MrBTH
War Child
Seeing U2 for the first time was definitely one of the greatest experiences of my life. I had waited four years for the opportunity, ever since going out and buying most of their albums after seeing reports about the '93 ZooTV concerts in Dublin and Cork and being totally blown away.
So I already had my ticket to go and see them in Landsdowne Rd. in Dublin, but imagine my surprise and sheer delight at hearing that Bono and the boys had decided to bring the show to Belfast to play their first ever outdoor gig in Northern Ireland. And that the big day was only two weeks away! From that day onwards my excitement about the concert built to extreme proportions. Just about everyone I knew was going, whether they liked U2 or not, and it was easy to get a lift down the road to Belfast.
And then the craic started! We had a few drinks before we walked to the concert venue (the Botanic Gardens, down by the river Lagan). We joined the hordes about a mile away from the field. Traffic was at a total standstill, being halted by the waves of people that spilled out onto the streets. At the first crash barrier ticket check there was a real party atmosphere as we waited to be allowed through. The excitement was palpable, especially when we heard a soundcheck start up. It was only Ash, the support band however, although they were pretty good too.
Eventually we made it into the field, and we made a mad dash to be allowed into the pit just in front of the stage. That was no trouble since we were among the real early birds and we got rather fetching pink wristbands for our trouble which allowed us to come and go as we pleased (well, to and from the beer tent!). And we waited and waited and waited, greeting every screen test with a cheer, watching the folks in the houses surrounding the venue get their vantage points on any available surface - windowsills, roofs - and smelling their barbecues. God, it seemed like an eternity.
So we put up with Ash, who sounded a little muddy, and were almost bored to death with Howie B's useless DJ set. And darkness fell slowly and all you could see was a mass of big yellow inflatable lemons which had been released by the stage hands, and then the Mission Impossible theme kicked in and we knew that the waitng would soon be over...
And I got up on my friend's shoulders and looked out over the totally crazy crowd which seemed to stretch for miles behind us and then, all of a sudden: "New York, London, Paris, Munich. Everybody talk about POP MUSIC!". I just went bezerk! It felt like my whole life had been building up towards this moment and I made the most of it. My friends later claimed that I looked like I had been posessed by the spirit of a grasshopper or something, I was jumping up and down so much!
And when the band passed between the barriers I reached out and managed to touch both Edge and Larry - it felt almost religious at the time. It's amazing how the circumstances of a live show, especially a U2 show, make the band into some sort of idols, even gods, for the duration of the concert. When mofo kicked in and the screen exploded into colour I was in heaven, singing every word of every sond, dancing and lepping like a loony, desperately trying to grab Bono's attention every time he came along the runway to the B-Stage (for what reason, I don't know!).
However the highlights for me were: During Bullet The Blue Sky, when the huge cones of light shone for miles into the air, meeting at a point right above our heads. It was so transcendant, made even more so by the plane which flew right through the middle of the beams of light, drawing gasps from the whole crowd.; And especially, the whole of "Please" which was sung with such intensity and invested with such meaning that it left everyone emotionally drained. Everything else paled into insignifigance a bit (only relatively speaking!), even the mirrorball lemon (!), but the concert as a whole left me more fulfilled than I had ever been previously. I was in tears during "One" not just because of the emotions prompted by the song, but also because I knew that this amazing experience was soon to end.
And then it was over and everyone, and I mean everyone who was there had been blown away visually, aurally and emotionally. Even the doubters, who had come along "just for the occasion" had to admit that something special happened that night. We talked about it all the way home in the car, and for days afterwards, until it was time to go down to Dublin, a week later, to experience it all over again! The Dublin show was fantastic - it sounded much better than the Belfast show, but it just wasn't as intense. The audience atmosphere was nowhere near as good and the band, whilst obviously having a ball, didn't seem to be as relaxed and natural as they were back in Belfast. Oh well, I guess the first time is always special! But I can't wait for U2 to return to Belfast so that we can give them an even bigger welcome!
Sorry for going on for so long
, I just hope that this gives you some idea of how profound my love of U2 is - which I'm sure I share with just about everyone else on this forum. Anyone else got any stories of U2 experiences, 'cos I'd love to hear them! Maybe you have actually met the band (one of my life's ambitions!). I'd love to hear what thats like. Thanks for reading!
Bye!
[This message has been edited by MrBTH (edited 06-10-2000).]
[This message has been edited by MrBTH (edited 06-10-2000).]
[This message has been edited by MrBTH (edited 06-10-2000).]
So I already had my ticket to go and see them in Landsdowne Rd. in Dublin, but imagine my surprise and sheer delight at hearing that Bono and the boys had decided to bring the show to Belfast to play their first ever outdoor gig in Northern Ireland. And that the big day was only two weeks away! From that day onwards my excitement about the concert built to extreme proportions. Just about everyone I knew was going, whether they liked U2 or not, and it was easy to get a lift down the road to Belfast.
And then the craic started! We had a few drinks before we walked to the concert venue (the Botanic Gardens, down by the river Lagan). We joined the hordes about a mile away from the field. Traffic was at a total standstill, being halted by the waves of people that spilled out onto the streets. At the first crash barrier ticket check there was a real party atmosphere as we waited to be allowed through. The excitement was palpable, especially when we heard a soundcheck start up. It was only Ash, the support band however, although they were pretty good too.
Eventually we made it into the field, and we made a mad dash to be allowed into the pit just in front of the stage. That was no trouble since we were among the real early birds and we got rather fetching pink wristbands for our trouble which allowed us to come and go as we pleased (well, to and from the beer tent!). And we waited and waited and waited, greeting every screen test with a cheer, watching the folks in the houses surrounding the venue get their vantage points on any available surface - windowsills, roofs - and smelling their barbecues. God, it seemed like an eternity.
So we put up with Ash, who sounded a little muddy, and were almost bored to death with Howie B's useless DJ set. And darkness fell slowly and all you could see was a mass of big yellow inflatable lemons which had been released by the stage hands, and then the Mission Impossible theme kicked in and we knew that the waitng would soon be over...
And I got up on my friend's shoulders and looked out over the totally crazy crowd which seemed to stretch for miles behind us and then, all of a sudden: "New York, London, Paris, Munich. Everybody talk about POP MUSIC!". I just went bezerk! It felt like my whole life had been building up towards this moment and I made the most of it. My friends later claimed that I looked like I had been posessed by the spirit of a grasshopper or something, I was jumping up and down so much!
And when the band passed between the barriers I reached out and managed to touch both Edge and Larry - it felt almost religious at the time. It's amazing how the circumstances of a live show, especially a U2 show, make the band into some sort of idols, even gods, for the duration of the concert. When mofo kicked in and the screen exploded into colour I was in heaven, singing every word of every sond, dancing and lepping like a loony, desperately trying to grab Bono's attention every time he came along the runway to the B-Stage (for what reason, I don't know!).
However the highlights for me were: During Bullet The Blue Sky, when the huge cones of light shone for miles into the air, meeting at a point right above our heads. It was so transcendant, made even more so by the plane which flew right through the middle of the beams of light, drawing gasps from the whole crowd.; And especially, the whole of "Please" which was sung with such intensity and invested with such meaning that it left everyone emotionally drained. Everything else paled into insignifigance a bit (only relatively speaking!), even the mirrorball lemon (!), but the concert as a whole left me more fulfilled than I had ever been previously. I was in tears during "One" not just because of the emotions prompted by the song, but also because I knew that this amazing experience was soon to end.
And then it was over and everyone, and I mean everyone who was there had been blown away visually, aurally and emotionally. Even the doubters, who had come along "just for the occasion" had to admit that something special happened that night. We talked about it all the way home in the car, and for days afterwards, until it was time to go down to Dublin, a week later, to experience it all over again! The Dublin show was fantastic - it sounded much better than the Belfast show, but it just wasn't as intense. The audience atmosphere was nowhere near as good and the band, whilst obviously having a ball, didn't seem to be as relaxed and natural as they were back in Belfast. Oh well, I guess the first time is always special! But I can't wait for U2 to return to Belfast so that we can give them an even bigger welcome!
Sorry for going on for so long
Bye!
[This message has been edited by MrBTH (edited 06-10-2000).]
[This message has been edited by MrBTH (edited 06-10-2000).]
[This message has been edited by MrBTH (edited 06-10-2000).]
