Music Monday - 9/11

I wasn't going to post today. My song idea didn't fit with the reality that today is 9/11. And other ideas that could fit this anniversary of that dark day weren't coming to me.

And then my denomination tweeted out the perfect choice.

This was the Super Bowl halftime performance that took place a mere 4 months after the attacks. 

I can remember being at a Super Bowl party with our church's college group. I can remember this performance catching my attention while most of the rest of the party had began socializing with one another. I can remember wishing the sound had not been turned down because I could tell something special was going on. I can remember a lot of those who hadn't been paying attention turning their focus back on the tv by the time U2's set was finishing up.

I can remember connecting this performance to the one I'd seen them do on SNL and thinking that this band from the U.K. was emerging as the prominent musical voice for our nation's healing. 

This band has caught its share of flack as time has gone on and their relevancy has waned (this article offers a fair perspective). And my memory may not be perfect on all of those points. But re-watching that video tells me confirms the power of that moment.  

I will never forget 9/11 and I'll never forget these beautiful moments of hope and healing that helped us recover.