Erick and I left Timbers Court, Columbia, MO at 4 a.m. and boarded the train in St. Louis at 6:20.
We passed through miles of Illinois prairie before we reached the foothills of the suburbs.
Then finally the glass and stone mountains and canyons of Chicago.
From Union Station we took a short walk on downtown streets.
We stayed with my cousin Michael and his fiancé Ling on the southern edge of downtown. Here's the view north from their building.
After an afternoon of cold beer and college football, we took a short walk to Soldier Field (a walk made much longer by cousin Fred's "shortcut"). We were seated directly in front of the stage.
The opening act, Snow Patrol, gave a passionate and rocking performance. But at 8:45, with a puff of smoke and a flash of light, the 254 ton, 164-foot-tall space ship took off.
I didn't have the space or time to capture every iteration of the magnificent stage, but here's a quick snap of the LED screen that hung from the center. The 500,000-pixel, 360-degree screen was 23 feet tall when fully compressed, but it could also stretch to a 72-foot-tall cone, as seen here.
The stage was part of the show, and always an extension of the message. For "City of Blinding Lights" beams of light towered straight into the sky.
The band performed "Sunday Bloody Sunday" bathed in green light and showing images of the latest "Bloody Sunday" events from the Iran protests.
After 2 hours and 10 minutes of an emotional and fantastic show, Erick and I were filled but exhausted. It was a beautiful day.
EPILOGUE:
I was up before sunrise on Sunday for a run on the shore of Lake Michigan. I ran with Man's majestic skyline on my left and Nature's simple yet elegant skyline on my right. Then it was time to leave Chicago. Having passed a Dunkin Donuts on every block, we eventually caved and bought a dozen for the train ride home.
I sank into my train seat, my soul still glowing and my heart still humming.
6 comments:
Wow! For having no words yet, you sure set it up well. Sounds like the weekend of a lifetime. So glad you two got to share that. Last night, Sophia asked Erick, "Was your date with Uncle David fun?" He answered, "Yep."
Can't wait for more words! Oh, and thanks for the leftover donuts. When are we opening a Dunkin' Donuts in CoMo?
These were awesome pics and words. It was a great experience that touched my soul.
"Yep" still sums it up right now.
Ah, I love the picture journal!
Thanks, not bad pictures for a phone. There will be plenty of talk about the amazing concert, I wanted to say the trip was fun too and the city beautiful.
Its something you never get used to. I left this concert just as affected as I was the very first time I saw U2. And who knew adding Dunkin Donuts could contribute so much to an already amazing experience.
I'd go to Chicago just for the donuts...and Ikea of course.
Post a Comment