Vegas, baby! Yes, two girlfriends and I are off to Sin City to see U2 play at The Sphere. One of us is flying all the way from Boston to see Bono. I am a 63-year-old woman who should be planted at the slot machines, not attending a standing room only concert, but I was ready to experience Vegas in all its glory. The memories of the last time I was there came flooding back once I hit the hotel lobby.
Let me take you back 20 years to a wedding I attended in Las Vegas. My life long friend was marrying a woman I had not yet met. It was important that she liked me so I did what I could to remove my chronic RBF and replace it with a smile and a sparkle in my eyes. As we knocked on the door of their suite, we were greeted by my friend. Or at least, I thought it was him. The amount of smoke billowing from the room made identifying people a little hard. I was surprised since my friend was a bit of a health nut. And then I met his beautiful bride. She was lovely but had an unusual tattoo on her leg of the Tasmanian Devil. This Midwestern girl, who has her own tattoo, was memorized by the sheer size and color. Regardless, they seemed happy to see us and since the wedding was that day there was little time for the 20 questions I usually ask. (Some in my family call it an interrogation.) I had this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that this wedding should not happen, but since I only think I know everything, I kept my lips zipped. Ten months later, the marriage was over. Kaput. Las Vegas is a very strange place. They say it is a place of broken dreams.
Hmm. I had high hopes for this adventure though. We had general admission seats, which got us close to the stage. I’m pretty sure Bono could see us, so I’m surprised he did not grab one of us to come up on stage and dance with him or perhaps sing a duet. You know all of those things that happen to middle-aged women at concerts. Bono happens to be my age so I assumed I would be the one selected as I sent him telepathic messages through the crowd of 15,000. The Sphere, a new venue in Vegas, was amazing. The round orb—thus, the name—not only allowed the band to put on a fantastic concert, but also visually stimulated the audience at the same time. At least one time, I thought I saw Bono float in the air—and no, I was not high! It was an experience like seeing the Rolling Stones or Bruce Springsteen. What a night!
None of us are gamblers so there was no interest in the blackjack tables or slot machines. We took advantage of the pool and the indoor shopping. The weird thing about Las Vegas is you can enter the hotel and never leave until check out time. Everything you want or think you want is all right there. Vegas did fail one of us. We’ve all heard the saying what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Not true! One of us ended up with a nasty case of COVID. May you all have the chance to see U2 at The Sphere, or if you do not like U2 (really?), at least go and catch an act. Wayne Newton and Donny Osmond are still around. Viva Las Vegas!
