James Summer Concert Series Finale

For two people that don’t normally make it to a lot of concerts we had a lot scheduled this summer.  It started with the Beach Boys and John Stamos and Kenny Chesney in May.  Then it was the Grand Ole Opry with Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker, Martina McBride and others in June.  And then on the first weekend of July it was finally time for the grand finale…U2 in Nashville!

Jason, Dad, and Charlie went to the U2 concert in Atlanta in October of 2009.  They decided then that they wanted to bring Mom and I to a concert if they came back close to us.  So when rumors started online early last fall that they were about to announce a show in Nashville for this summer, they were quick to go ahead and book hotel rooms and got tickets the second they came out.  At that point we had no idea that I’d be pregnant at the time and the plans were definitely made.  When James became a reality there was never a question of whether or not I was going, the question just became if I could make the whole show or not.

In the weeks leading up to the show I was very unsure about my ability to stay the whole time.  Thankfully only Charlie got tickets on the floor and Mom, Dad, Jason, and I had tickets in the stands.  Because of that we made plans to miss the opening act and go in when she got finished and plans for Mom and I to walk back to the hotel when I needed to go since we didn’t think the hotel was very far away from the stadium.

When we got to the hotel Saturday afternoon we were pleasantly surprised to see that our hotel was literally across an alley from our entrance to the stadium so any concerns about us leaving early were alleviated.  After getting checked in we headed to the hospitality suite which they had opened and got our first view of the whole stage….

Like I said, we were close!  As we were arriving at the hotel they were performing their sound check and the sound was clear as a bell with the windows up and doors closed!

We hung out in the lobby for a while that afternoon and then got ready for the show.  Charlie met his friends and left early to get his place on the floor and Mom, Dad, Jason, and I went to the hotel restaurant for dinner.  It was a madhouse and very understaffed but we weren’t in a hurry and were able to enjoy a good dinner.  We moved out to the patio to listen (and watch on the screen) the opening act, Florence and the Machine.

When she completed her act we headed over to the stadium.  It was still sunny but the sun was setting and there was a slight breeze so it the temperature wasn’t unbearable.  We were also, thankfully, in the shade which was another blessing.  We heard later that they were having to wheel lots of people on the other side of the stadium out on stretchers because of the heat.  They had to take one lady out who was near to us but we were all staying well hydrated and felt ok.  We took the opportunity before the show started to get some pictures.

Our seats were pretty good even if they were around to the back side of the ring.  We were the second row of seats so we didn’t have to fight for a view which was nice and this also meant that we were very close to the ring.  Just to our left was one of the main legs of the ring and it was interesting watching all the comings and goings while they changed out the instruments and crew between the opening and U2.  This is our view of the ring from our seats.

When it got closer to time for U2 to come on stage they started scrolling lots of facts across the screens.  Things like “There has never been a President who was an only child” (you’re welcome James and Charlotte that you now qualify for the Presidency!) and lots of scrolling numbers telling you how many people have been this year, etc.  It was very interesting seeing all of those random facts and kept us entertained before the show.

Finally, U2 came on and it was a spectacular show.  I didn’t know tons of songs but I knew more than I thought I would.  I should probably have Jason do this part of the post to give you details, but I’m not going to, sorry.  🙂  Just know that they played tons of hits and lots of great music and put on an awesome show.  The video board was amazing and they utilized that huge stage very well.

They ended (or were supposed to end) the show with “Moment of Surrender” which was so spectacular.  It’s so amazing to be able to go to a rock concert and hear so many people worshipping!

The show got even more unique when Bono pulled a long-time fan (who was blind no less) on stage and let him play “All I Want is You” with the band.  It was only the third time up to that point on the tour that they had ended the show with something other than “Moment of Surrender” and the previous times had been because the cities they were playing in had a curfew and they had to stop early.

You might be wondering if I got the information about the end of the show from Jason, but the fun news is that I lasted throughout the entire show!  I told Jason before the show that probably my favorite U2 song was “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” (Runaway Bride, anyone??) and he told me that they were playing it around the 7th song in the show.  So I knew I was going to wait for that.  By the time it got to that song I was getting tired and so after that song was over I went and got some more water and sat down for a while.

I spent the rest of the show alternating between sitting and standing but when I was really ready to go Jason said that there were only about 5 songs left so I just counted down through them and felt like I could try and stay through the end.  I made it but had the show been much longer I would have had to have gone home.  I paid for the late, hot night on my feet with very swollen and painful feet the next day and, honestly, my hands and feet haven’t been the same since the concert but we’ll give it the benefit of the doubt and say that it’s just due to the heat and pregnancy and not the concert.  🙂  I was very glad that I was able to make it to the end though!  The first thing that Charlie asked when he called Jason after the concert was how long I stayed and I’m not sure he’s ever been prouder of his sister than when Jason told him I made it through the whole show!

I doubt that I’ll ever go back to another show….or maybe I will as long as I’m not pregnant.  But it was a great once-in-a-lifetime experience and I’m glad that I persevered so that I could share one of Jason’s favorite artists with him!