Mrs. Mullen and ZOOTB -
If I'm considered a nut even on this board I must be in bad shape . . .
I've wanted to do this for a LONG time, but never had the time or money because of school, residency, etc.
My lodging costs were very limited since I live in St. Louis, my parents live in Chicago, my brother lives in Boston, and I have friends to stay with in New York. But the bottom line is that at this point I'm a practicing physician, so I was able to indulge myself. Once it became clear that U2 was playing a wider variety of songs than they did in the 1990s, I was determined to see as many shows as possible in the cities where I figured they'd mix up the setlists.
Time was a LOT harder than money. I was able to correctly gauge from the skeleton schedules how many Chicago and Boston (and Providence) dates there would be each time around, and planned accordingly. I've used most of my vacation days for these trips over the last 9 months; the only reason I missed the October New York shows and Vegas is that I'm saving the remaining days for my May 2002 wedding/honeymoon (obviously the time allotted to this is non-negotiable, by my choice and hers - she's my only addiction greater than U2) and the off-chance there may be another U2 Boston thing during January.
The results have been astounding in terms of seeing songs. The only song played in the U.S. that I did not see was WILATW (and of course this occurred in Missouri!) - I was on call that night unfortunately or I would have driven to K.C. Of the 46 U2 original songs played this year (including the pre-shows), I only missed 5: Hawkmoon (half-song), Running to Stand Still, Spanish Eyes, 40, and WILATW. Most of these were only played once. I saw 11 O'Clock, Out of Control, A Sort of Homecoming, Slow Dancing, and In God's Country - all songs I never thought I'd see again. A dream come true.
My fiance was incredibly supportive, and actually came to Slane with me (and other shows). We had lots of fun on the road together, though I have no doubt she wonders about her man sometimes.
Here's my justification: it's considered normal behavior to spend $250,000 on a house - for many, having all this space apparently brings lots of pleasure. I have no interest in this. Instead, I spend 1% of that amount on U2 shows, which bring me an incredible amount of pleasure and some special experiences with friends and fiance.
If I'm considered a nut even on this board I must be in bad shape . . .
I've wanted to do this for a LONG time, but never had the time or money because of school, residency, etc.
My lodging costs were very limited since I live in St. Louis, my parents live in Chicago, my brother lives in Boston, and I have friends to stay with in New York. But the bottom line is that at this point I'm a practicing physician, so I was able to indulge myself. Once it became clear that U2 was playing a wider variety of songs than they did in the 1990s, I was determined to see as many shows as possible in the cities where I figured they'd mix up the setlists.
Time was a LOT harder than money. I was able to correctly gauge from the skeleton schedules how many Chicago and Boston (and Providence) dates there would be each time around, and planned accordingly. I've used most of my vacation days for these trips over the last 9 months; the only reason I missed the October New York shows and Vegas is that I'm saving the remaining days for my May 2002 wedding/honeymoon (obviously the time allotted to this is non-negotiable, by my choice and hers - she's my only addiction greater than U2) and the off-chance there may be another U2 Boston thing during January.
The results have been astounding in terms of seeing songs. The only song played in the U.S. that I did not see was WILATW (and of course this occurred in Missouri!) - I was on call that night unfortunately or I would have driven to K.C. Of the 46 U2 original songs played this year (including the pre-shows), I only missed 5: Hawkmoon (half-song), Running to Stand Still, Spanish Eyes, 40, and WILATW. Most of these were only played once. I saw 11 O'Clock, Out of Control, A Sort of Homecoming, Slow Dancing, and In God's Country - all songs I never thought I'd see again. A dream come true.
My fiance was incredibly supportive, and actually came to Slane with me (and other shows). We had lots of fun on the road together, though I have no doubt she wonders about her man sometimes.
Here's my justification: it's considered normal behavior to spend $250,000 on a house - for many, having all this space apparently brings lots of pleasure. I have no interest in this. Instead, I spend 1% of that amount on U2 shows, which bring me an incredible amount of pleasure and some special experiences with friends and fiance.
