On Friday it appears several changes took place in regards to my prior U2 concert experiences.
3 generations of U2 fans, Grandparents, children and grandchildren, all arrived at 4:00 am.
To our delight we are first in line.
A few minutes later a couple, sister and brother arrive. These folks were really nice people and I formed a quick friendship with J and through the day we discussed the many things that U2 fans seem to hold in common, e.g., ethics, morality, U2 experiences, music, Love and Peace or Else in general etc.
About 6 am, along came a couple of guys who identified them selves as "U2.com website members" and stood quite close to the front of the line. They asked us if we had tickets and informed us that the line would be split in 2 this day, i.e., one line for u2.com'ers and 1 for those of us who had not paid the 40 dollar fee to join the website. They also told us that "their" line would form where we were currently sitting, closest to the door. I know now that this was the first in a series of social engineering tactics we would see from the some u2.com members throughout the event to get the best spot possible on the floor.
Now remember we only have a total of 12 people at present and these 2 want us to move over to the other side so they can start their u2.com'er line.
Well we had already agreed with the other 2 folks’ {who came about the same time as us} suggestion to start a number list to allow movement in and out of the lineup and to avoid people unfairly getting in ahead of other early starters.
The U2.com lads reluctantly take their place in line after several minutes of questioning and attempts to split the line, its now about 6:20.
The exact chronology of happenstance from that point blurs a bit but the summary of occurrences is still all too clear.
People had 2 general reactions to the number list. One was that they were thankful and felt this was a good way to ensure fairness on a first come first serve basis. The second opinion I heard a lot of was that we should be forming separate lines as above, one for u2.com and one for GA only ticket holders. Those of the second opinion also had a third. We might as well split the line asap to avoid the inevitable split that would be foist upon all of us by a third group. Who this third group was, would be changed as each new u2.com'er made a request to split the line and move the ga'ers to the other side of the landing, and allow the .com line to be closest to the DOOR. So who would be the authority to split the line? I heard that it would be the venue security and then that it would be some one from Principal Management, U2's personal team, i.e., Paul MacGuiness and Co.
I spoke with the 2 Orca Bay Security guys (venue) and they went from saying they would honor the list to saying they would not, and then to siding with the idea of 2 lines to move people in faster. These guys would not say who split the line the day before. It was only later around 11 am when things got tense that the OBS guys said it had been a security official (again no mention of who's security) who split the line (announced over a bull horn) at about 4 PM the preceding day.
11 am and 2 lads in their early 20,s appear. Man are they with U2 management, are they roadies, film crew? Nope just 2 u2 .com'ers- dressed similar to all the crew we had seen around the back of the arena at the video shoot- acting very official. These guys end up getting the list and splitting the line. How this happened is that they wore the ga'ers down with deceit and spin doctoring that I now am sure has been well planed and used several shows in a row since the elevation tour (more on that later).
The sad thing is that we already had "One" line with mixed feelings and now these guys and their fellows really started working on us fans that could not or chose not to buy a subscription to u2.com.
Their logic? The line was split yesterday and WILL be split today by the pre-mentioned and still unnamed authorities, so why not get it over with now? This was only after they tried the whole U2.com membership / presale thing equates to "special privileges" tact.
Basically the argument was, "We paid 40 dollars to be members and we can buy tickets before the sale to the general public." Where this logic is faulty is that you CAN'T get presale tickets to a show added at the exact minute that ALL the first show tickets (presale and general ) are SOLD OUT and U2's management adds a second show!
Voices were raised, security was non committal other than to playing their own self serving games and finally as one of those against the split the .com'ers were working I said, "Fine then go split the line if you can but you and I and everyone know this is unfair bullshit based on a smoke and mirros argument which is really an attempt to show up late in the day and move up in line , next to the door and in an overall better position to race the other GA ticket holders to the floor." But .com's guilty consceince would not allow that as the last word. They had to keep going on with their circular logic until they were told to "shut up, and go away to make their line."
Is this a U2 concert ?
Lets move on past all the new attempts by the people in the now split and moved over line to pacify and justify, past all the incidents where those friends of U2.com slip in at various points of their special line.
Yes on now to the official announcement over the bullhorn as prophesied. "Folks," said an Orca Bay (venu) official, "this is the general admission line area, all seat ticket holders can line up around the East Side of the building, thanks." What no mention of the sacred U2.com people, no blessing by Bono ,Edge, Larry, and Adam who appear to greet the mighty .com all with their backs to us lowly ga'ers? awwww.
Anyways, the magic moment arrives and heres where the whole thing comes clear. At # 4 in the ga'er line while security sifts through a purse, the now # 15 or so person is rushing through in their U2.com line to the floor or to the bar to secure the top of the vat for their friends who are racing ahead to the floor.
Now here's the interesting , God was smiling on me part. I pass my ticket to the second scan person and 'beep" ! So I retrieve my wife who is ahead of me and trying to get to the floor while #'s 16 to 20 or so from the U2.com line are racing her and we get a front rail spot in the ellipse with me right in front of the edge's gear.
But, more to come. I again tell one of the 2 U2 garment clad lads from above to leave me alone after he says, "See you got a good spot."
Then I need to switch spots with my wife so that someone's boyfriend, standing behind his girlfriend beside my wife, will take his elbow out of my wife’s rib and place it mine. I try to explain that he is in the second row, the first row is full, and that he needs to release his death grip on the rail and stop pushing. He says no as the booze breath fills my nostrils and his glassed eyes say, "and what of it?"
Now here is where I see the difference between the security team outside and inside (i believe they are 2 different company's). The security guy directly in front of me politely and calmly tells me to relax and let him handle things. He then tells the guy behind that if does not remove his elbow from my ribs, he will be escorted out. The guy behind me then says, no , again. Security says okay its your choice lets go. The guy behind then apologizes and shakes my hand, which I accept and we all somehow were completely comfortable throughout the show.
Back at the far edge of the ellipse my grandkid's parents are trying avoid my grand's being crushed by more drunks who say they "don't fucking care" about their pushing or the 4 and 8 year old that we felt would be safe on the floor as per the fact that this was not some power speed black thrash death metal act.
Here again inside security and in fact U2's floor crew come to the rescue and gets my granddaughter out of the fray and into the sound pit. I was told earlier that the night before that some young children and an elderly couple (75 yr. olders) were "invited in " to the sound pit for the same reasons." okay now we start to see the real U2 conduct the band is known for.
Anyway thanks if you read all this. I will be speaking with Orca Bay Management, sending my respective concerns and thanks to the separate security teams, and also I will be navigating the appropriate Principal Management and U2.com staff channels in an attempt to let the band know what we experienced.
I DONT BLAME U2 IN ANY WAY, THEY DO NOT HAVE AND DO NOT NEED AN ASSHOLE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
Anyway thanks AGAIN if you read all this. And yes I did apologize to God, my family and myself for my poor conduct, and yes I am still so disappointed with the new crew that seems to be attending shows. Apparently in Boston the .com'ers got upset when they weren’t given preference over people that the Band and Video crew selected randomly from the crowd, you know people who can't afford to follow the band a network of successive shows, hook up friends in a special line, KNOW how to BE the #1 fan at the exact spot they WANT
all so they can yell into their cell phone while your trying to hear the band, "HEY MAN, GUESS WHERE I AM YOU LOSER?
Amen
, The Edge 
, Adam 
& Larry 
