This past Thursday I had the good fortune of going to see U2 at Giants Stadium with some good friends. First, even if you think U2 is overrated and are convinced that Bono is the antichrist, you should really go see a U2 show. Second, even if you don’t have the money, go find a treasure in someone’s property, sell everything you own, buy the field, and resell it so you can buy a ticket to see U2. If that’s too impractical, then remember the good Lord created you with two kidneys. The one is essential for life and the other is your U2 concert fund.
I’ve seen U2 in concert a few times (yes, I was born with a surplus of extra kidneys) and each show has been an incredible experience. It is not an exaggeration that I’ve been to over 100 concerts – Bob Dylan a few times, White Stripes, Sufjan, Death Cab, Arcade Fire, Wilco, to name a few. I’ve even seen Geoff Moore and the Distance and can tell you that U2 is a life altering experience – truly amazing. I am not sure I’ve ever felt that kind of electricity before (I mean except for our church on Sunday morning).
I love the sound. From the Edge’s guitar to Larry’s drumming to Adam’s baselines, they sound great. And of course, I love Bono’s words -
“I can stand up for hope, faith, love
But while I’m getting over certainty
Stop helping God across the road like a little old lady” (from Stand Up Comedy)
and
“Dressed up like a car crash
The wheels are turning byt youre upside down
You say when he hits you, you dont mind

Because when he hurts you, you feel alive” (from Stay)
I love that each show tries to be bigger than the last one. Now a couple of things regarding the show. I understand the criticism that it’s similar to the Dismantle … Bomb tour, the circle stage from All You Can’t Leave… but this was a stadium tour. The feat is that they have 70,000 people seeing and hearing the music in amazing quality. While I won’t go so far and call it a miraculous feeding of 5000, you are hard-pressed to find a concert experience of this quality for so many thousands of people. My only disappointment was that the stage was not directly in the middle of the field. We have our theories why but it’s not worth mentioning.
Speaking of the stage, it is incredible. Ths year featured “The Claw” and it’s a sight to see. It takes 4 days to set up, two to tear down. They have 3 sets because of it’s setup time and they use a crew of 500 people and 189 semi-trucks. While it may not be the most environmentally friendly tour (as if there actually was such a thing), it’s certainly helping the economy (for those who keep track of that sort of thing). Frankly I am not bothered by these things. Some concerts are like wedding celebrations to me and practicality goes out the window. I mean do the guests of the bridegroom while he is with them? (Yes, that is used in its proper context ;-)
I also love that Bono uses his celebrity status for good causes – Third World Debt in Africa, apartheid, freedom in Iran and creating awareness of Aung San Suu Kyi’s unjust home confinement in Burma.

I love how spiritual these experiences are. Some may think that Bono is drawing people to himself but I and millions of people will tell you that Bono and friends are used as vessel to draw people into community, solidarity, promote love and justice and force us all to realize there’s someone greater that is behind and in front of all this. - I really believe that.
Please know that this is not an apologetic of my huge claims but a witness.
I went to a rock n ‘roll show and communed with God.
For those interested, this was the set list:
Breathe
Get on your boots
Mysterious ways
Beautiful day – She’s a Rainbow – Blackbird
No Line on the Horizon
Magnificent
Elevation
Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For/Stand By Me
Unknown Caller
Until the End of the World
Stay
The Unforgettable Fire
Mofo
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I’ll go crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonite
Sunday Bloody Sunday/Rock the Cazba
MLK
Walk On
One/Amazing grace
Where the Streets Have No Name – All You Need Is Love
Encore
Ultra Violet Rays
With or Without You
Moment of Surrender
What I Enjoyed This Week - 1. I’ve enjoyed being a husband and dad this week. Nathan and I really bonded on our trip to Phoenix and while I think kids should be born potty-trained already like cats (or at least with the ability to change their own diapers if control is a problem in the early stages of life), it’s been nice receiving the attention from the 1yr. old. I would only bore you with stories of these great moments. Also, and I know I’ve said this before but it’s been great seeing my wife pregnant and healthy, though I know it’s been so tough lately. 39 Days til baby boy’s due date! 2. Loved seeing Rob Bell’s Drops Like Stars in Providence. I highly recommend it. I think I may have liked it more than The Gods Aren’t Angry (although he said some extremely important things on that tour). It was great making the long drive with
this funny. 4. My fantasy baseball season is over. It was a lot of fun and I really think I enjoyed the season more. I lost to a former student, future worship pastor-heartthrob (hey He calls some to be apostles, some to be evangelists and some to give up an inevitable boyband career and pick up his cross to become a worship pastor), and fellow Yankee fan Davey-boy. I beat him in fantasy football this week though ;-) Good luck in the championships, friend. 5. The tree that had dripped sap on our cars and the reason we don’t use our driveway has been taken down! Don’t worry, we’ll use the wood to heat a mcmansion around here and use the sap on the front doors and car doors of fundamentalists.
goes with it. I need another listen to it but I think what I like about Homebrewed is that they don’t take themselves that seriously even though they are interviewing these brilliant academic voices. Most likely, I’m not going to read Fretheim’s books in the near future but I am fascinated about these figures and this podcast makes them accessible enough to listen to in the car or at the gym.
1. Are all those tables in the Resource Tent necessary? Honestly, some of them mock our faith more than help it. I know it helps offset the costs of the event but is it substantial? Unless they are serving as an example of what artists like Derek Webb are singing against, I’m fairly certain that if Jesus were to return on Labor Day weekend, He would first stop at this tent, overthrow half these tables and then continue on to that East Gate in Jerusalem that He’s supposed to walk through ;-)
1. My niece Lina! I mentioned this last week but my sister and brother-in-law welcomed this beautiful little girl on August 30th. 5lbs 13oz., 19in. Healthy, happy and Nathan and I are headed out Wednesday to meet her. (Susan will be enjoying a little break as we are away. She will devote her time to cleaning out our gutters and re-shingling our roof ;-)
3. Hanging out with my friend Brian and fiance Lille. Brian is an old college friend, the author of
Derek Cooper – “Jesus and His Mission: Book Study on Mark”.
The story of “Revelation Generation” begins quite awkwardly for me. I had just begun my second pastorate here and had decided to take the students to this new music festival with a name that I wasn’t crazy about. Long story short – Rev Gen got rained out and headed to Philly. The following year, we attended and the kids loved the Philly Stage and stayed for Newsboys. Last year was exactly the same, kids loved Philly Stage, and the Newsboys did the exact same set list, down to Peter telling the same stories. We left during Breakfast in Hell to beat the traffic. After that, I was fairly certain that we would not return (We have a saying in Texas, “That says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again”). How could we return for a fourth year? Well, we’re glad we did and here’s why.
2. We didn’t do the Friday concert last year but this year, they had Jars of Clay, Matt West, Delirious, and Mercy Me. For most of us, wanting to hear Jars do new songs off “The Long Fall Back to Earth” was the reason we came Friday. The unfortunate thing was we underestimated a couple of things. Some of our students had just returned to school and so by the time we left, we missed most of the bands. Two, Jars wasn’t headlining. Three, Mercy Me was. And Four, it wasn’t really Jars’ best show. Not a big crowd yet, not very energetic either. Then Jars said they lost track of time and were told they had just played their last song. Frankly, I think the concert organizers should have let them play their last song, it was clearly an accident and they are an established band. I don’t know the business of putting on concerts but I’m pretty sure Jars has earned enough respect to play one more. So in the most anti-climatic way, Dan took the blame, apologized for not paying attention to the clock and said something like, “We want to be invited back so we’ll say good-bye here.” I thought it was pretty classy to submit to the stage manager and end their show the worst way possible. I know I’m not being complimentary but it was an awkward moment that Jars handled really well and it spoke to me a bit.
3. Unless you go into the merchandise tent, you don’t feel that you are at one of those cheesy Christian concert events. The production is fantastic from the signs a few miles away directing you how to get this to obscure farm to the numerous workers and volunteers that create a presence of “we know what we are doing so don’t get any ideas.” They have great signage, very professional looking stages, and enough porta-potites to “facilitate the pending needs” of their own feeding of 5000.



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