Beautiful Day

I know, cheesy title for a blog post about going to a U2 concert, but there's really no other U2 song title to describe last weekend.  Last year, in February, before we even put our house on the market for the first time, we purchased tickets to see U2 in Seattle June 2010.  They have been Chad's favorite band since seventh grade and seeing them live is one of the things on his "bucket list."  We were so looking forward to it, and were so bummed when Bono hurt his back moving equipment (seriously, Bono, don't you have roadies to do that for you??).  Anyway, we couldn't have predicted how perfectly the timing could have worked out when they rescheduled the concert for June 4,  2011.  After selling and moving from our house Memorial Day weekend, we were ready for a little non-domestic fun. And this concert did not disappoint!  

We left the kiddos in Ephrata with Grandma Johnson and Auntie Rachel (Thank you!!), and headed to Seattle Saturday morning.  It was a beautiful day (I know, cheese-ball, but it really was), and we enjoyed lunch at Ivar's, coffee at Starbuck's and just strolling along the pier in Seattle.  (Oh, and a nap in the car before the concert--we are parents of young children, after all, and staying up until 1 am is not something we do a lot of anymore.)  Then, the concert.  It's really hard to put into words, but it really was a completely unique and amazing experience.  I am quite a sheltered person (the other concerts I have attended in my life include DC Talk, Steven Curtis Chapman, Newsboys, Michael W Smith, etc.), so the idea of going to "rock" concert intimidated me.  Was I going to see the rockers drinking goat blood?  ;)  Were people going to be getting high around me?  Well, the answer was no.  It was just a lot of fun, and the most fun was seeing my husband enjoy his favorite band live.  U2 doesn't disappoint when it comes to a concert--they sound better live than in studio and they just have a lot of fun on stage. Also, we saw all ages there, from couples in their 70's to a 3 year old (what was that parent thinking??) Anyway, it was a much needed 24 hour getaway and we enjoyed ourselves!  

At the concert.  Do we look tired?  Maybe that's because we had to climb 123 stairs to get to our seats.  I had to do it three times because of bathroom breaks.  But the seats were really good.

When we bought the tickets, we arranged to be seated with our friends Jason and Angela, fellow U2 fans.  They were great to go with.

Before the concert.  The stage was huge, and by the time the concert started, all the area on the floor was completely covered with people.  There were 84,000 people there. 

Lenny Kravitz opened and went WAY too long.  (See, Lenny?  The stands aren't even full yet...we weren't there to see you.)  His first two songs lasted 20 minutes.  He just kept going.  I was slightly annoyed (just ask Chad).

 U2 finally onstage.

 

I was not a U2 fan until I met Chad. I barely knew their songs except the ones played on the radio. Over the years, I have become a big fan of their music as well.   If you ever get a chance, and are even a slight U2 fan, you should go to a concert if they play in a town near you.  If they ever play in Seattle again, we're there!