by Gina M.

Finally back in California from Hawaii, had a day to rest, and now I think I'm ready to write....

My sister lives on another island in Hawaii, so she flew over and met me on Oahu and we went to the show. She’s been a fan for a while, but has only seen U2 once, back in the early 90's for the Zoo TV tour. I knew she was going to love the show, since I’ve been to 7 on this tour, and I couldn’t wait for it all to begin.

We had GA tickets, so we were in line, out in the sun, for what seemed like days. Great people all around to talk to though, so it wasn’t too bad. I have to give props to the Aloha Stadium staff... most organized GA line I have ever seen. Anyway, once we finally got inside, there was the mad dash for the inner circle. Security closed it down very quickly, leaving it half empty. We ended up at the gates, almost center stage, just behind the inner circle. Still AWESOME spots, 20 feet from the catwalk, maybe 60 ft from the main stage. Anyway, it was a very long day, standing for over 12 hours, but it was all very worth it. My poor sister is a trooper... just had a baby 3 months ago and is breast feeding... If you know anything about that, you know you can’t go very long without feeding that kid and letting the pressure out of you, or else you end up in a ton of pain and it can be very dangerous. She thought about leaving a few songs into U2's set, but she fought it out; she refused to leave no matter how much pain she was in.

I’m a big fan of Pearl Jam too, having seen them 3 times before, but I wasn’t overly excited about them. Boy did that change the second they started playing. INCREDIBLE! They have really improved as a band since I last saw them. I don’t want to get too much into PJ, because this site is about U2, but man! They really, really brought their best, and it took me back to some fun and memorable times in my life. Thanks guys!

I really enjoyed watching my sister get more and more excited as the crowd started to get loud just before Bono popped out. She’s not familiar with their newer stuff, but she got into it quickly. Bono and the Boys were totally relaxed and just having a great time. As usual, they did not cease to amaze me. The very UNrehearsed Wild Horses was great! I mean, what other band brings a die hard fan up on stage, hopes he can really play the piano, and lets him have at it?? It was not at all perfect. They were lost, out of key, forgotten words, just all over the place. You know what? It WAS perfect. You just can’t imagine watching something like that. It makes you feel like part of a family, or part of some inner circle. I’m a part time musician, and you don’t just lay yourself out there when you know you may not sound good for just anyone. And it was so fun to watch them all try to figure it out... the Edge reading along with the fan, trying to find the chords, Bono trying to lead they way by vocalizing rhythm changes, verse to chorus changes... And it did get better as they went. I was laughing and almost tearing up at the sight of them having so much fun and making yet another fan’s dream come true.

The crowd was unbelievably loud! I had to just shut up for a minute and listen; turn around and just look at the tens of thousands of people all singing their hearts out, pumping their arms in the air, jumping up and down. Simply electrifying. I’m amazed that stadium withstood all that energy.

I don’t want to get even more long winded so I’ll try to sum this up. OUTSTANDING show. It was a party and that atmosphere made for such a relaxing, family-type experience. How that is possible with over 40,000 people all sharing in that, I don’t know. But that is the magic of U2. That is the magic that makes people bare through some of the worst physical pain of their lives just to experience it. The magic is that U2's music makes you feel incredible. It inspires, heals, motivates; makes you look within yourself and your surroundings; makes you remember; makes you never want to forget. It sounds ridiculous and dramatic because what I’m talking about here is just music. Right? But its so much more than that, isn’t it. Anyone who is truly a fan of U2 understands what I’m saying. And its not just one song. Its literally ALL of them. Simple notes make me feel like I can conquer anything coming at me in my life sometimes. Simple notes make me long to hear an old friend’s voice on the telephone (I’m still here Michelle)... Simple notes make me feel like I can run a thousand miles.... Simple notes. Its just music, right?

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