As fascinating a spectacle as was the U2 concert last Saturday night, and as amazing as the boys (can we still call them "boys"?) are as musicians and performers, I would rather have taken my $180 I spent for two tickets and and outrageous sum of $20 I spent for parking and put it in the pockets of the lesser known artists that visit our home for house concerts. I'm not down on Bono and gang, as I enjoyed as much as anyone hearing the songs of my college days --- like "Sunday Bloody Sunday" or "New Years Day" or the more recent "Vertigo." But I guess I'm spoiled. I like hearing artists in the 360 degrees of my den, interacting with them and other friends. At one point Bono said something to the effect that "As amazing as it may seem, we created this spaceship [stage] so we could be closer you," presumably, for community or, as he desribed it, "intimacy on a grand scale." I had to smile inside. Those days are long gone for this band. I was well aware, helped along by the size of the crowd and technological wizardry of sound, lights, and video, that this band is far away from my life. Like any public persona their images are what really exist for practically all of us, not their person. I'm well aware that Bono, The Edge, Adam, and Larry are, theoretically at least, men just like me. But nothing about this spectacle assists me in confirming that theory.
But wait a minute, you say? Wasn't there in some sense a community feeling? Well, the best community I saw was in the parking lot, with tailgate gatherings and picnics, and yet that is something you can find at a football game. As Bono looked out at me, I was keenly aware that I did not know him, nor he me, nor would he really know any of us. I had no opportunity to ask a question about his various social and political causes, for dialogue, so everything he wanted me to think is left unchallenged. The crowd has no megaphone, no screaming video displays, no ability to broadcast our views like he can as the celebrity he is. It is, after all, his show. All we can do is watch, or not.
That's quite a bit different than hearing an artist in a house concert. It's obvious (even painfully obvious at times) that they are human, not so different than me. They are who they are, not some image of themselves. If they say something seemingly definitive, I can ask a question or challenge them on it later. I may be in the audience, but it's not simply their show; it's my show too, and I can influence how it goes. When you're not surrounded by technology and a massive crew that helps you look your best, you are kept humble. If you fail, all will see. And all can forgive.
But I know I'm being too hard on U2. I mean, what can they really do? The days of appearing in the local pubs are long over. Intimacy is not possible. My point is simply that music on that grand a scale has significant drawbacks. The many artists that come to very local venues and house concerts deserve our support, and such venues offer rewards that we'll never find at a U2 concert --- in 360 degrees.
So, if you haven't registered for the upcoming Greg and Rebecca Sparks concert this Saturday at 7:30, do so now. It's intimacy on a small scale. It's an oportunity to support two people who have been making music in their small and humble way for longer than Bono and gang. Who's to say has had the greater impact?
