ZB's YouTube Cavern #14: This is a Song Called "Bad"

"We're and Irish band, we come from Dublin City, Ireland.

Like all cities, it has it's good and it has it's bad.

This is a song called "Bad"."

- Bono

One of my childhood best friends passed away late last month. And in the emotional whirlwind of getting the news, my mind kept coming back to this YouTube video. U2’s legendary rendition of “Bad” at Live Aid back in 1985.

I remember throwing this on the TV one night at his house when we were teenagers. I’m a big U2 fan, and I was hoping to share that same joy with him. And so I thought of this video - one of the most legendary moments in the band's history - and put it on.

I’ll never forget his reaction. Just sheer amazement, the same type of reaction I had when I was a little kid and my Dad showed me the performance. It was - and will forever be in my mind - one of the most meaningful music-sharing moments I’ve ever experienced. To have somebody just get it, and feel that same awe and reverence that you have for a singer, or band, or any artist, is just pure magic. It’s what music and the arts are all about: sharing with others.

We fell out of touch over the years, and I only saw him a handful of times in the last decade. But any time I did see him, he would bring up U2 and that moment. We had endless memories growing up, but that one is one I’ll really cherish.

Rest easy brother.

- ZB James