Hold Me Now, Oh Hold Me Now

I've been in a great mood today - it's exactly one month to the day until I will be standing in a stadium that will be transformed into a cathedral. U2's last show on the year-long Vertigo tour is scheduled for April 8 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.

It was scheduled for April 8.

Tracy and the kids are at church tonight, so I threw the Vertigo 05 DVD in the player, turned up the surround sound and snuggled in on the couch with my laptop. A chance to relive the show and get some work done at the same time. I had to put the computer away for the Love and Peace/Sunday/Bullet/Running to Stand Still segment. It's too powerful, too moving. I worshiped with the band as we sang, "Halle- Halle- Halle-lu-jah..."

As Pride fired up and brought me and the virtual audience to new hope for peace on a desperate planet, I quickly logged on to U2.com to get some clarification on a lyric. Here is what I found had been posted a couple of hours earlier.

Vertigo '06: Final Dates Postponed.

It is with great regret that tour promoter The Next Adventure announces the postponement of the final ten dates of U2's Vertigo '06 tour. This action is unavoidable due to the illness of an immediate family member of one of the band. The effected dates are listed below.

'Any fan of U2 will realize that this decision has not been taken lightly', said TNA President Arthur Fogel. 'We will announce further details as soon as we have them.'

Wow, I was so up... and now so low. A family member in peril. First thought: All that money for airline and concert tickets. Second thought: I should be ashamed. Yes, cancel the show - go to your family. Third thought: How the band must be grieving tonight. Fourth thought: What if it were my son? How could I ever recover?

It's easy to speculate about which family member is suffering. I won't go into it here; the band values the privacy of their families so much. You may not know the band and their material the way many of us who follow them do. Let me assure you these are brothers in Christ, family members. They have relentlessly intervened for Africa. Let us do so for them....

The band has recorded so many songs of lament and petition, especially when advocating for others. Here is one that seems appropriate for this evening....

Van Diemen's Land
Lyrics and Music by The Edge

Hold me now, oh hold me now
Till this hour has gone around
And I'm gone on the rising tide
For to face Van Diemen's Land

It's a bitter pill I swallow here
To be rent from one so dear
We fought for justice and not for gain
But the magistrate sent me away

Now kings will rule and the poor will toil
And tear their hands as they tear the soil
But a day will come in a dawning age
When an honest man sees an honest wage

Hold me now, oh hold me now
Till this hour has gone around
And I'm gone on the rising tide
For to face Van Diemen's Land

Comments

[anait]

They are indeed brothers. I continue to pray for them for this particular situation, and for their continued journey. God bless them and hold them.

[Regina O'Numb]

I´m from Brazil. I love your words, here. It´s an inspiration to everyone, every day. God Bless U2 and their families and friends! Best wishes to all!