U2. in Dublin. amazing.

Where to begin?! This aspect of our trip was definitely in a category unto itself. I almost still can't believe that we really got to see U2 perform in Dublin! When we walked into Croke Park after getting our tickets scanned, Lori & I were jumping up and down that we actually made it in!! It was a fantastic show . . . two solid hours of good times. I had never seen U2 in concert before, so needless to say, I thought the entire experience was amazing. Hands down, a live show is definitely U2's music at its best: on a multi-million dollar speaker system, volume ALL THE WAY UP, singing along with 80,000 others.

There are several concert-related stories, including our inadvertent train ride along the Irish Sea beforehand, my seatmate at the concert, and our hunt for t-shirts all over Croke Park. (You can ask for details in person sometime if you want to hear them.) As for things I'll remember most . . . it was a perfectly beautiful evening in Dublin, Bono's Irish accent was stronger than I've ever heard it, and the set list was great. It was certainly a bit surreal to hear Sunday Bloody Sunday surrounded by those who grasp its significance in a personal way. And while there's no way I could choose a favorite song of the night (too many great ones!), I did love the sweet remix they did of I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight - complete with funky video and Larry on djembe.

And I must be one of the luckiest girls around because I get to hear them again in DC at the end of September with my sibs - can't wait!!

Set list: Dublin - Monday, 27 July 2009

1. Breathe
2. No Line on the Horizon
3. Get on Your Boots
4. Magnificent
5. Beautiful Day
6. New Year's Day
7. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
8. Stay
9. Unknown Caller
10. Unforgettable Fire
11. City of Blinding Lights
12. Vertigo
13. I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (Remix)
14. Sunday Bloody Sunday
15. Pride (In the Name of Love)
16. MLK
17. Walk On
18. Where the Streets Have No Name
19. One
20. Bad

Encore
21. Ultraviolet
22. With or Without You
23. Moment of Surrender