U2's Music and Mission--and My Kid's First Rock Concert

I second the comments above by ftm0780 and 12101837. I grew up with U2, and as I've gotten older, rather than losing my passion for their music, it's increased! I have tons of admiration for people who could rest on their achievements and hide away to enjoy the fruits of their success, but instead choose to remain in the public sphere, fighting for what they believe is right, and remaining relevant and hip while they're at it!

I saw U2's 360 tour in Chicago as well. Prior to the show, I knew their most famous songs and knew that my mom was a HUGE fan. Their show gave me chills. Seeing the screens light up with images from Iran as they intro-ed Sunday Bloody Sunday literally brought me to tears. I know that they live a "glam" rock and roll lifestyle, but they're bringing a message to people, MANY people--a message that isn't always so popular but has the capacity to touch so many lives.

I too experienced a little bit of what Luke experienced as I stood in line, waiting to get a good spot with my general admission floor tickets. A group of people behind us chastised the ONE Campaign volunteers and heckled the Security guards on duty, monitoring the line. I couldn't help but wonder... are they actually listening to the music they love so much?

My only hope was that by the end of the show they had learned that Bono endorsed the ONE Campaign, that the ONE Campaign does a whole lot of good, and just who Aung San Suu Kyi. Big lights, big sound, big message. Thanks, U2. And thanks, Jim Wallace, for highlighting this. I'd been looking for some way to express my experience in Chicago. Thank you for giving it to me!

"But it was the stunning and extravagant stage, set, and lights of the U2 tour that stole the show. U2 literally lit up the sky and filled the air over the nation's Capital with a display of sight and sound unlike anything I had ever seen."

So they succeeded in doing what ELP and Pink Floyd tried to do in the 70s...

Extravagance! Okay for rock stars, but something we common people should try to do without. If people from wealthy nations would live less extravagantly, that would help toward solving many of the problems that Bono is concerned about. but instead of setting an example by embracing simplicity, he does the opposite.

Pete Seeger, Si Kahn, Holly Near and Bruce Cockburn have/had the right idea.

I have been a fan of U2 for quite sometime. I feel that they have a grasp of where Christianity and culture should meet. They're EXCITED for faith and action to come together in a positive way... and they express it beautifully in their music. The Band displays intense involvement with numerous economic groups (including one here in Grand Rapids, MI), several charities (including the ONE campaign and endorsing Product (RED) items), and the Live Aid and Live 8 concerts - they're obviously not going away any time soon.

From the words of Paul "Bono" Hewson himself:
"Please... please... please... get up of your knees."

I used to be a huge Bono fan, and musically I still love their music, but when I found out he uses tax loopoles like many of the corporate executives that people lambash, I think he is being a bit of a hypocrite.

Read - http://www.counterpunch.org/mccann02262009.html

Jim, this sounds like a fantastic gig at which a grand time was had by all.

At their best, U2 have a deep understanding of music and its place in contemporary culture underscored by world views Christian or sympathetic to Christianity (there are four band members, after all). The Walk On/Aung San Suu Kyi dedication perfectly encapsulates this. So too does their "stealing back" the Beatles' song Helter Skelter from Charles Manson, redeeming it from murderous association to its original state of fun and innocence (this is in their Rattle And Hum album/movie).

That said, saying that U2 are okay because they push the right buttons may imply - possibly unintentionally - that other bands aren't because they don't. Surely, rock music is like any art form: its practitioners reflect themselves (and their marred Imageness Of God) in their art and may thus provide us with something of value. It's not a question of button-pushing, but of good or bad art.

Jim,

I've been a U2 Fan since the early 80's and, as a pastor, have used their music to introduce Christian themes to countless youth over the years. It's been great to hear Bono speak out about such issues as global poverty and the ecological crisis we face. BUT, when I heard that this concert tour, with all the "awesome" staging and lighting you write about, costs over $750,000 A DAY, it became clear to me that U2 has become a parasite upon the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. I would welcome a follow up word from you on how you can reconcile the ecological and financial costs of this tour with the historic stands sojourners has taken on ecological stewardship and economic justice.

Peace,

Rev. Tim Eberhart
Nashville, TN

"A Cardinal at a rock concert!" ... I can believe it: I was at a rock concert with A POPE (and Bob Dylan, Bologna, Italy, 1997).
I was older than your son, but I still can recall the strange feeling caused by sharing my music with my pope.
(even if not exactly with all the rest of the ecclesiastical parterre, part of which wasn't extremely enthousiastic!)

Your comments are well written and thoughtful. Wanted to say that up front before I continue... You don't seem, at least from your writng, to be the sort of guy who goes to many rock concerts, but hey, glad you made it to this one, and that you (it would seem) had a reasonably good time.

Because, when everything's added up, that's about all anyone can expect to have from going to a live performance of any kind, whether it be Beethoven, Radiohead, or a Skakespeare play. You pay for your ticket, and enter a different realm outside of 'normal' time. You are either entertained and/or had your outlook on life challenged, or your thoughts provoked. Eventually the lights dim for the last time, the curtain falls, the cheering fades.

Then the house lights come up ubruptly. You stand blinking in a crowd of people who mill about you as you all collectively shuffle towards the nearest exit. What, if anything, will you take away from the performance?

Clearly you went home to ruminate on the Pope's latest encylical. That fellow in front of you woke up the next morning with a hoarse throat and a throbbing head. Both are valid reactions, though I daresay yours is the more exceptional; his the more mundane, perhaps even vulgar. In the interests of honest self-disclosure, I've been in his shoes after a show more often than yours.

Now, as to the Pope's commentary on truth, charity, love, etc, etc. This may seem flippant, but really, why should ANYONE care what the head of the Roman Catholic Church says about anything? The entire institution has long been overdue for complete, total, and final dismantling. It limped out of the Dark Ages that it, more than any other single institution, was primarily responsible for (and all the attendant misery and delusion therein) into the modern era to find itself, again, in the very vanguard of the ills in society it sets itself up to be an answer to.

What other human organization of ANY KIND would be allowed to operate unimpeded on a two thousand year history of torture, inquisition, holy wars, and now to cap it off, sexual molestation of their very own youth adherents?

It is an indefensable record of greed, lies, and mass delusion.

As to your disappointment in Bono not providing his audience with a philosophy to live by: Wake up, bwilson. That's not his job! And whenever Bono has momentarily slipped into thinking that it was, it has always had regrettable consequences, as Bono himself has said many times in interviews. (Check out the cover interview he did a couple of years back with 'Rolling Stone' magazine for proof of this).
See, the Popes have long thought it was THEIR jobs to provide us with this great truth for mankind to live by, and look where that got us.

Also, your understanding of Darwin's science is absolutely dead wrong. Survival strategies of any species can take many different forms. The mechanism of evolution merely discards those over a long period of time (long, as in biologically long) that do not favor the survival of the species.

In the case of homo sapiens, one of our very greatest strengths--evolutionarily speaking--has been our need for community and our capacity to create and pass on culture from one generation to the next. We have developed strategies and technologies not only to obliterate ourselves in the wink of an eye, but aslo (and here's where the hope lies--where it has always lied) to create communities that nurture the weak, the helpless,the infirm. We are hard-wired biologically to do so. Our young are born COMPLETELY at the mercy of our capacity to love, care, and nurture them.

The more we meditate (or pray, if you like) on this great truth, the more we are compassionate to all our fellow humans, including our enemies. This was the Christ's highest teaching, wasn't it? Let me also point out that this is also a BRILLIANT survival strategy for our species as a whole, if we can learn to live up to the angels of our higher selves.

Increasingly it would seem we are entering a time when we will either get there finally, our perish in the attempt.

Personally I'm holding out for my daughter right now. What about you?

Guess I ended a long way from a U2 concert, but Bono, The Edge, Adam, and Larry, when all things are added up, spent their working lives making music, performing it, talking a little politics, making the drunk people sing, and the thoughtful people think. And even if they are just another arena rock band a long way from their Punk DIY ("Do It Yourself") roots, it's still not a bad way to have spent your time while visiting the 3rd Rock.

The band presented you with a snapshot of their truth last Tuesday night. That's all they can do. You've got to come up with the rest eventually all on your own.

matakuyasin--All My Relations,

drift

Hey Jim, we had what sounds like much the same show here in Raleigh. The political shout out here was to no one physically present--the John Edwards family and the Jesse Helms family, both of whom he thanked for their support of the One Campaign (applause was notably tepid!). I describe their show here and my own theological reactions here: http://www.faithandleadership.com/blog/10-07-20....

I think our society is living in a sort of post-Christian world where we still hold on to the values of Christianity (care for the disadvantaged, social inclusion, etc.) but we don't really know why we do that anymore (i.e. Darwinism would suggest we ought to let our weak and diseased members die, not waste our money trying to keep them alive). So we have a lot of people, like Bono who are motivated by Christian values, but never really say much about Christ. Instead of just coming out and singing songs, on the one hand, or coming out and declaring Jesus as Lord, on the other hand, Bono offers us this odd mix of songs plus a sort of diffuse social commentary based on Christian sentiment. On Tuesday night he talked about the "great idea of America" and bipartisanship and debt relief and political issues in Burma, but he never said why any of those things should matter or why any of us should make sacrifices so that other people can have democracy, or debt relief, or freedom in Burma.

I am glad that Bono cares and is trying to promote good in the world - we could not ask for more in a rock star. Yet, I found myself wanting him to say more, to actually provide us with a philosophy or even a reason why we should care about the things he thinks we should care about. Without reasons - without some substance behind the good values and sentiments he is promoting - it feels like we are those onlookers watching the king who had no clothes. The Pope speaks about this phenomenon, which is very evident at U2 concerts, in his most recent encyclical, Veritatis in Caritate:"Without truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality. Love becomes an empty shell, to be filled in an arbitrary way. In a culture without truth, this is the fatal risk facing love. It falls prey to contingent subjective emotions and opinions, the word "love" is abused and distorted, to the point where it comes to mean the opposite. Truth frees charity from the constraints of an emotionalism that deprives it of relational and social content, and of a fideism that deprives it of human and universal breathing-space. In the truth, charity reflects the personal yet public dimension of faith in the God of the Bible, who is both Agápe and Lógos: Charity and Truth, Love and Word."Later in the encyclical the Pope says this: "A Christianity of charity without truth would be more or less interchangeable with a pool of good sentiments, helpful for social cohesion, but of little relevance. In other words, there would no longer be any real place for God in the world. Without truth, charity is confined to a narrow field devoid of relations. It is excluded from the plans and processes of promoting human development of universal range, in dialogue between knowledge and praxis."I spent a lot of time on Tuesday night thinking about the man about 2 rows ahead of me who was obviously drunk, and who spent the entire show pointing into the sky and yelling the lyrics to every song at the top of his lungs. Like me, I imagine that he probably had no idea what most of the songs were actually about (if they are about anything in particular), but somehow the songs meant a lot to him. He did nothing to hurt anyone that evening, he obviously had a good time, and he heard about Burma and Iran and other social issues, at least in passing. All told, the concert was clearly a positive event for him, despite his inebriation. But what I found troubling was this sense I had that the U2 concert and its diffuse social commentary is about as close to Christ's message of salvation as that man will get this week. Our society, while steeped in Christian sentiment, seems unable to offer us anything more than good sentiments - unable to offer us the Truth that would make sense of those sentiments.

I realize that I should not expect U2 to provide a philosophical explanation for their political activism in the context of a concert, but I worry that our entire society is milking this Christian cow without feeding it. Good sentiments, without the truth of Christ, are "helpful for social cohesion, but of little relevance" precisely because the sentiments are not rooted in anything subtantive and can be washed away, ignored, or replaced with other sentiments at anytime. While I think much of U2's social commentary is worthy of support, I think we should also be careful to explain to our children that caring for Burma and Iran is not the same thing as knowing Christ, who is the logos of God and the savior of the world. If we don't do that more often, I fear that all we will have left are Christian values unmoored to Christ, which is exactly how I felt at the end of the U2 concert on Tuesday.

"But it was the stunning and extravagant stage, set, and lights of the U2 tour that stole the show."

That quote said it all for me.

Background: I'm a 40-something, and was really into the whole Punk/New Wave sound of the late 70s early 80s when I was a teenager. It's hard to believe now, but back then U2 was a hard driving rock band that eschewed stage spectacle for putting on a great live show. Saw them 3rd row in 85 for the 'Unforgettable Fire." Bono did 'Amazing Grace' acapella that night, too. Was one the best shows I've seen in my life. Saw them again 2 years later for the J-Tree tour, and EVERYTHING was different. They had a film crew in tow for '(P)Rattle and (Ho) Hum' and a huge light show. I wondered during the show whether they were performing for us or the cameras.

Haven't seen them since, or liked anything (except for the song "One" ) they've put after JT.

I am a GREAT admirer of Bono's humanitarian work since. I think he's a great man and a great singer. It's just I think U2 is a lame arena rock band, like any other. It's about the spectacle, not about the music. It's SO FAR form the punk ethos and milieu U2 came out of. And they were once SO ON FIRE.

So it goes. It's only Rock and Roll.

Will have 'October' in my CD player this month, as I have now for years, when my wife and I take my daughter apple picking...

Oops... I'm sorry JamieBrs. Some of your comments were a stimulus but I wasn't responding directly to you as I've heard a lot of strong criticism of Bono... especially in Ireland (you know, possibly the prophet in his own land dynamic).

Most of the time the loudest voices I've heard against Bono know little about him, his music, his work and that obviously doesn't apply to you. Our taxi driver in Dublin proclaimed to "HATE" him, but then admitted to basically knowing nothing about him that hadn't come from rants or rumors. A couple of folks I know in Dublin went to the show really disliking Bono but left with an utterly different opinion than the one with which they had arrived... no self-righteous ranter appeared.

I have a couple of good books about U2, love the ONE campaign and read articles when I'm aware of them. I admit though, to knowing nothing about Bono and taxes except what I've heard recently referenced. I"ll be making an effort to learn more about it. Thanks for your thoughtful response JamieBrs!

We should not hesitate to speak truth as we see it out of fear of being called "naysayers," or of suggestions that we are "judgmental." U2 is certainly around the top of the pack of mainstream rock groups when it comes to exercising social responsibility, but that does not mean we should take a moratorium from pointing out wasteful excess. More inspiring to me than Bono is Cat Stevens, who abandoned the popular music world with its vanity and temptation for nearly thirty years, to do the humanitarian work in Indonesia that he felt God was calling him to do. George Harrison to a much lesser degree set a similar example in the 70s and 80s by not touring or giving interviews very often so that he wouldn't bring on undue attention to himself and could focus on his spirtual practice. They were following the Muslim and Hindu religions, respectively. When I can see a music star make a similar change following a Christian conversion, then I'll be impressed, but modern Western Christianity doesn't hold up simplicity as something to be strived for.

We need all kinds of exemplars and models... how great that there are many! Many gifts, one body, eye can't be an ear and all that....

Final comment not true regarding Western Christianity. To see examples of modern Christian people/organizations who value, live and proclaim simplicity check out L'Arche International, Jesuit Volunteer Corps, CRS, Mercy Corps, World Vision, Dorothy Day, The Catholic Worker, The Amish People, Quakers, Jean Vanier, Fr. Ray Borgeois, MANY different orders of Catholic religious Sisters, Christians who tithe their income not just to churches but, particularly, to relief, education and charitable organizations, Sojourners... just to name a few.

Jim,

I've been a U2 Fan since the early 80's and, as a pastor, have used their music to introduce Christian themes to countless youth over the years. It's been great to hear Bono speak out about such issues as global poverty and the ecological crisis we face. BUT, when I heard that this concert tour, with all the "awesome" staging and lighting you write about, costs over $750,000 A DAY, it became clear to me that U2 has become a parasite upon the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. I would welcome a follow up word from you on how you can reconcile the ecological and financial costs of this tour with the historic stands sojourners has taken on ecological stewardship and economic justice.

Peace,

Rev. Tim Eberhart
Nashville, TN

Thanks Jim! You SO captured the grace, power and magic of both the 360 show AND being there with your son that I was right back at the show myself!

Our son was 9 when he saw his first rock concert on the U2 Vertigo tour. I couldn't go because I'd be out of town. When I decided to get the tickets anyway my son said, "We can't go without you mom; you love them too much." I insisted that I would SO enjoy experiencing the show vicariously through him...and I did!

3 yrs year later I was diagnosed with breast cancer and spent the better part of a year on an intense, unexpected journey. My Dubliner husband, though, was determined that my first anniversary "cancer free" was going to be a great one. He out-did himself! On July 27th I was sitting in Croke Park Dublin at the 360 show singing every song with my now 13 year old son and husband.

U2 builds bridges; across generations, socio-economic divides, prejudices, religious intolerance and intractable political posturing. If Bono is extravagant, it's in so totally pouring himself out to bear witness to a God of love not sentimentality and the imperative that we co-exist or self-destruct. Bono sets an example by using what he's been given, in his case extraordinary talent, fame and fortune, not by staying home and burying it in some kind-of false humility, but by singing modern day psalms that comfort and challenge and by engaging in essential work and dialogue.

A few ago, my then 9 year old son was making a presentation to his class on the One Campaign, collecting school supplies for migrant workers and questioning the environmental impact of certain practices... in part, because he was inspired by his music hero Bono. If, instead of picking splinters out of Bono's eyes, naysayers could become inspiring heros to our children (not judgmental or curmudgeonly voices that turn them off) the exponential growth of peace and justice in our world would offset any of Bono's imperfections.... real or imagined.

"If, instead of picking splinters out of Bono's eyes, naysayers could become inspiring heros to our children (not judgmental or curmudgeonly voices that turn them off) the exponential growth of peace and justice in our world would offset any of Bono's imperfections.... real or imagined."

I'm guessing this is directed at me.

I dont know that I'm picking splinters so much as I am expressing disappointment in his inconsistencies, I've read ALOT of Bono interviews and I think his heart is in the right place, however some of his actions with regard to paying taxes in my opinion take away from his abilities to speak to governments about what they can do for the poor. How does one speak to caesar about being more like God when he isn't redering to caesar what is caesar? Again this isnt a splinter picking, its a expression of disappointment because I believe he could be so much more than he is. But hey we all have our issues with various things right?

They don't promote this fact, but the tour is carbon neutral. They are purchasing carbon credits to offset the environmental effects of the tour. Perhaps people should find out the facts before judging.

Jim, thanks for your thoughts. I'd like to recommend this book for those interested in U2's spiritual beliefs. It's called, "The Gospel According to U2." It was written by Greg Garrett, a friend of mine and a professor at Baylor University in Waco, TX. Greg has a doctorate in English, but also has an MDiv from the Seminary of the Southwest, so he's no slouch. He addresses issues of community and spirituality in a very personal and accessible way.

We need all kinds of exemplars and models... how great that there are many! Many gifts, one body, eye can't be an ear and all that....

Final comment not true regarding Western Christianity. To see examples of modern Christian people/organizations who value, live and proclaim simplicity check out L'Arche International, Jesuit Volunteer Corps, CRS, Mercy Corps, World Vision, Dorothy Day, The Catholic Worker, The Amish People, Quakers, Jean Vanier, Fr. Ray Borgeois, MANY different orders of Catholic religious Sisters, Christians who tithe their income not just to churches but, particularly, to relief, education and charitable organizations, Sojourners... just to name a few.

Point well taken, but many of the orgs you list are sidelined from mainstream Christianity and mainstream culture in general. Yes, these are wonderful groups doing good work, but counterculturally. You won't find Focus on the Family or most evangelical churches promoting the work of these groups, for example. (Exception would be World Vision because they don't challenge American consumption habits.) Yes, mainstream Christians tithe to relief organizations, but that doesn't mean they live simply themselves. One can drive a Hummer and support World Vision to help poor Brazilian children and feel no sense of cognitive dissonance.

I have been a hard core U2 fan for 25 years. I went to the second Chicago show, my 11th U2 concert overall, and it was my 11 year old son's first concert. So I was quite excited when I read the title and opening of this article!

My all-time favorite was being in Dublin for Popmart. Although U2 has had better tours (Zoo TV, Elevation, the current one), there's nothing like seeing them in their hometown - the energy level was twice as high as when I saw the same concert in Chicago earlier that year.

My dream has always been for my 74 year old mother, a native of Co. Galway, Ireland, who has never been to a rock concert before, to share the powerful experience of a U2 show.

So it was quite memorable for both my 11 year old son, my wife, and my mother to go to this magnificient performance.

They don't promote this fact, but the tour is carbon neutral. They are purchasing carbon credits to offset the environmental effects of the tour. Perhaps people should find out the facts before judging.