whitesail

I want to run I want to hide
I want to tear down the walls
That hold me inside
I want to reach out and touch the flame
Where the streets have no name

U2 is releasing their new album today, titled How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. I’ve heard all the tracks already and seen a couple performed live, and although it’s not as good as I had hoped, it is still U2 and better than 99.9% of what’s out there right now.

And so we are told this is the golden age
And gold is the reason for the wars we wage

U2 has always spoke directly to my heart. Their songs are always relevant and powerful. “Gold is the reason for the wars we wage….” Uh huh. And although, at least for me, none of their albums have the perfection from start to finish as say Sarah McLachlan’s Fumbling Towards Ecstasy or Cowboy Junkies’ Pale Sun Crescent Moon, many of their albums have such moments of sheer brilliance and beauty that they leave me in a state of awe and many times in tears.

Well it’s too late, tonight
To drag the past out into the light
We’re one, but we’re not the same
We get to carry each other
Carry each other
One…

U2 in concert is not just a concert. It’s certainly not a party. It’s like going to church, or what church should be. It’s a communion of souls that come together in peace and hope and love. I have never been to a concert that moved me like they did in November 2001, after the terrorist attacks. My wife and I weren’t planning on going, but after the attacks, we knew that no one would speak to our souls the way that Bono, Edge, Adam and Larry would. And they did, using the song One as the backdrop for paying homage to the victims of 9/11 by projecting their names around the arena during the song. The most beautiful and sad point was when the FDNY header came up with all the firefighters names listed……the place slowly went nuts, working it’s way to an ovation and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

Much more than music….

And I know it aches
And your heart, it breaks
You can only take so much

Walk on…
Walk on…