The big news in SA right now, musically at least, is the announcement that U2 will be playing here in Feb 2011. They will the first rock band to play the stadiums specifically designed and built for the soccer world cup which took place in July.

U2 have been here once before, in 1998, on the Popmart tour, and I went to see them, paying R175.00 (about $22) for my ticket. This time around, a decent ticket will set me back R2500. (approximately $320) If my wife and I went, that’s five thousand bucks for a two or three hour concert. Now, to put that into perspective, a minimum wage earner here would take home under R2000 a month. I’m more fortunate that that, thankfully, but no way can I afford the ticket prices. Yes, cheaper tickets are available, but from the layout I would say I’ll see about as much as I did in ’98, which is to say, a huge screen. I never actually physically saw the band members.

My frustration is this: I understand that it must be costing an astronomical amount of money to lug the tons of metal needed to stage a U2 concert across the globe, but the whole thing has left a really bitter taste in my mouth. Are we not globally coming out of a fairly tough recession? Does Bono not come here to visit his mates, Mandela and Tutu, and visit the places in which the bulk of this country’s population live, in pretty poor conditions? I know it’s not his fault but I just wonder how in his mind he justifies preaching to us on one hand but then coming here to play his music to only the super rich? Is that not something of a contradiction or am I just being too damn sensitive?

I would far rather pay much, much less for my wife and I to go see Crowded House at the end of the month, (also a second visit to SA) and stand a few feet away from Neil Finn, who is a far better songwriter and musician, in my opinion.

Okay, rant over.