Saying Goodbye to The Joshua Tree Tour 2017

U2 continues to wind down the Joshua Tree 2017 tour in South America, but after this week, this will all be over: the black and white desert panorama, the Salvation Army band footage, the harmonica jokes, the praise for the immortal images captured by Anton Corbijn, Morleigh and the lasso rope, the back of Larry’s shirts, Shadowman and the creepy Trump Trackdown video – and of course, the interviews where Bono says “we’re throwing a birthday party for our very own yucca plant” with delightful flair.

It seems like only yesterday when everyone was debating whether there would be B-sides in the setlist (there weren’t, with the rare Sweetest Thing and Spanish Eyes exceptions); whether it would be acceptable for the band to play anything post-JT at all (they clearly didn’t care whether we thought it was acceptable or not, because they did it and it worked out nicely); and perhaps the most long-forgotten debate of all, to what degree the show would acknowledge Rattle and Hum (as it would turn out, that degree would be pretty small). It may even feel like you’ve been hearing Red Hill Mining Town live for years – because, well, you’ve been hearing it live for the past 6 months. And if you never hear them play A Sort of Homecoming again? At least you heard it for a while, and it was magical.

So the Joshua Tree 2017 tour has run its course, but its impact is indelible. Maybe it was a Live Nation contract obligation ploy – but who cares? It was epic, and perhaps that’s enough to numb the pain of paying for SOE tour tickets two or three months from now.

Doubtful? Trust me…U2 can build a wall around your house that nothing will penetrate, including the impending costs of attending the next tour. So hold out your hand, put it against the screen, and get ready for the next chapter. It’s not coming…it’s not coming…December 1st, it’s here.