All That You Can’t Bring With You.

Janet and I went to the U2 concert last night – and as usualy those wacky, socially concious, ultra-billionaire micks did not disappoint. I was a bit torn while getting ready for the show as to whether or not I should bring my camera. I live near the Flee… the Banknorth Garden, but it certainly would have been a drag to have to run home to ditch the camera had it been discovered. And it was muggy and rainy here in Boston last night, so a jacket to help the smuggling efforts would have been a bad idea. So, disappointed since I wanted some snaps for my new concert gallery, I decided not to risk it. Here’s Lego instead.

After Tibbets hooked Janet and I up with a few drinkie-poos, we ran across Causeway street through the pelting rain and ran inside the Garden (feels good to be able to say that again). The will-call area was all but closed and we could here the first strains of Vertigo blaring beyond. Luckily the guard let Janet head over to the booths on the condition that I stay by the entrance. There were tons of stragglers trying to get tickets.

When she got to the window, the will-call guy said “Pye! I’ve been waiting for you. You’re with the band!” Janet (her night officially ‘made’) blushed, grabbed the tickets and ran back over to me. We got the tickets from Adam Clayton’s girlfriend, afterall. It’s an interesting story. In a nutshell, Janet knows the girlfriend’s sister. After the equivalent of a cavity search (glad I left the camera at home,) we darted up a long, broken escalator and took our (very good) seats.

I won’t go into detail about the show – you can read that for yourself in a dozen places. What struck me though is that during the slow songs, the once prominent lighter had been replaced by cell phone lights. As “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own” kicked in little blue, orange and pink LCD displays flickered on and illuminated the place. It was a very cool effect of which I was unversed. But then again I only go to shows of this scale when it’s U2, so why would I be? If you pulled out your cell phone and held it up like that in Avalon or the Orpheum, you’d probably get slapped in the back of the head for your efforts.

A great show, and I’m glad I finally had an excuse to spend a night at the Garden. With hockey off the menu this year, up until now it’d been a choice between basketball, Disney on Ice or Motley Crue. Only combined would the three fully substitute for the glaring lack of violent Canadian dirtbags on skates that I miss so very much. I’m not sure where all the cornrows and bling would fit in, though.