U2 Joshua Tree Cleveland Concert

U2 has been one of my favorite bands ever since I was a teenager in the 80s. During that time, videos were the rage and that's how many bands from that era got discovered. In my native Canada, I would spend the evenings watching MuchMusic which was the Canadian version of MTV. The first U2 song I remember I was New Year's Day. I loved the raw punky sound of the Irish quartet. But when The Unforgettable Fire came out, it was a stark turn. The band was maturing and they were charting into unknown waters. Then in 1987, the Joshua Tree came out and they became deeper and more socially active in their lyrics. The Joshua Tree was an exploration of the American society which the group laid the foundation for the album. I bought the cassette and practically wore it out. 

Thirty years later, the band announced that it was going to tour and play the album in its entirety. All of the shows would be played at stadiums. Cleveland was one of the stops on the North American tour. This was always on my bucket list and I jumped at the chance to see them. As for my girlfriend, this would be her 2nd time seeing them, but the last time she had seen them was back in 1992. 

I was able to get a couple of general admission tickets as the concert sold out fast. I patiently waited for 6 months and then the day finally came - July 1st. Since I had general admission tickets, that meant I would have to get a wristband to ensure I would be up close and personal. In order for that to happen, both I and my girlfriend had to get up early. We woke up around 5:30 in the morning and drove downtown. The night before there was a series of severe thunderstorms coming off the lake. Fortunately, the storms passed hours ago. As we drove into the parking garage across the stadium, I could see the line. To my surprise, it wasn't that long. 

Prior to the concert, I research on what to do when it comes to a general admission concert. I was concerned as my girlfriend suffers from POTS and the constant standing would play havoc with her blood pressure. In the article, it said that usually die-hard fans will take your name and give you a number. We gave our names and we got our numbers and waited in line as wristbands were to be given out at 8:00 A.M. We stood in line and struck up conservations with fellow fans who traveled far to see them. As the morning when on, more and more people started filing in and the line went past the stadium. As we waited I could a hear a person yelling that the stadium security wanted everyone single file or they wouldn't honor the number system. We all looked at each other with bewilderment. Despite repeated attempts, nobody in the line moved. But the security never acted on their threat and we finally heard someone yell out that the bands were being handed out. What felt like an eternity, we finally got our numbers and our numbers were 400 and 401.

We were instructed that people with wristbands would have to return between 2 - 4 to get in line again as the gates were to open at 5:00 P.M. We headed back to my place and had breakfast and took a nap. Around 3:00 P.M we drove back and got into the line which wasn't a line at all, but people lingered about. The plan was that groups of numbers would be called in. Our numbers were called and we headed up the concourse where security had everyone in designated areas. At five the gate was opened we were able to file into the stadium and onto the field. We headed over towards the stage with a group of people we meet earlier in the morning. We decided to stand along the walkway between the main stage and stage on the field.

Luckily my girlfriend was able to sit as we waited for the opening act - One Republic. For two and half hours we waited and finally, members of the band started filing onto the stage. I thought One Republic was an odd choice for an opening act because of their different styles of music. They were more mainstream pop, more geared towards the younger crowd. But the women in the audience sure loved them as they had them up and dancing. I would have preferred to see the Mumford and Sons as the opening, but I had to endure the entire set. 

Once they were done, we had to wait for U2 and my girlfriend was holding up as she was drinking plenty of water and sitting. Thankfully it wasn't very hot. Music was blaring through the loudspeakers as I checked the time and it was almost 9:30 and hopefully they would be out soon. The last song on the speakers finished and there we could see Larry Mullen Jr walking down the walkway towards the stage to a thunderous applause. He calmly sat on his seat and preparing for the first song. The cheering didn't seem to faze him one bit, as he's done hundreds of show. Then he started the military beat of Sunday Bloody Sunday and we heard the opening chords from the Edge as he walked down followed by Adam Clayton and then Bono. 

I was in complete awe seeing one of my favorite bands perform live. The first opening act was a set of their greatest hits. After New Year's Day, they played Bad and at one point of the song, Bono asked for the lights be off. The stadium fell dark and one by one you could the lights from people's phones come on, it was like a stadium full of stars. The final song was Pride as the entire crowd sang along towards the end. The group filed off up towards the main stage and they all stood together as the screen behind light up bright yellow with a Joshua tree. There they kicked off the Joshua Tree album With The Streets Have No Name as they large screen behind showed a desolated highway in a desert with groups of people walking along towards nowhere.

The large screen visuals were amazing as they had different themes and images according to the songs being played. The real treat were several songs that were never played live in the past such as Red Hill Mining Town. But as the night progressed it started to take a toll on my girlfriend. After playing the album, the band started to play songs from different albums. We were out of water and she was fading. Due to the sheer number of people, there was no way I could go and get water. I moved her to the railing and several fans offered water and food. I asked the security for a medic and within 10 minutes, two of them showed up and placed her in a wheelchair. We cut across the field and towards the medical center, where I explained to the medic about her condition. She was placed in an ambulance and her vitals were taken. The decision was made to take her to the ER, by then the concert was over when we left, I could see the crowds filing out. 

I felt some guilt as I knew a concert like this would be taxing on a person with a condition like POTS. She teared up, saying she was sorry that we didn't see the end and I told her we missed the last song and it was no big deal. I was more than happy with the experience but at the end, my feet were killing me. We waited hours as the doctor ran tests and I we had to change plans for the morning as we were supposed to leave early to go to Canada to spread my father's ashes. At one point, I had to go to the parking garage downtown to get the car. Trying to get a cab at 4:00 A.M was hard enough and I was grateful for the cabbie to get me there. Finally, she was discharged and it was 5:00 A.M when we got back to my place. I sent my mother an email about what happened and told her we would be leaving later in the morning and arriving in the evening. 

Would I do general admission again? Probably not, but then again not a lot of bands could sell out an entire football stadium. It was a fantastic experience and I doubt that I'll ever experience anything like it again. I remember back in 1987 when the original tour was announced that they would be playing two shows in Toronto and one of the dates was October 3rd, my birthday. Unfortunately, I lived 5 hours away and I didn't have the money to see them. I always wanted to see them and over the years, they toured but I couldn't get the chance. This time, I wasn't going to let this opportunity slip by and I was fortunate to get to see them. 

Could this be the last time they tour? Musically, they haven't been relevant for years. They're last two albums weren't great. I've even heard some people say that they've become a legacy act. Is that a bad thing? No, because they made their mark in music history. I would be surprised to see them touring into their 60s. But you never know when they'll call it a career.