Peace On Earth. No, seriously…
As you well know, normally at this time of year I can be found hanging out in the mall, mouthing the words to Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmas Time”, or Wham’s “Last Christmas,” unashamed of how ridiculous I must look, a grown man in his ugly sweater, searching for a Minion sippy cup, or a restroom…
But this season, I confess, I’ve had more difficulty than usual getting in “the spirit”. The terrorist massacre in Paris a few weeks ago. Then in San Bernadino. And in the aftermath, the dark, bombastic political rhetoric and hate mongering. The grim saber rattling (and I don’t mean lightsabers). The semi-automatic response to everything. Sweet Jesus, how am I gonna listen to Mariah Carey at a time like this?!
And suddenly, a break in the clouds, a voice through the din, and the music takes its place on stage once again. And it’s from a band I was never the biggest fan of, but have total respect for: U2. Bono. Rock star. Ambassador. Peace maker.
U2’s Paris concerts, which were to have been taped for an HBO special, had to be cancelled in the aftermath of the terrorist attack. But they were quickly rescheduled, taking place just days ago at the AccorsHotel Arena. In his recent interview with The New York Times, Bono noted “these extremists are a death cult. We’re a life cult. Rock ’n roll is a life force, and its joy an act of defiance. That’s what U2 is…(and) it’s the very heart of our audience. I can now already hear that we will be drowned out by that French crowd.”
In an act of solidarity with their “fellow troubadours,” U2 invited the band Eagles of Death Metal to join them on stage for a thunderous performance of Patti Smith’s “People Have The Power”. This was the band whose concert at the Bataclan theatre three weeks earlier had seen the slaughter of nearly 100 people. And now, a powerful moment, for both bands, and for the nearly 20,000 fans in attendance.
The very next night it was U2’s final concert of the tour, again at the AccorsHotel Arena in Paris. And on this night, Patti Smith took the stage with the band and sang her song of defiant self-assertion with the boys. Another stunning and stirring moment, for the fans, for the world.
I get a little weepy this time of year, a sucker for everything tugging at the heartstrings, whispering to the soul. We mourn the losses…we celebrate the lives. Emotional whiplash. I think music helps us cleanse the psychic palette, feel something cathartic where there were knots of unspeakable worry and discomfort. Tidings of comfort and rock ‘n roll joy. I can’t quantify this, but I stand by it.
Maybe it’s one reason that Adele’s music is so overwhelmingly successful at this moment. Her rich, soulful voice touches us with its unadorned passion and honesty. Our 27 year-old mother figure—no backup dancers, no cosmetics endorsements. Her new album sold more copies in its first week than Taylor Swift sold in all of 2015…Hello. (She once said, and I’m paraphrasing, “I’d rather have a nice lunch with my friends than go to a gym!” Comfort and joy!)
Again, responding to a question by a Times reporter about the rescheduling of U2’s final tour dates from Belfast to Paris, Bono found poignant irony in the terror and bombings in Northern Ireland over 40 years earlier:
“How bizarre is it—and in a funny way, how inspiring—that when we left Paris we went straight to Belfast and we found peace? We found hope. This was (once) supposed to be an intractable problem… People had to really compromise to make this peace. When you get bleak about things and think… is there an end to this? Yeah, there is, it just takes lots of work, lots of time. I was never a hippie—I’m punk rock, really. I was never into: ‘Let’s hold hands, and peace will come…’ No. Peace is the opposite of dreaming. It’s built slowly… through brutal compromises and tiny victories that you don’t even see. It’s a messy business, bringing peace into the world. But it can be done, I’m sure of that.”
Thank you, Bono, for helping me get a bit of the spirit back. I may not be quite ready to celebrate (i.e.afford) “The Season Of Audi”, or Lexus’ “December To Remember”. But I think I can resume the search for a Kylo Ren Deluxe Electronic Lightsaber for Timmy…
Whether you believe in Father Christmas or not, it doesn’t much matter. This holiday season, good will toward men, and women, will do just fine.
Oh, and remember to turn the volume up.
