U2 in Boston

I saw two out of U2's four Boston shows last week. Undeniably fun, my fandom is certainly rekindled. The band is only barely showing its age, it's four guys who are still giving their all, still able to sonically fill an arena without relying on back-up singers or other gimmicks.

Watching from the general-admission section on the floor with a high-energy crowd was great but the acoustics were terrible, even between songs. Conversely, watching from the loge level made for a better listening experience but standing with a largely torpid and emotionless crowd was a profound embarrassment.

Also, my two nights made for an interesting case study on the economics of ticket reselling. U2's fan base has clearly aged with the band and the numbers of fans who would bother to turn up at a sold-out show with only a hope or a prayer have certainly decreased. Perhaps overlooking such demographics, agents reportedly overbought for the Friday and Saturday shows and as a result great tickets were available for less than face value ($40 for a $300 club-level seat, in one instance) shortly before showtime.

Tuesday was a different story altogether; agent/scalper inventory was thin and the buyer's market evaporated. On top of that, a small number of heroin addicts remained willing to buy tickets after the scheduled start of the show with the hopes of flipping any ticket for enough to score a quick fix. That continued until one managed to do so, collapsed at the foot of the Bobby Orr statue, and was resuscitated by paramedics.

Lastly, if you absolutely *had* to buy a $10 hot dog or an $11.50 Bud Light, I suppose you could do a lot worse than those at the TD Garden.

Rock on.