My U2 360 Tour Review: Bigger Can Be Better

I did not think it was possible. In fact, I thought it was downright unimaginable. How it happened, I'm not sure, but I somehow managed to thoroughly enjoy last night's U2 concert!

You see, I'm not what you would call a U2 fan. I'm not really a hater either, I'm pretty much indifferent to them. I've liked most of their radio hits (which, as I was reminded last night, are plentiful) but I've never owned one of their albums. And frankly, I've always thought Bono was fully 12 Curics (South Park reference… if you're not a fan, shame on you!). So to me, the idea of paying what we paid for tickets to their kick-off show of their North American tour just did not seem like a great idea. But the fiancé is a huge fan, and well… the things we do for love!

Actually, I had heard from more than my fanboy manfriend that U2 puts on one hell of a show, so I was pretty psyched for the show. Sure, I wouldn't have a clue what some of their songs were, but I'd be able to jam along with everyone else to their hits, so it couldn't be all bad. Besides, nearly 60,000 people jumping and screaming and grinding has scientifically been proven to equal good times, so I was truly looking forward to the show (don't tell my boyfriend though, he might think I wasn't suffering through the show just for him).

First things first. The stage was obese. That's just about the only way to put it. It was a gynormous mass of metal and lights and completely random fog machines. Some have take to calling it "the claw," but this stage seems to be like gazing at clouds: everyone sees something completely different when looking at it. U2 themselves thought it looked like a spaceship, which is either a testament to the power of drugs or a showing of the "if you only believe it hard enough, it'll be true" dreamers mentality. You're guess is as good as mine there. Personally, I thought it looked like a 4-legged spider. It had just about everything a rocker could want with moving screens, a theater-in-the-round feel (which allowed them to sell even more tickets) and enough lighting to make Weta studios jealous. Oh, and it cost $40 million. Per stage. There's at least 2 of them, possibly three, travelling around the world right now.

The stage was pretty much a success though, even given it's gargantuan size. Everyone in the stadium had a good seat. The band spent their time running around the whole deal, making use of the outer rim as well as giving the drummer a rotating platform that would shift directions every few songs. The screens rose and fell, lights flashed and blinded the audience, and even giant disco balls made an appearance. Oh, and Bono decided to ruin the brief moment of looking cute again by busting on stage with a jacket covered in laser pointer lights… during their second encore. He's not pompous at all, I pinky swear it.

I'm giving the stage shit, but it was really cool. Over the top, for sure, but what's $120 million worth of stages when you're U2?

As for the really important part (to me anyway), the music was spot on. I didn't know about half of the songs they played, and learned today that most of those were tracks from their newish album, but they were still pretty interesting to hear live. In between those tracks those, the boys pumped the audience back up with some of their big hits. One, In the Name Of Love and Elevation are just a few that pop to mind right now, but I know they played plenty more because I didn't walk away missing any particular song.

And honestly, the fact that half of their nearly 2.5 hours of show time was familiar to me as someone who has never owned a U2 cd in his life speaks wonders of the band. They are talented. They are creative. They truly are entertainers. Some of my more "rock"-ier friends will (and do) piss on U2 for being too pop, and maybe they are a bit pop, but I've never seen a pop star put on the kind of show these guys did last night. It was solid, it was energetic, and it kept my attention the whole time.

One of the reasons many people think U2 to be a bit on the douchier side of things is because of the sometimes polar opposite actions versus words dichotomy of the band. On one hand, they spend lots of time speaking of social justice, and righting societal ills and politics and fighting world hunger, and on the other hand they send $120 million on stages alone. Yeah, I see these people's point. But I'm not sure I buy into that line of thought. Yeah, U2 takes pleasure in their earnings. We all do. But they also use the position they've carved for themselves in this world to try and make things better wherever they can, and they do it fearlessly. In front of 60,000 people, they talked about our need to fight AIDS in Africa and raised awareness of the Burmese political plight. That takes some balls. And it takes a lot of talent to pull that off and still bring in full stadiums night after night. And I respect that.

If you asked me yesterday if I'd ever admit to liking a U2 show, I'd probably have made some snide, hipster-esque comment and went about my business. But after last night, I have to say that these guys know how to put on a show. An obese show, for sure, but if U2 can't pull off a huge budget tour, who the hell can? If you want pro recommendations, the Chicago Sun-Times hated it and the Chicago Tribune liked it. My recommendation: Go see it if you can. Don't miss this show!

Magical Madge's Masterpiece

I think I might be really gay now. Like, for real gay. No going back, no pretending… I'm not even sure I can put "str8 acting" on my profiles anymore. And I'm really confused about it, because I did something I never thought I would do. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it immensely… probably more than I thought I would. It's just… well, I never thought I would.. You know… go see Madonna.

Whew! There, I said it! I went to see her live, in concert. And I can't even be ashamed of it, because it was a damned good show!

I'd have to say that most people's assessment of Madonna's stage shows are under statements. She didn't put on a good show, it was amazing. The company I was with (minus one drunk… save that story for another time) made the show even better. My boyfriend is a huge, HUGE Madonna fan, and having someone there like him enjoying the music, dancing and involving everyone around us, it adds a whole different level of entertainment to the already extravagant stage production.

It's obvious that Madonna spent a ridiculous amount of money on producing the show (if the $100 nose-bleed section tickets we bought weren't enough evidence). The stage was immaculate with moving parts, projections, screens and even a Rolls-Royce. Dances were perfectly coordinated, and each song/set was well conceived and story-esque. And for all that, the show never seemed to slow down one bit. Sure, there were a few slower songs mixed in, but the energy level never fell. She found a way to keep us all engaged and partying the whole evening.

A final note on her performance: Madonna can sing. For real. Not like those other pop "divas" that think moving their lips in a faux convincing manner is acceptable. Madonna sang for the entirety of the show. Well, almost the entirety. There were a few moments where she was changing off stage. But she sang through the dancing and the lights. That's a diva. That's a diva that has earned a lot of respect from this die hard rocker boy.

Although I may not be able to call myself str8 anymore, I'm glad I was able to see the show last night. It was a simply amazing experience, and I can't wait for another opportunity to see her again. Oh, and if you're wondering… yeah, the picture here is my boyfriend's new zip-up he got from the show. If there were any lingering doubts, let them be cleared up now… any doubts of his Madonna fandom, of course!

I Want To Be Jay Brannan's House Wife

A little over a week ago, I had the privilege of seeing an up-and-coming singer/songwriter out of New York. I hadn't heard of the guy before, but my good friend David would not stop praising this man and his music. I've admitted before, I'm a bit of a music snob, which is a problem mostly when someone recommends a new artist to me, because my immediate assumption is that it can't be that good if I haven't heard it yet (yeah… I'm working on that part of myself, ok, don't judge me).

David had been planning on see this guy for awhile, and he had asked me a few times to go with him. I admit, I was pretty wishy-washy about the whole deal. I had just moved, and sitting in a concert for a couple hours without ever hearing this guys music seemed like a bore. But come that Monday, I decided that I needed to get out of the house, and I figured the guy couldn't be that bad. So I met up with David later that night and snagged one of the tickets at the door.

I was a bit shocked that the venue was pretty well packed. Again, I had never heard of this guy. But the entire audience was excited to see him perform. People wore shirts bearing lyrics from his songs and people chattered nervously about hopefully meeting him after the show for an autograph. This is the point where I think things started to pick up for me. Even though I wasn't familiar with his music, it seemed he was fairly popular amongst the people that did. And everyone in the audience was pretty gay. What I did know of this guy was that he was a singer/songwriter, so I had to assume some folksy dude with a guitar had to be good for a bunch of gay men to get excited about him.

After the opening act had cleared the stage and the obligatory wait between acts had come to an end, there he was. Jay Brannan strolled casually out to the stage with a simple guitar and a couple bottles of water, sat down, and smiled. I was won over immediately. He began to banter with the audience about nothing in particular, and I felt completely drawn to this man. He had a quirky, self-deprecating, forthcoming attitude that instantly endeared you to him, and a relaxed persona that flirted more with the feminine than most rockers, which allowed the audience to relate to him.

The real magic began when he played his first song though. Even though he was fingering notes on his guitar for a few moments before singing, the soft buzz of excitement still hung over the crowd. Once Jay's voice opened up to the room though, all mouths closed and ears and eyes focused completely on him. This was no ordinary voice. This is a voice that you don't often hear in the music world. Soft and strong, perfectly pitched with a solid vibrato, and the accuracy of a trumpet with the rhythm of a percussionist. This was a musician on stage, not just a guy with a guitar.
Over the next hour and a half, Jay Brannan completely entranced the audience. When the show was over, it was like waking from a dream and immediately reaching for the snooze button. Just five more minutes, and then we'll be ready for the real world again. Sadly, his time on stage was over, and I needed to go home for some much needed sleep. On our way out, we got the pleasure of meeting him and David snapped a pic with him, and we all kind of wanted to lick him.

I don't believe I can speak highly enough of this man and his music. I'll write about his album in a different post, but if you see that he is going to be playing anywhere near you, grab a couple friends and make your way to the show. It'll be worth every penny spent and more. It really isn't often that an artist comes along like Jay Brannan, and I expect we'll hear much more from this songwriter in the years to come.

And just so you get the title reference:

STP Reunites, Makes Me Sigh

For some reason, people seem to have a hard time understanding my love for Stone Temple Pilots. Whether they hold some notion that because I'm queer, I can't be a rock enthusiast, or whether it's just because STP was critically slammed throughout the 90's (unjustly, I might add), they just don't get that I love STP. Just love them. And I adore Scott Weiland, the eccentric lead singer (and possibly former frontman of Velvet Revolver). I adore his so much as a musician, that even through his tribulations and out-right self-destructive behavior, I've stuck with him. Unfortunately, that love and admiration isn't always repaid.

I went to the STP Reunion tour last night here in Chicago with my boyfriend (sidenote, he's not a fan, but he still had fun) expecting a re-ignition of the magic that STP used to hold. Sadly, I was a bit let down. Perhaps it was that, in typical fashion, Scott almost screwed up the tour with a DUI sentencing of 192 hours jail time (of which he only served 14 minutes), or perhaps it's that Scott is bored of Chicago after working on a new solo album here, or maybe it was just damned cold (truthfully, it is hard to perform outdoors in the low 40's), but whatever it was, the chemistry wasn't there. Sure, the music was great, and it was simply fantastic to see "my boys" on stage again, but they just weren't into it. There was 10 guitar debacle in the middle of the opening song (Big Empty), a few lyrics forgotten, lack of coordination on big hit timings, and Scott just didn't put up the effort.

Anyone that has seen Scott Weiland perform before, in any of his capacities, knows full well the antics the man is capable of. They just weren't there last night though. At all. He was disinterested, it seemed, so much so that it made a die hard fan like myself disinterested enough to go stand by the beer booth instead of pushing my way to the front.

In the end, it was ok. I enjoyed the hell out of seeing STP, and anyone that knows me from high school will know how much that means to me (it still means the same today as then). I wish Scott Weiland had actually performed, but the De Leo's absolutely killed it, so I got 3/4 of an awesome band. Better than nothing, I suppose.