Yes...you read the title of this post correctly. Michael Jordan made me go see U2 in concert tonight. Not only that, but he made me go see Van Halen in concert last night.
I know, that sounds odd. You may even wonder how it could possibly be true. Do I have a personal relationship with MJ? Does he even know who I am? How could he exert that level of influence over me?
Back in the days when he was an 'active' professional athlete, I got to see Michael Jordan play ball. Baseball. One July 4th, I was visiting family in Birmingham, Alabama. They have a minor league baseball team that is part of the Chicago White Sox organization, and it was during his first retirement when he was giving it a go on the diamond. He turned out to be an unremarkable baseball player and, thankfully...for the world of basketball, returned to the hardwood a short while later.
So yes...I did get to see Michael Jordan play baseball. But I never got to see the greatest basketball player in the history of the game lace up the sneakers and do that which captured the imagination of the world. (You can argue that MJ wasn't the greatest basketball player ever. You can argue that...but you would be wrong. <smile> ) Oh, there were times when the Bulls came through Dallas to play the Mavericks. For those games, tickets were always in high demand, which meant high cost. Simply, I could not justify coughing up the bucks to go.
That is something that I will always regret. At some point along the way, I made the decision that if ever I had a similar chance in the future with athletes, musicians, etc., I would not pass it up. I guess that if I were to describe it more accurately, I would say that it was my regret over not ever seeing Michael Jordan play, rather than MJ himself, that caused me to make different choices.
When I heard that Van Halen was re-teaming with David Lee Roth, launching a North American tour and coming to Dallas, I jumped at the chance. Van Halen is not only one of my favorite bands of all time, but their most successful album (named 1984, and released in that year) came out when I was a senior in high school. So, in addition to having some great tunes, the album and the band have great sentimental value for me. I did not know whether or not tour they'll ever tour again, or whether they'd come close enough for me to go see them, in the future. So, I paid more money than I ever thought I would to go see them in concert.
Earlier this year, my youngest son Michael posted a note on Facebook that indicated he wished he had the money to go see U2 in concert. For those of you who've been living under a rock, U2 is perhaps one of the best and most influential rock bands ever. I'd put them after the Beatles, and before everyone else. Not only have they seemingly been around forever, but they're still current and relevant, and producing great new music. Will they do concert tours after this one? Possibly. Will they come anywhere near Dallas on subsequent tours? Maybe; maybe not. This could have been my best and and final chance to see them in concert. And the fact that I could take Angie and Michael to see them sealed the deal.
As with Van Halen, I forked over more money than I ever thought I would. If it ends up being a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I can be regret-free in the knowledge that I took advantage of it.
How was tonight's concert? As glad as I was to have gone, I was a bit disappointed with it. Oh, my disappointment has nothing to do with U2 or their opening band, Muse (of whom Michael is a big fan). Their stage, video, lighting, and other affects were amazing. It is just that, while there were seats in the stadium where the acoustics were good and the show sounded great...the seats we were in were not among those. The sound was muddled, at best.
So, I've learned...while JerryWorld might be a good venue at which to watch the Cowboys play, it is currently not capable of having a large rock concert sound good in every seat. Hopefully, they'll get that fixed, and/or I'll have another opportunity to see U2 in concert.
The bottom line, however, is that I had a great time. Not only will I be able to say that I saw U2 in concert, but I'll be able to say that I shared the experience with loved ones. And that is something that I can at least partially attribute to never having gotten to see Michael Jordan play basketball in person.
(Sidebar: What have you put off doing? Whether it is going to see a particular athlete play or rock band in concert, make whatever decision that will leave you with no regrets.)
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