i love the edge...

ok, so while i've got the memories fresh, this is for you, faetryn...

started off the night almost getting run over by (not really, but kinda sorta - they were trying to get into the parking lot), and then running into, the lead singer of sum 41 and avril lavigne...dude, they're tiiiiiny! but since i'm a closet avril lavigne fan (i guess i'm out now...hey, we all have our guilty pleasures), that was a cool way to start the night.

we didn't get into the inner circle (faetryn - no divine intervention, but i guess i didn't pray hard enough), but we ended up getting pretty close to the edge of the circle. so while we didn't get the best view of the main stage (sucks to be a small asian girl sometimes - actually a lot of times), when they came out on the circle, we were stinkin' close...i could see their stubble. which totally made the concert for me. ;p

i don't even know where to begin. they played all of the songs i wanted to hear, and it was amazing just to be in the crowd, singing along, cheering and screaming, jumping up and down...

what i loved about this concert, and what made it the best one i've ever been to, is that it wasn't just about their music (which is enough in and of itself)...but there was a depth and meaning to the music that i've never encountered at a concert before. some may say that bono's a little over-the-top, or preachy, but he was expressing his passion, a passion that really resonated with me (especially the aspects of global poverty, hiv/aids - am i a public health nerd or what?), and it came across in the music, even bringing new meaning to songs i've been listening to since way back when. i can't fully explain it, but it was an awesome experience.

some little details:

- in the first encore, bono forgot the words to the third verse of "who's gonna ride your wild horses"...it was great just to see him laughing at himself.

- during that same song, the edge broke one of the strings on his acoustic guitar. the amazing thing...i don't think most of us noticed until we saw one of the roadies trying to bring him another guitar...but he played out the rest of the song on the original guitar. you guys know how a broken string totally changes the sound of a guitar...but you could see the edge adjusting the chords and there was no break in the music. which is why...i love the edge. he gives off such an understated vibe, but he's so amazing. and i don't even play guitar, so i probably can't even appreciate how amazing he is...

- so they did two encores, but after they left the stage on the second encore, the crowd would've stayed there calling for a third if they hadn't turned on the lights and signaled the end. that's exactly how i felt - they played over 2 hours, but i still wanted more...