salomeU2000
The Fly
[SIMG]http://bonovox.interference.com/analysis/rhlogothumb.jpg[/SIMG]
By Simone Schramm
2003.10
The most wonderful thing happened on Wednesday, November 2, 1988 -- something I will never forget. Watching Rattle And Hum for the first time was one thing, but watching it in the same theater as Bono, Adam, Edge and Larry was quite another experience.
Flashback to about a week or so before November 2: While driving home from work, a DJ on my favorite radio station announced the sale of a limited number of tickets to the average Joe to the Los Angeles Premiere. Sales went to the Los Angeles Mission, an organization that raises money for food, clothing and other things for the homeless. My heart stopped as I screamed and yelled for joy. I planned to hang out in front of the premiere, but to go inside? That could never happen to little old me! That weekend I moseyed on down to Grohman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood to get tickets, two to be exact.
While there, I eagerly tore through the current Q Magazine, which had an in-depth article about every song on Rattle And Hum. That fueled my anticipation of hearing the new material even more.
The fun part about standing in line was meeting other U2 fans. It's always fun, whether you stand in line for tickets or wait in the general admission line for the heart. I got my $25 tickets; I was a happy soul.
November 2, 1988: Premiere day:
If I recall correctly, I got off work early to pick up my friend Julie. We planned to get there early so that we could see the band enter. Traffic surrounding the theater was horrendous for obvious reasons. Blocked off streets and hundreds of fans were a testament to the popularity of this band. The radio claimed that the group tried getting permission to do a mini concert in front of the theater. Police denied their request as they were afraid of another "Where The Streets Have No Name" incident.. At least that's what the radio said.
I half hoped that it wasn't true yet; the rest of me accepted that I may not see a mini impromptu concert.
We milled around a bit to find a good spot outside before we needed to go in. Julie and I were so elated to be there that it didn't matter whether we saw the movie or not. We saw a small mini stage with red carpet and velvet ropes inching their way toward the theater entrance. It was true Hollywood.
While we waited, some security guards informed us that we needed to get inside as the movie was about to start. We hadn't seen the band yet but we didn't worry about missing the band, right? Wrong. I will get into that later.
So Julie and I got to our seats, which were about 8 rows back from the screen. At one point I went to get popcorn and encountered a few celebrities. Did I say this was Hollywood? The most notable person was Stevie Nicks in her trademark black, flowing dress kissing and hugging friends as she entered. It was fun to people watch in the heart of Hollywood.
I got back to my seat. The anticipation was killing me. I was finally going see my band in a movie theater and experience the next best thing to being at a U2 concert. Julie was a fan of theirs but her fandom came nowhere near to my level. She just wanted to see my reaction to the whole thing. Heck! It was a year since I saw them last. My Joshua Tree withdrawals just began to subside when this came along to fuel the fire once more.
We waited patiently for the movie to start when the crowd went ballistic. I screamed as I jumped out of my seat. The popcorn flew onto Julie from my sudden jolt of excitement. We turned our heads around. First came Bono, then Adam, then Edge and Larry. They waved to the crowd as the lights went down and the movie started.
The sounds of "Helter Skelter" filled the air and all I could think of was that my four boys were a few rows behind me, watching this amazing movie with me. The black and white footage of the Irish sea during "Van Dieman's Land," the spinning camera in "Desire," seeing and hearing new U2 music; It was too much to handle yet it felt so good!
Julie told me that she's never seen me this excited although she knew what a big fan I was.
Hearing new songs such as "Angel of Harlem" and "Heartland" sent my soul into another dimension. Though I didn't know the words, I found myself dancing and singing along.
The initial crowd reaction to humorous moments such as Larry on the Harley and the interview with Phil Joanou was priceless.
Plus, I'll never forget my pleasantly shocked reaction to Bono's revolution speech during "Sunday Bloody Sunday."
For two hours we laughed, danced in the aisles and sang U2 songs at the top of our lungs. I pinched myself the see if it was real.
By the end I was overcome with adrenaline and as the credits rolled during "All I Want Is You," I realized the end was here. I remember that feeling of elation mixed with a little sadness...that same feeling I get at the end of a U2 concert.
As we were driving home I found out that U2 did their mini concert. It happened while we were in the building. A sick feeling came over me. I was so upset that I missed it while I was right there. However, that will never change my recollection of the feelings I felt in that theater. I realized that most people outside only saw 15 minutes of joy, we witnessed two hours of it!
By Simone Schramm
2003.10
The most wonderful thing happened on Wednesday, November 2, 1988 -- something I will never forget. Watching Rattle And Hum for the first time was one thing, but watching it in the same theater as Bono, Adam, Edge and Larry was quite another experience.
Flashback to about a week or so before November 2: While driving home from work, a DJ on my favorite radio station announced the sale of a limited number of tickets to the average Joe to the Los Angeles Premiere. Sales went to the Los Angeles Mission, an organization that raises money for food, clothing and other things for the homeless. My heart stopped as I screamed and yelled for joy. I planned to hang out in front of the premiere, but to go inside? That could never happen to little old me! That weekend I moseyed on down to Grohman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood to get tickets, two to be exact.
While there, I eagerly tore through the current Q Magazine, which had an in-depth article about every song on Rattle And Hum. That fueled my anticipation of hearing the new material even more.
The fun part about standing in line was meeting other U2 fans. It's always fun, whether you stand in line for tickets or wait in the general admission line for the heart. I got my $25 tickets; I was a happy soul.
November 2, 1988: Premiere day:
If I recall correctly, I got off work early to pick up my friend Julie. We planned to get there early so that we could see the band enter. Traffic surrounding the theater was horrendous for obvious reasons. Blocked off streets and hundreds of fans were a testament to the popularity of this band. The radio claimed that the group tried getting permission to do a mini concert in front of the theater. Police denied their request as they were afraid of another "Where The Streets Have No Name" incident.. At least that's what the radio said.
I half hoped that it wasn't true yet; the rest of me accepted that I may not see a mini impromptu concert.
We milled around a bit to find a good spot outside before we needed to go in. Julie and I were so elated to be there that it didn't matter whether we saw the movie or not. We saw a small mini stage with red carpet and velvet ropes inching their way toward the theater entrance. It was true Hollywood.
While we waited, some security guards informed us that we needed to get inside as the movie was about to start. We hadn't seen the band yet but we didn't worry about missing the band, right? Wrong. I will get into that later.
So Julie and I got to our seats, which were about 8 rows back from the screen. At one point I went to get popcorn and encountered a few celebrities. Did I say this was Hollywood? The most notable person was Stevie Nicks in her trademark black, flowing dress kissing and hugging friends as she entered. It was fun to people watch in the heart of Hollywood.
I got back to my seat. The anticipation was killing me. I was finally going see my band in a movie theater and experience the next best thing to being at a U2 concert. Julie was a fan of theirs but her fandom came nowhere near to my level. She just wanted to see my reaction to the whole thing. Heck! It was a year since I saw them last. My Joshua Tree withdrawals just began to subside when this came along to fuel the fire once more.
We waited patiently for the movie to start when the crowd went ballistic. I screamed as I jumped out of my seat. The popcorn flew onto Julie from my sudden jolt of excitement. We turned our heads around. First came Bono, then Adam, then Edge and Larry. They waved to the crowd as the lights went down and the movie started.
The sounds of "Helter Skelter" filled the air and all I could think of was that my four boys were a few rows behind me, watching this amazing movie with me. The black and white footage of the Irish sea during "Van Dieman's Land," the spinning camera in "Desire," seeing and hearing new U2 music; It was too much to handle yet it felt so good!
Julie told me that she's never seen me this excited although she knew what a big fan I was.
Hearing new songs such as "Angel of Harlem" and "Heartland" sent my soul into another dimension. Though I didn't know the words, I found myself dancing and singing along.
The initial crowd reaction to humorous moments such as Larry on the Harley and the interview with Phil Joanou was priceless.
Plus, I'll never forget my pleasantly shocked reaction to Bono's revolution speech during "Sunday Bloody Sunday."
For two hours we laughed, danced in the aisles and sang U2 songs at the top of our lungs. I pinched myself the see if it was real.
By the end I was overcome with adrenaline and as the credits rolled during "All I Want Is You," I realized the end was here. I remember that feeling of elation mixed with a little sadness...that same feeling I get at the end of a U2 concert.
As we were driving home I found out that U2 did their mini concert. It happened while we were in the building. A sick feeling came over me. I was so upset that I missed it while I was right there. However, that will never change my recollection of the feelings I felt in that theater. I realized that most people outside only saw 15 minutes of joy, we witnessed two hours of it!
!
What do they know? I thought R&H was a good film. You got to know them as people and not just musicians.
!! What an experience!!!
