my story, cuz no one other than you guys would understand

[opaltranquility]

i've felt the need to express my feelings and thoughts about u2 for a while now...not to anyone in particular but to people who might understand what i think...

i rewarded myself tonight for doing homework on a friday by watching zootv...i watched peter pan so i can write my paper on it...and then zoo tv...i laid on the couch with a huge smile on my face caught up in the whole spectacle (ive seen it before, i just continue to be in awe haha)...i had to stop after mysterious ways because 1. my housemates showed up and i was risking embarassing myself if i kept watching haha 2. i was just feeling quite overwhelmed by it all...

watching it makes me wonder why it took me so long to "discover" the band...being born in 1980 i consider u2 to be background music to my life. some of my best memories, and some of my worst are associated to them...they've always been there, i just never quite noticed....

i feel like i've missed out on so much by "discovering" them so late...i have so much to learn, so much to catch up on. i'm expecting alot of u2 xmas gifts this year, since well...that's all i asked for hahaha

i think i've had a very strange history regarding u2. my first u2 cd was pop...i really enjoyed it at the time, until it became associated with bad memories and then sat in my cd rack until this summer. there were always u2 songs i liked, but when i bought the cds i hated them. i got joshua tree next, hated it. decided to get achtung baby, hated it. they sat on my cd rack. for some reason i decided to listen to achtung again one day, and was completely blown away. i still can't believe i could have EVER hated that cd LOL...but even still, i got atyclb around xmas last year...didn't really like it, didn't listen to it again until september. got zooropa this summer, didn't really like it. now i consider atyclb the only cd i own that makes me so completely happy. it's like i have this pattern where i'm not allowed to like a u2 album right away, it has to sit there for a while before i can be amazed...

so u2 announced the tour, and the buffalo date and i knew i had to go. even if the possibility existed that i wasn't going to be familiar with everything played, i knew i had to see them. if only because they are u2 one of the biggest bands in the world...tickets.com sucks, didn't get GA...waited until the last minute to get behind the stage 300 seats. it was still incredible. quickly took it's spot in the top 5 concerts ive ever seen. i appreciated u2 a thousand times more than i had, it really made me get into them alot more.

i mentioned that i feel like i've missed out so much, and i wonder why it took me so long to get into u2...my past "obsessions", as i lovingly call them, came at times when i needed them in my life...and i think again, this came to me when i needed it most.

the buffalo show isn't totally responsible for where i am now in my "relationship" with u2...it's been slowly building since then. the biggest factor in making me turn to u2 so much was everything that happened in september. i didn't lose anyone close to me, i only had a few connections to the area...but like everyone, i was effected by it all. that, plus other things going on in my life, was sort of too much for me to deal with. i found a salvation of sorts in u2's music. i really think they were the only thing preventing me from having a complete mental meltdown in september.

and then there was Hamilton. there was Hamilton which almost didn't happen. once again, no tickets for me. 3 days before the show i was given an offer for 1 GA ticket. i took it. i went to hamilton by myself (parents still dont know that haha), and experienced the best night of my life. i needed that concert so badly. i planned on going to hamilton with or without a ticket...it was the emotional release i needed. i have never been so happy in my life. and even since then... while i normally experience quite drastic post concert depression (which i thought i was alone in btw haha)...i didn't this time. it was really incredible, that for the first time in 6 years i was happy.

hamilton quickly took the throne of my concert listing...by far best concert i've ever been to, and i've been to quite a few.

i'm trying to resist becoming as "obsessed" with u2 as i have been with my other bands...i just can't afford it!!!...i feel myself slipping however. my bad. haha.

i don't know... but i'm just constantly in awe of them...sometimes bono is so beautiful i want to cry...and THAT is something my friends just DO NOT understand lol. i don't know...it's hard for me to explain.

and now...you've all corrupted me haha...now i am constantly refreshing pleba, and i find myself doing strange things...i catch myself about to say *is scandalized* outloud to my friends...i've been reading MPS all week, and it's infiltrating my brain.. i actually called my roommate "darling" today...and we're going to go to Martini-Gras in Buffalo...a martini party to celebrate Mardi Gras...i dreamed about the MPS!!!! i'm trying to get my roommate to convince her parents to let her go to Ireland with me for spring break....when i was watching peter pan, and each time they said "fly" i was like AHH!!! THE FLY!! zootv was my whole motivation to start working on my paper tonight...

wow...i'm not quite sure where that all came from...if you got through it THANK YOU!! i really enjoy pleba, even tho i've only been visiting a short time...puts a smile on my face. makes me feel like i am not alone! so THANK YOU GUYS!!!!

much love

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~sara
sle2@geneseo.edu
http://www.platinumcomplication.com

with my teeth at your back
and my tongue to tell you the sweetest lies

 

[Mirrorball Girl]

Thanks for sharing that, Sara. I'm sure everyone has a great story about how they became interested in U2. And you know what? I never get tired of hearing them. Maybe it's because I see myself reflected, to a certain degree, in all of them. I'm about your age -- born in late 1979. I was fortunate enough to stumble into a U2 obsession in 1996, and I haven't looked back since.

My first CD was Achtung Baby -- I remember knowing it was really good the first time I heard it, but not completely "getting" it yet. It soon became my favorite album. Anyway, I can definitely relate to your post. U2 unites us all!

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"The minute anybody starts telling you what God thinks, or exactly why he does such and such, beware. People should never try to make God in man's image, and that's what they're constantly doing." - Madeleine L'Engle, 1963

"True to form, Edge's promise of 'just the one' turns out to mean just the one bottle of vodka." - Q Mag interview

"don't let go, you've got the music in you..."

 

[Courtney]

Hi!

I completely understand your post. I was born in '78 and missed out on U2 in the eighties - well, I was vaguely aware of this band with some Irish guys, but I was far too into Tiffany and Debbie Gibson to be bothered.
My first U2 CD was also POP. I was fortunate to live down the hall from some U2-obsessed guys my freshman year who played the Discotheque single constantly before the album came out. I thought it was groovy (that was a word I used in those days, don't know why), so I picked up POP shortly after it was released...loved it...got Rattle and Hum, Achtung Baby, and Zooropa on my next trip and loved them all (well, not so much Zooropa at first, which is now probably my third favorite after AB and JT), and the obsession grew from there.
It's cool to be a later fan, though, because I think we can be more open to whatever musical direction U2 goes in, and we don't necessarily have the expectation of what U2 *should* sound like as opposed to some fans who have been around since the beginning (no offense to you guys - I stand in awe of everyone who was a fan during the early days and saw those great shows I can only visit on tape in person).
Oh, and I love the Zoo TV video too! It's my favorite, even after seeing the Elevation DVD, which is amazing.
Anyways, sorry for the rambling post...it's just good to find other U2 (relatively) newbies!

Courtney

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[Discoteque]

OHHHH Opal, I feel yer pain, girl. I'm the same age as the boys, but I was a total "fair weather fan" after JT, and let the entire decade of the 90s lapse...I didn't even know WHAT the guys were doing during that time, only vague ideas. I was into my own thing back then. I was SO out of touch until April-May of this year, that they came to Dallas a mere two weeks before I got reacquainted with them...and I didn't even know it! Talk about being completely out of touch. I might go insane if I think about that too much.

So even tho I once discovered them in the very beginning of their careers, I skipped like, some of the best parts, and have only recently come back into the fold. Believe me, I could kick myself up and down the block over that. WTF was I thinking??

I went through an obssessive phase too at first...it's mellowed out--a little--but I think this is one obsession that has become a real love and deep respect for the guys. I agree,it's weird, I'm this HUGE fan, yet people kind of look at me askance or roll their eyes when if I happen to talk (gush!) about U2...the only time I've ever felt free to be myself was when I was with thousands of other U2 fans at the recent concerts I attended. What a relief and a thrill it was to be able to talk freely and openly about the 'fab four' as much as I wanted, as often as I wanted, without any type of retribution. Talk about HEAVEN!!

Just remember, there will always be people who think you're wacky for liking them, that's just the way it is. Everybody has their obssession...I just like to think that ours is one of the best out there!

Disco

 

[opaltranquility]

see i knew you guys would understand...i've learned to keep my "gushing" undercontrol most of the time. my friends are very tolerant of my "obsessions" and i've had them with far worse things....i've received far more strange looks for the others... so i can handle it now hehe. and my mom is actually supportive....she's like, oh sure i'll buy you u2 stuff for xmas! the others...she refused to support haha...so it's all good

thanks guys!

------------------
~sara
sle2@geneseo.edu
http://www.platinumcomplication.com

with my teeth at your back
and my tongue to tell you the sweetest lies

 

[Bonavoix]

Opal if you don't mind my asking what was your dream about MPS? Just curious

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"I wish that I could cry, fall upon my knees. Find a way to lie about a home I'll never see... I can't stand to fly. I'm not that naive. I'm just out to find a better part of me. Up up and away from me, It's alright you can all sleep safe tonight. I'm not crazy or anything... Even heroes have the right to dream..." -Five for Fighting "Superman"
All my pictures are located here:
LadyHeartland's pics.

 

[opaltranquility]

my MPS dream... well i had one the other night, thursday night maybe, and another one last night hah... unfortunately i don't really remember them (i usually remember all my dreams).... the one from last night, i just remember being in the mansion and Macphisto was upset. then i had to go into hell for something. he was in the mansion pacing around. i dont know what i did in hell but people were worried about me, and i came back....

i wish i could remember more! maybe i'll have another one tonight haha...actually i remember something else now...i had to go to the store to buy white makeup, and they didn't carry it anymore. then macphisto appeared next to me and we looked through the makeup department for white makeup and still couldn't find any. my dreams are psychotic LOL...

------------------
~sara
sle2@geneseo.edu
http://www.platinumcomplication.com

with my teeth at your back
and my tongue to tell you the sweetest lies

[This message has been edited by opaltranquility (edited 12-01-2001).]

 

[sulawesigirl4]

well you can gush here as much as you want.

It's encouraged even.

And I hear ya. I was born in late 79 and didn't even know about U2 till spring of 2000. *gasp* Got into JT, then AB, then War, then Zooropa and it was alll downhill from there.

And now I've got every disc, a mid-size bootleg collection, a budding video collection, a sizable magazine collection...and four concerts under my belt. (not to mention doing my U2 pilgramage to Dublin) lol.

So welcome to the family. And the PLEBA sisterhood.

-sula

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~I want to play the guitar very badly, and I do play the guitar very badly - Bono~

Take a virtual tour of U2's Dublin... Crzy4Bono's U2 page with some of Sula's Dublin pic's

 

[martha]

Originally posted by Discoteque:
I'm the same age as the boys

Disco

You are shitting me! I had no idea! You are so damn gorgeous!

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...a highway with no one on it, a treasure just to look upon it...

 

[sparkys girl]

Opal...thanks for sharing your story with us! I was very touched by your story, it reminds me so much of my own. Though I am abit older than some of you girls (born in 1972), I still missed out on some early shows because 1. mom said i was too young to attend JT show 2. my older brothers were 'too cool' (they were more into hard rock) to be seen at a U2 show 3. missed ZooTV (poor college student/had tough exams & no car) but, I have recovered and remained a fan throughtout alot of dissapointments.
I have not missed a tour since then and don't plan to miss anything else they do!

Even though I am an "oldschool" U2 fan (fascinated by Adam since 'Gloria')

, you guys are fortunate to "rediscover" their early stuff!

I agree with Disco too....meeting fellow fans at the shows was the best! No one to judge you or look at you like you are weird for liking a band so much! * I love you all!* ((((BIG HUG)))

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"She is the dreamer, she's imagination..."

*+*MaRiA*+*
Adam's Press Secretary/Personal Assistant

 

[opaltranquility]

There's something to be said to being an old school fan of a band...being there from the begining, experiencing the ups and downs along the way...

but there is something about being a new fan too...as you said, us new fans get to go back and discover everything they've done. that's part of the fun. the collecting, the "research" haha...

i've been both of these things... it's almost painful to be an old school fan of a band sometimes...waiting for the next release, withdrawl etc....the disappointments and all that. but as a new school fan, like i said, we miss out on so much. we have no time machine to go back and experience it all. (i made a list of the things i'd do if i had one, and most of them were go to concerts HAHA)

i was really scared to go to the Hamilton show by myself. it was the first time i've ever gone to a concert by myself...i was scared about sitting in the GA line alone all day, and then if something happened to me no one would know...at the time i was also scared about crossing the border or not being allowed to. but i ended up talking to some people, having a great time in the line, and at the show. i spent a whole lot of time in GA lines at Wembley stadium with friends, and it was terrible. it felt like forever...but in Hamilton, time flew. I was too shy to talk to anyone i saw with interference tags, but..next time haha.

ok i'm rambling now so i don't have to write my paper! so i'm gonna go hehe

------------------
~sara
sle2@geneseo.edu
http://www.platinumcomplication.com

with my teeth at your back
and my tongue to tell you the sweetest lies