The Nine Years’ War

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The Nine Years’ War

Just got back from a great weekend in Toronto to see Elevation’s 9th Anniversary show on Friday, April 8.  They are a wonderful Canadian U2 Tribute Band that I’ve mentioned before in this blog and will continue to mention – if you ever have the chance to see them, you must!  Even though I just saw them in Calgary last month, the appeal of them playing both Achtung Baby and The Joshua Tree in their entirety for this show was too  good to miss, and we flew out from Regina on Friday morning for the weekend.  My husband and I met up with my friend Tracey (AKA Bonogirl) who drove up for the weekend – we just couldn’t wait until the first 360 shows so we let this tide us over for now and had a great time of it.

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Elevation…. jubilation…

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Elevation…. jubilation…

Just a very quick dispatch after the return from Calgary – had a great time – good weather, lots of Jameson and too much fun!  Was great to see the U2 friends we made last year and feel the same excitement we felt in 2010 before the summer U2 concerts once again.

Took the Joshua Tree hat into Smithbilt Hats in Calgary for a custom trim job (needed to get the brim just right) and a perfect sizing… now it’s ready to rock the summer of U2!

As well, someone threw her Music Rising Les Paul in the trunk to see if Mr. The Kevin Strom would like to play it – was thrilled to see him use it for Zooropa and Even Better Than The Real Thing!  And it even came back perfectly tuned, an excellent bonus (thanks Kevin ).

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Watching a U2 Tribute Band vs. hearing a U2 cover

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Watching a U2 Tribute Band vs. hearing a U2 cover

As far as I’m concerned, the more U2 there is out there, the better.  Even if it’s bad U2, it’s still fun.  Goodness knows I’ve heard bad renditions of songs by bands that I cannot stand, so it’s obvious to me that I may as well get some enjoyment out of a cover version of a U2 song, no?

That being said, I’m definitely not elitist enough to believe that there’s no such thing as a good U2 cover – not at all.  It’s always a pleasant surprise to hear a cover band perform a U2 song, but as überfans we want something far more than that.  What is it that makes watching a bunch of guys playing U2 songs tolerable to a U2 fan?  It’s the little things – did “Bono” invest in an appropriate pair of sunglasses?  How about a Gretsch Irish Falcon?  (And, like real Bono, he doesn’t necessarily need to know how to play it, we just need to see if it’s there.)  Is “The Edge” playing a Gibson Explorer?  Does he have more than one guitar?  And for goodness sakes, is he getting the delay just right? (…and is he wearing black Converse?  An era-appropriate hat?  Did he shave his facial hair into a perfect little goatee?  And are there rhinestones?  There must be rhinestones! I could go on…)

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