by Ryan Moothart

3,650 days ago, my plans to see the Elevation Tour in Boston fell through and my tickets went to somebody else. I have waited ever since to see them in concert. In November of 2009, I bought tickets for the 360 Tour in Seattle, thrilled to finally see the band that changed my life in person. Needless to say I was frustrated when Bono decided to go break his back (but probably not as frustrated as him) and was forced to wait another year. For the past few weeks, little else but this concert has been on my mind. I woke up this morning both ecstatic that today had finally arrived and slightly nervous that the show wouldn't live up to my extremely high expectations.

I needn't have worried. They nailed it.

The entire band (especially Bono) brought their A-Game. The music was loud (helped by the acoustics of Qwest Field), the lights were intense, and the entire set up was massively impressive in person. Bono hit every note spot on and the Edge was indeed on fire. Even I, who am usually more reserved at live events, ended up singing along to almost every song at the top of my lungs.

The one moment that surprised me was the introduction to Beautiful Day by Cmdr. Mark Kelly, husband to Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords who was shot in the head in January and is still recovering. He recorded the intro while aboard the Int'l Space Station and gave Seattle a shout out. It was a touching moment which got a roaring ovation.

When the organ music began signaling Where the Streets Have No Name, everything became surreal for me. It's their best known and most prominent live song and I was witnessing it in person. I seriously don't think there was a single person in that stadium happier than me at that moment.

It was the greatest show I've seen and probably will ever see: as close to perfect as you could get. After it ended, I gladly bought my overpriced novelty shirt and walked back to my apartment. As I'm about to head up to the roof and finish off my night with a bowl of hookah, I'm thinking this has been one of the greatest nights of my life. And when U2 tours again in the Pacific Northwest, I'll be there.

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