U2 by UV Brings It Again!

Last year, I saw a picture in the paper that caught my eye.  I thought it was a picture of the band U2 but when I read the caption, it was a tribute band that was performing down the street at Freebirds.  My Sis, and Bro in law went with us to check it out and we were blown away by the band U2 by UV.  We have literally been counting down the months until they returned.  We had even talked about going on a road trip to see them in South Florida! 

Last Friday, was the big day! I invited every Facebook friend that I thought would be interested and talked to everyone else about this concert!  We were pumped and could hardly wait to dance and sing to our favorite U2 songs.  I was so happy that my childhood best friend Jennifer was coming!   She and I had gone to several U2 shows together back when we were teenagers!  On U2’s last tour, we went to Tampa to see them and Jenny hooked us up with rooms in a beautiful resort! 

The thing I was so bummed about was SOOO many things were happening the same night as this concert, weddings, graduations and one of the biggest events of the year, Never Quit. I had about 20 people who had conflicts that couldn’t make it.  The main one I was upset about was my nephew William who has become a HUGE U2 fan and as he puts it “I am pretty invested in the school of the Edge!” He has mastered Edge’s style of guitar playing which is an art in itself.  I was looking forward to him meeting “The Edge” and them having an in depth guitar conversation!  I have given William some of my U2 paraphernalia through the years and even rocks from the famed Red Rocks Amphitheater where U2 recorded, “Under a Blood Red Sky!”   I am so happy I have another U2 obsessed family member who appreciates such things!!! 

Marie, Tampa 2009

I was so pleasantly surprised to run into my college best friend Michell and her boyfriend who were also going to the concert!!  It was going to be a blast!  Michelle and I went on a few U2 concert road trips through the years and she may or may not have smuggled recording devices into shows for me to bootleg the concerts!  The only person that was missing was Marie.  I met Marie in Lakeland in 1992 when we were waiting behind the venue for U2 to come do their sound check.  When Larry Mullen, Jr. pulled up on his motorcycle, the bedlam that ensued was a sight to behold.  Marie and I instantly bonded in a freakish way and from then on, shared so many concert memories together and become linked together forever in our hearts.

Finally this much anticipated night was here!  We got to Freebirds, visited with everyone we knew and even got a few pictures before we heard the beginnings of "Even Better than the Real Thing!”  All my friends who were there were pleasantly surprised at how much this band sounded exactly like U2. They don’t mess around with the arrangements of the songs but keep them as close to the original as possible, which true fans appreciate!! The lead singer not only looks and sounds just like Bono but performs just like him too, interacting with the crowd with Bono-like Charisma!  One of my favorite things about the show was my husband who danced more enthusiastically than anyone there!  He actually sat down for half of the real U2 show so I was really shocked and impressed!!  My awesome brother in law, Brett danced like a maniac too but I failed to document it in pictures!

I also so appreciated the band doing some serious classics like One Tree Hill and 40. The song 40 is the actual straight scripture from Psalms 40 and has always meant so much to me!  I had an explosion of U2 memories going on in my head and a stream of friend’s faces that I have shared special concert memories with.  I may or may not have teared up at this point!  Life is like a blur to me since I “borrowed” my brothers U2 October and War cassettes 30 years ago.  Little did I know, I would become a dedicated, life-long fan of U2!  I want to thank the band U2 by UV for their dedication and commitment in honoring U2’s music with a spirit of excellence.  The lead singer said from the stage that it means the world to them for us to be singing our hearts out and enjoying the music so much.  He said if he wasn’t with us, he would be rocking out alone to U2 music and I believe him!  They have put some serious time into giving us a real U2 experience and this mother of 5, who never gets out, greatly appreciates the effort!  So for now, it’s back to U2 on the iPod until U2 by UV returns again!