The Cap Centre, April 8, 2005. Yes indeed, THE loudest, most frenzied concert crowd ever witnessed. Without a doubt...TRUST ME. I was there with a tall, lanky high school sophomore who wrote the previous preview here - Christian Gardner. There I was, the high school junior stud sporting the finest 80s feathered zipper-cut and a mouthful, and I mean MOUTHFUL of metal. Currently the local skating rink's shoot-the-duck champion, I lost my mind when the band opened with not only my favorite song at the time, but one that I had been predicting for months as the U2 opener. 3 minutes later, I had no voice. Those were the days. We had finally found THE sound for us out of all the wannabe 80s artists. Don't get me wrong, I STILL love 80s music. But as we knew then and certainly know now, these guys were real magic. We used to ride our 10-speed bikes for an hour to this tiny record import store because it was one of the few places that had a variety of U2 music. When they finally hit it big with War and then The Unforgettable Fire, we knew they were for real and here to stay. Their music pierced your soul. I couldn't decide if it was the cries of The Edge's guitar that could somehow sound angry and sad at the same time, or Bono's unbelievable lyrics delivered with an emotion I had yet to see from a rock 'n roll front man. All I know is that we are witness to what I think is a miracle in the music business. 25 years, no breakups, no substitute members, and still producing incredible music and still the best on stage. I will see them in October here in DC. And based on this tour's reviews, I plan on being just as frenzied and out of my mind when they take the stage as I was in '85. MINUS of course, the zipper, braces and a healthy liver, PLUS 25 pounds, a frew grey hairs and 2 kids. The really sad part about U2 - my kids will likely never get to see them live. But at the rate they're going, it's always a possibility!

tourdb © 1997 - 2008 tourdb (at) popsmart (dot) org