Melanya, hope you don't mind, i happen to check your profile and you have an AMAZING photo with Bono. care to share your moment?
As if it's not my favorite story to tell. In great detail. LOL, sorry if it's a bit long. I typed it up a while ago and saved it, so it's no big deal for me to post it.
April 25th, Monday, 2005, Seattle, WA. My story:
I'd been looking forward to this concert for months on end and was really, really hyped up for it while going. I took my friend Chloe from Vancouver, BC with me (where I used to live). It was her birthday and I needed someone to go with who liked U2. Since she had never been to Seattle before myself and my dad were showing her around on the 24th, we were looking for parking when we spotted a crowd of people wearing U2 shirts standing around the back of the Key Arena. We, of course, decided to join them and waited there for about two hours (when it was no longer plausible that they wouldn't be inside for the show already). So, no such luck on the 24th, but we made friends with some U2 fans while we were there and after we left we stocked up on some U2 t-shirts and programs etc. (there were vendors out since there was a concert on the 24th too).
The next day, we were determined to come back early and wait all feckin' day in the heat if need be so we could meet my gods, and my world. While we were waiting we chatted up the CMS (crowd managment staff) and the crowd (is it just me, or are all U2 fans really nice?). The CMS is of course, making fun of us and rolling their eyes but they're outnumbered by the crowd of about 30 very ardent U2 fans. One of them is bragging about how he gets to go backstage with the band and how he gets to sit outside of Bono's dressing room. "Oh so, you're the kind of guy that likes sitting outside of Bono's dressing room?" says one of the fans. The CMS guy just got this funny look on his face and it was really funny since the guy had also just been talking about his girlfriend. Anyway, CMS staff was very grumpy (also, very anal about people staying on the sidewalk and off the street so the cars could get by!) and the U2 crowd was really nice. After about two hours of hopefully waiting and looking very closely at all tinted windows and vehicles entering the lot word gets out that The Edge and Bono will be there in about 10 minutes. Oh. My. God. My hands start shaking more than they already are and since everybody is hoping to at least shake hands they're frantically wiping their sweaty hands (it was hot enough out already!) on their pants.
After a bit, Mr. The Edge himself steps out of his black SUV. He looks just like he does in all the photos. He went to the crowd on the other side of the street first and made sure he signed things for everyone that wanted and shook some hands. Next, he came over to my side of the street. I just stuttered out "Thank you, you're awesome" when he came by and signed my program (unfortunately the stupid new silver sharpie I got made for a pretty faint autograph). I would've said more but he wanted to get to everybody and I was, frankly, a bit stunned anyway.
After Edge went through, Bono's bodyguard came out waiting for Bono to get in. My friend suddenly has a rare stroke of sheer genius. She decides to tell the bodygaurd it's her birthday (sort of a lie, it had been her birthday two days prior...
). The bodygaurd tells her that she'll probably get a hug then. I tell her, she better tell Bono that I got her, her 17th row ticket in tonight.
Bono finally shows up (seemed like an eternity at the time). He steps out of his black SUV wearing those big old Brothel Creepers, wearing a purple shirt (don't you love a man that can wear purple?) and one of those green caps. He went over to the other side of the street first like Edge. Then his bodyguard (bless his bald head) directed him over to Chloe. WOW. He started to sign her HDTAAAB CD cover with the pen he had in his hand when Chloe held out her silver sharpie and asked if he could use that he said"Oh, Chloe's fussy, Chloe's fussy." Poor Chloe thought he was serious and started going "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Of course he was joking and used her pen. It was a rather stunning judge of character actually, Chloe is fussy (lol). He signed her CD case next to where Edge had and then signed her program "This is the day that was made for Chloe" and I think a few other things but it's been a while since I've seen it. Bono hugs Chloe and kisses her once. Chloe finally gets around to telling Bono about me. By this point I'm sure I was grinning like an idiot but then again I think everyone else was too. He just wrapped me up into a hug, told me "You are generous, kind and beautiful.", gave me two kisses and posed for pictures with the both of us. Oh my god, I don't think he was wearing any cologne (incase you wondered what he smelled like, some people do, he mostly smelled that inexplicable male smell) but he was very warm and he made me feel really comfortable. I didn't even cling (lol). He didn't get a chance to sign my stuff but since Chloe got two things signed she was nice enough to give me her CD cover. I don't think I got to say anything to Bono (aside from giggling once perhaps) I think my feelings were fairly evident on my face.
The concert was amazing! U2 is brilliant live. Their opening act wasn't so great. The Kings of Leon, the band is good but the singer looks and sounds constipated when he sings. Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam came out and saved their last song (he's insane, he brought out these giant tambourines and was just slamming them together until they broke, then he'd throw them out to the crowd and catch another one from backstage--very impressive and a nice voice). Bono wore his purple shirt (looking back on it I think I may have got some sharpie on him when I hugged him since it was gripped in my hand) during the concert too. They played a lot of their faster songs (something from every album except Pop, which is a shame) I guess I say faster songs since there were a few gems from Boy and October mixed in. My favorite was the Achtung Baby songs where he did a little bit of The Fly dressing (just a sports jacket and different glasses) and did the goose step. They opened with City of Blinding Lights and did an encore of Vertigo. All I can say is that they're amazing and seeing them live is a life-changing experience.
Anyway, thanks for reading my really long post and I look forward to hanging out on this forum a bit. My friends are sick of hearing about U2 by now (I think), and my mother was thinking I had some sort of illness a for a few days after the concert (she's exaggerating, I had no such thing, perhpas just a little bit dazed). What can I say? U2 gets me high.