July 16 (Update July 13)
FOR BONO: Vision Over Visibility
THE CONCERT THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
This Tuesday, 13 July 2010, is the 25th anniversary of an event which changed my life for good & forever - the 1985 Live Aid concert. If you don't really remember that historic day & the concerts which were a part of Live Aid, here is a Wikipedia refresher for you:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_Aid
There were two musical performances at the Live Aid concert in Wembly Stadium (London) which I still carry in my heart to this day. Both are captu(red) in the videos below. The first one was the amazing performance of Queen, especially the mesmerizing presence of their lead singer, the late Freddie Mercury. From "Bohemian Rhapsody" to "Radio GaGa" to "We are the Champions" - Freddie Mercury took firm control of the audience that day and showed us the POWER inherent inside of us when we come together AS ONE to make a positive change in the world - whether we are inside a stadium or in the voting booth.
The second performance of that day which will always stay with me is the absolutely BRILLIANT performance of a young U2, headed by a 25 yr old Bono. The band just finishing up their "Unforgettable Fire" world tour was excited about being a part of this important day. They originally were scheduled to perform three songs: "Sunday, Bloody Sunday", "Bad" and "Pride: In the Name of Love". But, as is often the case with U2, things changed once they were up onstage.
After a rousing performance of "Sunday, Bloody Sunday", the band started to perform "Bad". Midway through the song, something changed. Perhaps in an attempt to get a more enthusiastic response from the tens of thousands of people in the stadium, Bono began to come down off the main stage and closer to the audience. This attempt by Bono to "reach out" to those assembled in Wembly Stadium was met by an overwhelmingly positive reaction from the audience and they began to surge forward to "reach out" to him in response.
Bono noticed one petite girl in the crowd getting crushed by the onslaught of concert goers and motioned from the stage for the security personnel to rescue you from the crowd and to bring her to him. In the ensuing pandemonium that followed, the security personnel were having difficulty reaching the girl so, in what would become a giant LEAP OF FAITH in rock music history, Bono jumped down off the gigantic stage and onto the dirt of Wembly Stadium where he passionately embraced the young woman and danced with her for a minute before the cameras and TV sets of the world before giving her a kiss and returning to the stage to finish the song.
Bono has often mentioned in interviews throughout the following years that he & the band left the stage that day after their Live Aid appearance at Wembly Stadium feeling as if their appearance there had been a failure as they never got the chance to finish their original set and perform "Pride: In the Name of Love". The band was surprised when they learned the next day that their performance at Live Aid was being hailed as one of the highlights of the entire day-long, continent-spanning concert.
What will always be memorable about U2's performance at Live Aid, and especially of Bono's performance of "Bad", is his entire lack of pretense in front of the world as he attempted to reach out to one girl in a crowd of thousands to embrace her and to affirm her humanity - and, in so doing, embracing and affirming the humanity of the entire world through the power of the TV screen.
Bono may have held only one person in his arms for a brief minute but his willingness to give all of his heart to that moment in selfless compassion and kindness to her epitomized the spirit of the Live Aid concert.
It is a moment that I will never forget. It has changed me in ways that is hard to describe but it has made me a better person. ~ This is the power of U2 to change the world through changing our Hearts. ~ THANK YOU, BONO, for everything.
by Deborah Kreuser
♫ worldview_14@yahoo.com
Friday, 16 July 2010
Sunday, 27 June 2010
June 27, 2010
FOR BONO: Vision Over Visibility
Over the last month of Bono's recuperation and rehabilitation from his back surgery on 21 May, I have had a reprieve of daily U2 news. Personally, I have found this U2 "downtime" to be quite liberating, giving me the time and space to fill my days and light up my nights with other music.
Where I went on my musical journey is back to my roots - reggae music. This is the music which has been MOST INFLUENTIAL in my life. It was brought to me by Bob Marley, whom I was fortunate enough to see THREE times in concert in the 1970's before his passing. Bob brought me an awareness of Africa as a spiritual and cultural entity, whose presence continues in those living in the African diaspora around the world.
Brother Bob also brought me a sense of personal liberation in such songs as "Get Up, Stand Up", "Exodus", "I Know" and "Could You be Loved?". His exhortations to a world lost in a "sleepless slumber" resonated in my Heart and Soul and woke me up to the issues and troubles of poor people around the world.
Because no matter where you were in the world then, as now, people in the remotest places in the world know Bob Marley's music, sing Bob Marley's music and revere Bob Marley's music.
REDEMPTION SONGS
Since Bob's passing in 1981, I have followed his musical legacy as it has lived on through his children. All of them, to varying degrees, are involved with the music industry. Yet, three of Bob's sons - David (Ziggy), Stephen and Damien - have been the main forces keeping the Marley name and legacy alive musically.
Having seen the Marley brothers (David and Stephen) perform as "Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers" in the 1980's and 1990's and then having seen the Marley brothers, including Damien, perform as the opening act for several U2 concerts in 2005, I knew what magic their appearance onstage brings.
Thus, when I heard that Damien Marley would be performing with hip-hop master, Nas, in my city on their "Distant Relatives" tour, I was excited. I had just heard this new release of theirs and their conscious lyrics of African pride and social justice reminded me so much of Bob's music, that I knew I had to go.
The opportunity was given to me and another person to volunteer at the concert that night for (RED) - www.joinred.com - as Damien & Nas had agreed to make their Austin concert a (RED)NIGHTS concert. This meant that a certain percentage of their profits from this show would be donated through (RED) to the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa (www.theglobalfund.org).
(RED)NIGHTS
The concert was extraordinary. The music was loud and booming. Yet, the Marley presence was everywhere onstage as the young lion, the "Junior Gong" (Damien), sang lyrics which chastised & challenged the status quo yet left you with a feeling that things could be better. Damien's singing was completely complimented by Nas' adept rapping and dancing onstage. Together, the two of them gave a memorable performance and really bonded with their audience, which was GREAT to see.
We signed up a lot of people for (RED) and explained to them the connection of (RED) to Africa, especially with the current FIFA World Cup games in South Africa, and everybody was excited about the fact that they would be a part of saving people's lives in Africa from HIV/AIDS simply by attending this concert!
At the end of the evening, as people were exiting out of the venue, I got the chance to be backstage with Damien & Nas as they were taking photos with (RED)NIGHTS ticket holders.
I didn't know if I was going to be given an opportunity to say hello to the artists and to briefly share with Damien the TREMENDOUS impact that his father has had on my life (which was responsible for bringing me to his concert) or not.
After all the other photos were taken, one of Damien's entourage ( a man whom I had spoken with earlier in the evening about Bob Marley & his influence on my life) looked at me and called me to take a picture with the artists!
I briefly checked with everybody to make sure that this was alright and then stepped up next to Damien and Nas for a quick conversation and photo. It was a surreal moment for me - a moment blessed by the Almighty - and I will always be grateful for the chance to reconnect with the "Word, Sound, Power" of the music of my youth - given to me by the next generation of the Marley family.
by Deborah Kreuser - worldview_14@yahoo.com
FOR BONO: Vision Over Visibility
Over the last month of Bono's recuperation and rehabilitation from his back surgery on 21 May, I have had a reprieve of daily U2 news. Personally, I have found this U2 "downtime" to be quite liberating, giving me the time and space to fill my days and light up my nights with other music.
Where I went on my musical journey is back to my roots - reggae music. This is the music which has been MOST INFLUENTIAL in my life. It was brought to me by Bob Marley, whom I was fortunate enough to see THREE times in concert in the 1970's before his passing. Bob brought me an awareness of Africa as a spiritual and cultural entity, whose presence continues in those living in the African diaspora around the world.
Brother Bob also brought me a sense of personal liberation in such songs as "Get Up, Stand Up", "Exodus", "I Know" and "Could You be Loved?". His exhortations to a world lost in a "sleepless slumber" resonated in my Heart and Soul and woke me up to the issues and troubles of poor people around the world.
Because no matter where you were in the world then, as now, people in the remotest places in the world know Bob Marley's music, sing Bob Marley's music and revere Bob Marley's music.
REDEMPTION SONGS
Since Bob's passing in 1981, I have followed his musical legacy as it has lived on through his children. All of them, to varying degrees, are involved with the music industry. Yet, three of Bob's sons - David (Ziggy), Stephen and Damien - have been the main forces keeping the Marley name and legacy alive musically.
Having seen the Marley brothers (David and Stephen) perform as "Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers" in the 1980's and 1990's and then having seen the Marley brothers, including Damien, perform as the opening act for several U2 concerts in 2005, I knew what magic their appearance onstage brings.
Thus, when I heard that Damien Marley would be performing with hip-hop master, Nas, in my city on their "Distant Relatives" tour, I was excited. I had just heard this new release of theirs and their conscious lyrics of African pride and social justice reminded me so much of Bob's music, that I knew I had to go.
The opportunity was given to me and another person to volunteer at the concert that night for (RED) - www.joinred.com - as Damien & Nas had agreed to make their Austin concert a (RED)NIGHTS concert. This meant that a certain percentage of their profits from this show would be donated through (RED) to the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa (www.theglobalfund.org).
(RED)NIGHTS
The concert was extraordinary. The music was loud and booming. Yet, the Marley presence was everywhere onstage as the young lion, the "Junior Gong" (Damien), sang lyrics which chastised & challenged the status quo yet left you with a feeling that things could be better. Damien's singing was completely complimented by Nas' adept rapping and dancing onstage. Together, the two of them gave a memorable performance and really bonded with their audience, which was GREAT to see.
We signed up a lot of people for (RED) and explained to them the connection of (RED) to Africa, especially with the current FIFA World Cup games in South Africa, and everybody was excited about the fact that they would be a part of saving people's lives in Africa from HIV/AIDS simply by attending this concert!
At the end of the evening, as people were exiting out of the venue, I got the chance to be backstage with Damien & Nas as they were taking photos with (RED)NIGHTS ticket holders.
I didn't know if I was going to be given an opportunity to say hello to the artists and to briefly share with Damien the TREMENDOUS impact that his father has had on my life (which was responsible for bringing me to his concert) or not.
After all the other photos were taken, one of Damien's entourage ( a man whom I had spoken with earlier in the evening about Bob Marley & his influence on my life) looked at me and called me to take a picture with the artists!
I briefly checked with everybody to make sure that this was alright and then stepped up next to Damien and Nas for a quick conversation and photo. It was a surreal moment for me - a moment blessed by the Almighty - and I will always be grateful for the chance to reconnect with the "Word, Sound, Power" of the music of my youth - given to me by the next generation of the Marley family.
by Deborah Kreuser - worldview_14@yahoo.com
Sunday, 11 April 2010
February 8, 2010
FOR BONO: Vision Over Visibility - Update February 8, 2010
In my last column, I talked a bit about why it's so great to be a U2 fan or follower. I detailed a bit about the memorable music and awesome stage tours that U2 have given us over the last thirty years.
I went on to describe the great sense of community that exists within the U2 fanbase and of how that sense of community leads many U2 fans/followers into social activism that often is endorsed by the band.
As an example of this, I would like to share my memories of a VERY SPECIAL event that took place two years ago this weekend - the (AUCTION) RED fundraiser for the Global Fund (www.theglobalfund.org) spearheaded by Bono and Damien Hirst.
(AUCTION)RED
When I first heard of a proposed art auction to take place at Sotheby's in NYC to benefit the Global Fund through (RED), the consumer oriented idea of Bono's to use the marketplace as a vehicle to raise much-needed funds for the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa, I thought that it was a brilliant idea and something that could only come from the creative imagination of Bono.
At the time, I was employed in an Art Museum and thus knew a lot about the artists that were a part of (AUCTION) RED from Jasper Johns to Jeff Koons to Murakawa and Damien Hirst. So the idea of combining what I did for a living with my social activism for Africa was just too good to pass up - I had to go to NYC to be a part of this historic event. So I prepared for this trip which I would take with a close friend and went to NYC arriving there on 12 February - two days before the Valentine's Day auction for (RED).
The next day we went to see the (Auction) RED art exhibit at the Gagosian Gallery. We would later find out that we missed Bono and Damien Hirst at the Gagosian for a TV interview by just two hours. At least we knew that they were close by.
The next day was Valentine's Day - the day of the art auction at Sotheby's. It was a bitterly cold day with temperatures falling to near zero degrees but everyone's hearts at Sotheby's were warm with the spirit of excitement for what good would come out of (AUCTION) RED.
There were about a hundred of us as we stood outside the Gagosian watching the celebrities and artists walk into Sotheby's. Guggi and Gavin Friday were there as well as Michael Stipe and Helena Christensen. But it was the arrival of Bono and Ali Hewson which sent a ripple of electricity through the crowd and ignited our enthusiasm.
As the auction was ending, I was desperate to know how much money was raised by (AUCTION) RED. A Sotheby's employee came outside long enough to let us know that $42 MILLION had been raised that night to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa! I was ecstatic and could not hold back my gratitude for all the artists who had donated their art work to benefit the Global Fund.
I expressed this gratitude directly to Damien Hirst as he came out of Sotheby's, virtually unknown by the majority of people gathered there to catch a glimpse of Bono. He was so moved by my sincere expression of gratitude for all that he had done to make (AUCTION) RED the success that it was that he took my Sotheby's bag and drew one of his infamous skulls on it! Then he signed my bag "With Love, Damien Hirst" and quickly escaped the cold night in the warm comfort of his vehicle.
Other notable people that I met that night included Prof. Jeff Sachs who actually was quite personable and friendly and, of course, Bono, who was in a particularly good mood after the tremendous success of (AUCTION) RED.
We would leave NYC the following day after a chance meeting with Bono as he was leaving his place at the San Remo. We knew something good would happen that day as we were walking in Central Park and three little birds flew right in front of us.
CONCLUSION
These are just a few of the reasons why being a U2 fan/follower is so great. In my next entry in two weeks, I'll share a bit about another way that I support Bono's activities for Africa. Until then, take good care of each other and please continue to remember Haiti with your prayers...and your pocketbooks.
by Deborah Kreuser - worldview_14@yahoo.com
In my last column, I talked a bit about why it's so great to be a U2 fan or follower. I detailed a bit about the memorable music and awesome stage tours that U2 have given us over the last thirty years.
I went on to describe the great sense of community that exists within the U2 fanbase and of how that sense of community leads many U2 fans/followers into social activism that often is endorsed by the band.
As an example of this, I would like to share my memories of a VERY SPECIAL event that took place two years ago this weekend - the (AUCTION) RED fundraiser for the Global Fund (www.theglobalfund.org) spearheaded by Bono and Damien Hirst.
(AUCTION)RED
When I first heard of a proposed art auction to take place at Sotheby's in NYC to benefit the Global Fund through (RED), the consumer oriented idea of Bono's to use the marketplace as a vehicle to raise much-needed funds for the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa, I thought that it was a brilliant idea and something that could only come from the creative imagination of Bono.
At the time, I was employed in an Art Museum and thus knew a lot about the artists that were a part of (AUCTION) RED from Jasper Johns to Jeff Koons to Murakawa and Damien Hirst. So the idea of combining what I did for a living with my social activism for Africa was just too good to pass up - I had to go to NYC to be a part of this historic event. So I prepared for this trip which I would take with a close friend and went to NYC arriving there on 12 February - two days before the Valentine's Day auction for (RED).
The next day we went to see the (Auction) RED art exhibit at the Gagosian Gallery. We would later find out that we missed Bono and Damien Hirst at the Gagosian for a TV interview by just two hours. At least we knew that they were close by.
The next day was Valentine's Day - the day of the art auction at Sotheby's. It was a bitterly cold day with temperatures falling to near zero degrees but everyone's hearts at Sotheby's were warm with the spirit of excitement for what good would come out of (AUCTION) RED.
There were about a hundred of us as we stood outside the Gagosian watching the celebrities and artists walk into Sotheby's. Guggi and Gavin Friday were there as well as Michael Stipe and Helena Christensen. But it was the arrival of Bono and Ali Hewson which sent a ripple of electricity through the crowd and ignited our enthusiasm.
As the auction was ending, I was desperate to know how much money was raised by (AUCTION) RED. A Sotheby's employee came outside long enough to let us know that $42 MILLION had been raised that night to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa! I was ecstatic and could not hold back my gratitude for all the artists who had donated their art work to benefit the Global Fund.
I expressed this gratitude directly to Damien Hirst as he came out of Sotheby's, virtually unknown by the majority of people gathered there to catch a glimpse of Bono. He was so moved by my sincere expression of gratitude for all that he had done to make (AUCTION) RED the success that it was that he took my Sotheby's bag and drew one of his infamous skulls on it! Then he signed my bag "With Love, Damien Hirst" and quickly escaped the cold night in the warm comfort of his vehicle.
Other notable people that I met that night included Prof. Jeff Sachs who actually was quite personable and friendly and, of course, Bono, who was in a particularly good mood after the tremendous success of (AUCTION) RED.
We would leave NYC the following day after a chance meeting with Bono as he was leaving his place at the San Remo. We knew something good would happen that day as we were walking in Central Park and three little birds flew right in front of us.
CONCLUSION
These are just a few of the reasons why being a U2 fan/follower is so great. In my next entry in two weeks, I'll share a bit about another way that I support Bono's activities for Africa. Until then, take good care of each other and please continue to remember Haiti with your prayers...and your pocketbooks.
by Deborah Kreuser - worldview_14@yahoo.com
January 31, 2010
FOR BONO: Vision Over Visibility- Update January 31, 2010
As I write this, the Grammy Awards show is on and U2 have so far won nothing. If they do not win for "Best Rock Album" of the year, it will be a shame. NLOTH is one of the most original & creative albums to come out in years and maybe U2's best "themed" album since "The Joshua Tree".
If U2 do not win this award - they should. They stand far above the dribble that I am seeing tonight at the Grammies parading itself as "music". U2 have NOTHING to apologize for or feel embarassed about in NLOTH.
True genius and real talent are often not appreciated at first but the test of time reveals which music is meaningful and eternal. Such it is with U2. KUDOS to them!
-------------------------------------------------------
There are a lot of reasons why it's so GREAT to be a U2 "fan" but it's often hard to put these reasons into words. That's because much of what we love about U2 emanates from the FEELINGS that their music evokes in us - and feelings can be hard to put into words (just ask Bono).
First, there's their music. It's big, bold and beautiful, yet amazingly intimate and personal. Every song that U2 have ever written or performed have come out of a frame of experience for them, whether direct or indirect. Since "Boy", U2 have chosen to take on the "big ideas" of the human experience - love, loss, alienation, redemption, etc - and along the way found an international audience thirsting for music that was more than what they heard on the radio.
Along with their glorious music, U2 have also given us tremendous productions that will probably go down in rock music history as being some of the most elaborate and engaging uses of stage presence ever. From the "Boy" backdrop to the Zoo TV trabants, from the POP Lemon to the current "Claw", U2 in concert is as visual an experience as it is an audio one.
Next to their tremendous compendium of music over the last thirty years, U2 have given us who follow them a sense of community - of belonging to something greater than ourselves. U2 have always sought to break down the barriers between themselves and their audience as they also hoped that their music would break down the barriers that existed within their fanbase.
And in many respects, they have been successful in that endeavor. U2 have brought together their fans and followers from around the world into a truly international community of people who not only support the band but also support the band's social "causes". This has woven the U2 fanbase into a very unique phenomenon unlike any other that I can think of.
As an example of this, I will end this column with a video that I think completely demonstrates the uniqueness of the U2 experience. It is U2's performance of "New Year's Day" at their Chorzow concert in Poland last August. If this video doesn't send chills up your spine and put a smile on your face, then you probably are not the sort of U2 person that I'm speaking of in this column.
Green Day have just won the "Best Rock Album" of the Year which means no respect for NLOTH or U2 at this year's Grammies. Their loss, not U2's.
See y'all in two weeks to complete my ideas on why it's so GREAT to be a U2 fan.
Please continue to remember Haiti with your prayers....and your pocketbooks.
ONLY LOVE, debbie :) worldview_14@yahoo.com
As I write this, the Grammy Awards show is on and U2 have so far won nothing. If they do not win for "Best Rock Album" of the year, it will be a shame. NLOTH is one of the most original & creative albums to come out in years and maybe U2's best "themed" album since "The Joshua Tree".
If U2 do not win this award - they should. They stand far above the dribble that I am seeing tonight at the Grammies parading itself as "music". U2 have NOTHING to apologize for or feel embarassed about in NLOTH.
True genius and real talent are often not appreciated at first but the test of time reveals which music is meaningful and eternal. Such it is with U2. KUDOS to them!
-------------------------------------------------------
There are a lot of reasons why it's so GREAT to be a U2 "fan" but it's often hard to put these reasons into words. That's because much of what we love about U2 emanates from the FEELINGS that their music evokes in us - and feelings can be hard to put into words (just ask Bono).
First, there's their music. It's big, bold and beautiful, yet amazingly intimate and personal. Every song that U2 have ever written or performed have come out of a frame of experience for them, whether direct or indirect. Since "Boy", U2 have chosen to take on the "big ideas" of the human experience - love, loss, alienation, redemption, etc - and along the way found an international audience thirsting for music that was more than what they heard on the radio.
Along with their glorious music, U2 have also given us tremendous productions that will probably go down in rock music history as being some of the most elaborate and engaging uses of stage presence ever. From the "Boy" backdrop to the Zoo TV trabants, from the POP Lemon to the current "Claw", U2 in concert is as visual an experience as it is an audio one.
Next to their tremendous compendium of music over the last thirty years, U2 have given us who follow them a sense of community - of belonging to something greater than ourselves. U2 have always sought to break down the barriers between themselves and their audience as they also hoped that their music would break down the barriers that existed within their fanbase.
And in many respects, they have been successful in that endeavor. U2 have brought together their fans and followers from around the world into a truly international community of people who not only support the band but also support the band's social "causes". This has woven the U2 fanbase into a very unique phenomenon unlike any other that I can think of.
As an example of this, I will end this column with a video that I think completely demonstrates the uniqueness of the U2 experience. It is U2's performance of "New Year's Day" at their Chorzow concert in Poland last August. If this video doesn't send chills up your spine and put a smile on your face, then you probably are not the sort of U2 person that I'm speaking of in this column.
Green Day have just won the "Best Rock Album" of the Year which means no respect for NLOTH or U2 at this year's Grammies. Their loss, not U2's.
See y'all in two weeks to complete my ideas on why it's so GREAT to be a U2 fan.
Please continue to remember Haiti with your prayers....and your pocketbooks.
ONLY LOVE, debbie :) worldview_14@yahoo.com
Sunday, 17 January 2010
January 17, 2010
"FOR BONO: VISION OVER VISIBILITY"
On Monday, 18 January, the U.S. will celebrate its national holiday for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. U2 have a well-known association with the legacy of Dr. King which goes beyond their songs "PRIDE: In the Name of Love" and "MLK" or Bono's exhortations onstage during the Vertigo Tour alluding that Dr. King's Dream was also an "African Dream".
Last year during the MLK Holiday weekend, U2 performed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to celebrate the impending U.S. Presidency of Barack Obama.
One of my alltime favorite U2 stories comes out of U2's outspoken support for the establishment of a national holiday in the USA to honor Dr. King during their Joshua Tree tour.
Bono was especially vocerifous in his support of this idea and soon began to receive anonymous death threats because of it. One night, before a concert in Los Angeles, a threat was received by the band that if they performed the song "PRIDE" then Bono's life was in danger.
True to their beliefs, U2 decided to perform the song that night. While singing the song onstage, a strange spirit overtook Bono and he knelt down at the front of the stage, eyes closed. At that moment, Bono was not sure what would happen to him. When he opened his eyes, he saw Adam standing over him, protecting Bono from any potential threat to his life. This is how Bono recalled the incident:
"Now we get all kinds of racist jibes because we wrote a song for Martin Luther King, or pinko jibes because we did the Amnesty International Tour. Wherever you look we're a target for the loony fringe. So the second night, we're on stage and I'm singing "Pride" thinking 'If someone is going to do it it will be during this number.' So I crouched down on the stage, shut my eyes and for a moment the thought of death crossed my mind. When I looked up I just saw Adam standing over me, between me and the crowd. It was a good, good moment."
Bono's personal relationship with Dr. King's legacy goes back all the way to his childhood. Dr King was one of Bono's earliest heroes and a main influence on his life. Dr King's philosophy of nonviolent resistance to injustice, gleamed from Mohandas Gandhi's ideas, captured Bono's imagination. Growing up in the time of the social turbulence known as "The Troubles" in Ireland, the ideas of nonviolence and compassion toward those who despised you as described by Dr. King greatly molded the person that Bono would become.
BONO AT THE KING CENTER
In January 2004, Bono was invited to The King Center in Atlanta to receive their "Salute to Greatness" Award for his lifelong commitment to Dr. King's Legacy and for his humanitarian activities, especially his advocacy for Africa. I was there that day in Atlanta and spent it following Bono's activities as a contributing reporter at the time for a U2 fansite.
Bono met in the morning with local community HIV/AIDS activists from the Atlanta area and then visited Dr. King's gravesite in the afternoon along with Rep. John Lewis, one of Dr. King's close personal friends and student activist during the Civil Rights Movement. Together, they would lay a big bouquet of white roses at the foot of Dr. King's grave.
Before the actual dinner and award presentation at night, Bono participated in a news conference with Coretta Scott King and otherswho would be present at the Awards ceremony that night. I was privileged to have attended that news conference and I will never forget it.
The closeness between Coretta Scott King and Bono was obvious. They were comfortable in each other's presence. They laughed and enjoyed each other. Coretta called Bono her "son" and Bono exclaimed how good it felt to have a mother again.
It was a TRULY memorable moment that few people got the chance to witness - and I was one of them.
The rest of the day and Bono's amazing speech at the Awards ceremony that evening are chronicled in the link below. It TRULY did feel like "A Sort of Homecoming" for Bono at The King Center that night:
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=73273191&blogId=217569252
In my next blog entry in two weeks, I'll share some of my ideas of why it's so great to be a U2 "fan". Until then, take good care of each other and please remember the People of Haiti with your prayers....and your pocketbook.
ONLY LOVE, debbie :) worldview_14@yahoo.com
On Monday, 18 January, the U.S. will celebrate its national holiday for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. U2 have a well-known association with the legacy of Dr. King which goes beyond their songs "PRIDE: In the Name of Love" and "MLK" or Bono's exhortations onstage during the Vertigo Tour alluding that Dr. King's Dream was also an "African Dream".
Last year during the MLK Holiday weekend, U2 performed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to celebrate the impending U.S. Presidency of Barack Obama.
One of my alltime favorite U2 stories comes out of U2's outspoken support for the establishment of a national holiday in the USA to honor Dr. King during their Joshua Tree tour.
Bono was especially vocerifous in his support of this idea and soon began to receive anonymous death threats because of it. One night, before a concert in Los Angeles, a threat was received by the band that if they performed the song "PRIDE" then Bono's life was in danger.
True to their beliefs, U2 decided to perform the song that night. While singing the song onstage, a strange spirit overtook Bono and he knelt down at the front of the stage, eyes closed. At that moment, Bono was not sure what would happen to him. When he opened his eyes, he saw Adam standing over him, protecting Bono from any potential threat to his life. This is how Bono recalled the incident:
"Now we get all kinds of racist jibes because we wrote a song for Martin Luther King, or pinko jibes because we did the Amnesty International Tour. Wherever you look we're a target for the loony fringe. So the second night, we're on stage and I'm singing "Pride" thinking 'If someone is going to do it it will be during this number.' So I crouched down on the stage, shut my eyes and for a moment the thought of death crossed my mind. When I looked up I just saw Adam standing over me, between me and the crowd. It was a good, good moment."
Bono's personal relationship with Dr. King's legacy goes back all the way to his childhood. Dr King was one of Bono's earliest heroes and a main influence on his life. Dr King's philosophy of nonviolent resistance to injustice, gleamed from Mohandas Gandhi's ideas, captured Bono's imagination. Growing up in the time of the social turbulence known as "The Troubles" in Ireland, the ideas of nonviolence and compassion toward those who despised you as described by Dr. King greatly molded the person that Bono would become.
BONO AT THE KING CENTERIn January 2004, Bono was invited to The King Center in Atlanta to receive their "Salute to Greatness" Award for his lifelong commitment to Dr. King's Legacy and for his humanitarian activities, especially his advocacy for Africa. I was there that day in Atlanta and spent it following Bono's activities as a contributing reporter at the time for a U2 fansite.
Bono met in the morning with local community HIV/AIDS activists from the Atlanta area and then visited Dr. King's gravesite in the afternoon along with Rep. John Lewis, one of Dr. King's close personal friends and student activist during the Civil Rights Movement. Together, they would lay a big bouquet of white roses at the foot of Dr. King's grave.
Before the actual dinner and award presentation at night, Bono participated in a news conference with Coretta Scott King and otherswho would be present at the Awards ceremony that night. I was privileged to have attended that news conference and I will never forget it.The closeness between Coretta Scott King and Bono was obvious. They were comfortable in each other's presence. They laughed and enjoyed each other. Coretta called Bono her "son" and Bono exclaimed how good it felt to have a mother again.
It was a TRULY memorable moment that few people got the chance to witness - and I was one of them.
The rest of the day and Bono's amazing speech at the Awards ceremony that evening are chronicled in the link below. It TRULY did feel like "A Sort of Homecoming" for Bono at The King Center that night:
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=73273191&blogId=217569252
In my next blog entry in two weeks, I'll share some of my ideas of why it's so great to be a U2 "fan". Until then, take good care of each other and please remember the People of Haiti with your prayers....and your pocketbook.
ONLY LOVE, debbie :) worldview_14@yahoo.com
January 2, 2010
"FOR BONO: VISION OVER VISIBILITY"Hello, hello! This is the first entry of many that I will write for this column in "Edge's Blog" devoted to all things U2 - their music, their spirituality and their social activism. It is entitled "FOR BONO: VISION OVER VISIBILITY" as I will endeavor to get to the heart of the subjects that I'll write about. I'll attempt to draw out into the light those aspects of U2 and of ourselves that are often invisible to our daily lives. Quite a lofty goal to aim for, I know, but if you don't aim high in life, how will you ever achieve your goals?
Let's start with an introduction: I have been a U2 follower for nearly thirty years. Being Bono's age, I have grown up parallel to U2, developing my own sense of spirituality and social activism very similarly to theirs. It has been a joyous journey so far with this band and I look forward to many more years of listening to and learning from their music.
Still, I am my own person and revolt against the idea of "fan worship". Having been able to meet several members of the band and having had the chance to spend some time in meetings talking with Bono, I have been able to get a much fuller appreciation of U2 as four individuals and less as one conglomerate whole....and I like it better that way.
I am also a social activist in my own right, starting out with African "causes" as far back as June 1976 - three months before Larry ever put up that infamous note on the Mt. Temple bulletin board for bandmates. So while I follow U2, I retain my own identity which is what I think they really like and respect in their fanbase.
While I love each member of U2 for their essential contributions to the band, Bono always has and always will be my favorite. From the first time that I saw him perform on the Tom Synder show in the USA in 1981, I knew that he was someone special. The optimism in his eyes, the hope in his words and the humility in the way that he lived his life offstage hooked me at an early age and has never let me go....And I hope it never will.
So this is me in several paragraphs. Not a complete introduction but enough for us to get started. I hope that you will feel free to leave your comments after each entry as I truly value what you have to say. Try to keep it positive, though. There's never a reason to be ugly with each other.
I'll be back in two weeks with a remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and of the wonderful day that Bono spent with Coretta Scott King at the King Center in Atlanta GA six years ago ....and I was there to report on it all. Until then, please enjoy this classic U2 video which gives us four essential words to live a peaceful and prosperous life by "I Will Begin Again". I will follow.
Living Positively, debbie :) - worldview_14@yahoo.com
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