by Richard

It is now many years since I attended this concert, but I will share my memories as best I can.

I had become a U2 fan around the time of the Unforgetable Fire album. I was about 15 at the time, and at that age your music is everything. When the Joshua Tree was released and I learned the tour was coming to Vancouver, I knew I had to go.

Cyndi, Taryn, Tammy and I all piled into Cyndi's car (I know the names mean little to you, but it lends my story some authenticity). Cyndi had a Nissan Micra which, as its name indicates, is a small car. I was happy to be given driving duties as it assured me of having a fromt seat for the entire 4+ hour drive to Vancouver. All the way dwon to Van, Joshua Tree played over and over again on the cassette. And it sounded great.

My three friends were all casual U2 fans, but I was the passionate one. So as we headed to BC Place that night, I was the one most excited. As I believe they did many nights on that tour, they opened with Where The Streets Have No Name. I remember it being rather dark in the covered stadium, but when all the stage lights came on as the band hit stride in Streets, the light was tremendous. So bright. I was like daylight. And though I happened to have a seat some distance from the stage, I swear I could feel the power of the band traveling through that light to me and all of the other thousands like me. So excited and inspired to be there.

After all these years, the rest of the set list has been reduced to a blur of earnestness and art up until the closing strains of "40", where as has happened so many night before the band left the stage to the audience singing and repeating the "How long...to sing this song" line. On that night I remember exiting the stadium and hearing others outside still singing that line over and over again.

The following day we all climbed back into the Nissan Micra for the drive home. The Joshua Tree was plugged back into the cassette deck and Where The Streets Have No Name began, but now it lacked something. The song was still great, but it now lacked the sense of event. I wanted the daybright lights again. I wanted to feel that power projecting from the stage again. I wanted the wonderment of such a huge shared experience again. And what was coming out of the Micra's little speakers didn't give me that.

I suppose one could make a case for some notion of innocence of "album" lost, and it took a while for The Joshua Tree to come back to life for me. But it did. And I swear everytime I hear Where The Street Have No Name, I still see those lights.

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