*lol* Ok.... here goes:
The day after the second Stockholm concert, my friends Sara (Miss Zooropa), Susie (Cat Dubh), Angelo and I met up with people we'd met in line the first day, but I wanted to meet the band, so I headed to the hotel and told them I'd find my way home. When I got there, I met a girl named Bornita from Sweden and we decided to hang out together. Bornita had just met Adam who'd been out and back a half hour earlier. No one else had been out yet. He left again a while later, when he came back he signed autographs (including my shirt) and then disappeared into the hotel.
John Sampson came out at about 2:30 and saw me and said hi. He was with Jerry Meltzer and said that the band was in interviews and wouldn't be out for a few hours- we should come back at 7. So we went shopping, then came back only to discover that Bono had already been out. Damn. We decided that we might as well wait, considering we'd been here all day. And it was worth it, because Edge and Larry came out next. They signed a few autographs, then went into the car and left and came back at about 11. Larry went inside, but Edge stayed out for awhile, signing autographs and taking pictures with people. Since I didn't want to be pushy the first time, I didn't manage to get my shirt signed, but I asked him if it would be possible to get a picture with him. He said sure, and we quickly got a picture together. Wonderful. I was in heaven!
We waited around until about 1.30 with another girl from Sweden, Natalie, who we'd been talking with the whole afternoon. We were the last ones left except a weird guy from Norway who watched Edge and Larry in the room above where we were sitting (we didn't think it was right to watch them). We joked around for a while and then finally decided to go home.
The next morning, I decided that since I had waited the whole night, I might as well go back for what I came for, especially since I knew John knew I wanted a picture with Bono. I pulled myself out of bed and found out where the subway was and went back to the Grand Hotel. I got to the Grand at about 11 or 11:30, and Bornita was there as well as some strange people (the kind that couldn't care less who U2 were but knew they'd get money for an autograph type). We waited an hour and a half, then John came out with Jerry and said hi to me. I told him I felt really uncomfortable being there, like I was invading their privacy or something and he told me it was fine and that I picked the right time to come. He knew I wanted a picture with Bono, so he told me that when they came out, he'd bring Bono right to me. (!!!)
So half an hour later, the cars are started and ready to go. Larry come out first, goes directly to the car. I'm sure he has fun watching the whole thing. Then Edge comes and starts signing autographs on our side of the crowd (which has now grown from about 20 to 40 people, mostly spectators on the other side). Bono comes out next and starts signing autographs on the other side, and John motions for me to come over so I pull Bornita with me. John lets Bono sign a few more autographs and then says "This girl has come all the way from Canada, you let her sing in Copenhagen on her birthday..." and something else that I don't remember because I was trying not to freak out
And Bono turns around, puts his arm around me, pulls me close and says, "yeah, I remember you, you were good, happy birthday. " I say thank you and ask if it would be possible to get a picture, to which Bono says sure, STILL with his arm around me and his face pressed up against mine. John has my camera and Bornita has two, so somehow we manage to get shots on all of them. I quickly ask Bono if he can autograph my t-shirt and he takes it and begins writing very carefully- starting with the O. He asks me how old I was on my birthday and I tell him 19 and he goes back to writing. He asks me what show I liked best and I tell him Copenhagen #2, but that I'm biased because it was my birthday. Then I say if I had to choose otherwise, it would be Montreal #1. I really can't remember the rest of the conversation, but he gave me back my shirt and I thanked him, then he took a picture with Bornita and moved on, signing about 7 or 8 more autographs- quickly- before John said "We have to get to the airport!!!" so he got in the car. I said thank you to John and he said "see you in the fall!" before they drove off. When I look at my shirt, I discover that Bono's written "19- Happy Birthday" in the O. Wow.
I must say, it was a really surreal moment- he spent a good two minutes with me, and rushed through everyone else quite quickly. I felt bad about that but at the same time, I was SO happy that I got an actual conversation! It was amazing and I've forgotten in what order everything took place, all I know is that the minute John introduced us, he put his arms around me and our faces were touching, and we stayed like that for *quite* a while.
So that was it. It was a beautiful moment for me, and afterwards Bornita and I walked around together, we were both in a daze. Even later that day I kept smiling when I thought about it... A wonderful, wonderful memory.
