My dad's good idea

The U2 concert was so good that we (my dad, Dave, Ale, and I) wanted it to never end. It was so good that we were sad when it was over...because it was over. So last night my dad had the brilliant idea of forgetting real life and heading down to Houston for tonight's performance. I assume this would be followed by Sunday's concert in Oklahoma, then next week's performances in Phoenix and Las Vegas, and so on until we ended up in Coimbra, Portugal on October 2, 2010. Sounded like a good idea to me.

But, alas, real life calls, which sounds like this: "Mommy! Mommy!" (Although for my dad, real life sounds more like his Blackberry.) But we'll always have the memories. (And other people's photographs, like this one and this one and this one and this one.) For that, I am very grateful.

If you really want an in-depth description of the concert, there are better places to go in the blogosphere than here. (For starters, there's a little review in the local paper.) But I will say nine things:

1. Wow. These guys know how to put on a show.
2. Wow. If you like U2, see them in concert: Then you will love U2.
3. Wow. That spinning spidery stage thingy.
4. Wow. Even if you're sitting a million miles from the band in a stadium that holds over 100,000 people, you still feel like you're right there. That's how good these guys are.
5. Wow. "Mysterious Ways." And "Beautiful Day," and "Vertigo," and "Elevation," and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (really, Bono? after all these years?), "Stuck in the Moment,"and "One" blending into "Amazing Grace" blending into "Where the Streets Have No Name," and everything, including great songs from the new album (which is really good).
6. Wow. Especially poignant was "Sunday Bloody Sunday." I was five years old when this little Irish group began singing about the 1972 massacre in Derry. With all the suffering and political unrest in the world the song has taken on a global meaning, as they sing, decades later, "How long must we sing this song?"
7. Wow. The guy who sat behind me knew every single word to every single song. (I love sitting near people like that!)
8. Wow. The joy and optimism and freshness and passion in the performance. These guys love their job.
9. Wow. I hardly thought about my kids at all. (A big thank you to my mom and brother.)

[I feel like I should comment on the awesomeness of the new Cowboys Stadium. (I suppose it's fitting that Texas would be home to the biggest domed stadium in the world.) It's brand spanking new, and, as such, very clean. And "clean" isn't a word one normally associates with a football stadium. My little brother mentioned that if Heaven has a football stadium, it will be the Cowboys Stadium. But I think he's a little mixed up--he was there in the Cowboys Stadium when BYU beat OU. I think what he meant to say is that if Heaven has a college football league, BYU will always win. Which is true. I, on the other hand, was impressed with the stadium, but it failed to meet celestial standards because the restrooms do not have touchless faucets--it has the kind that you have to press and hold down to keep the water coming out. Gross! If I were in charge, I would have skimped on the 80 yard long HD TV screen and installed sinks on par with our modern obsession with correct hand washing techniques. And now you know why I will never succeed in the business of designing giant football stadiums.]

So, yes, the concert was "Wow." And today, 2 days later, I still feel wowed. I suspect the feeling will last, since awesome experiences tend to linger with you. That's good--because my dad and I are not going to Houston tonight.

I hear someone calling, "Mommy! Mommy!" But I will respond with a little more happiness in my heart--because I have more good memories in there. (Thanks, Dad.)