Giving gifts

[thankyou]

When going to one of the concerts and waiting outside to see the band I'm just wondering if you have a small gift for one of the band members will they take it? Or do they have some rules about not accepting things? Has anyone experienced giving something to Bono?

Can you trust the guards to hand them something and that they will get it to one of the band members? Any experiences with that?

 

[Liesje]

You can hand stuff to Bono if you meet him before/after the show. You can also usually give things to John Sampson to get to Bono, if he's in the mood. Someone from the African Well Fund sent me t-shirts, one of which is for Bono. I didn't have the chance to give it directly to him, so I asked another security guard (AJ?) during the concert if he'd give it to Bono and he said no (but he was nice and gave me a setlist and bottle of water). Your best bet is giving it directly to Bono before the show. I've never seen him refuse anything.

 

[indra]

I think ABEL gave a large birthday card to Bono in Chicago earlier this year. I'm pretty sure it was before the show.

 

[Jamila]

I've given Bono several items over the years.

I have seen him refuse items but not on an individual basis - he'll either refuse everyone or no one.

Just try to make whatever you want to give them something you truly think that they'll appreciate - they don't need to lug around a bunch of stuff from the dollar store.

Good luck in coming up with something to give U2.

 

[Liesje]

Just try to make whatever you want to give them something you truly think that they'll appreciate - they don't need to lug around a bunch of stuff from the dollar store.

This makes me think of the first time I met Bono. It was in Lincoln, Nebraska in 2002. We wanted to get him something funny. Well, we had a nice card that we all signed and wrote a little bit in, so that was more serious. Anyway, we were at Target getting disposable cameras and I saw this section w/ Nebraska Cornhuskers stuff, and I figured since we were meeting Bono at the Univ. of Nebraska, we could get him something like that. To be funny, we decided on a pair of Cornhusker boxers, hehe. Who can't use another pair of underwear? We never ended up giving them to him b/c the first time we met him, he was on his way out (to talk during a church service even) and the next time, there was just too many people for it to even be funny. But still, we had a fun time picking those out!

 

[ABEL]

I think ABEL gave a large birthday card to Bono in Chicago earlier this year. I'm pretty sure it was before the show.

yep it was before the show when they came in for sound check and stopped for autographs. that's usually the best time to try to talk to them or give them anything.

it wasn't that large of a birthday card, the final size was 8 and a half inches x 8 and a half inches. i wouldn't try giving them anything real big either. at first i wanted to make bono one of those really huge birthday cards and have everyone sign it. but then i remembered when mullengirl and i met larry before the elevation concert in austin she'd made a big posterboard for his birthday but he said it was too big for him to take with him so he signed it for her instead.

so that's always a good point to remember...they're traveling all around like that and don't have a lot of room to pack presents and stuff so keep it something to something small that they'd be more able to take with them.