I was fortunate enough to score a reasonably priced ticket from another fan and joined 103,000 other fans at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on October 25th.  Opening act was the Black Eyed Peas who were really fun and entertaining, with Slash joining them for a cover of “sweet child o’ mine”.  The 360 tour stage was vastly large at a cost of more than $40 million to build; imagine a giant spaceship claw that rises 200 feet up.  It’s hard to believe but U2 still haven’t broken even on the tour… the cost is approximately $750,000/day of operating costs… despite selling out nearly every stadium/theatre.  Anyhow, what a joy to see these lads from Ireland rock out finally.  I have been a fan for more than 25 years but had never seen them; lame – i know!   I can still recall when Rattle and Hum movie came out at Midnight and I got a free album with it.  I was such a fan and still am of the Joshua Tree – one of my all time favorite recordings.  Even with all the technology and visuals that u2 employs with their big shows – the songs from the Joshua Tree speak to the soul with just the melodies alone.  Amazingly, the red seats at these concerts are auctioned and will raise approximately $9 million to charity.  Bono has done a lot for the world, as has u2 and it’s inspiring… one love, one love, one love.  A highlight for me was seeing the Edge, as I have been a huge fan of his guitar work for many years…  I don’t know any guitar player who thinks that much about their wall of “sound” per se without the desire to be a total shredder showman… but he’s just humbly there doing his role as equal with his bandmates.  A lesson to be learned for many…