The best for last - LA3 show

[Discoteque]

OK, so I promise I'll never post this much ever again!
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After the Vegas show, Dana and I stopped at "Jitters," the coffee shop in the hotel (aptly named) to get ourselves some rocket fuel...and holy crap did they provide. In fact, my drink was SO strong (I thought it was two shots of espresso, when it turned out to be SIX) that I couldn't drink more than a little bit of it...so who drank the rest of it? Yep, Dana did. My gosh, that girl was off like a rocket. We had no problem making the 4 hour drive to the Staples Center, that's for sure! Out in the high desert, the stars were SO innumerable and so clear, we even got to see some of the meteor shower going on that night, very cool. Got to LA in record time, just about 4:00, and after a couple of phone calls, found the lot across from the Staples center, where there were already about 80 people in line! We got numbers 85 and 86, which bode well for us getting into the heart! As it was so early and so chilly, we unfolded our lounge chairs, wrapped ourselves in blankets, and proceeded to take a nap right there in the parking lot! About 7:00 we all moved over to the front of the staples Center, where we stayed the rest of the day. When the sun came out it was WARM, so warm, in fact, that after 9:00, many people moved into the shade and stayed there the rest of the day. LA was a long wait...I wandered down the street to the mall down the street for lunch just to break up the day...tried to take another nap (couldn't sleep), and read and wrote. About 3:30, a crowd of about 60 anxiously awaited the arrival of U2 at the back of the arena. And waited. And waited. We got to see Gwen drive up in her limo, and she popped out of the top of it and waved and chatted with us briefly. Then Tom and Stephen (?) showed up, dragging their stuff behind them on little pull carts...guess we now know who's the important one in No Doubt! *wink*

Well U2 never showed, or they snuck in so early that we missed them, so we had to get back to put our stuff in the car and get in line. Dusk was falling in LA and the light was beautiful...but then I looked just behind me and, hey, what's this? OMG, it's that obnoxious guy who elbowed me at the Vegas show! *seethe* I was planning on staying well away from him! After being 'wanded' and wristbanded at the gate, we dashed inside and into the heart! The fates were with me, as I nabbed a wonderful spot in the second row, just behind the front rail! I was just behind Courtney (Captive) of the band Exit, who had been pulled on stage to play People Get Ready with Bono and Edge a mere week before. Thank goodness she was shorter than me, as she gave me a great view of the stage! The LA3 show gave me overall the BEST experience at a U2 concert...no one pushed, shoved, elbowed or was obnoxious...the energy was high, the people were friendly and in a good mood, it was great.

At 7:30 the lights dimmed, and out came Gwen and the boys, full of energy. No Doubt is from Orange County, so this was coming home for them, and the crowd let them know it. By this time I had become a full fledged fan, and the two new songs they sang, "Hey Baby" and "Undeniable" were now my favorites of their setlist. Again after their show, they came out into the heart to become "just fans" of U2 again. Cool.

Then the U2 techs came out, and all of a sudden the crown went CRAZY when Dallas came on stage with one particular guitar - OMG! The Mysterious Ways guitar, WOO HOO!!! So of course when he played a couple of test chords, the crowd burst into cheers...how could they not? Even Dallas smiled to himself. I yelled up to him for an Edge pick and he said something like "we'll see"...but nothing till later. Then finally...that awesome intro leading up to: EL-E-VA-TION!!! The guys came out as usual, and they seemed really tight, really on top, full of energy and joy to be performing...and I was SO CLOSE to both Edge and Bono, I was absolutely swooning!!! And this time I was ready with my camera...even Sparky came right out to the front of the stage for awhile, it was great! After the UTEOTW bullfight, they launched into Mysterious Ways, which was GLORIOUS! Then right after that, holy cow - Out of Control as well, WOW!!!! I was so ecstatic I didn't know how it could get any better. But it did.

During one bit, as Bono leaned out over the crowd to touch hands...he plucked a cellphone from someone, and sang nearly an entire song into the phone...holy crap, can you imagine what the person on the other end was thinking??? Then he said "Bye" as he handed the phone back...wow.

Then Edge walked out to the edge of the stage, a bit to my left, I saw him smile several times, and I thought, "what's going on? Why is Edge smiling so much?" (he'd been very serious up till then) So I whipped my head to the left and OH MY GOD!!! I see none other than MORLEIGH AND SIAN!!! Morleigh is holding little Sian in her arms, and dancing around...Sian is wearing these huge orange ear guards and her head is bobbling all over...and she's blowing her daddy KISSES!!! IT WAS ADORABLE!! I thought I had died and gone to heaven at that point. They were a mere 10 feet from me. It was just so cool to see them there! (sorry Mrs. Edge) Morleigh looks just like she does in all the pictures and videos - big beautiful smile, long dark wavy hair...Sian (who must be about 5) looks like a tiny Morleigh, but with straight dark hair...which is weird, but because Edge has curly hair too. Genetics, go figure.

They did an amazing Bullet, What's going on (with Gwen again), NY, and Peace on Earth (where I think they added an extra line, but maybe that was Dallas), and Walk on…amazing show. One of THE EST bits of all…get this: LARRY SPOKE!!! At the very end, before the first encore, as they were walking off, suddenly Larry walked up to the mic and said "thank you" - I thought the crowd was going to burst through the roof!!! DAMN, he walked up so quickly and so unexpectedly, that I don't think anyone even got a picture of him in his gorgeous dark blue unbuttoned shirt and tearaway pants, OH BABY!!! For a split second, I thought "OMG, is Larry going to SING???" What a treat. What a night. The LA3 show blew away the Vegas show, IMO. But it wasn't over yet...

So afterward, as I'm running out to the car to get my poster, I bumped into Jesse…who dragged me to the first aid office for some water (thanks Jesse - I needed that, I was parched). Then we stopped to get him a poster…and um, Jesse, WHO paid for that poster, I wonder, hmmm???? We then got outside, where many people were converging at the back gates to see the guys before they left. We'd heard they were having an after-party, so didn't know if they'd left or not. We figured Larry, being Larry, had already split, but I think we'd missed Adam as well. Because of the famous people in the crowd that night, and the party, there were limos and SUVs in and out of the place for hours. We didn't know who was in which car. So…some famous names and faces that were spotted at the Vegas and LA3 shows: Eddie Vedder, Quincy Jones, "Bania" from Seinfeld (who was heard to take a cellphone call and say "I can't talk, I'm at a U2 concert!"); Macy Gray, Counting Crows, Danny Lanois, Jimmy Iovine, and a fawning, gushing Naomi Campbell who made a spectacle out of gushing to Bono in front of all of us after the LA3 show…SHUT UP, Naomi, before we kick your skinny neurotic ass! (Does anyone know who else was at either of these shows??) Then suddenly, there was the adorable Dallas Schoo, hiding under a hooded sweatshirt, walking down the line, handing out picks! I stuck my hand out and said "Hi Dallas, could I have a pick please?" and though it looked like was about to hand it to someone else, he plunked a yellow Edge pick right into my palm, WOO HOO!! I was stunned. Dana got one too! (purple)

I met even more Pleba gals at this show: Awakening (Gabriella) and the infamous Ruth (SadEyedLady - as in: sang and played with Bono and Edge on stage in Providence!) And Jesse and Diamond were there again as well…it was such a great experience all around. But my gosh, my feet…they'll never be the same I swear!

The rest is in the OMG I met the EDGE post!

Disco

[mocool12]

Yaahhhh! Disco! Awesome review!!! Celebs I saw there were Jared Leto, Ben Stiller (he waved at me when I yelled his name! haha yessss!), Tom Hanks and his wife and more I'm forgetting! It was so cool! How the hell did the boys sneak in I want to know? Dangit, I was waiting for hours! Anyway, you rock girl!!! I'm an ass for not meeting you!

[mbi16]

well considering how much Toni's sister kept saying this I think it's worth mentioning though I don't particularly care for him. Mark Macgrath of Sugar Ray was also there.

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Tha Prickly Comedian

[mrsmullen]

hmm..you must have been the nice people right behind me and my friends. but i swear i was 84 and my friends were 85-87. anyway, do you remember me and my friends weston and matt and katie at all? just wondering. hehe

alison

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It doesn't matter what songs we sing. I'm a drummer. Chicks dig me. - Larry

[numbededge]

Hi Disco
Ugh, have the flu so I'll make this short. I sort of have a picture of Larry at the microphone at the LA3 show. It is sort of blurry (camera battery was dying)- especially so because I blew up all of my scanned photos before I put them up on webshots. Here's the link: http://community.webshots.com/photo/...1450OGOjMNHlAt
Nice meeting you at the show.

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When you put on the leather pants, the pants start telling you what to do. - Bono

[This message has been edited by numbededge (edited 11-29-2001).]

[oktobergirl]

I spotted David Spade at the Vegas show. He was sitting in Gold Circle in a baseball cap.

[Discoteque]

Ah very cool!! He looked so awesome in that dark blue shirt, RAWR!! *buttons fly off in all directions*

thanks...and GET BETTER SOON!!

Originally posted by numbededge:
Hi Disco
Ugh, have the flu so I'll make this short. I sort of have a picture of Larry at the microphone at the LA3 show. It is sort of blurry (camera battery was dying)- especially so because I blew up all of my scanned photos before I put them up on webshots. Here's the link: http://community.webshots.com/photo/...1450OGOjMNHlAt
Nice meeting you at the show.

[LuvLady]