Is this true about the Boston DVD

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No spoken words said:
But brevity is the soul of wit.....and too much of this thread is lacking in wit, so to even suggest that it had some by shortening it would be doing the site a disservice.
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i don't know, the thought of a lot of over entitled fans having a big cry at their 20th show while people who are only seeing one or two shows and having the time of the lives screams hilarity to me.
 
Is anyone else as happy as I am that the Wire post Partyslammer dredged up was from a guy? I have to admit I thought for sure it was a woman as I was reading it, and was so fucking relieved to find it was written by a guy. :reject: :lol:


blueeyedgirl said:
Wow. Just wow.

What really got up my nose about Dave's post is the continual mention of "20 of the biggest fans in the country". Who is to say that a fan that sees U2 live 40 times is a bigger or better fan than one who isn't? Cos I've only seen them 10 times in over 26 years makes me lesser? Cos you want to sleep on the footpath for 20 hours makes you more entitled? Some may have more time or money or opportunity, but it doesn't make them a "bigger" fan.

More I re-read my post, more it sounds like teenage boys going on about penis size...
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You are obviously just a faker. Only 10 times in 26 years? And you call yourself a fan. :tsk: :tsk:

Yeah, his "20 of the biggest fans in the country" mantra got very old, very quickly for me too.

What also struck me as odd is this group of fans had to stay weepy/shocked/outraged for around two hours before the band even started. I can't imagine staying that upset and then making what certainly seemed from the post Dave made to be a conscious decision to NOT enjoy the show at any of my favourite band's concerts. I just couldn't not enjoy myself at one of my favourite band's concerts.

No matter how "unfair" or how much they were lied to, the fact remains only about 60 people were in the venue ahead of these folks. They got THAT bent out of shape over 60 fucking people? I think they got so wrapped up in getting specific spots every night, that they forgot to enjoy the band.
 
indra said:
I think they got so wrapped up in getting specific spots every night, that they forgot to enjoy the band.
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Pretty much what I thought when I read this whole thread.
This discussion has come up a few times over the years, and each time there's few people who get mad at the band for being so nasty to their fans. Yet I still can't blame them from wanting some fresh faces on the dvd. :shrug: Sure, it's not cool that they just randomly took out new people and lied to the self entitled hardcore fans, but I can understand why they did it. And I cannot stand people who put themselves on a pedestal, so yeah, that doesn't help the whiners to win me over either.. :shrug: You have 2 people in front of you, Boo FUCKING hoo. You still are near the front at a concert so many people would've wanted to be! Cry me a bloody river.
 
it happened to me at a concert too. the band has vip packages where you can get really good seats. i bought mine the very second they were available, picked them up at will call, got second row fos (there was no ga section, so yeah). i was psyched, it was good enough for me. the seats in front of me stayed empty until moments before the openers came on. suddenly, these two girls sat down and were talking to the people next to them. i couldn't help but overhear they'd been on the lawn (it was an amphitheatre) and got pulled aside and asked if they wanted to sit there.

sure, i was annoyed that i paid waaaay more than they did for my seats, but i was maybe a foot further away from the stage, big deal. it surely helped that they weren't annoying "WOOOO OMG LOOK AT ME" types or the exact opposite, sitting glued to their seat. i wasn't about to let something as dumb as that ruin the show for me. as long as the people in front of me don't have their hands up the whole time or are six inches taller than me, i don't care. i'd rather save my rage for something important, like bad drivers. or people who don't hold doors. or people who chew with their mouths open. or...
 
indra said:
Is anyone else as happy as I am that the Wire post Partyslammer dredged up was from a guy? I have to admit I thought for sure it was a woman as I was reading it, and was so fucking relieved to find it was written by a guy. :reject: :lol:
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I was 110% positive it was a woman, until I saw the "Dave" at the end. I'm not sure why I was shocked that it was a man...

I've never quite known what to think about this. I've always thought it was a fairly innocent thing that was carried out poorly. I would sympathise with these people, because I understand the principle- they weren't treated fairly, they were lied to. That's just wrong. But after reading that, it was just drenched in "I'm a better fan than them". His account verged on wierd. I can't really sympathise with someone who has such a rude and superior attitude towards others, especially in this particular setting. I should have counted how many times he said "20 of the biggest fans in the country". Give me a freaking break. I pictured these people sitting on the floor all sulky like toddlers. Pop a pacifier in your mouth or grow up :rolleyes:

I think, when it happened, he may have gotten the sympathy he was clearly looking for if he had focused on, "I was upset because what happened was wrong", rather than, "I was upset because what happened was wrong because I'm a better fan than those who ended up in front and I deserve to be treated as such". :|
 
Oh my god, the U2 tuxedo shirt!

Now we need a scene re-enacting the line-up and the protest in slow motion, with Barber's Adagio For Strings playing in the background.
 
I showed up at U2 360 Chicago when everyone was being let in. I got a few rows behind the outer rail. Great view. Great sound. No complaints.

Organizing a sitdown because you couldn't get your favorite spot everytime....and whining like a bunch of twelve year old girls....HAHA. I am so not jealous of you.

I loved my show. You whined. I win.
 
Wow, guys. They were 3 or 4 rows from the front? Imagine attending up to 20 shows with a perfect view up Bono's nostrils and having that torn away from you for one night. All in all, I think they handled it pretty bravely and selflessly. I mean, like dude said, they could've DESTROYED the band by sitting down or turning around or something.. but they chose to quietly weep instead. God bless the superfans. :heart:
 
As I was reading this, the first thing that came to mind was "cry me a river" and when I finished reading this rant about how it was the end of the world and how heart broken they all were, well i threw up a little in my mouth! If you go to 10-20 shows per tour and every show you are in front don't you think it would be fair for people who can only go to 1 show be able to see them like you do on EVERY show? Yes it was wrong what U2 or whoever did to just pick certain people and to lie, but for these fans to cry like they lost a loved one and to make such a big deal is even worse! I am glad the fans that got picked told the other fans to f*ck off! It's because of FANS like you, fans like me and 90% of the other fans who can only afford to go to one show and cant afford to spend days waiting in line miss the opportunity to be in front. Get over yourself it was only ONE show, and I am sure you will see so many more shows! This reminds me of your typical super spoiled rich kid going on a tamper tantrum because their parents did not give him the beautiful car that he wanted for his bday etc etc etc. Really disgusting. And I feel bad for U2 because it seems to have ruined their night and disturbed their performance. All because a few super diehard fans missed out in being in front of the show for just one show. Life if not fair get over it!

Rant over



Partyslammer said:
You're right, it's literally been years since I watched the dvd. I watched a bit of it tonight. They did do the "hole" during One and in one of the dark crowd shots before they play "Wake Up Dead Man" is when you can catch a glimpse.

I did a quick look on my old archived posts from the Wire mailing lists and among the many comments about this show, I found this really long post from someone who was there, who probably had a little to much emotionally vested in this band, not to mention was probably a bit deluded about "their" impact on the band and their performance that night:

+++++++++++

Ok obviously the word is getting out about what happened last night. The
FACTS are this:
The Fleet Center staff were incredibly helpful, caring, and genuinely
looking out for the fans, so please understand that what happened had
nothing to do with the Fleet Center staff. Anyway.

Many of the biggest U2 fans from across the continent were there for the
show last night. A group of girls even flew in from LA the night before,
missed the first show so that they could line up for the 2nd show. Many of
us were there by midnight, some people were in line for over 20 hours. I
got in line at 11:30pm, immediately after the end of the first Boston show,
and I was already 18th in line.

Shortly before it was time to let the GA line in, U2's top security people
went to the BACK of the GA line (ie the people who had just arrived) and
selected 60 or more people and brought them into the arena. We all saw this
of course, and we immediately asked U2's head of security what it's all
about, who are those people and why were they taken from the back of the
line and brought inside? He told us, to our faces, that they will NOT be
brought to the floor, that they will be held somewhere inside, and that we
(the ones at the front of the GA line) will be the first people on the
floor.

Half an hour later, the first 100 or so people from the GA line were brought
inside in an orderly fashion, and lined up in an area right before the
enterance to the arena. There, rumors started to fly around that there were
already 60 people on the floor. The security people there assured us that
it is only a rumor, and they basically told us to shut up, and that anybody
who makes any trouble will be ejected from the arena. A few minutes later,
they brought us somebody from U2's team, who tried to get us in a good mood
by explaining to us that tonight is the "big night", it's being taped for
HBO and broadcast live to the NBA finals. Then they let us into the arena,
and right away we saw what we had feared: the front of the stage inside the
heart was filled up, maybe 3 rows deep, and the tip of the heart was full of
people. These people had been hand-picked from the back of the GA line, at
5:30pm or so.

At this point, we didn't know what to do. We were shocked, angry, and felt
personally hurt. Most of us went into the heart, and we let the people who
were alread there know what had happened to us, and we asked them that, if
they truly care about the band and its fans, they would step back and let us
to the front. Of course, they didn't give a shit, and told us to fuck off.
We were trying not to be mad at them, because it really wasn't their fault,
and we weren't going to try to force them to move away - most of us would
never use force or violence at a U2 concert, or elsewhere in life.

Soon the scene in the heart was apparent. Many of us were heartbroken that
the band would intentionally screw us over like that. A group of us simply
sat down at the back of the heart and started crying. It was just awful.
These are people who are the BIGGEST u2 fans, who had sacrificed so much to
be there, who hadn't slept in 2 days, and who had just spent 25 hours on the
sidewalk in order to see the band they love, and here they are totally
heartbroken before the show.

At this point, the impact of what had happened started to dawn on many of
the people there, even if they hadn't been at the front of the GA line to
experience all that we did. It was almost surreal. Looking around I was
seeing 25 of the biggest U2 fans in the country, and some from around the
world, and they were all extremely upset about what had happened. These are
people, myself included, who have been to the last 10, 20, or more shows on
this tour, who have made huge personal sacrifices to do so - leaving their
family, friends, jobs, school, disrupting their lives for months at a time
so that they could follow the band that they love on this special tour, to
see them night after night, to cheer the band on through good shows and bad,
to tell Bono how amazing he sounds even when he's on the vurge of losing his
voice, to give the band all they've got at each and every show and never
tire of it. And after all this, they are lied to, deceived, and screwed
over, on the biggest and most important night of the tour.

Previously, in the GA line, we had joked about sitting down during Beautiful
Day if we get screwed over. But now, things were getting serious... people
were crying, everybody was very distressed and upset. The last thing we
wanted to do was stage a protest in the middle of the concert, because we
know how much this show, how much each show, means to the band, and we
didn't want to ruin that for them. But something needed to be done. So we
tried everything we could. We tried talking to U2's security again. Their
head of security personally apologized to us for lying to our faces. He
said that he was sincerely sorry for lying to us, and it was a very
heartfelt apology, but he said that he was instructed to do so by his
bosses, and there was nothing else he could do. We even talked to Paul
McGuinness, but unfortunately this was during PJ Harvey's set, and the
conversation consisted of us yelling into each others' ears trying to get
our message across over the loudness of PJ and her band, and eventually, Mr.
McGuinness said that he's sorry but there's nothing that he can do, and then
he left.

What happened next was one of the hardest things that many of us had ever
done. The openning music for Elevation came on, and we all gathered to a
position about two-thirds of the way towards the back of the heart. We
chose to be away from the front of the stage because in our minds we
invisioned the band seeing the protest right in front of them, and they
would be forced to stop mid-song... it would have destroyed them, and we
didn't want to do that. By doing it farther back in the heart, the band
would still see the protest, but they would be able to continue the show
dispite it.

When the band took the stage, with the house lights on, one at a time, we
sat down. And most of us, as soon as we hit the floor, we started to cry.
It was uncontrollable, the flow of emotions running through us at that
moment. 20,000 screaming, cheering fans on their feet for their favorite
band, and in the center of it all, us in the heart, the fans who love the
band SO MUCH, sitting down on the floor as the openning notes of Elevation
hit us. We stayed sitting down through all of Elevation and the next song,
Beautiful Day, many of us crying our eyes out through all of it.

The band must have noticed it right away, and soon (still during Elevation)
Bono came out on the catwalk and looked straight at us, and started jumping
up and down so that he could get a better look at the people sitting down.
We could feel the whole vibe of the show going downhill... we remained
sitting during Beautiful Day, and the band was obviously distressed... Edge
lost concentration and didn't catch the que to end the song...

After Beautiful Day, we couldn't bare to sit down any longer. People were
hugging and comforting each other, we were all a complete mess. And from
that point on, we decided that the protest would not end. For the rest of
the show, the group of us did not cheer, clap, smile, or move during the
songs. During several songs, many of us stood with our backs to the band,
which they also noticed, further to their distress. Bono botched up Kite
pretty badly... During Desire, with the entire band at the tip of the
heart, they were very close to us. Larry looked right at us with one of the
most angry expressions i've ever seen on his face, and he shook his head
right at us, and then refused to look our way for the rest of the
performance. By this time in the set, all of the band knew that something
was very wrong, it was apparent on their faces and in their performance.
Even Adam was having trouble smiling. During Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bono
rapped / mumbled something like "For the first time in 25 years, a gig
doesn't feel right".

During One, everyone who had participated in the protest formed a big
circle, effectively creating a big hole in the heart. And the real shocker,
after One, Bono walked over to Edge, and they talked (off mic) for about 45
seconds, and then Bono walked back to the mic and he and Edge did Wake Up
Dead Man. It was obviously inpromptu, and the only explanation we could
think of is that singing that song was Bono's way of dealing with what was
happenning at the show.

These are the facts as they happened at the show. I'm sure that many
different opinions will be formed about what happened. The important thing
to keep in mind is WHY we did the protest. It was NOT because we were a
bunch of whining fans who were upset that they didn't get to the front row.
The shows are amazing no matter where you are standing. We were protesting
because after all that we have gone through for this band, we were lied to,
and because we feel that whoever is making the decisions, be it the band
themselves or their management, have an agenda that we do not agree with.
If HBO says they want young, attractive, ethnically diverse people at the
front of the stage, and that putting them there would mean screwing over 20
of the biggest u2 fans in the country, U2 should say NO. We know how much
the fans mean to U2. The band has always taken as much time as they can to
meet the fans, at their hotel, outside of the shows, and around town. But
it seems like at this stage of their career they have become so far removed
from even their most hardcore fans, that something like what happened last
night could occur, and the only way that we could show them how much it hurt
us was to protest in the heart, during the show. Their security and their
management simply would not listen to us.

I'm sure I'm leaving many things unsaid, and I hope that I'm speaking for
most of us who were there and participated in the protest. It was a very
complicated and emotionally draining night, and I still feel drained,
frustrated, sad, and hurt, for what happened. I had planned for last night
to be my last show on this tour. But I know that I cannot just leave with
this feeling in me. I can't attend the show tomorrow because of a serious
committment I have made, but I will do my best to get into the Saturday
show, and I hope that by then this situation has been resolved, though I'm
afraid that nothing short of a personal apology from the band would satisfy
the hearts of many of the fans who were wronged last night.

-Dave ****
Click to expand...
 
kafrun said:
Wow, guys. They were 3 or 4 rows from the front? Imagine attending up to 20 shows with a perfect view up Bono's nostrils and having that torn away from you for one night. All in all, I think they handled it pretty bravely and selflessly. I mean, like dude said, they could've DESTROYED the band by sitting down or turning around or something.. but they chose to quietly weep instead. God bless the superfans. :heart:
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Epic Fail
 
dabiggestu2fan said:
As I was reading this, the first thing that came to mind was "cry me a river" and when I finished reading this rant about how it was the end of the world and how heart broken they all were, well i threw up a little in my mouth! If you go to 10-20 shows per tour and every show you are in front don't you think it would be fair for people who can only go to 1 show be able to see them like you do on EVERY show? Yes it was wrong what U2 or whoever did to just pick certain people and to lie, but for these fans to cry like they lost a loved one and to make such a big deal is even worse! I am glad the fans that got picked told the other fans to f*ck off! It's because of FANS like you, fans like me and 90% of the other fans who can only afford to go to one show and cant afford to spend days waiting in line miss the opportunity to be in front. Get over yourself it was only ONE show, and I am sure you will see so many more shows! This reminds me of your typical super spoiled rich kid going on a tamper tantrum because their parents did not give him the beautiful car that he wanted for his bday etc etc etc. Really disgusting. And I feel bad for U2 because it seems to have ruined their night and disturbed their performance. All because a few super diehard fans missed out in being in front of the show for just one show. Life if not fair get over it!

Rant over
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:up:

As I wrote earlier in this thread, what annoys me the most is that these people still made it into the heart. It's not like they were tossed outside or asked to go to the balcony seats. I made into the heart twice - neither time by the stage. Yet each time I was thrilled to be so close and in that special place on the floor. It was worth the wait (not so much for Vertigo Tour where my waiting got me pushed around outside the oval). So they are in the heart, they still have fantastic spots (and if you were in the heart, you know there were tons of spaces along the rails all around the heart), and yet they still complained.

Was it a bit rude? Sure, but to protest like that? By protesting they actually MISSED their chance to be on the DVD. The cameras usually pan the crowd off of stage, not those directly by the stage. So they could have been on the DVD. Instead, they were sulking during the opening number, ruining it for everyone.

I've always hated superfans and I have no sympathy for any of these people. :mad: Fortunately, I don't have to deal with them. :love:
 
Compare and contrast the Boston wackos with the amazing fans in Chorzow, Poland, who organized the red-and-white flag display on their own. It reminds me of Goofus and Gallant from that old "Highlights" magazine, lol. :wink:
 
LyricalDrug said:
Compare and contrast the Boston wackos with the amazing fans in Chorzow, Poland, who organized the red-and-white flag display on their own. It reminds me of Goofus and Gallant from that old "Highlights" magazine, lol. :wink:
Click to expand...

Wasn't Boston whackos.

It was people who traveled to all 20 shows to that point in the tour.

Few if any were from Boston.

Boston U2 fans are a down to earth bunch all of whom are just happy to be seeing the shows.
 
U2387 said:
Wasn't Boston whackos.

It was people who traveled to all 20 shows to that point in the tour.

Few if any were from Boston.

Boston U2 fans are a down to earth bunch all of whom are just happy to be seeing the shows.
Click to expand...

Yes, yes, I know... standard disclaimer should have been added that "it's possible that not all of the fans may have been from the Boston area and their actions should not be misinterpreted as unfairly tarnishing the reputation of Boston" etc.

I went to school in Boston and lived there in 2001... just easier to type "Boston" as shorthand! :wink:
 
None of them were from Boston. I was there and I talked to a couple of them and tried to reason with them..no luck there. Some of them were from CA, if I remember correctly.

It was the first time I had ever had GA and I had those people taken from the back of the line, from behind where I had been sitting for hours. Didn't cry, didn't whine, didn't go talk to Paul McGuinness to complain-which they did. And I wasn't traveling around to multiple shows like they were- just that one and one other in the same place near where I live, that was it for me. So technically I think I would have had a stronger cause for complaint. It's long ago now and who cares any more-but they are hardly the only U2 fans who have ever behaved in that way or in similar ways.
 
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