It was a picturesque day. Sunny and cool. We loaded up the SUV and headed west over the bridge past the New Jersey State Fair to a nearly empty parking lot. We were early. The anticipation of seeing The Lumineers and U2 reached a crescendo as we sat in folding chairs looking at the entrance to MetLife Stadium with the clear blue sky dotted only by passing airplanes.
Seeing U2 perform was on my bucket list as the band's canon of music has provided a soundtrack for much of my past. The addition of The Lumineers to the bill was serendipitous as I missed seeing them last summer at the Prospect Park Bandshell and the Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown, NY.
We were seated in section 116 adjacent to the sound stage. The sound was perfect during The Lumineers performance, but hit some dissonance during U2's With or Without You that resulted in minor deductions from the judges.
Each front man shared personal stories that made this live performance particularly memorable. Wesley Schultz of The Lumineers reminisced about growing up in New Jersey prior to moving across the river to Brooklyn. His car was broken into for reasons that escaped him as his radio was still intact. It was during his next river crossing when he realized the thieves made off with his E-ZPass. The episode inspired the song Slow It Down.
Bono wove his well-known political endeavors into the performance and paid particular homage to the band's special guests. He named each of their spouses and children and thanked them for being there before launching into Ultraviolet (Light My Way) that featured a montage of famous women throughout history.
As luck would have it, I brought two remarkable women with me for this unforgettable show.
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| U2 performs at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on June 28, 2017. (NJ.com) |
Seeing U2 perform was on my bucket list as the band's canon of music has provided a soundtrack for much of my past. The addition of The Lumineers to the bill was serendipitous as I missed seeing them last summer at the Prospect Park Bandshell and the Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown, NY.
We were seated in section 116 adjacent to the sound stage. The sound was perfect during The Lumineers performance, but hit some dissonance during U2's With or Without You that resulted in minor deductions from the judges.
Each front man shared personal stories that made this live performance particularly memorable. Wesley Schultz of The Lumineers reminisced about growing up in New Jersey prior to moving across the river to Brooklyn. His car was broken into for reasons that escaped him as his radio was still intact. It was during his next river crossing when he realized the thieves made off with his E-ZPass. The episode inspired the song Slow It Down.
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| The Lumineers perform at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on June 28, 2017. (Twitter/The Lumineers) |
As luck would have it, I brought two remarkable women with me for this unforgettable show.