIDS activists since they pay their bills for pills that have changed the world. He sounded hopeful while singing "One" right after stating that.
Then, "Beautiful Day" and "Elevation" energized the crowd during the encore, moving spectators to their feet. The Dublin band closed with "The Little Things That Give You Away," a new song that was a bit of a letdown for such a singalong show.
I saw the band back in 1987, when my friend won a limo trip and tickets to the original Joshua Tree Tour in Tennessee. Bono's hair is shorter, The Edge bought a fresh skull cap, Larry Mullen Jr. lost the baby face and Adam Clayton has switched to contact lensesbut the songs remain the same. The quartet knows how to fill a stadium and the lineup is intact. U2 is not a nostalgia act and simply must be experienced at least once live. Luckily for me, it was twice in a lifetime.
VisitU2.com for future tour dates of The Joshua Tree 2017.
Photos and text by Jerry Nunn