In the early ‘90s I joined about 60,000 others to experience an unbelievable concert by the rock band U2 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. It was a memory that remains with me to this day. The band was incredible and my seat was pretty good too. I have always dreamed of attending another one of their concerts, so when a friend told me that the band was scheduling a rare tour stop in Hawaii (where I was born and raised), I thought it was meant to be. Or, maybe not.
U2’s April 8th Aloha Stadium date was postponed due to a family illness in a band member’s family. Since I live 5000 miles away from Hawaii, I didn’t think there was any way I could attend the make up performance and I ended up selling the ticket. Now I could kick myself as an announcement was just made that in an unprecedented turn of events U2 has not only rescheduled their concert date to December 9, they are adding a surprising bonus: Pearl Jam will be performing with them. WAH! I love Pearl Jam.
As most ticket holders will tell you, the pairing makes for a dream concert, one that far exceeded anyone’s expectations. What’s more, the December date means that Aloha Stadium will be converted into a football configuration for the University of Hawaii season and reserved seats will be closer to the stage than the baseball configuration that was in place last April.
Rumors had been circulating that the veteran Seattle band would play the islands after its Australian tour, but no one anticipated a pairing with U2. The intent of this blog is not to detail the excitement shared by current ticket holders (and the angst shared by those who sold or gave their tickets away, like me) it is to inform you that you have the chance to purchase tickets to see both bands live in concert beginning August 5th.
According to the band’s website, all previously postponed Australia dates for U2’s “Vertigo ’06” tour are also being honored, and three Tokyo dates have been added. The last Japan date is Dec. 4, five days before the tour closes in Honolulu. Wish I could be there. Let me know if you are one of the lucky ticket holders; perhaps I could retell your experiences in a future blog.