U2 + Jesus

Sunday night Chuck, George, Jeff and I joined about 98,000 other people at the Rose Bowl for the much anticipated U2 concert, which was amazing! We bought the tickets months ago, I think before we even got married, and I know that Chuck especially has been waiting all year for this! The evening did not disappoint. It was the largest crowd ever at the Rose Bowl and definitely the biggest crowd I have ever been in! I'll admit, I've always liked U2, but I haven't spent much time learning their newer music, so there were a bunch of songs I didn't recognize, but it was AMAZING hearing some of the old classics live. The 4 of them are great performers, and just ridiculously talented. Living so close we heeded the warnings that were being published all over the news to not attempt driving anywhere near the Rose Bowl, so we parked at Fuller and walked the 2.5 miles to the stadium, which turned out to be a way better option! It was an absolute zoo! Black Eyed Peas opened for U2, and they were very fun, we enjoyed them a lot more than we were expecting to.

So one of the interesting moments of the evening actually happened as we were walking into the stadium. A guy was set up armed with a bullhorn, a giant sign telling people to "Trust Jesus or Burn in Hell" and a lot of horrific theology. He preached at the crowd surging towards the stadium that "U2 will not save you!" and my personal favorite comment: "rip up your tickets, go home, and get to know Jesus!" George, Chuck and I looked at each other in frustration and disbelief. How in the world do people still think this is effective evangelism? All it does is give Christians a horrible reputation. As we looked at each other someone said "wow, they don't know anything about U2 do they?" Of course U2 isn't going to "save" people, Bono himself would freak at this idea. But, the amount of spirituality infused in their music and message is huge. 3 of the 4 guys in the band are Christians, and social justice, bringing God's kingdom to earth by actually following the mandates of the gospel to feed the hungry, care for the sick, and provide hospitality to the widows and orphans is a huge focus of U2 events. They have used their fame and platform to raise awareness for the voiceless around the world. And they aren't shy about mentioning the name of Jesus in their music. As the intro to their hit "Where the Streets Have No Name" they started singing Amazing Grace and had almost 100,000 people singing along with them, acapella, as they headed into a song about heaven. No, U2 won't save us, but I'd argue they come a lot closer to presenting the heart of the Gospel than the dude with the bullhorn.

Here are a few photos from the evening--some from me and some I swiped from a friend who was sitting almost in the front row (he was there as part of a justice campaign Bono works with so he was about as close as you can get to the stage!)

Chuck and George are ready!

The Claw--the gigantic set in the round at center field. The Black Eyed Peas opening--with guest appearance by Slash, the guitarist for Guns n Roses. He was incredible!

BONO!

The giant screens we watched :)

The final bow