U2 has announced that, in honor of the album's 30th anniversary, it will play "The Joshua Tree" in its entirety, start to finish, on its current tour.
If you want to see the show, be prepared for a drive that's at least eight hours.
The Joshua Tree is the fifth studio album by Irish rock band U2.
Shawn RyanYes, the band is coming to Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tenn., in June, but if all you want to see is U2, you still have to buy Bonnaroo's $325 ticket and brave the heat and the traffic, which seems like a lot of effort for a single concert. But maybe not since ticket prices are even higher at some of the other venues. In Tampa, Fla., the closest show to Chattanooga, a mere 575 miles away, prices are only marginally better and, in some cases, so outrageous they constitute blatant ripoffs.
If you want to sit in the nosebleed of nosebleed seats in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium - the seats where binoculars might not even help - it'll cost you $159 per ticket plus fees. To get onto the seat-free stadium floor, you'll pay at least $259. And the "primo" seats in the "Red Zone" right next to the stage, start at a mere $1,700 and go up to $2,870. Are you kidding? Still, if someone is willing to fork out that kind of dough...
All the tour dates are in open-air stadiums, which makes sense considering U2's popularity, not to mention the chance to see "Joshua Tree," a draw that will pull in thousands in and of itself. But open-air is not the best venue for the band.
I've seen them three times, twice in Atlanta's Omni and another at Birmingham's Legion Field. The first Omni show was heads and shoulders above the others. In fairness, though, it was the "Joshua Tree" tour. The second and third shows were for "Zooropa," one in the Omni, one in Legion Field. And "Zooropa" is hardly U2's best.
I've never attended a concert like the one for "Joshua Tree." The atmosphere inside the Omni was, quite simply, religious. A spiritual album anyway, "Joshua Tree" sent the crowd of about 17,000 into a virtual state of rapture. Of course, the arena-filling cloud of weed smoke could have had something to do with the enhanced feeling.
I'm not a huge fan of U2, but the crowd's emotion was overwhelming. It helped immensely that U2's performance was four-star caliber. Then again, if the adoration of the crowd was so all-encompassing, could I be truly objective about the music? Good question. I'd like to think so.
But I have trouble believing that the same atmosphere will be around - or is even possible - when the show is outdoors. That shared feeling of closeness, of camaraderie, seems too difficult to achieve.
And all the smoke will rise up and out of the stadium.
Contact Shawn Ryan at sryan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327.
The lineup
U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Weeknd, Chance the Rapper, Major Lazer, Flume, Lorde, The XX, Travis Scott, Martin Garrix, Cage the Elephant, Marshmello, The Head and the Heart, Big Gigantic, Glass Animals, Future Islands, Tory Lanez, Tove Lo and Crystal Castles. Umphrey's McGee, Portugal. The Man, Tegan & Sara, Milky Chance, Yellow Claw, Cold War Kids, Kaleo, Superjam, Russ, Jon Bellion, Royal Blood, The Strumbellas, Car Seat Headrest, Michael Kiwanuka, Gallant, Louis the Child, D.R.A.M., Borgore, Dualipa, Nghtmre, Getter and Snails. James Vincent McMorrow, Joseph, Illenium, Flatbush Zombies, Amine, Claude Vonstroke, Francis and the Lights, Margo Price, Badbadnotgood, The Front Bottoms, G Jones, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Greensky Bluegrass, Cam, Bad Suns, Coin, Mandolin Orange, Eden and Rainbow Kitten Surprise. Ookay, Herobust, Kevin Morby, Goldfish, No Name, Leon, Bluegrass Situation Superjam hosted by Ed Helms and friends, Albin Lee Meldau, San Holo, Rezz, Angélique Kidjo, Haywyre, Deap Vally, Hippo Campus, Luke Combs, Vanic, Unlike Pluto, Kaiydo, Ten Fé, Nightly, The Orwells, Stick Figure and Mondo Cozmo. Barclay Crenshaw, Goody Grace, July Talk, Turkauz, Lucy Dacus, Klangstof, Kevin Abstract, Khruangbin, The Lemon Twigs, Wilderado, Twin Limb, Big Jesus, Twiddle, White Reaper, River Whyless, Alaxandra Savior, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Innanet James, Ganja White Night, Welles and Aaron Lee Tasjan.