Bono - SONGS OF SURRENDER
SONGS OF SURRENDER
BONO AT THE BEACON THEATRE (NEW YORK, NY)
Mr. Paul David Hewson (who the world better knows as BONO, the charismatic front man of U2, one of the most famous rock bands in history), released an autobiographical book titled “SURRENDER – 40 SONGS, 1 STORY” back on November 1, 2022. The very next evening he embarked on the first leg of his “SONGS OF SURRENDER” show at New York City’s storied Beacon Theatre. Fast-forward to April 29th, 2023 and Bono has returned to The Beacon for the second leg of this tour, selling out the theatre every night to standing ovation crowds.
Absolutely no phones, cameras or electronic devices were allowed in the concert hall as per Bono and his management. The staff at the Beacon handled this obstacle with great professionalism and grace. Once passing through the metal detectors each attendee was assigned a pouch to put their phone/devices in which was locked by staff and returned to you upon exiting of the venue. A very novel/unique system.
The stage was very stark and barren set-up, unlike the over the top flamboyant U-2 Stages of the “Pop” or “360” tours. This stage simply had a table with chairs on one side, two chairs with a small table with a pint of Guinness and a shot of whiskey on the other side and two large black screens in the background that displayed projected primitive images drawn by Bono himself throughout the evening
Part “concert”, part story, the Irish-born vocalist took the packed venue on a whirlwind journey of his childhood in Dublin, meeting his U2 bandmates and his wife Ali Stewart. He spoke in detail about his rise to superstardom and his life of activism and humanitarianism benefiting AIDS charities and the people of Africa. But not all is “rock and roll euphoria” in this tale: The show actually opens with Bono re-living the terror of his open-heart surgery at New York’s Mount Sinai hospital in 2016 and of losing his mother at the young age of 14 as well as the father/son strife that followed all throughout the years and his feelings of uncertainty and doubt.
The show was sprinkled with Bono’s amazing humor, with one of the best lines of the evening about what he said to his U2 brothers when he began this endeavor. “I told them this would only be for one night”, he explained to the laughter of the crowd. To my surprise, Bono happens to be quite the impressionist: He mimicked Bill Clinton’s voice perfectly as he recalled a humanitarian meeting with the former US President: The crowd was roaring!
In-fact, the audience was on its feet many times as Bono and his wonderfully talented three piece back up ensemble, (Gemma Doherty on Harp, keyboard and back up vocals; Kate Ellis on Cello, and U2 musical director Jacknife Lee on percussion and electronic additions), played thoughtfully arranged versions of many U2 classics throughout the almost 2-hour performance. Bono’s voice was strong and beautifully resonant throughout the gorgeous almost 100-year-old theatre.
Finally, as with most performances, the very best was saved till the last. In tribute to his late father Bob, Bono performed a rendition of the 1894 Italian song “TORNA A SURRIENTO”, made world renowned by opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti. First giving account of his father meeting Pavarotti at a benefit Bono was performing in Modena Italy post collaboration with the opera great. He explained that his father was quite a good tenor himself, who often chided Bono that “he was a baritone WISHING he was a tenor.” Singing this piece with such beautiful heart-wrenching perfection that upon ending, the audience was so dumbstruck that applause was delayed for a few moments until the crowd seemingly came back to earth after witnessing this magical performance. The standing ovation lasted more than five minutes!
As the folks who attended were waiting for their electronic device pouches to be unlocked so they could exit the theatre, I looked over at two women who were gushing about how wonderful the show was. I smiled and nodded at them in agreement. One of the women summed it as perfectly as anyone could, “We were just bitch-slapped by the emotional freight train of perfection known as Bono.” Indeed, we were.
Pat Cacioppo
GetAMPED Magazine