You too can Rock

June is winding down and I don't plan on seeing any more shows before July, but I must say that this month went out with a bang, or maybe a Rattle and a Hum.

Kathy was asked by a co worker more than 6 months ago if she'd be interested  in going to see U2 this summer and Kathy, although not a music lover, said sure, why not?  Fast forward to June 22, 2011.  The woman who asked Kathy to go ended up with an extra ticket to what is turning out to be one of the hottest concert draws this summer.  Hmmmm, who could she ask to go on short notice?

Not much of a sacrifice for me.  Although according to Kathy, I own every CD in the universe, I only own one U2 CD, Achtung Baby.  I've been aware of U2 for 30 some odd years, and appreciate their music, I don't consider myself a fan but I know a good thing when I see it coming, so I jumped at the chance to see them at the local football stadium along with about 80,000 other people.

The plan was for an early dinner along with some other fans going to the show, some tailgating before the show and the of course, the show itself.  We got to downtown Baltimore by 3:00 pm and it's good thing we did because parking places were going fast.  We ended up on the 6th floor of the Marriott's parking garage and we waited for the rest of our party to arrive.  We all hooked up at a bar/restaurant called The Alewife for drinks and an early dinner before walking to the stadium.  The food was good and they also featured an impressive number of beers on tap and in bottles.  Nice.

Our group, under the expressway

From there it was a short walk to the main event and some more tailgating with more like minded fans.  We waited around until about the time the opening act, Florance and the Machine, was to start and then we went in to claim our seats.  The weather was hot but we were fortunate to have a cool breeze to make it bearable.
The stage setup was impressive and promised a 360 degree show to everyone who attended the show.  The round video screen surrounding the stage came too life before the main event  and was an intricate part of the whole show for the remainder of the evening.

Considering the size of the crowd and the outdoor conditions I have to say that U2 put on a hell of a show.  We didn't know every song they played but there were more than enough old favorites to keep even the outskirts fan like me satisfied.  Kathy was surprised by how many songs she knew and the whole production was first rate.  I may never see U2 again for as long as I live, but I must say that I'm glad I had this chance to see this band, if not at their creative peak, at least at a performance peak.