RELATIONSHIPS November 7, 2005 Issue

U2 CAN BE A WITNESS TO PEACEFUL RELATIONS

SCOTT COOLIDGE

the current world tour of the Irish rock band U2 reminds me of an experience I had in November 2001, during the group's "Elevation" tour in the United States. I had been very fortunate to obtain a floor ticket at the last minute to their concert in Los Angeles. There were over 20,000 fans in attendance, several thousand crowded on the floor of the arena near the stage where I was standing.

Before the start of the concert, I remember looking at that mass of people in that arena and thinking something like, "Maybe it's just too much to ask for world peace; there are so many people, so many different cultures and religions. Someone is bound to not get along with someone else."

Shortly after, a man standing behind me challenged another man who he thought was cutting in front of him to get a better place near the stage. The confrontation quickly escalated, and they exchanged profanities and verbal threats. Once the other man wedged his way back to his friends, he quickly engaged them in seeking revenge. People began yelling at each other, and it seemed that a fight was certain to break out. A woman behind me pleaded with one of them to stop the arguing and to remember that we were all there to enjoy the concert. That man turned on her with a verbal threat and profanity as well. I was concerned that if a fight broke out, many innocent people would be hurt and possibly unfairly escorted out of the arena by security guards.

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