U2 at the Dome...and how it relates to business

When I say I didn't much care for the U2 concert in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago, I need to add a couple of caveats.

I was given a ticket by a good friend, and when you are given something of value, it's best not to complain about the perceived worth of the gift. Mike and I have seen Springsteen together several times, have gone to a couple of UGA games together and have known each other long enough that I think he'll understand the point I'm making.

Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr., God bless them all, but from the other side of the Georgia Dome, they simply were not engaging. The acoustics were not good, and the set list, in my opinion, was so-so. But that's not what really mattered to me. It's certainly not what makes me want to blog about it two weeks later.

Why was the one concert that I really wanted to see a bust to me? I wrestled with the question for a while, and here's what I came up with.

U2 didn't care about me. There was no relationship -- not even for two hours. Nothing seemed authentic, least of all the communication. It was a one-way street.

I don't know about you, but even at a concert with the biggest rock stars in the world, I want to feel as if I'm a part of things. I want to matter. For what it's worth, I want to be a tiny part of the show's success.

Where would you rather see U2 perform? The Georgia Dome or your cul-de-sac? My guess is you'd trade a bit of the glitz and flashiness and enormity that a stadium show offers for a little genuine intimacy and the assurance that you will matter.

Big isn't better than authentic. Performance isn't better than relationship.

Check me out at: bsanderscommunications.com