Magnificent

Last night, Jim and I traveled to Chicago to attend the U2 concert at Soldier Field. Chicago was U2's first North American stop on their 360 concert tour. It was our first time seeing the band in concert and though our return trip was long and frightening at times, we found the concert to be well worth the travel.

After traveling by car, by train, and on foot, we finally reached Soldier Field late yesterday afternoon. With time to spare before U2's opening act (Snow Patrol), we walked around the stadium and marveled at its unique qualities. Jim insisted that the stadium looks like a spaceship, while I thought that it shared similiarities with a cruise ship. Though we disagreed on what it looked like, we did agree that it did not look like a football stadium.

We also spent time taking in the giant stage that we had heard so much about. It, too, looked like it could be a spaceship or perhaps an enormous alien creature. We made predictions about what effects U2 would have in store for us. We came to understand why the tour was called the 360 tour: the stage was circular, as was the huge video screen that moved up and down above the stage (See video below).

We took our seats high in the grandstand just before Snow Patrol took the stage. While we were there to see U2, we were also pleased that we would have the opportunity to hear Snow Patrol in concert. We learned that their band is also from Ireland. They had toured with U2 in Europe, and are going to continue opening up for the band in the States. Snow Patrol sounded good, but we were anxious for Bono!

Finally, U2 took the stage! They began their concert with songs from their latest album, No Line on the Horizon. We were familiar with those songs, but we were hoping to hear some of our old favorites. The band didn't disappoint; after performing a few of their new songs, they played the music that we came for. They put on an amazing show. It was an incredible experience to see and hear such a legendary group among an energized crowd. My favorite performances of the night included The Edge on acoustic guitar during "Stuck in a Moment" and the phone-lit "With or Without You".

The concert was magnificent, but the journey home was not. It took us a long time to simply exit Soldier Field, as there seems to be only a few exits out of the stadium. Once we got on a train to take us to our car, we were packed in like sardines with other concert-goers. Then, when we were finally in our car and our way back to Wisconsin, we hit fog as thick as pea soup, and weren't sure we'd ever make it home.

We did arrive safely back home, though it was a bit later than we had planned on. Jim was driving last night, so he might say otherwise, but I thought that the concert was worth all of the trouble that we encountered in travel.

Jim was proud to find out that his company played a part in constructing the stage.

Snow Patrol's opening performance

Here comes U2!

Vertigo