Why Is It the U2 "Fan" thinks that they are entitled to-

[Diamond The U2 Patriot]

so much from this band?
Help me out w/this one..
I find this irritating..

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"...The big guy is made of STEEL." - Bono as we stood together on stage at Boston #4, June 9th, 2001.

---
-curious? click
links for
Bono/Dimon-
Bos.4 Story
Pics..

http://www.arizonaautoweb.com/bono/

http://members.aol.com/diamondbruno9/



[This message has been edited by Diamond The U2 Patriot (edited 03-31-2002).]

 

[doctorwho]

Originally posted by Diamond The U2 Patriot:
so much?
Help me out w/this one..
I find this irritating..

I really like ya, DB9, but perhaps you can start by answering this question yourself. Why did you feel this need to jump up on that ramp and run to Bono? That's not part of the ticket price - that was WAY extra - and you could have become seriously hurt or even arrested. Maybe you were counting on the fact that Bono would "save" you, but he didn't have to. So why take this risk? 15,000 other fans in that arena didn't jump up on stage. 15,000 fans didn't have this need to "bond" with Bono in that way. But you did. Why did you feel this way?

You may counter that your question is about fans who feel the band "owe" them something and your actions were far more pure than that. But were they? You claim you wanted to "connect" with the band. Don't we all? But all of us don't go jumping on the stage. Why didn't you just stay in the heart like fans are SUPPOSED to? If you wanted to meet Bono, why not try like most fans do, outside at the arena or at their hotel?

While your actions may have been more "pure" - they come from the same place as the comments of fans who feel the band owes them something. These fans feel that they have followed U2 for so many years, through the criticism as well as the praise, through so many changes, buying every single CD that U2 ever released, that U2 "owe" them a little something for their fidelity, time and $$ spent over the years. They want that feeling of "bonding" with U2 just like you did on that night in Boston. But they don't want to stage jump - they just want to see U2 (like in the countries where U2 didn't tour) or they just want a little recognition from U2 that their time spent was not only worthwhile, but recognized.

The same passion that drove you to jumping on stage that night is the same passion that drives these people. They just act on it differently.

 

[Autumn454]

Because the band is so great and so special of course!

We expect more because they give more, and they seem more like our friends than rock stars. It's a very unique relationship, and we all get what we need- the band and the fans.

I want and need what you got Diamond!

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~Burned by the fire of love~

[This message has been edited by Autumn454 (edited 03-28-2002).]

 

[ladywithspinninghead]

Well said Doctorwho! (like usual, though)

 

[Angel]

Interesting analogy docorwho. So Diamond... your response is?????

 

[Bonochick]

Not to sound like a broken record, but I agree. Good point, doctorwho.

------------------
"Hallelujah, Heaven's white rose,
The doors you open...I just can't close..."

 

[Hewson]

Why do people "supersize" their meals?
To quote the early days of MTV: "Too much is never enough!"

Like the good doctor said, fans are passionate, and want whatever they can get...its basic human nature...if something is enjoyable (say attending a U2 concert or hearing new U2 music in this case), people want to experience it again.(Or for the first time in the case of some fans in countries not heavily toured)

 

[Diamond The U2 Patriot]

Well.
Hmmm.
I dunno.
I guess the tone of this thread was a bit antagonistic, so I apologize..

I had just got in from singing 'too much kareoke' when I posted it.

I was thinking how tirelessly giving this band is, esp. Bono-in comparisons to other bands.
How this man is trotting around the globe jugguling a career, jugguling a family and lovely wife and how some fans can be so demanding.
Like the jackasses that sat down at Bos#2 because they were 5ft from Bono instead of 5in from Bono,w/the seating rearrangement.
I remember when later Bono had enough and finally told the whiners to shut the f*ck up outside The Four Seasons Hotel (who were STILL complaining) letting them know how much this band does for their fans in contrast to others. My friend Shane-(Boston Bono) was standing next to Bono when he gently reprimanded a few fans.
Anywhoo thats all.
And Dr. Who there was 19000 in that arena that night not 15000.
Love
Your
Friend
Diamond

ps-
thx. for your insight folks

 

[Blue Room]

Wow, Bono reprimanded fans for the Boston 2 incident?? To funny, I agree that it was a ridiculous display by those fans that night. I would have been upset if I were them but to sit down during a U2 show??? AND they still were in the heart??? Once the show started I wouldnt have cared any longer. I agree with you on that one, spoiled brats. I really feel as fans our repayment for the support is a tour. U2 doesnt have to tour, that is more for the fans IMO. So I guess those countries that they missed have a right to be miffed somewhat. But U2 will make up for it. They almost always do. Have faith in this band, they seldom let the fans down.

What did Bono say exactly to the fans complaining after Boston 2? Go Bono!



[This message has been edited by Blue Room (edited 03-28-2002).]

 

[Diamond The U2 Patriot]

Originally posted by Blue Room:
Wow, Bono reprimanded fans for the Boston 2 incident?? To funny, I agree that it was a ridiculous display by those fans that night. I would have been pissed if I were them but to sit down during a U2 show??? AND they still were in the heart??? I agree with you on that one, spoiled brats.

What did Bono say exactly to them? Go Bono!

Ummm.
Blue wasn't there only heard it 2nd hand from B.Bono.
Anyway one lady was prattling on and on incessantly and her percieved injustice about Bos#2.
Finally Bono just said- "Look Ive had enough.
This band does more for their fans than most other bands", and alluded the Heart to being similar to a literal Heart - a muscle and where people can move around a little here and there, -just dont bump into Dr. Who.-jk

Diamond

[This message has been edited by Diamond The U2 Patriot (edited 03-28-2002).]

 

[Blue Room]

I would have LOVED to see that ladys face after he said that!! lol

 

[*Stormy*]

Blue room- have you ever slept on a cold, or hot, hard miserable sidewalk for hours so you could be close to your favorite band? If not, don't call those people 'spoiled brats.' Even if you have, you can't say for sure how you would feel IF you had been stiffed and put back as far as someone who'd just walked up, so don't say you wouldn't care.

Having been to several GA shows, I can tell you it is not comfortable or fun, but fans do it out of love and the ultimate reward- being close enough to touch the band. Having that taken away from you after you have earned it is as sickening as someone grabbing your paycheck out of your hand after you worked hard all week for it. Being in the heart isn't the same thing. After all the shows I attended, and being in several different places inside and outside the heart, I can tell you that location DOES matter. Not to everyone, sure some are just glad to 'be there' but to some, like Diamondbruno, and me, it means a lot to be able to get close enough to TOUCH the band, or look into their eyes, or have a chance to jump the stage! (Like Diamondbruno) I know from personal experience that if you are even three or four rows back in the heart you have NO chance for this kind of contact. That may seem lame to you, but it means a lot to some of us, so don't belittle it.

[This message has been edited by *Stormy* (edited 03-28-2002).]

 

[Blue Room]

Actually Stormy, I have!! I saw Elevation from the heart 7 times. I camped out in the bitter cold in Chicago in October, it was miserable. I just wanted to be in the heart, thats all. There were no guarantees to ANYONE other than VIP's that they would get in the heart. A sit down protest was acting like a spoiled brat child and I stand by that and you wont change my mind on that. Most of the fans involved in that protest were people who had been or were going to multiple shows, so it wasnt like they didnt have other oppurtunities. And AGAIN, they were IN the heart!! Obviously Bono feels the same way or he would not have made a statement like what Diamond indicated to that fan who was complaining.

[This message has been edited by Blue Room (edited 03-28-2002).]

 

[*Stormy*]

There may be 'no guantees' but really now, would any of us really do that if we didn't think our suffering was going to be rewarded with our choice spot? Come on, no one would go through that thinking they weren't, or might not, get close to the band. It just wouldn't be worth it.

I also believe that the history of the tour showed fans that campind DID ensure you of a good spot and that's why it became increasingly more popular as the tour progressed. For example, in Charlotte in March, there were only about a dozen in the GA line at noon. In Lexington in May, there were 50 at 11 AM. At DC in June, there were 80 at sunup. In Baltimore in October, there were well over 100 before the sun ever came up. I heard in some cities they were already past the heart limit by dawn. Did all those people do that thinking they might but might not get a good spot? No, they did it because other shows had proven that they would and it was worth fighting for. If the rules were going to be changed, those people should have been informed before they wasted all that time on the sidewalk.

 

[Angel]

*Stormy*, Blue Room isn't belittling anything. Were you there that night in Boston? Well, I wasn't, but I do know from some good sources that there were only what? 10 people taken out of the line and escorted to the front row. So, yeah, come off it. Not a whole lot of people to really make all that much a difference. Those 'fans' who chose to sit down at a U2 gig, could still have been at the front, could still have been super close--> AND, it is to my understanding that these particular fans went to nearly every show. So U2 wanted to shake it up a bit. See some new faces in the front. So perhaps they made a mistake. Fine.
In my opinion, it still makes those who chose to sit at a U2 gig SPOILED brats. Yes. Sorry, but if you act like children then expect to be treated as such.

 

[Blue Room]

Thanks Angel, I think you summed up my point better than I did

Stormy, "choice spot"? The entire heart was a choice spot! "Wasted their time??" AGAIN, they were IN the heart!! Just because there was a "trend" that if you camped out you would get the front still does not make a guarantee. There were other fans at other shows that were screwed because security screwed up at some venues. They were disappointed, but still enjoyed the show and were not sitting on the floor complaining during the show. Alot of them didnt even make it into the heart.

I was never 100% sure I would make it in at any of the shows I attended until I received my heart bracelet tag walking under the ramp and I was within the first 40 people in the GA line at a few of the Chicago shows.




[This message has been edited by Blue Room (edited 03-28-2002).]

 

[Angel]

Originally posted by Blue Room:
...There were other fans at other shows that were screwed because security screwed up at some venues.

Precisely! What a disaster it must have been at the shows where second and third entrances were opened up. People waltzing in at 5:30pm-6:00pm taking spaces in the heart from people who had lined up all day. THAT is something to whine about.

 

[*Stormy*]

From what I read on the mailing lists at the time from eyewitnesses, it was far more than 10, when they got inside, every 'choice spot' was taken- the first 3 rows in front of the stage, and lining the entire inside and outside of the heart. I've been in the middle of the heart, and though it beats the hell outa the nosebleed seats, it is NOT as 'choice' of a spot as in front of the stage or at the inside or outside tip because due to the fact that dozens of other rabid fans are between you and the band you have no chance to make contact with them. Like I said maybe that's not important to most of you, but for some of us it means a lot. I do disagree with the 'sit down' and I wouldn't have done that, but I would have been so hurt and crying it would have ruined my show. I would have felt personally rejeceted by the band. I understand the fans' feelings, just not their methods. But really none of us can say if we weren't in that situation. The heat of the moment takes over sometimes. That's what happened. It was sad for everyone.

[This message has been edited by *Stormy* (edited 03-28-2002).]

 

[pub crawler]

Originally posted by *Stormy*:

Having been to several GA shows, I can tell you it is not comfortable or fun, but fans do it out of love and the ultimate reward- being close enough to touch the band. Having that taken away from you after you have earned it is as sickening as someone grabbing your paycheck out of your hand after you worked hard all week for it.

Please explain to me how one "earns" the right to be in the heart. First of all, my understanding is that one of the reasons U2 went with the heart concept was that they wanted the average fan to have a chance at getting a good seat. What happened is that a core of fans followed the band around and consistently got GA tickets, meaning that the band's plan didn't play out as they had hoped it would.

I know a few people, including Interferencers, that followed the band to various shows and usually got GA tix, but the people I know were just happy to be there and I never heard them bitch about their tickets, regardless of what they ended up with. I don't have a problem with those people.

Actually, I don't really care about what happened in Boston EXCEPT that the sit-down babies f****d up the Boston DVD. Now, every time I see the shots of the crowd in the heart during Elevation, I see those dorks sitting down, presumable crying that they don't have optimum position in the heart, as they've had a thousand times before.

Sorry, no sympathy here.

 

[*Stormy*]

Originally posted by Angel:
Precisely! What a disaster it must have been at the shows where second and third entrances were opened up. People waltzing in at 5:30pm-6:00pm taking spaces in the heart from people who had lined up all day. THAT is something to whine about.

Yes I agree, but at least that was just a screw up and not intentional.

 

[~LadyLemon~]

Originally posted by *Stormy*:
Blue room- have you ever slept on a cold, or hot, hard miserable sidewalk for hours so you could be close to your favorite band? If not, don't call those people 'spoiled brats.' Even if you have, you can't say for sure how you would feel IF you had been stiffed and put back as far as someone who'd just walked up, so don't say you wouldn't care.

Yeah, those people were definately spoiled brats. I had no idea that they sat down during the concert--how fucking lame is that?

But anyway, I did endure plenty of frigid weather in the GA line. In South Bend (not too bad), Chicago (cold), Providence(very cold), and St. Louis (that was the worst--the coldest and it was raining--snowed overnight--when I walked into the arena I couldn't feel my feet and didn't stop shivering until Garbage was over!!).

Anyway, I have a point. For the first 3 shows I went to this fall, I was in the second row. For St. Louis, it was the worst weather, and I had my "worst" spot, in the 5th row. Later I was quite pissed to see that I (#110) was standing next to people who were in the 400s, and had only gotten in line late that afternoon. I was cold, tired, and hungry, and was pissed (and yes spoiled because I didn't have my usual row 2 spot).

But when U2 came on, that became insignificant, and it no longer mattered. I had fun with my #400s neighbors, and savored every minute of the show, because that was the last time I would see them for a long time. That's BS that those people were being so shitty, especially since they were still in the heart. I think people from Boston are spoiled anyway (sorry kathleen, haha) because U2 plays so many shows in their area, and they were the first ones whining for more shows when Elevation was extended. OK, they had 4 shows the first leg, and then there were 2 shows in Providence, which is not that far. I could only dream that U2 would play 4 shows in Cleveland--yeah, that would be the day!

Anyway, I'll quit my rambling now...

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Just as you find me
Always I will be
A little bit too free
With myself

 

[*Stormy*]

Originally posted by pub crawler:
Please explain to me how one "earns" the right to be in the heart. First of all, my understanding is that one of the reasons U2 went with the heart concept was that they wanted the average fan to have a chance at getting a good seat. What happened is that a core of fans followed the band around and consistently got GA tickets, meaning that the band's plan didn't play out as they had hoped it would.

Oh I know, everywhere I went, as the tour progressed, I resigned myself to the fact that I would most likely not be in the top 100 no matter how early I got there because the SAME 50-80 people were following the band around, sleeping out and covering for each other. It got to the point where they covered for each other so well that they actually got hotels and left to sleep in them for four or five hours at a time, and then left again to get showered and primped before time to go in. As frustrating as this was for me, I found them all to be very helpful and courteous to the rest of us and I felt if they were going to that much trouble and money let them have it. I went to a lot of trouble and money too, but I didn't have the time or money or ability to follow the band everywhere. One girl told me she had been at the tip 15 times and in front of the stage 6 times. I do think the band recognized the same faces and got annoyed, but still it is not right to change the rules without telling them. THAT'S what I mean about 'guranteed a spot'if you read my other posts, it was implied all along that would be the case, that was the reason for camping, and if it changed they should have told them. I also addressed the 'happy to be there' thing. For some it's good enough, for some it's not. Me, I spent thousands of dollars and traveled thousands of miles chasing a dream that never came true. (meeting the band) Still, I'd do it all again. Except not right now, my cards are all maxed out. Now if only I could get someone to forgive my debt-

[This message has been edited by *Stormy* (edited 03-28-2002).]

 

[wannabe]

They've given me very great music for unique times in my life, that's more than enough for me.

 

[Blue Room]

I think if a fan actually believes U2 personally rejected them over that kind of a situation they have more issues going on than not getting front row in the heart.

[This message has been edited by Blue Room (edited 03-28-2002).]

 

[Angel]

Originally posted by *Stormy*:
From what I read on the mailing lists at the time from eyewitnesses, it was far more than 10, when they got inside, every 'choice spot' was taken- the first 3 rows in front of the stage, and lining the entire inside and outside of the heart.

I really have to disagree with this observation. Again, I wasn't there, but I know one of the people that got chosen, and honestly, to fill the front row 3 rows deep, the tip and the entire lining of the heart... you need well over 100 people. I would put $ on the fact that it wasn't like that in Boston.

Anyway *Stormy* I am not trying to pick on you. Everything you have said is valid and is most importantly your opinion which we are all entitled to and I respect that.

Thx for the discussion though, it's been too long in this forum... we needed something 'emotional' lol, to talk about.

 

[pub crawler]

My point is, the band never asked you to spend thousands of dollars chasing your dream, nor did they expect you would. They likely never thought there would be an issue with "changing the rules," 'cause they probably didn't realize 60 fans were keeping score.

 

[daisybean]

My $.02

I never got anywhere near the heart. Did I wish I had arrived a tad earlier? Yes. Did it hinder my enjoyment of the show? No.



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Daisy

Uncertainty...it can be a guiding light

AIM: daisyone75

 

[Angel]

Actually... to comment on the original topic of this thread, I don't feel U2 owes me anything. Sure I'd like to meet them one day, but it's not something I expect.

As for being front row at a U2 gig (in London, England no less!)--> that was my greatest dream come true. A dream, back in 1992 watching ZooTV from the ceiling, I never thought was possible.

(... and then there was Slane, Vegas during UTEOTW and Vancouver's bullfight..... Yeah, I am a happy girl).

[This message has been edited by Angel (edited 03-28-2002).]

 

[Angel]

Oops! Double post....

[This message has been edited by Angel (edited 03-28-2002).]

 

[Diamond The U2 Patriot]

Pubster-nicely put.
G.A. means "general admission"
No guarantees.
What is nice though is U2 fans are usually pretty considerate, compared to more rowdy bands.
Yes most U2 fans are considerate except those damn "stage-leapers".

hoo
hah
Diamond

[This message has been edited by Diamond The U2 Patriot (edited 03-28-2002).]