by Corinne

Where the streets have a name : "The soul is goal !"

For the second date of the French leg of the Elevation 2001 tour, what sums up the best this unbelievable night are these words Bono told his fans on the verge of a collective hysteria, for this fabulous show he and his three paddies - the EDGE, the lead guitar player, Adam, bass guitar, and Larry Mullen Jr, drums - gave us, « Hier soir Bercy nous a éclaté. Ce soir mon coeur est prêt à exploser ! » please notice he said that in French (which means We had a great fun here yesterday night and tonight my heart is about to explode !) then he dedicated Kite to his son Elijah who was with us in the venue ... and once again the whole arena roared with happiness, a so high level in joy , that climax only a concert of the four paddies can lead you to.

For the second night, I was in the area, the Americans called « the golden circle » when the tour began last March, on the left side of the stage where the object of my devotion, the EDGE, plays ... so close to the EDGE !!! ... middle of the fourth row, only few meters ahead from the place I was the night before on the same left part of the tip of the heart ... the heart iI felt beating the same rhythm of each people of the arena 100 miles per hour full up with passion, and communion for the best rock and roll band in the world : U2 ! U2 ! U2 ! U2 as the arena was chanting at the end of the opening set by Stereophonics.

The first notes from the Beatles Sergent Pepper ... started and then the influx remix for Elevation that was when the fourth of them took the stage as if they were only one ... so at ease as if they were around and just passed by or just I don’t know came home ... they really looked like they were coming home with their family and friends being there welcoming them ... the lights of the house full on ... I starred amazed at these 4 paddies as if they had just came landed down from the giant Lemon (or sort of !) and then I saw something I didn’t pay attention the day before for I was literally hypnotised by the object of my devotion ... the EDGE ... Bono came closer to the microphone, he knelt down, touched the ground with his hand and crossed his heart, then he just went for the most amazing version of ELEVATION I had ever heard so far !

That was exactly when the arena went high you know kind of adrenaline stuff lifting up and coming down only with the last notes of Grace closing the show !
Bercy just went up and elevated his HUGE soul to the rhythm of ELEVATION and it was transcendental, mythical a unique experience ... even stronger than the night before... I promise you this could be !

I can’t nor want to go for my impressions about this show for I do not want to ruin the genuine moving feeling each one of the people in the crowd felt during the whole night and I don’t want to spoil that. So I would only say that it was like a tidewave, the heart feeling like bleeding tears of happiness, of joy, a genuine communion between the audience literally worshipping his favourite band and honestly, I can’t hardly say if this show was better than the one from the night before or less talking about atmosphere I just can’t ... they were both beyond reality, beyond words, beyond music ! I was lucky enough to experience both sides of the heart I mean inside the heart and in the seated places (where I haven’t put my nice bum on the seat by the way ... silly me !!!) ... my eternal gratitude to U2abel who got me a GA ticket for the first night for I lived the most unbelievable moment of my whole life so far and even more as a U2 fan !

I do believe the heart is the place you have to be to LIVE the show but I also think the seats are a privileged spot especially if you want to die and leave breathless it’s as much AMAZING !! ... I do not believe you have to be at that spot rather than this one ... the important thing is that you have to be there to be part of the magic and the unique massive wave of happiness coming out of the crowd and of the band itself ... a real communion ! Being part of this intense fever coming out of the night and that feeds you back right in the heart like a punch in your stomach that would leave you short breath. From that you will recover only to feel such a tremendous feeling of happiness, being elevated, kind of yourself facing what you love the most in the world, without being able to find the right words to express it, as for me it will be like facing my Eros, the ocean, a sundown, the exact second you get into the heart, the first riff from Edge’s guitar … I do not really know for sure it’s a feeling everyone feel his/her way … like WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME on that night !!! How could you ever express with simple words what your HEART feels at this precise magical time ?

That you feel when the house is all dark, with only a faint light and when suddenly this light kind of grows and sweeps the audience from one end of the arena to the tip of the heart, you discover astonished, as much as Bono when he looked up a genuine HUMAN TIDE, a rejoicing one in trance … then, and then only you kind of better understand why Bono can’t help repeating ELEVATION … JUBILATION … JUBILATION … a pure moment of happiness STREETS HAVE NO NAME gave me two nights in a row, and each time with a crescendo in
emotion.

All these arms held to Bono, in a huge prayer, from the inside of the heart, from the outside of the heart, on the GA floor – from he first to the last row – even high, higher up there to the last seat in the highs of Bercy arena from North to South and East to West … you can’t describe that … and this huge tide moves like a sea wave in harmony to the rhythm of that beating like, once more, a solely heart beating on the verge of bursting out at the very moment blind lights struck the stage and the huge chorus of the crowd floods in the atmosphere of the venue like a lament, some swan lament, the purest one, the most melodious one, the most harmonious one singing along with Bono’s voice trying as much as he can to hide how moved he is at that time … simple words to express that : CA LE FAIT COMME JAMAIS ! [IT ROCKS LIKE NEVER BEFORE !!!]

That, is what the seconf night is all about in Bercy but I also have to mention other special ones such as « Out of control », the very first U2’s single as Bono shyly told us, almost like and interogation … and the whole arena singing along « Out of control » with one voice and there you read like in an open book the 4 paddies face Bono, EDGE, Larry and Adam expressing a moving amazement and such a rejoicing happiness like the one you can surely feel coming out of the whole arena singing out of mouth and jumping everywhere from the GA floor to the seats … no one ever sat down a continuous standing ovation, an hymn to our four heroes. Bono has Bercy under his power, like he has just pulled its heart out and he was watching it bewildered beating in his own hands … such a power, such a heat, such a magic … once again Bercy was out of control and just wanted some more !

There, you think this is gonna stop, the fever is gonna slow down … not at all … it just grows higher and higher … the soul is goal ! … and Bercy lost his pride and surrendered in the name of love to Pride … grand, unique, magnificent … a Botticelli ! Who said let’s drop the anthems ? that they were no longer in ?
I recalled translating that news few days ago, about one of the first European venues, I just went mad when I read those words about U2 anthems and I thought to myself, “This can’t be ! what’s wrong with him ? “. But maybe this is something each one of us feels his/her way and some just don’t feel it … this I doubt and I’m just trying to find a rational explanation to that statement Desire is old fashioned ! Gosh Desire old fashioned … doesn’t work anymore !!!!

I, so often, dreamed and envied that famous concert when Bono sang the most perfect version of “All I want is you” I’ve ever heard LIVE and every time it’s over I just keep on thinking Gosh what would have given to be there that very day and also wow I wish I were there for that one, and that one and that other one, and then I cool off and I think to myself , “wait a minutes, do you realize how lucky you were and what the 4 paddies gave all of us !”
“All I want is ... you !” the huge roaring crowd, Bono no longer singing and listening bewitched as he was to the audience showing his faith to his hero … this is what you feel for « Pride » and « All I want is you » like something you’ve never ever thought or saw in your wildest dreams … phenomenal, majestic, unreal !

« Bullet the blue sky» a different version from the one we had the night before, one with a gospel starting the song and the Charlton Heston’s speech. It is true it’s frightening and gives you shivers down the spine to listen to the song the way it is performed at that time with all these stupendous images and the only way you find to kill that feeling and that pain is to abandon yourself in the flame of "Bullet" like we all did singing along with Bono … unbelievable, the heat is on and the pictures keep on popping tough, cruel, unfair and the crowd fights to warm itself up in front of this and finally surrenders into a sacred chorus, a conspiring one with U2 and Bono keeps on chanting Mark Chapman, who’s that man Mark Chapman, what’s my name Mark Chapman, Mark Chapman, Mark Chapman, as if he were killing this Mark Chapman with his song like a revenge !

The moving acoustic duet with Bono and EDGE at the tip of the heart on "Wild honey" ... one killed the lyrics while the other one killed the riffs, but none of the two left behind their natural charm and kept on smiling, EDGE talking with some people on the outside of the left part of the heart … EDGE waving at the end of the show and nicely emptying his pockets from all his mediators to give them away to the audience … this was sublime … Adam coming back, a cigarette at the corner of his lips, smiling and waving to each corner of the arena … Larry waving to all the corners of the arena as well with a huge smile on his face and Bono giving a last look back, hesitating a slight second before going down the stairs that will lead him backstage … that was GRAND !

There were many other magic moments … too many ? Not enough ? Who can say where to put the limits ? For a very long time I did envy the lucky Americans especially when I was reading all the reviews about the shows. I was thinking to myself I would have probably sold my soul … to McPhisto to be in San Diego on that night … the one I feel the best from what I’ve read about all the gigs … then I pause and as I think of these two incredible nights we had in Paris, I really believe with all my heart and my faith that every single concert is unique, every single concert has its own credo, this very one had a lot in common with the night before one and so few in the end. The only common point you can find in both of them is that they elevate our souls (Elevate my … soul !) each one in its way…

I met a fan, she’s been a fan for 17 years now (Hi to Joann from California !), she came to the two dates in Paris, en when she went out the second night she told me , « I went to 18 U2 concerts – actually 20 now with those two – and I have NEVER EXPERIENCED SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN ANY US CONCERT ! … she told me that the night before that concert and I realized how different we all were but also how close we were and how lucky we were to be able to express our emotion each in our own way.

Bono thanked us and talked about his 20 years memories, Elysées Montmartre … gave us a short speech on Jubilee 200 and said « merci pour la grand vie »,[Thanks for the great life !] he was so moved even much more than the night before and the crowd gave that emotion a 100 times in return.

There is surely much more to say about this one but I have to behave. Next stop is Barcelona for EDGE’s birthday, my guitar hero; I would so much live what my Aussie friend Sam told me once, he said Indoors is the best for you are so close to the band but there’s also something special in outdoors and I would so much go for one of these … unfortunately I missed my luck with Torino and I’m not going to Slane … though it’s never too late … wait and see ! I can’t hardly wait to be in Barcelona in this so special venue with such and acoustic … and see again my fav. Under a blood red sky (the one from the heart !).

One last thing Willie Williams you really are a genius man I love what u did on this tour and that crazy thing you do using the audience as a huge screen on “walk on” (the lights become the case, and you can read the lyrics in the crowd … amazing !) and also on Sweetest thing (my friends from U2abel were in the white of that Irish flag you did with the light effects !!!) … I ‘m gonna mimic Bono for once and say, “Thank you for the great tour !”
Thank you so much mister Willie Williams for this incredible ballet of lights such as the heart lighting under Bono’s steps [the song being New York] or ablazing red, blue, yellow on some songs … pure magic !

One last thing, just in case some still wonder, U2 rocks and is surely NO DOUBT the greatest rock n’ roll band in the world !

Dead ! ... from happiness !

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