Wednesday, September 30, 2009

You Two   [John J. Miller]

Last night, I went to a political rally and a U2 concert broke out. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the show at FedEx Field. They are great performers who can pull from a deep songbook. The stage looked like a gigantic bug, with long legs, bunches of eyes, and big video screens. Yet it was ingenious in how it allowed a 360-degree performance.

And there were the political bits, of course. Bono was dutifully bipartisan. He quoted President Obama. During "One," he thanked President Bush for his leadership on fighting AIDS in Africa. He mentioned Ted Kennedy as he broke into "New Year's Day." At one point, he saluted Nancy Pelosi — and the response from the crowd was decidedly mixed.

The strangest moment came during "Sunday Bloody Sunday" — dedicated to the Iranian democracy protestors. The stage was awash in green lights, a nice tribute to the Green Revolutionaries. Bono invited a man on stage. He was a Sikh, judging from the turban. He carried an American flag, which he waved as he lip-synched the words of the song. During the final verse, Bono put the microphone in his face and they sang, duet-style: "The real battle yet begun/To claim the victory Jesus won." As they say, only in America.

"Walk On" was basically a public-service announcement for Burma's Aun San Suu Kyi. Bono encouraged the audience to help Amnesty International's campaign for her.

This was my fourth U2 show. The last time I went, eight years ago, I wrote a piece for NRO entitled "Shut Up and Sing." It hardly seems possible, but there were more politics this time. And I did leave the stadium wondering a couple of things. Yes, the Iranian democracy protestors are important and deserve our support. But what about the voters in Afghanistan, who will either keep the vote or lose it based on decisions that world leaders (especially just a few miles from FedEx Field) are making right now? If Bono said a single word about them, I didn't hear it. But then public support of that would have been a little more controversial, no? The same with Aun San Suu Kyi. What a brave lady. She also deserves our support. But how about some words for jailed dissidents in Cuba? Unfortunately, as causes go, theirs is not as politically safe.

One more thing: When you're getting all preachy about freedom and democracy around the world, how about a word of thanks for American soldiers, especially the ones who have died trying to spread it?

The last song of the night was "Moment of Surrender," a good tune on the new album. One of the lines speaks of "vision over visibility." Last night, U2 was visible in all of its magnificent rock-n-roll glory. When it comes to politics, if we must have them at all, I would have preferred a slightly different vision.

09/30 06:39 AMShare