‘Stories Of Surrender’ The Book Tour

Something amazing happened at the Orpheum. I was literally on THE EdGE of my seat the entire time, hanging on every word, every note, and simultaneously feeling both awakened as the 12 y/o fangirl who discovered U2 when her local radio station played the entire album and fully alive as the 42 y/o fangirl in the audience. The finale was phenomenal. For most my life I have listened to Bono’s voice, and I have never heard THAT!!

The show in Los Angeles was a life-changing experience with #Bono at The Orpheum Theatre. Watching him bring his book to life and having U2 songs sung to you with different arrangements was amazing! These stories are what make U2 one of the greatest rock bands. They are the soundtrack for my life! #SurrenderBookTour #SurrenderMemoir

In anticipation of last night's show, I read the book languorously, savoring all aspects of it, reading it not in my own typical devouring of the text (I am a true velocireader, as my screen name implies), but instead completely hearing Bono deliver his own story, at his own pace. I do not know if I have ever fully actualized in my head an author's voice as truly as I did with this or if what happened was the culmination of 31 years of active- almost rabid, devotional fandom; perhaps it was a combination of both B's true Wordsmith status as well as the absorption of B's voice into my own consciousness and being. Talk about an ultimate art experience! Whoa. Whatever it was, I was extremely grateful to have had sufficient funds accessible to purchase a resale ticket and experience the show. The theater was a new one to me and its century-old grandness was a character itself in the performance. You could immediately see Mr. Williams in the inventive set design, scaled back--reined in, almost-- as I wondered aloud to the two strangers I was sitting next to if it was indeed, a "Willie Williams" production. How did I even question that? As soon as the visual presentation of lights began, there was no doubt. I was pleased I had read it before hand and not taken my brother's advice to keep the experience totally new and surprising by not. Yes, approaching it as a fusion of a musical performance and literary tour was the correct one, at least for a literary person such as myself. The show itself reminded me of the theater I saw while living in Dublin from '96 to '97; so, utterly, completely, "Irish." It was Bono emoting Samuel Beckett, and, in my biased opinion, succeeding. But what do I know? I am a U2 fan first and foremost. Bono is a man of evolution. He knows that his body and voice have aged, have changed. No one at 62 has the same voice they did in their youthful heyday. But he is a master at understanding this and embracing it in full, which makes his voice as beautiful as it was at 30. He too also understands that his body is unable to express itself as fully as his ever-sharp mind wants it to. The choreography was as passionate and exuberant as ever, albeit subdued to accommodate an aging and much more easily injured body (I feel you, man! Osteoarthritis in the spine can really put a damper on one’s previous joyful expressions through dance, as it has with me and my dancing and I am only in my 40's.) But even in as conservative and refined a venue as the Orpheum, I still couldn’t help myself in yelling out in ecstasy as Bono gyrated his way through Desire. Sorry if I disrupted anyone else! To see this is to bring us fans so much pleasure and this pleasure can cause a form of selfishness. The crescendo of the evening was Bono's rendition of what I think (not being all too familiar with Opera myself) was La Traviata; he may have had a live audience, but he was truly singing just to his father. I do not think one can experience a more beautiful rendition of it, even by Pavarotti himself. Just utterly, stunningly poignant. The whole experience, from pre-ordering the book back in May, to reading it at my leisure, to the stress of securing a ticket, to the performance itself was cathartic. I am blessed to have had this man (and all of U2, with Edge being edged out by an edge by Bono) in my life since early adolescence, helping to mold not only my personal aesthetic, but my guiding principles. Thank you for this exceptional addition to my life.