Well We All Shine On

Last night I was thrilled to experience a concert by Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullin. Collectively known as U2, they rocked the Hartford Civic Center Dercember 7th.

As “Beautiful Day” roared to life a third of the way into their main set, I thought just how beautiful the day had been, and how great the night was becoming. The name of that song was going to be the title of this post, but as the concert continued and I was reminded of the beautiful and loving things this band does, I just knew that something else was to be the title.

Well, the concert was dedicated to the late, great John Lennon, who died 25 years ago today. It was obvious that Lennon had a tremendous impact on this band over their 25 years so far. His message of love and peace is present in many of U2’s songs, and the way these guys lead their lives outside of the recording studio and concert venues.

From local projects such as that of the Edge in New Orleans to the many efforts of Bono to combat poverty, Aids, and 3rd World Debt, including The ONE Campaign, to name just a few, the members of U2 often share their money and, more importantly their time.

Just a few weeks ago Bono told CBS’ “60 Minutes” that he “thinks (his) work, the activism, will be forgotten.” He went on to say, “And I hope it will. Because I hope those problems will have gone away,” Personally I don’t know how I could ever forget the work the man has done, but I do look forward to a day when major disease and poverty are a thing of the past, so I guess Bono makes a good point. One thing is for certain though, their music will live on for a long, long time.

The night had many snippets of and references to the many works of Lennon and the Beatles, but it was the rendition of “Instant Karma” in the 2nd encore that of course was the inspiration for this post.

“…Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well we all shine on
Ev’ryone come on…”
   - Instant Karma Lyrics

25 years ago today the light of John Lennon flickered as that soul left this Earth plane, but it’s clear that his light still shines on. May his soul rest in peace and may his message and light continue to inspire many generations to come.

Imagine
“You may say I’m a dreamer
but I’m not the only one,
I hope someday you’ll join us
and the world will live as one.”
John-Lennon.com