U2 "Gloria"

If I have a blase attitude toward storms, hurricane preparedness and such, it probably stems from Hurricane Gloria in 1985.

Gloria had been billed as "The Storm Of The Century" and in fact, it WAS shaping up to be the biggest storm to hit the East Coast in my lifetime.  Local folks on the North Shore of Massachusetts were scrambling to get ready.  Mom was in a tizzy, making sure we had all the lingering summer toys and such out of the yard, as she collected flower pots and other loose gardening equipment, and Dad got the grill and such secured in the garage.

And then, we waited.

I had never experienced a hurricane before, so I must admit I was nervous.  But being a high school age teen, I was not about to show it.  So I just internalized it, and turned to the radio for comfort.

When 9pm came, and we weren't cowering in the basement, shielding our eyes from the shattering glass of our home . . . well, I felt like it was much ado about nothing.

With Mom's permission, I put some batteries in my boom box and I went out and lay in the grass of the front yard.  WBCN was playing a "Hurricane Party" set of music featuring Van Morrison's "Gloria," The Doors' "Gloria" and U2's "Gloria."

I watched the clouds whizz by via the high winds and warm air, and thought it was the most beautiful, non-threateningly wild night of my life.


Hear the song on Youtube.

U2 “City Of Blinding Light”

I saw U2 for the first time, this past Sunday night, at Gillette Stadium. I can hardly believe it has taken me this long to see one of my long-time favorite bands, live.

I started listening to U2, as many folks my age did, when “Gloria” became a regular part of the rotation on the early days of MTV. I’ve followed them through the peaks and valleys of their career, listened to all the records, watched the music videos, and have seen them “In Concert” on VHS and DVD many times over.

So I wasn’t surprised to see Bono pull someone out of the crowd and onto the stage on Sunday night.

I can remember seeing them on TV at Live Aid back in 1985. I knew they had only a 20 minute set, and I couldn’t believe they were stretching out the song “Bad,” to epic proportions. But Bono had ventured into the crowd, and pulled out a young woman, with whom he slow danced.

The first time I watched it, I was bummed because they only were able to do 2 songs for their set. But I remember being struck by the image of him quietly slow dancing with this stranger, surrounded by a packed, screaming, Wembley Stadium crowd.

And on repeated viewings, I was moved by it. And I know it was a regular part of the U2 experience.

So when Bono pulled out the familiar trope on Sunday night, I felt like I had seen it. But then I saw the spin.

Up on the outer-rim catwalk of the stage, Bono was running with, and singing to, a young girl. I’m going to guess she was about 12 years old.

He was singing “City Of Blinding Light” to her. I’d heard that this was a love letter to New York City, written shortly after September 11th, 2001.

But as he was singing it, my wife turned to me and said “He’s giving her advice . . .”

The more you see the less you know
The less you find out as you go
I knew much more then than I do now

Bono had gone parental. He had been a peer, dancing with all of us. But now he’s a Dad, and his message can be recalibrated for a new generation.

Hear U2 “City Of Blinding Light”

See some pictures, take by the lovely Mrs. Finn, here.