Adam Clayton joined the u2, and some great friends at the PlayStation Theater in Times Square on Monday night, but it wasn't usual fun and frolic on the stage. It's true that U2 are out on their mammoth Joshua Tree 2017 Tour, breaking all manner of attendance and ticket sales records, but Adam Clayton was there to speak about the agony of breaking an addiction. The musician’s steady, thumping string mastery has been part of music history for four decades, and, for almost as long, Adam Clayton carried the bottle and the burden of its bondage with him, but he was never alone.
Now living his life clean and completely honest, Adam Clayton offered humble gratitude and homage to the “band of brothers” who helped him find a way out.
The musician’s steady, thumping string mastery has been part of music history for four decades, and, for almost as long, Adam Clayton carried the bottle and the burden of its connection with him, but he was never alone. Now living his life clean and completely honest, Adam Clayton offered humble gratitude and homage to the “band of brothers” who helped him find a way out.
An eternal pact
Every kid who's ever been part of a garage band vows "once a band, always a band." Adam Clayton got emotional while mentioning just how true that was for him and U2.
"We have a pact with each other," the 57-year-old bass player affirmed. "In our band, no one will be a casualty," Clayton continued, thanking his mates for honoring the promise "We all come home, or none of us come home. No one will be left behind" from the beginning. Adam Clayton was honored with the Stevie Ray Vaughn Award for his dedication to the MusiCares MAP Fund which extends support to musicians in need of treatment regardless of their financial situation.
Clayton remarked "I'm not used to achieving anything on my own," with believable, self-effacing grace. He used to assume that it was impossible to be in a band and not drink. When drinking turned into something uncontrollable, friends of his, like Eric Clapton, noticed and told him that he had to change and that he would never regret it.
Another friend of his who "put steel" in his back, according to Adam Clayton's speech, was Pete Townsend of The Who.
Above all, it was the brotherhood of his band that never failed Adam Clayton. "They loved me before I knew how to love myself," he asserted. That kind of lesson he will never forget and will live eternally in his heart.
A perfect trio of songs
Adam Clayton graciously offered humble bows to the men who "loved me enough to take up the slack of my failing." The same men stood firm with their band's mate through every stage of his recovery. Clayton said that he is "unreservedly grateful" for their friendship, understanding, and support.
Michael Franti, Chronixx, Macy Gray, and The Lumineers, who are currently road partners and sharing the stage with U2, gave performances for the evening, but, when Adam Clayton read from Bono’s lyrics to 'I Will Follow', the mood was set for the man of the night to join his band.
The set of 'Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of', 'Vertigo', and 'I Will Follow' served as an eloquent musical expression to the prose of the speech.
The heady realms of rock 'n roll can still exact a high price, but, for those bold enough to share the hard truths of their battle against addiction, like Adam Clayton, the music can still mean a world of healing to others.
