I listened to 'Miss Sarajevo' by U2 today.
Powerful.
Extreme.
First time I have listened to since I heard it played live two year ago in Oslo.
I flew that way and caught the stadium experience with my friends Torgrim and Oyvin.
They did this song for the first time on this tour.
It hit me hard.
So powerful.
As the song started I had the flashbacks to the Sarajevo horrors of death and slaughter.
I have the video tapes still.
I used them often in discussion and awareness raising.
I wept over them.
It was all coming back.
Then I wondered .........
I wondered ...... as the Oslo live song - how the song would be completed without Pavarotti singing his solo .......
"Bullit the blue sky" kicked in about 10.05 and it was still rather light.
Images of war flash over the big screen and Bono also slips in a line or two from the song "please" as the guitars continue the gripping sound ...... and Bono staggers around the stage with a blindfold visible ....... then the lyrics flow about "Johnny comes marching home again ....... " a reminder of war again.
He then asks 40000 Norwegians and me to pray about the lost lives in London, Iraq and the middle East.
Yes pray, he said, or pray with your lives ...... then the Edge slips behind the keys and Bono starts to sing "Miss Sarajvo" ´powerful at the best of times + but always with Pavarotti.
The terrible violence and death from that era slip into my mind as Bono himself begins to sing the part usually roared out by the opera voice ......... Bono sings in Italian ....... It is strong and the audience applauds with appreciation ..... and ...
I wept ....
I was blown over ......
I was speechless .......that powerful moment in the song ......... Bono started to sing that solo with a wondrous and powerful operatic voice.
I wept.
.
