Occasio

New Graffiti Wall: not invisible

(NOTE: updates have been added below on June 2, 7 & 30)

Just a quick post here gathering a few notes from an amazing new feature on U2's Innocence + Experience tour. Tonight, the fourth night in Los Angeles at The Forum, the band added a graffiti wall (you like that highly technical term I came up with?). In place of the solid yellow wall that appears at the end of "Until The End Of The World," which then morphs into a Johnny Cash presentation of "The Wanderer," and finally anchors the first couple verses of "Invisible," tonight we saw a yellow wall strewn with graphics, cartoon cherubs, drawings and quotes in multiple languages.

Credit: Instagram, trojanchick99

 

Credit: Periscope, @thorhammers

 

Credit: Instagram, matthewbarnes

Here are three things I was able to decipher through photos above that have emerged (the show is still going as I type this).

1. The phrase "Rock & Roll" appears in the upper left corner.
2. The phrase "Tear down the wall and all the others will fall" appears in the upper right corner.
3. A phrase in German is taken from the east side of the Berlin Wall. "VIELE KLIENE LEUTE DIE IN VIELEN KLEINEN ORTEN VIELE KLEINE DINGE TUN, KONNEN DAS DESICHT DER WELT VERANDERN," which translated means, "MANY SMALL PEOPLE WHO IN MANY SMALL PLACES DO MANY SMALL THINGS THAT CAN ALTER THE FACE OF THE WORLD."

Credit: Wikipedia

The new graffiti wall has other images as well, but it clearly conveys the angst of an early '90's Berlin, the forgotten victims of oppression, the tour's theme of unity in the face of division, and the power of aggressive rock music.

All perfect for this set of songs.

 

UPDATE, JUNE 2:

Thanks to the comments of Mona below, I have been able to identify a couple of other images on U2's graffiti wall which are directly reproduced from the Berlin Wall's East Side Gallery.

In the far upper-right corner of the graffiti wall is an image of Russia's Leonid Brezhnev, from the painting, "My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love," in which he is giving a fraternal kiss to East Germany's Erich Honecker. The painting is a depiction of a famous photograph from 1979, capturing an embrace of the two leaders as they celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Communist Party.

Credit: Wikipedia

 

Another image, this one at the top and left of center on the graffiti wall, is also a part of the East Side Gallery.

Credit: Wikipedia

 

The names Rauschebart, Olhagaray, Dahmen and Simon also appear on U2's graffiti wall near the lower left corner. These are artists who helped paint the East Side Gallery in 1990.

 

On a related note, the Trabant, a bare-bones East German car which became emblematic during U2's ZooTV tour and was used in Anton Corbijn's video for "One," can also be found in several places on the Berlin Wall.

Credit: http://caroundtheworld.com/2010/10/27/die-mauern-the-berlin-wall-east-side-gallery/

 

UPDATE, JUNE 7:

This latest nugget came with the assistance of @Cloverground & @JT_isOnline (Twitter). We've tracked down the "yellow angel" on the graffiti wall. It, too, is from the Berlin Wall.

Credit: http://www.ottsworld.com/blogs/angels-around-the-world/

 

UPDATE, JUNE 30:

A U2 fan with an eye for detail (Glen) left a comment below, signaling that the "Yellow Angel" had been removed from the wall. Odd! It's just blurred out at this point. The only reason I can imagine is that the original artist objected to its use. It's a mystery.

New Photo Credit: Jim Porett

 

Another addition. Doc Rings noticed this quote scribbled lower-left of center and posted it on our @u2 blog: "When the power of love is greater than the love of power, the world will know peace." The quote has often been attributed to Jimi Hendrix, but also has other sources.

Credit: Matt Rings

 

 

Credit: unknown, can't confirm this is actually from Berlin Wall

 

 

Prayers for U2 in their loss: We're "One"

I started this post as a Facebook status update, but that simply didn’t seem adequate considering the tragic news out of the U2 camp today.

Below is video I shot last night of U2's final song for the evening, "One." I left the intro intentionally long because of Bono's very thoughtful and reflective state in this stripped down version of the classic song. Now in his mid-fifties, I believe Bono is becoming quite pastoral, offering prayer over the audience/congregation at multiple points throughout the concert. He often asks the assembled tribe to lift up hands of surrender, or challenges them to give up something that hinders them, pronouncing freedom as a priest would remind the faithful of their forgiveness.

 

“Put your hands into the sky,” Bono admonished on May 23 in Phoenix. “We surrender to you—to the God who gave us this great music.”

“This is a song of surrender.” He told a San Jose audience on May 19 as he introduced the iconic “Bad.” “Whatever it is you want to let go of tonight, let it go. You are free. We’re made free—our music, and the God who gave us it.”

There wouldn’t have been a way to know, while introducing “One” last evening, that their dearly loved friend and tour manager, Dennis Sheehan, would pass away in his hotel room during the coming night. But there was already a sense at the The Forum in Los Angeles that something was amiss. The crowd was distant. The spirit muted. Bono had to work hard to connect, and he eventually brought everyone in, but it took most of the concert.

In a final moment, Bono sent us out with a blessing: we get to carry each other. It's an especially poignant thought considering the U2 community has had three major losses in as many months. Pastor Jack Heaslip, a greatly loved spiritual adviser and counselor to the band and crew while on tour, passed at the end of February. Larry Mullen Sr., the father of the famous drummer and the one who encouraged Larry Jr. to post a note announcing the formation of a band in high school, died just days before the tour started. And now, Dennis Sheehan, a gentle, caring man and the only tour manager U2 has had for over thirty years (a characteristic common of the U2 crew), is gone.

Last night’s emotional performance of “One” wasn’t exactly a premonition or a foreshadow of what was to come, but I do believe that the band demonstrated a sensitivity to the Spirit already present and at work during the show and then into the wee morning hours ahead. As I think about the significant losses the entire U2 family has faced in the last three months, I offer prayers and condolences, and am reminded, “We’re one, but not the same.”

U2's Innocence + Experience: a tribe gathers in Vancouver

I never would have thought to call on the memory of a punk rocker as an invocation for worship, but that’s what happened in Vancouver two nights in a row for the opening of U2’s Innocence + Experience tour. As Bono stepped into the sold out crowd at Rogers Arena, he played the part of choir director, leading a chorus of “ooh-ooh-oh-oh,” then immediately moving out of the way to let the audience sing during an extended intro for “The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone).”

The choice of “Miracle” illustrates a principle on which U2 is founded: the band is the conductor, but the real performers are on the floor and in the stands. Always on a quest to remove barriers between themselves and audience (a theme that is accentuated on this tour by actually creating a barricade separating the “north” and “south” sides, and then removing it), U2 delivered on its promise of an intimate evening, right from the start. Filled with rich metaphors of dreams, fears, specters, pilgrims, sights and sounds—all part of the spiritual imagery permeating the song—“Miracle” welcomed fans back into the fold. And the tribe relished its reunion.

For me, two very different experiences, one each night, helped reignite the spirit of U2’s diverse community, providing a way for audience members to both engage the band and each other.

 

"Song For Someone," young Bono playing guitar in bedroom

 

Concert #1, Thursday, May 14

Early in the first concert, as part of a carefully crafted liturgy, three songs brought the crowd into a gripping communal experience. Though “Song For Someone” was dedicated to his wife, it also became a reflection on Bono’s own teen years. Lost in the grief and pain of his mother’s death, the massive state-of-the-art LED screen illustrated the teenage-Bono’s life in an empty house, alone and seemingly purposeless. Gazing up at the screen, the adult Bono sang to his younger self, “There is a light, don’t let it go out.” The acoustic version of “Sunday Bloody Sunday, which followed, was equally riveting as U2 spread out on the ramp dividing the audience. Then came a barrage of historic media clips about the infamous Dublin bombings of May 17, 1974, the subject of the next song, “Raised By Wolves.” Deeply emotional, the accompanying graphics drew the audience into that horrifying day, ending with a tribute to the 33 people who died in the explosions. The message was overwhelming: “Justice for the forgotten.” As U2 relived the trauma of its early years, we as an audience were each forced to consider the pain of our own past and how we might respond in peace and reconciliation.

 

"Raised By Wolves," tribute to bombing victims

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Concert #2, Friday, May 15

Where the first night in Vancouver reminded me of the fallenness of our humanity, the second restored a sense of hope. During the encore, Edge’s simple guitar, layered in delay, was answered by Bono’s impassioned response, “If you, twist and turn away....” In “Bad,” the brutal chaos of the human condition is met with the plea to “Let it go.” “Surrender,” invited Bono. In an almost religious experience, the frontman offered counsel to those in pain. “Anybody want to be free from addiction tonight?” asked Bono. “You’re not alone.” As the iconic song came to an end, he sang, “At the moment of surrender, I fell down to my knees. Let it go. Let it go. Let it go,” hands held high in a prayer-like posture of intercession (or was it absolution?) for the crowd. From there, we were transported to a place where love reigns, banishing the pain, transforming the loneliness. “Where The Streets Have No Name,” reminded us of our journey together. And, in this version, Bono revisited the second song of the concert, “California,” nicely completing a theme, singing, “Love, love, love, there is no end to love.” It was a divine benediction for a lofty evening.

 

Abstract crosses made of light, used during "City Of Blinding Lights" and "Bad"

 

So much more could be mentioned. Scripture falling from the ceiling during the apocalyptic “Until The End Of The World.” The remembrance of “Iris,” with film clips from Bono’s childhood. The chaos and beauty of a neighborhood highlighted with exquisite graphics during “Cedarwood Road.” And all were made more meaningful by the act of experiencing them together.

At the end of the second concert, Bono thanked the crowd for coming from all over the world to join with the tour premier, and graciously pointed to the uniqueness of the U2 community. “It’s just an amazing thing—whatever’s going on—it’s a phenomenon; equal, and better, to what’s going on on stage is what’s going on in the crowd, the U2 crowd, a very special people.” Those who have been to a U2 show will likely agree. And for that reason it’s a very special band.

Throughout the show, the rich symbolism of U2’s music was matched with equally inspiring and visually stunning imagery. If the band and company wanted to create a personal and engaging experience with the audience, they abundantly succeeded, even surpassing any expectations I had. Boldly combining the high-tech innovation of ZooTV with the warmth and intimacy of Elevation, this tour offers an evening of both innocence and experience, as U2 takes its community on a tribal journey that feels as much like spiritual ritual as it does rock concert.

 

Pages of Psalms, Dante and Alice In Wonderland fall during "Until The End Of The World"

 

Amazing visuals throughout show, "With Or Without You"

 

The Joshua Tree lives!

Christian love amidst hate and neglect

The news today is sobering, especially after hearing and reflecting on Pastor James Bergen’s sermon from yesterday at North Fresno Church. Our congregation is in a series on 1 John and it’s hard to miss the point. It’s the Gospel in tweets:

Truths so simply put, they’re nearly impossible to fulfill. That’s the irony of the upside down kingdom.

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.  (I John 4:7-8)

I learned these verses as a kid and even sang them as a camp song. But the older I get, the more difficult these fundamental principles become. Count up the “one another” statements in the New Testament—there’s 47, all encouraging love, forgiveness, service, compassion, honesty, fellowship, patience and more. Love is the means by which God presents himself and his mission to the world. We are the conduits through which that love flows, not just to those who reciprocate love back to us, but to everyone.

So, the news this morning was a slap in the face. Hate and neglect still surface and raise their ugly heads.

In Texas, two gunmen stormed a meeting yesterday, opening fire and injuring a security guard. These jihadists, in turn, were killed by police. That’s a terrible situation and I’m glad others weren't hurt or killed. I imagine these gunmen were filled with rage, but they weren't the only haters at the scene. The meeting they were interrupting was an anti-Islamic gathering where participants had the chance to win $10,000 by entering cartoons they had drawn of Muhammad (an act of blasphemy for Muslims). The organizer, Pamela Geller, planned this event specifically to draw out and taunt the Muslim community. The British government has classified Geller’s organization as a hate group. Promoted as a “free speech” event, it was clearly nothing less than an act of disdain and ridicule. Unfortunately, many Christians and church leaders have taken similar approaches, holding aggressively hostile positions against Islam.

Closer to home, there’s more devastating news out today. A new study appearing in the New York Times lists “The Best and Worst Places to Grow Up,” noting that “Fresno County is extremely bad for income mobility for children in poor families. It is among the worst counties in the U.S.” The county I live in ranks 97^th out of 2,478, which means it’s at the bottom 4% of all counties in America, receiving poor scores in five areas: less segregation by income and race, lower levels of income inequality, better schools, lower rates of violent crime, and a larger share of two-parent households. In short, children who are born into poverty in Fresno County have very little chance of ever escaping the cycle. Sadly, many churches are either complacent or ignorant about the situation.

God is love. He loves us. We ought to love others.

Christians are not called to hate or intentionally defame and deride others. Rather than protest against Muslims, we might be more productive—and strengthen our witness—by finding projects we can partner in together and by practicing hospitality. And, similarly, Christians can't afford to default to ignorance. The prophets continually blasted God’s people for their neglect of those who were powerless and suffering: the widow, the orphan and the foreigner in their midst. If every one of the more than 500 churches in Fresno reached out in a spirit of service to one of the 80 nearby elementary schools, children trapped in poverty would have a much better chance of escaping the bleak destiny that's already been charted out for them. Think of all the tutoring, caring and nurturing that could happen! It’s a simple equation: love + time/effort = change.

Defaulting either to hate or neglect is unconscionable for the Christian community. We can and should do better than that. The letter of 1 John doesn't allow for any other options.