My wife persuaded me at the last minute last night to go with her and my son to the U2 Joshua Tree concert at MetLife Stadium. She got nosebleed seats on Stubhub. I have to admit I was reluctant. Big stadium concerts aren’t my thing, particularly when you’re far from the action. And though at times in my life I’ve been a huge U2 fan, I haven’t followed them much lately. But this was really an extraordinary event in our present cultural moment. You know Bono is going to hit you with some social activism, and you wonder what he might say or do in the Age of Trump.
Between the warm up act (The Lumineers) and U2 the stage screens displayed scrolling poems from some great American poets — Walt Whitman, of course, but also poets such as Carl Sandburg and Sherman Alexie. How many rock concerts involve that kind of literary performance art? During the show the big scrolling screen behind the stage showed video vignettes of a American themes — rolling prairies, jagged mountains, deserts, middle aged veterans putting on their helmets. a Salvation Army band, and much more. I was waiting for the irony to drop, but it didn’t. This was a sincere tribute. Bono noted at one point how America had historically been a great partner to his native Ireland. This was, of course, a reference to immigration, but it was sincere, not angry. He also expressed admiration for Presidents Bush and Obama for leading the global charge against AIDS, what he termed a historic bipartisan victory. There was one really stinging moment, featuring an old video clip with a character name “Trump,” but that was the most heavy-handed it became. (The clip really is from a 1950’s TV show featuring a character named “Walter Trump” who claims only he can prevent the end of the world by building a wall!).
I came away from this show having enjoyed some great rock songs performed by a great rock band and thinking this Irish guy really, deeply loves America. And I came away myself feeling a bit of a deeper love for what America is and can be at its best. That alone is pretty amazing these days.