U2 moments

[Ronan2standstil]

I wonder how many of us have had "U2 moments". Forme there are 3 (so far):

1. Sitting in the departure lounge of Heathrow airport age 16 December 27th 1989 trying desperately not to cry having just heard that U2 are about to cancel their Lovetown gigs in Dublin that I & my friend are flying in for because Bono has a throat infection. Then hearing the famous "dream it all up again" speech and reading the next day in the press that U2 are about to split up

2. Almost 10 years later standing in Fitzwillliam Street Dublin waiting for the video of "The Sweetest Thing" when U2's van pulls up in front of me and finally meeting the band and getting autograph's etc

3. Summer 2005, Ellipse, Twickenham, London, the intro to "Streets", thinking how it would have felt to know that they would still be together 16 years on, that I would still love them,
that they could still make me feel like I did when I was 16 ..

I'd love to hear your stories..

 

[cobl04]

I haven't had one yet, any tips on how to meet the band when they tour (and what to say?)

 

[blueeyedgirl]

I've got 3:

1. Seeing U2 finally in Australia in 1984 and being so dumbfounded at seeing Bono on stage about 10 feet away from me that I didn't hear what song they were playing

2. Camping out for Lovetown in 1989 in the park next to the stadium and ending up sitting in my car drenched when the automatic sprinklers came on at 1.00 am and looking across the river at U2's five-star hotel thinking about sueing U2, their organisation, their children, their grandchildren and anyone else I could think of.

3. Finally meeting Bono in 1993, having a photo with him and realising I was in the possession of a useless lump of goo, not an actual brain and unable to say anything of use to him


I'm sure I can think of more in this vein.....

 

[bono_man2002]

I haven't had one yet, any tips on how to meet the band when they tour (and what to say?)

Hang around where the band will enter in the Arena (a car park or something).

I was lucky enough to get Edge before LA II back in April....and almost Bono, who stoped to wave to us..

Can't wait till they get down here

 

[hcbiggs2002]

Meeting Adam and Edge outside their hotel in Helsinki in 1997.

Going to Bonos house in 2001 and meeting and chatting with his security guard.

Meeting Bono and Edge outside their hotel in Copenhagen at the end of July.

 

[Smilla]

2005 Katowicze, hands in the air, feeling the drumbeats on my palm during Running to Stand Still.

 

[NumbMacphisto]

May 12, 2005. My one and only class of the day was canceled, so I decided to check Ticketmaster just for the hell of it and scored one GA at 2:00pm. Rushed down to the United Center, waited in line, got scanned into the ellipse for the first time, and watched the greatest fucking show I've ever seen while standing three feet away from The Edge. Plus I got to hear my favorite song ever, Until the End of the World, and Bad for the first time. Best day ever.

 

[corianderstem]

1. Meeting Bono at my workplace and having a lovely picture taken. No idea what he said to me in response to what I said, however. Was in kind of a daze.

2. The Vertigo shows where I was on cloud nine and got all overcome with emotion (joy, glee, verklempt) at various points. Seattle 1, Seattle 2, MSG 3 and Vegas 2. Man, oh man.

 

[MrsDarcy]

June 27th 1999- meeting Bono and Bob Hewson. Best day of my life. Ever!

August 11th 2001- Elevation in Manchester

June 16th 2005- Vertigo, Manchester!

Yeah baby!

 

[gareth brown]

1. First hearing The Joshua Tree in 2001 at the age of 12 and being totally blown away. It was a great year, it was a time when it was always sunny and this album completely changed my life!

2. Seeing U2 in Cardiff in June, after years of practically worshipping them and listening to all their albums, eyes watering as Edge played the riff to 'Streets', probably the greatest show I've ever been to.

 

[U2phan]

May 12, 2005. My one and only class of the day was canceled, so I decided to check Ticketmaster just for the hell of it and scored one GA at 2:00pm. Rushed down to the United Center, waited in line, got scanned into the ellipse for the first time, and watched the greatest fucking show I've ever seen while standing three feet away from The Edge. Plus I got to hear my favorite song ever, Until the End of the World, and Bad for the first time. Best day ever.

you are the luckiest person in the world...ever

 

[Nate Dogg]

-Miami...March 24, 2001. Bono falling off the stage about 10 feet in front of me at the tip of the heart. It seems funny now, of course, he got right back up and kept singing "Until The End Of The World." I was also part of the group that got to hear several songs live for the first time, as this was opening night. of Elevation.

-Popmart, Tampa. My first U2 show. November 10, 1997.

-Elevation Tour finale, Miami Dec. 2, 2001. Such an emotional show, and just months after 9/11. Kind of cool that I got to see the first and last shows of this tour, and my, how they were worlds apart....My favorite U2 moment, I think.

 

[Liesje]

I've been to 7 concerts so far this tour and got to meet Bono and Larry in Chicago, but I'd have to say the best moment so far was Pittsburgh....

...I wasn't even planning on going to the show. In fact, I'd never even considered it until another Interferencer who I've never talked to in my life PMed me saying he noticed I was looking for Cleveland and Buffalo tickets, but not Pittsburgh. About the same time, Miroslava really got me thinking by saying I could ride w/ her and split her room, all I had to do was get to her house by 6pm the next day. In a mad rush for a GA ticket, I actually ended up with THREE so was even able to hook up some friends in the process. The next day I left for Miroslava's house. It was only supposed to take 2 hrs, but only TEN MILES from her house, two semis crashed and I spent 1.5 hrs going only 4 miles. Then it got dark and I was lost even though I knew I was close, b/c I can't read street signs in the dark (which I know is dangerous, but usually I know exactly where I'm going). So finally I get there and we leave and get to Pittsburgh late, but there's no one there! So I've gone from nothing 2 days earlier to #4 in line! I spent the night shivering in my tent since it was freezing and rained all night. It rained all day too and got colder and colder. Finally Allison let us in after 6:30, but just as I'm about to go through, the little gate thing you walk through got stuck b/c the security guy never unlocked it. I'm about to panick when I hear Miroslava shrieking, so I know she scanned in and there's nothing to worry about Now I've gone from nothing, to 4th in line, to front row center, close enough to touch Bono I was shivering and feverish, but it was my first time in the ellipse. I enjoyed EVERY SECOND of that show. Even when Bono sort of mocked me - he was saying how the only thing he and Paul O'neil had in common was the name Paul, to which I screamed, and Bono turns, looks straight at me and says "you didn't know that already?" Hehe, it's even on the bootleg. Oh well, I'll take it!!!

Yeah so Pittsburgh was not only an amazing U2 moment, but definitely the best time I've ever had in my entire life. It was my 5th U2 show this tour, but being that close changes everything. Nothing that's previously happened to me in my life stacks up to that experience!

 

[bonojr62]

Well even though i was in the stands I'd have to say my first U2 moment was hearing the opening notes of COBL lights ring out in Pittsburgh. It was great to here U2 rock a town that i'm so close to. That and screaming No more during Sunday Bloody Sunday and actually being angry during a u2 song at the same show. Anyway my first U2 moment was Pittsburgh Vertigo.

 

[youtooellen]

Sept. 21st Chicago show: the night before I check ebay to see if any tickets are available and I manage to find two tickets for my brother and me. we go down to United Center after school and on our train ride there I tell my brother "If they play With or Without You or Bad today, I'm going to pee my pants of joy" and they played both of them.

too memorable. the opening lights to COBL were incredible, and the 'let's make this place look like a milky way' was such an amazing sight.
truly unforgettable U2 moment for me.

 

[Zoomeranger]

1. Going to Dublin from the US to see U2 play at Croke Park on June 25, 2005. The most incredible concert I've been to out of almost 200 concerts and about 20 U2 shows. Nothing could match the energy that crowd put forth!

2. Meeting the band in New York. On Oct 31, 2000 U2 were due to play on MTV's TRL, a bit of a mini-concert on the roof of MTV studios in Times Square. With the help of some awesome people I was able to get on the roof, one of not more than 30 people up there. Right before they were due to come out and play 4 songs or so a producer came out and told me they were taking me off of the roof for a fire hazard. They had let too many people up there and I was going to be taken off. Feeling rightfully pissed off I tried to protest but it was no use. I was in a small hallway leading up to the roof reclaiming my coat, cell phone, all personal belongings they made us check in when 2 large men came down the narrow hallway which couldnt have been more than 4 feet wide. I knew the band was going to be walking right past me in a few seconds. Edge was leading the band down the hallway, he was dancing. I shook his hand and said hello. Bono was next, I told them I heard the new tunes (from ATYCLB) and thought they were awesome, he said something like "yeah, we're excited about them, see the Edge, he can't control himself, he's dancing!" Then Larry and Adam came by and they both shook my hand. Larry had asked why I was in the hallway and not on the roof so I Told him I was being taken down due to a fire hazard. He said something like "Well the other people aren't gonig to meet us!" So while I didn't get to see them perform 5 feet away from me I was more elated that I met them seconds before they went on stage! Strange how it all worked out.

 

[onebloodonelife]

Here are mine:

September 23, 2005: I was sitting, lonely, in the GA line because my friend had gone with her brother to get us some Subway. She was gone for about an hour and when they came back, Jessica said, "We just saw U2 come out of their tour bus!" I said, "I'm going down there!" So I sprint down the street to get a glimpse of my heroes, get yelled at by some security people for being on the street, and stand on the yellow barriers that they had up. I had to get pictures somehow, so I was hanging off of their tour bus to get the pictures of the Edge. Then I noticed that Bono and Adam were coming over to the side of the street that I was on, so I jumped the fence to try to meet Bono. Unfortunately, by the time I got through the crowd of people, Bono had passed, I still got some sweet pictures, but no autograph.

Then, by some sort of miracle, Adam came right next to me!

All I could say was, "Would you sign my shirt?" He did, I said thanks, and he smiled at me. I ran back to the GA line and I was shaking and couldn't eat because of the adreneline running through my veins. People were asking me who signed my shirt and everything, it was hands down, the BEST day of my life. Oh, and did I mention, that was my FIRST U2 show?

The other one was at the same show, the entire show was incredible. I got to hear Streets, WOWY, ISHFWILF, The First Time, WGRYWH, and Crumbs. I yelled No More with Sunday Bloody Sunday, a dream of mine. During City of Blinding Lights, Bono came up the stairs onto the ellipse right in front of us, it had to have been 5 feet away. It was the most amazing day of my life, and so worth the hours sitting in line.

 

[JCOSTER]

Heres my first and only bad experience.
I hear on college radio although I was only 14 at the time. U2 is playing at a club on LI called Malibu. I grab a friend get in a cab and go all the way there just to stand in the pouring rain begging security to let me in. But no, it isn't until 5 or 6 years later that I see my first show.

Last Experiences: OCt 7th and Nov. 22 2005 25 years later 1st row behind the stage. I have never been so close to them before I literally cried and had to sit down from shaking so much. I got smiled at, waved to, song to, peaced to, danced to and got a thank you love.... I am still flying!!!

 

[Russty Cat]

First time I heard U2 I was 8 years old, thanks to my brothers War cassette tape. I was hooked from the first listening and couldn't get enough.

Due to a lot of complications it took me 22 more years to get to a live show. November 8, 2005 Oakland Arena I got tickets for my 30 birthday and couldn't believe that I was going to finally see them after all this time. My friend flew out all the way from Virgina to go with me. We were waiting hoping to meet the band before the show. The caravan of SUVs came thru and didn't even slow down. It was fun, but a little disappointing. I was standing there just hanging out, since my friend and a ton of people had ran towards the other driveway to see the guys get out of the cars. Well it seems somewhere along the way, they lost the SUV that Bono was riding in. I was in the right place at the right time. This black SUV came pulling in rather slowly, it stopped not 3 feet from me, and he rolled down the window. I swear I must have looked pretty shocked. He sort of laughed and put his hand out with the peace sign. He smiled and said hello. This girl next to me started screaming and he just laughed the cutest laugh and kept smiling. I just stood there smiling like a complete idiot. It was odd to have him finally right there in front of me. After he pulled away we all started high fiving each other and jumping up and down. It was just such a fun moment. A few people said they thought he stopped cuz I was wearing these really silly sparkly devil horns. My friend was wearing them as well. It was right after Halloween and we figured who could resist a little ode to Macphisto. I don't know if a tall chick with bright pink hair and devil horns got his attention or if it was just a crowd full of people hoping for a glimpse. But either way it was a great way to start out a great night.

The concert was one of the best I've ever been to and being there with a friend who loved the band as much as I do made it all the better. I'm ready for next tour, already.

 

[the rockin edge]

first time I heard U2 (and knew it was them) was in 2002 when my uncle had gotten ATYCLB from the library and was playing it. I overheard and said that sounded familiar (for the 1st 4 tracks) . I asked him if it was a greatest hits found out he had the JT, War & Rattle and Hum albums and took it from there

my first show was Denver in the spring, it was the best show i've been to. the whole show was simply amazing, and when they played bad.. <------me

i'm seeing them for the 2nd time on Wednesday so lets hope for some more experiences