HelloAngel
ONE love, blood, life
By Chris Prince
2005.03
We all have our aims in life—raise a family, buy that dream home, get that fast car. My aim, at 18 years old, is to see my first U2 concert, maybe insignificant in the grand scheme of things but, nevertheless, this is my aim.
My first taste of the live U2 experience was provided by the "U2 Elevation Tour 2001—Live from Boston" DVD. Although not yet a complete U2 fanatic, I bought the DVD out of curiosity after hearing great things about U2 live and being introduced to the band via the single "Beautiful Day" and its parent album, I decided to satiate my curiosity by going out and buying a copy of the show for myself. A few days later and I still hadn't yet watched it; I simply didn't have the time. However, it seemed fate intended for me to make time and I was struck down with quite a heavy dose of the flu. Bed-bound and bored out of my skull, I decided to give the show a chance. One hour, 47 minutes later and cue the birth of a new U2 addict. I was blown away, not only by the quality of the songs but the visual effects and performance as well.
By the end of my brief bout of illness, symptoms were starting to emerge of another condition—I was starting to develop a serious case of U2 fever. The DVD had been played so many times during that week that I could lip synch to the entire dialogue of the show perfectly.
From then on my enthusiasm for the band only strengthened. My hunger to get hold of more live footage resulted in the purchases of both the "ZooTV Live from Sydney" and "PopMart Live from Mexico City" videos (which I ended up having to buy my own video player for, to avoid the hassle of having to explain to my parents why I was using theirs to play the same video for the umpteenth time), followed later by the "Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky" video when I eventually managed to hunt it down. I waited in relish for the "U2 Go Home—Live From Slane Castle" DVD when I heard of its release, eagerly marking down the date of its arrival on my calendar before giving it the Live-from-Boston-treatment when I finally did get my hands on it. My pittance of a paperboy wage sure took a beating, but to me it was money well spent. A few months later I also discovered the existence of concert bootlegs available on the internet, for which I still spend many hours hunting down concerts I would particularly like to listen to, referring, of course, to Pimm Jal de la Parra's trusty "U2 Live: A Concert Documentary" book as I do so.
Yet one gaping hole still remained in the completion of my U2 fandom. For all the bootlegs, live CDs, books and DVDs/videos, I still had yet to actually see the band perform. The Elevation tour had finished and there was no definite word of when the band's next album would be out—I had no chance of seeing this band I idolized for a very long time. Still, I kept up to date on my U2 news via the web, anticipating the inevitable announcement that U2 was to tour again so I could have my time to see what I already knew was the greatest live act on the planet. Like every other fan I waited with bated breath for any scrap of information about the new album and its subsequent tour.
Then "Vertigo" hit. With a severely whetted appetite for more of what I had heard, I scanned the internet vigorously every night until one night I hit gold. On Dec. 13, 2004, I came across a new headline on the U2.com website that I was sure had only been up a few minutes—"Win Tix 2 C U2 ON TOTP This Friday!" I eagerly clicked on the corresponding link and found myself desperately hunting down answers to the quiz questions as quickly as I could. After finding everything out that I needed to know and double checking my answers, I tensely pressed the "submit" button, knowing time was of the essence as only the first 75 entries would be winners. I knew I had a good chance of winning as the criteria for winning suited me perfectly—must be 17 or under and a UK resident—plus I had found the quiz on the website almost as soon as it had been posted.
However, Thursday arrived and no winning e-mail was sent. I didn't really feel disappointed, although I knew I had a good chance of winning my past experiences of entering such competitions had hardly been fruitful. So there I was, 10:30 pm, surfing the Internet whilst doing some research for my college work and about to call it a night when a pop-up appeared to signify I had e-mail from U2.com. I immediately visited my inbox to find with disbelief the subject line, "You've won tickets to see U2!" Words cannot describe my feelings as I read this message. Anticipation, excitement, pure unadulterated elation all come close, I guess.
CONGRATULATIONS!
You have won a pair of tickets for you—and a friend of your choice—to see U2 play live tomorrow night, Friday, for Top of the Pops.
As I read down the e-mail a panic struck me, I had to get to London. I live in Hull, some 250 miles northeast of the capital city. I could not drive myself and both my parents had work commitments the next morning they could not break. To take a train plus accommodation for the night would cost me something in the region of £150+, money I simply didn't have with Christmas so nearby. I desperately spent the next few hours trying to negotiate with my dad ways that my friend (whom I had already phoned up in my initial excitement to ask if he minded cancelling a party he was hosting on the Friday night to accompany me to London) and I could make our way down to the show. After much debating and frustration I realized with utter grief that there was no way I could make it down to London with such limited funds and such a short time scale to arrange the journey. That night I couldn't get to sleep, instead just laying in my bad, thinking only of what could have been.
The following night, after spending most of the day wallowing in self-pity, I decided to watch the "Top of the Pops" show, not to see what I was missing but because it was a U2 show. Even after that unfortunate series of events I still found myself in love with this band. Upon watching the performance I did the only thing I could do—go to my friend's party and get myself rather drunk.
Time passed and the wounds of angst and disappointment healed. I signed up for the U2.com membership just to be safe in the knowledge that next time U2 tickets were on offer I wouldn't be left behind.
The new album had arrived, the tour dates announced and the pre-sale dates released. I worked out in advance which of U2's shows clashed with exams I would be having in the summer so as to know not to go for those shows when the pre-sale started. Eventually, I decided my first U2 show would be at Twickenham Stadium on a Saturday—that way I was sure that there would be no exams waiting with the potential to ruin my chances.
Now I mentioned earlier that it seemed fate wanted me to discover U2, and during what is commonly and resentfully known as the "U2 pre-sale fiasco," it felt like fate wanted to deny me the chance of ever seeing my favorite band live. Like so many others, I spent hours trying to recover a lost pre-sale code, the more hours that passed, the more I feared for my chances of getting tickets. However, many, many phone calls to Ticketmaster and two-and-a-half days later, I eventually secured tickets for my Twickenham show. The joy I felt when receiving that winning e-mail in December came flooding back; I literally danced down my street to tell my friends. This joy was repeated a few days later when I somehow got general admission tickets to the show in Cardiff. With tickets for two U2 shows and actual time to plan getting there, it seemed the quest for my Holy Grail of seeing U2 live may finally be coming to an end.
Of course my life being as it is, I have recently been denied time off work for the Twickenham show so I may end up losing my job over going to see U2, but one thing is guaranteed—I will be there. To anyone going to shows on the June 18th and 29th, look out for me; I'll be the guy at the front with a look on his face like he's just found the Holy Grail. See you there!
2005.03
We all have our aims in life—raise a family, buy that dream home, get that fast car. My aim, at 18 years old, is to see my first U2 concert, maybe insignificant in the grand scheme of things but, nevertheless, this is my aim.
My first taste of the live U2 experience was provided by the "U2 Elevation Tour 2001—Live from Boston" DVD. Although not yet a complete U2 fanatic, I bought the DVD out of curiosity after hearing great things about U2 live and being introduced to the band via the single "Beautiful Day" and its parent album, I decided to satiate my curiosity by going out and buying a copy of the show for myself. A few days later and I still hadn't yet watched it; I simply didn't have the time. However, it seemed fate intended for me to make time and I was struck down with quite a heavy dose of the flu. Bed-bound and bored out of my skull, I decided to give the show a chance. One hour, 47 minutes later and cue the birth of a new U2 addict. I was blown away, not only by the quality of the songs but the visual effects and performance as well.
By the end of my brief bout of illness, symptoms were starting to emerge of another condition—I was starting to develop a serious case of U2 fever. The DVD had been played so many times during that week that I could lip synch to the entire dialogue of the show perfectly.
From then on my enthusiasm for the band only strengthened. My hunger to get hold of more live footage resulted in the purchases of both the "ZooTV Live from Sydney" and "PopMart Live from Mexico City" videos (which I ended up having to buy my own video player for, to avoid the hassle of having to explain to my parents why I was using theirs to play the same video for the umpteenth time), followed later by the "Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky" video when I eventually managed to hunt it down. I waited in relish for the "U2 Go Home—Live From Slane Castle" DVD when I heard of its release, eagerly marking down the date of its arrival on my calendar before giving it the Live-from-Boston-treatment when I finally did get my hands on it. My pittance of a paperboy wage sure took a beating, but to me it was money well spent. A few months later I also discovered the existence of concert bootlegs available on the internet, for which I still spend many hours hunting down concerts I would particularly like to listen to, referring, of course, to Pimm Jal de la Parra's trusty "U2 Live: A Concert Documentary" book as I do so.
Yet one gaping hole still remained in the completion of my U2 fandom. For all the bootlegs, live CDs, books and DVDs/videos, I still had yet to actually see the band perform. The Elevation tour had finished and there was no definite word of when the band's next album would be out—I had no chance of seeing this band I idolized for a very long time. Still, I kept up to date on my U2 news via the web, anticipating the inevitable announcement that U2 was to tour again so I could have my time to see what I already knew was the greatest live act on the planet. Like every other fan I waited with bated breath for any scrap of information about the new album and its subsequent tour.
Then "Vertigo" hit. With a severely whetted appetite for more of what I had heard, I scanned the internet vigorously every night until one night I hit gold. On Dec. 13, 2004, I came across a new headline on the U2.com website that I was sure had only been up a few minutes—"Win Tix 2 C U2 ON TOTP This Friday!" I eagerly clicked on the corresponding link and found myself desperately hunting down answers to the quiz questions as quickly as I could. After finding everything out that I needed to know and double checking my answers, I tensely pressed the "submit" button, knowing time was of the essence as only the first 75 entries would be winners. I knew I had a good chance of winning as the criteria for winning suited me perfectly—must be 17 or under and a UK resident—plus I had found the quiz on the website almost as soon as it had been posted.
However, Thursday arrived and no winning e-mail was sent. I didn't really feel disappointed, although I knew I had a good chance of winning my past experiences of entering such competitions had hardly been fruitful. So there I was, 10:30 pm, surfing the Internet whilst doing some research for my college work and about to call it a night when a pop-up appeared to signify I had e-mail from U2.com. I immediately visited my inbox to find with disbelief the subject line, "You've won tickets to see U2!" Words cannot describe my feelings as I read this message. Anticipation, excitement, pure unadulterated elation all come close, I guess.
CONGRATULATIONS!
You have won a pair of tickets for you—and a friend of your choice—to see U2 play live tomorrow night, Friday, for Top of the Pops.
As I read down the e-mail a panic struck me, I had to get to London. I live in Hull, some 250 miles northeast of the capital city. I could not drive myself and both my parents had work commitments the next morning they could not break. To take a train plus accommodation for the night would cost me something in the region of £150+, money I simply didn't have with Christmas so nearby. I desperately spent the next few hours trying to negotiate with my dad ways that my friend (whom I had already phoned up in my initial excitement to ask if he minded cancelling a party he was hosting on the Friday night to accompany me to London) and I could make our way down to the show. After much debating and frustration I realized with utter grief that there was no way I could make it down to London with such limited funds and such a short time scale to arrange the journey. That night I couldn't get to sleep, instead just laying in my bad, thinking only of what could have been.
The following night, after spending most of the day wallowing in self-pity, I decided to watch the "Top of the Pops" show, not to see what I was missing but because it was a U2 show. Even after that unfortunate series of events I still found myself in love with this band. Upon watching the performance I did the only thing I could do—go to my friend's party and get myself rather drunk.
Time passed and the wounds of angst and disappointment healed. I signed up for the U2.com membership just to be safe in the knowledge that next time U2 tickets were on offer I wouldn't be left behind.
The new album had arrived, the tour dates announced and the pre-sale dates released. I worked out in advance which of U2's shows clashed with exams I would be having in the summer so as to know not to go for those shows when the pre-sale started. Eventually, I decided my first U2 show would be at Twickenham Stadium on a Saturday—that way I was sure that there would be no exams waiting with the potential to ruin my chances.
Now I mentioned earlier that it seemed fate wanted me to discover U2, and during what is commonly and resentfully known as the "U2 pre-sale fiasco," it felt like fate wanted to deny me the chance of ever seeing my favorite band live. Like so many others, I spent hours trying to recover a lost pre-sale code, the more hours that passed, the more I feared for my chances of getting tickets. However, many, many phone calls to Ticketmaster and two-and-a-half days later, I eventually secured tickets for my Twickenham show. The joy I felt when receiving that winning e-mail in December came flooding back; I literally danced down my street to tell my friends. This joy was repeated a few days later when I somehow got general admission tickets to the show in Cardiff. With tickets for two U2 shows and actual time to plan getting there, it seemed the quest for my Holy Grail of seeing U2 live may finally be coming to an end.
Of course my life being as it is, I have recently been denied time off work for the Twickenham show so I may end up losing my job over going to see U2, but one thing is guaranteed—I will be there. To anyone going to shows on the June 18th and 29th, look out for me; I'll be the guy at the front with a look on his face like he's just found the Holy Grail. See you there!
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