I love blogging the A to Z Blog Challenge - blogging everyday in April, except Sundays, on a specific theme. I loved doing it last year, and I enjoyed it even more this year. I think I enjoy the challenge so much because I am one who likes to to lists things, rank my favorites. This year’s theme, in case you missed it was ‘My U2 from A to Z’ – about what aspects of U2 that has influenced me. It was fun, and it seemed I may have introduced a few new U2 topics. Just in case you were away from the internet in April, the following is what I wrote about: Achtung Baby, Bono, Can’t Help Falling in Love, Drums, Elevation Tour, First U2 Show, Get on Your Boots, Hallelujah Here She Comes and all B Sides from R & H and JT, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, Joshua Tree, Kentucky Lexington Elevation 5.4.01, Larry Mullen Jr, Memphis Mullen, No Line on the Horizon, October, Popmart, Quest Field Seattle 360, Rattle and Hum, Storm Electrical, Three-Sixty (360) Tour, Unforgettable Fire, Vertigo Tour, War, X-Factor Fake U2 Audition, Yahwey, and ZooTv.
Larry hugging me
I also blogged the A to Z Challenge on my other blog Deena’s Days about ‘My Music’ – music I love from A to Z. I am not sure what I am going to write about U2 now since the new album and tour won’t be for several months, so if you have any suggestions please let me know.
Technically it’s The Unforgettable Fire, but I always refer to it as Unforgettable Fire - and for the rest of this post I’ll just use UF. UF has always been one of my favorite U2 songs. It is also one of my favorite U2 albums, and it is a great video. I love when Larry looks up and flashes that sweet smile. UF is probably my favorite Larry look.
I had never heard UF live until the US 360 tour opener in Chicago 2009. I was SO excited, and very emotional, to finally hear UF in concert, but unfortunately they changed it and cut out my favorite part – “Stay this time, stay tonight in a lie. I’m only asking, but I, I think you know. Come on take me away, come on take me away. Come on take me home, home again.” But it was really cool when Bono sang the first verse of UF to us in Charlottesville a month later.
This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge about ‘My U2′ – what I love about U2 from A to Z. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog Deena’s Days about ‘My Music’ – music I love from A to Z.
The U2 360 show in Seattle was better than the previous two shows I had been to in Denver and Salt Lake City. Even though it was the same set list, the audience was much more into it, the band was having a blast and actually seemed a little more into as well, Lenny Kravitz was a better opening act than The Fray, and oh yeah I talked with Bono before the show about Larry and Larry shook my hand as he was leaving the show.
U2 360 Seattle 6.4.11
To conserve energy on that rare sunny day on June 4th, Jenny and I took a cab to Qwest Field – even though it was just under a mile away. We got to the stadium at 3:00, got in the GA line just long enough to get our wristbands and then walked around to wait for U2 to arrive. We met some new folks and talked with old friends. I met Chuck and Michelle whom I’ve stayed friends with. Chuck and I would go on to see many other shows together. They told us Larry had just went in, so I was a little disappointed – but they were wrong.
U2 in Seattle
Qwest Field
After a short time, we saw the flashing lights of the police escort and black SUVs. Edge, Bono, Adam AND LARRY drove into Qwest Field right in front of us. We looked down the long driveway and saw Bono get out and head back toward us. He hopped on the back of the policeman’s motorcycle and in seconds was talking with us. Jenny and I were in our ‘Larry Mullen Band’ shirts as usual. I shouted, “Is Larry ever coming out to greet the fans?” Bono responded, “He only likes you. I love you.” Then Bono went on to say, “You like that kind of cold stare” (referring to Larry). Before Bono was about to leave, he asked the small crowd of about 30 people, “Where are the Larry Mullen people?” I shouted, ‘Right here!” and pushed my way toward Bono. He read my shirt as if to make sure I was the ‘Larry Mullen Band’ girl he had been talking to earlier. Then Bono asked, “Do you have a message I can deliver?” I was confused and frantic. I thought he was going to tell me a message from Larry, but I quickly realized what he had said and I replied, “Yes, tell Larry to come out in Oakland since he didn’t come out here.” He said, “OK.” I then went on to tell him that I would be at all the US shows, but I don’t think he heard me. Bono then asked my name and repeated it back to me, “Deena.” When he got in his golf cart to go back, I saw him write something down. I was hoping it was my message to Larry. I had no idea what this conversation would eventually lead to almost two months later in Pittsburgh.
Chuck, Bono and me
The Larry Mullen Band
We got in the GA line and had about an hour wait in the hot Seattle sun before we were let into Qwest Field. While waiting we got to hear the sound check. I was quite excited to hear The Fly, but disappointed it wasn’t included in the set list later. Once inside, we got a nice spot in the inner circle on Adam’s side – a great view for Lenny Kravitz. Lenny was a great opening act, a lot better than The Fray. He didn’t take the stage until 7:30 and only played 45 minutes, but played the four songs I know – It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over, American Woman, Fly Away, and Are You Gonna Go My Way. Lenny had these great female backup singers that reminded me of Elvis’ Sweet Inspirations. Lenny also did karate moves that reminded me of Elvis. Could Lenny be a fan of The King? Please watch my video of an overview of Lenny Kravitz opening in Seattle.
Lenny Kravitz
After Lenny Kravitz’ performance, we went over to Edge’s side and stood behind the stage to wait for U2 to enter. It was odd getting our neck’s stamped (instead of our hands) for re-entry to the inner circle, but this was to be the practice for most of the tour. Security kicked us off the rail where we were waiting for U2 to enter, claiming the fire marshall wanted that space cleared. So instead of having us lined up along the rail like we were, they had us lined up horizontally sort of blocking the way to the inner circle. Not sure how that wasn’t a fire hazard. This was also to happen for most of the tour. But as soon as U2 came out of that tunnel, security couldn’t hold us back and we were again on the rail. Larry came by and smiled at me, and I think he may have waved – of course I was screaming his name and wearing my Larry Mullen Band shirt. We decided to stay on Edge’s side for the show, and it was a good decision. We had a great view of the show. It was side view, but we could see everything. During Even Better Than the Real Thing, Bono shouted, “The Emerald City shining in the sun.”
the Edge
During Get on Your Boots right before my favorite “LET ME IN THE SOUND”, Bono said, “Larry Mullen!” Apparently he did this at most shows, but I never heard him because I was too busy screaming. I would get SO excited for Get on Your Boots! Before Magnificent, Bono said, “Here comes the Boss – the Arch” (referring to Arch Bishop Desmin Tutu and his part in the Magnificentremix.
U2 in Seattle
Before Until the End of the World, Bono sings, “It’s the end of the world as we know it. Edge feels fine.” Some folks from REM were at the show. During the band introductions, Bono talked about how June 4th was a date we are all going to remember. He again mentioned the rare sunny day in Seattle. He said the band was going to start again and we should pretend we didn’t know them. Bono said, “You think of him as a tough guy, but he’s a very thoughtful man. On the drums, Larry Mullen Jr!”
Bono
For the first time, video of Commander Kelly at the Space Station is shown before Beautiful Day. He is holding words from the song and then says, “Tell my wife I love her.” Video of Kelly is shown later in the song as he recites the lyrics. Commander Kelly is married to Gabby Gifford who was shot months earlier. This video was played before Beautiful Dayfor the rest of the tour. The audience would get really excited each time he would say their city’s name. I don’t think they realized it was recorded and he was actually talking to us from space.
where’s adam?
At the end of Vertigo, we went behind the stage to wait for Larry and his conga to start his walk for I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight. He again smiled at me as I screamed his name and jumped up and down – actually I think he was laughing at me, but I’ll take it. For Moment of Surrender, we moved behind the stage to wait for U2 to leave. Instead of standing by the stairs at the stage where we could have gotten a good picture, we waited back toward where the tunnel is. As Larry was walking out, Jenny shouted, “Larry!” He smiled and made a b line for us. He shook Jenny’s hand and then mine – still smiling. I thanked him. Excited as I was, I thought to myself that this does not excuse Larry from coming out to meet me in Oakland, assuming Bono gives him my message.
my favorite picture of Larry I took this tour
As we were walking through the crowded parking lot, we passed by Eddie Vedder and his bodyguard looking for their car. I of course ran after them to try to get a picture, but was unsuccessful. I did manage to snap one just before Eddie was getting into the car, but it was of course blurry and of the back of him.
chasing Eddie Vedder
The set list for the June 4th 360 show in Seattle was as follows: Even Better Than The Real Thing, I Will Follow, Get On Your Boots, Magnificent, Mysterious Ways, Elevation, It’s the End of the World as We Know It / Until the End of the World / Where Have All the Flowers Gone, All I Want Is You, Stay, Beautiful Day / Space Oddity, Pride, Miss Sarajevo, Zooropa, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, I’ll Go Crazy / Discotheque /Life During Wartime / Psycho Killer, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Scarlet, Walk On /You’ll Never Walk Alone, One / Will You Love Me Tomorrow, Where the Streets Have No Name / All You Need is Love, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me, With or Without You, Moment of Surrender.
That Seattle show is still one of my favorites of the 360 tour. It had a much a better energy than the previous two I had seen in Denver and Salt Lake City. Also, it was great to see it with my old Elevation friend Jenny – I had been alone at my first two shows. It was also the show where I met Chuck, whom I have stayed friends with and saw many shows with on 360. Seattle was where I met and spoke with Bono about meeting Larry and where Larry shook my hand as he left. It was a great night!
This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge about ‘My U2′ – what I love about U2 from A to Z. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog Deena’s Days about ‘My Music’ – music I love from A to Z.
For some reason, it is really difficult to write about U2 topics that start with the letter K. Last year when I wrote about my favorite U2 songs from A to Z, I chose Kite for my K choice – even though it isn’t one of my favorite songs. This year I struggled again with picking a K for My U2. I chose the Lexington, Kentucky Elevation show, which isn’t even one of my favorite U2 shows, let alone one of my favorite Elevation shows – although they were all fantastic. But it was a great show and it took place in a state that begins with K. So here is what I wrote after the Elevation show in Lexington, KY on May 4, 2001:
Best U2 concert ever!! I know I write that after each concert, but they get better every time I see them! Vicki and I flew into Lexington around 11am, went to lunch, shopped a little, then I got in the GA line at Rupp Arena around 2pm – Vicki had a seat. Bono came out around 4pm and thanked us. He was only out there for a few minutes, but I got a few pictures. I hung out with a bunch of nice people in the GA line, including Brad, who I met in Charlotte.
Even though I was within the first 150 people in line, I still stood at the tip of the heart. The best place to stand – you can’t convince me otherwise. PJ Harvey opened again. I heard Kite and Stay for the first time. U2 also played an acoustic version of Desire, but they did not play Gone, Staring at the Sun, Discotheque or Ground Beneath Her Feet. I touched Bono’s hand once – the first time he leaned into the crowd. And then I patted his shoulder as he ran between the catwalk and us (where security is) – first time for that. I think Pride may have been my favorite this time. Bono was much more talkative tonight and much more political. I took my camera in this time and got some nice shots. What a night! Best U2 show!
Tomorrow on to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby!
This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge about ‘My U2′ – what I love about U2 from A to Z. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog Deena’s Days about ‘My Music’ – music I love from A to Z.
My musical journey on the road with U2 started 21 years ago today in Hampton, Virginia. It was Saturday March 7, 1992, and I was 19. My first U2 show was the fifth of the ZooTv Tour. On the morning of March 7th, my best friend Cindy and I drove four hours south from Ellicott City, MD to Hampton, VA. Back in those days, there was no need to get to the city of a concert a day early because there was no general admission – we had actual assigned seats on the floor. We checked into our hotel and immediately walked across the street to the Hampton Coliseum, even though it was hours before the concert was to start. We saw a small circle of people with a big microphone hovering over them. As we got closer, we realized Bono was in the middle of that circle! I didn’t speak with him, but got close enough to take pictures and to hear what he was saying to everyone else. For my first U2 show, I was seated in the fourth row in front of The Edge. Bruce Hornsby and Phil Joanou walked in from behind the stage and passed by us on their way to the soundboard. The Pixies opened, and I did not like them at all. But then again, I just wanted to hear U2. I had waited five years since the release of The Joshua Tree to see them in concert!
Bono 1992
In Hampton, VA on March 7, 1992 for the only time on the ZooTv Touraccording to U2gigs.com, “The Fly is played after Even Better Than the Real Thing and Mysterious Ways, rather than before.” The set list from my first U2 show was as follows: Zoo Station, Even Better Than the Real Thing, Mysterious Ways, The Fly, One, Until the End of the World, Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, Tryin to Throw Your Arms Around the World, Angel of Harlem, Satellite of Love, Bad/All I Want is You, Bullet the Blue Sky, Running to Stand Still, Where the Streets Have No Name, Pride, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, Desire, Ultra Violet, With or Without You.
This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge about ‘My U2′ – what I love about U2 from A to Z. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog Deena’s Days about ‘My Music’ – music I love from A to Z.
Even though Can’t Help Falling in Love is credited to Bono and not U2, I am going to include it as part of my U2 favorites. U2 played it on the ZooTv tour. In fact, one of my greatest memories of the ZooTv tour is when Bono knelt in front of me (I was in the 3rd row) and sang Can’t Help Falling in Love as U2 closed the DC show on August 16, 1992 – the 15th anniversary of Elvis’ death. As an avid Elvis fan, this was an amazing, unforgettable moment for me! My worlds were colliding! Elvis used to close his shows with Can’t Help Falling in Love, a fact I’m sure Bono knew. My favorite recorded version is this one with Bono singing while Elvis is talking. Bono sings an abbreviated version of Can’t Help Falling in Love while an Elvis interview is playing in the background.
This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge about ‘My U2′ – what I love about U2 from A to Z. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog Deena’s Days about ‘My Music’ – music I love from A to Z.
When most people think of U2, they think of Bono. In fact some people even refer to U2 as Bono and the Boys, which really annoys me but that is a topic for another time. Bono is the lead singer of U2, the front man, the one who gets all of the publicity. He is also the one who writes the lyrics, which is my favorite part of music – along with drums. The first time I met Bono was 21 years ago in 1992 before the opening of the ZooTv Outside Broadcast tour at Giants Stadium. There were a bunch of fans standing outside Giants Stadium on the afternoon of August 12th waiting for U2 to arrive. Bono came out and went down the line talking with each of us, signing autographs and taking pictures. When Bono came to me, he noticed the tee shirt I had made with ‘One’ on it. I handed him my Outside It’s America book for him to autograph. I noticed he was taking a while, so I looked at what he was doing and saw he was misspelling my name. I said, “No, Deena is spelled with two e’s.” Bono kind of gave me this sly smile. In my book, he wrote, “A nice t-shirt Din…Deena Bono 92” I asked Bono if they would ever play Heartland in concert. And he answered that they were thinking of putting out an album of B sides. Huh? That’s not what I asked. Then I threw my camera to my friend Mike, so he could take a picture of us. Bono threw his arms around me and put his head on my shoulder. Bono autographed the photo for me a few days later before the show in DC. Bono isn’t my favorite of U2. If you know me, you know that Larry is – more on him later on the L part of the A to Z Challenge. But Bono is a great guy, a great performer, a great lyricist, and so very entertaining both on and off the stage. Another reason why I love Bono is that he has been an integral part of the few encounters I have had with Larry. Just listen closely to his video, especially the end…
This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge about ‘My U2′ – what I love about U2 from A to Z. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog Deena’s Days about ‘My Music’ – music I love from A to Z.
My musical journey on the road with U2 started 21 years ago today in Hampton, Virginia. It was Saturday March 7, 1992, and I was 19. My first U2 show was the fifth of the ZooTv Tour. On the morning of March 7th, my best friend Cindy and I drove four hours south from Ellicott City, MD to Hampton, VA. Back in those days, there was no need to get to the city of a concert a day early because there was no general admission – we had actual assigned seats on the floor. We checked into our hotel and immediately walked across the street to the Hampton Coliseum, even though it was hours before the concert was to start. We saw a small circle of people with a big microphone hovering over them. As we got closer, we realized Bono was in the middle of that circle! I didn’t speak with him, but got close enough to take pictures and to hear what he was saying to everyone else. For my first U2 show, I was seated in the fourth row in front of The Edge. Bruce Hornsby and Phil Joanou walked in from behind the stage and passed by us on their way to the soundboard. The Pixies opened, and I did not like them at all. But then again, I just wanted to hear U2. I had waited five years since the release of The Joshua Tree to see them in concert!
Bono 1992
In Hampton, VA on March 7, 1992 for the only time on the ZooTv Touraccording to U2gigs.com, “The Fly is played after Even Better Than the Real Thing and Mysterious Ways, rather than before.” The set list from my first U2 show was as follows: Zoo Station, Even Better Than the Real Thing, Mysterious Ways, The Fly, One, Until the End of the World, Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, Tryin to Throw Your Arms Around the World, Angel of Harlem, Satellite of Love, Bad/All I Want is You, Bullet the Blue Sky, Running to Stand Still, Where the Streets Have No Name, Pride, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, Desire, Ultra Violet, With or Without You.
Not only is today Larry Mullen Jr’s 51st birthday, but it is also the 11th anniversary of the night Larry and I shared a drink – the second Elevation Providence show on Larry’s 40th birthday 10.31.01. Here is what I wrote about that night:
October 31, 2001 – Providence 2 – Larry’s 40th Birthday
This was the best show ever! There will never be another one like it! I woke up outside around 8am – pretty good sleeping outside in 30 degrees for 5 hours. I went up to the warm hotel room until about 10am, then had some breakfast. I stayed in the GA line all day without leaving, except to take a shower around 3:30. I got everyone in the GA line to sign the big orange birthday card I made for Larry. I put my name and email address on the back just in case. The band didn’t arrive until after we were inside Dunkin Donuts Center. Me, Tasha and Paola wore our Larry Mullen Band shirts. We got our spots at the rail up front and center between Bono and Adam. I held up my birthday card for Larry as they walked on stage, but he didn’t notice it. There were many, many signs including one saying, ‘Bono let Larry sing.’ During Elevation, Bono sang, ‘ Celebration’ then said, ‘Happy Birthday.’ After Stuck in a Moment, Larry’s 40th birthday celebration began. We sang Happy Birthday to Larry. A birthday cake was brought out and presented to Larry. Bono said, ‘Larry loves chocolate cake!’ Larry pretended to throw the cake out into the audience. Larry took the mic and came to the front to talk while Bono sat behind the drums. Larry said, ‘Bono can’t play the drums. It took me 40 years to get up front. I’m glad I’m spending my birthday with 18,000 of my closest friends. I feel like I could borrow money from you.’ Then Bono asked for a bottle of champagne, which he shook up a la ZooTV and sprayed the audience. Edge took a swig, then Larry drank and continued to drink for the next few songs. After Kite, Larry got off the drums and made a B line for me. I got my card and present in hand so I could give it to him, but that’s not why he was there. He gave me the champagne bottle – with champagne still in it. I drank some then shared it with Paola and Tasha. Larry wanted to share his birthday with ME! He wanted ME to have a drink on his birthday. I was SO excited that I didn’t even know they played Wild Honey - I thought it was Staring at the Sun. I didn’t really come around until Please. After Pride, Larry came back over to me so I could give him the birthday card and Elvis tee shirt I had for him. I said, ‘Thank you. Happy Birthday.’ He smiled and said, ‘Thank You.’ He looked into my eyes, just like he had in Jersey a few weeks earlier when he gave me his drum stick. Then Paola gave Larry her Larry scrapbook, which contains the picture of him hugging me. Later on, Bono noticed our shirts, shook his head and smiled. Before leaving the stage Larry took Michelle’s Elvis sunglasses with sideburns and put them on. I was so elated after the show – walking around hugging the champagne bottle. What an amazing Larry night! I will never forget it!
close up of Larry either giving me the champagne or taking my birthday card
Larry taking my birthday card and elvis t I had for him
Yay Larry!
me with the champagne bottle after the show
That Providence 2 Elevation show was my favorite U2 show, as well as my favorite concert ever. I doubt there will ever be another night like it. Granted it was Larry’s 40th Birthday, and I love Larry, but also for the energy and for the rarities U2 played that night. Slow Dancing was played for the first time on the Elevation tour, and only the 11th time ever. Party Girl and Wild Honey were played for the first time on that leg of Elevation – and I’ve only heard those songs a couple of times ever. There was just a great energy in Providence that night that I haven’t experienced since. I still have that champagne bottle, displayed on my shelf along with Larry’s drum stick he gave me in Jersey.
Providence 2 set list 10.31.01: Elevation, Beautiful Day, Until the End of the World, New Year’s Day, I Will Follow, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Stuck in a Moment, Happy Birthday Larry, Party Girl, Slow Dancing, Kite, Wild Honey, Please, Bad / 40, Where the Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, Pride, Bullet the Blue Sky, What’s Going On, New York, One, When Will I See You Again, Walk On
Today is the 11th anniversary of the first time Larry Mullen Jr hugged me – October 19, 2001 in Baltimore on the Elevation tour. It was the first time U2 played Baltimore. It was also the first and last time I met Larry – outside of a concert. I had been waiting 14 years to meet Larry Mullen Jr. When Larry walked up to me, I told him I didn’t have anything for him to sign, but may I have a hug? Larry looked at me kind of strange, then smiled and said yes. We hugged and without a word, he was gone. Then I immediately turned around and hysterically cried. Hours later, I witnessed the most emotional U2 concert out of the 75 I have been to. It was just over a month after 9/11, and it was as if U2′s All That You Can’t Leave Behind was written especially to heal everyone – even though it was released the previous year. This is what I wrote after that wonderful U2 Elevation show in Baltimore on October 19, 2001:
I started the third leg of the Elevation Tour in my hometown of Baltimore, and am going to the next 7 shows. The U2 show at the Baltimore Arena on October 19, 2001 was absolutely amazing! The best I’ve seen out of ZooTv, Popmart and the first leg of Elevation! Our adventure started Thursday when me, Jennifer, John, Tasha, Dan and Jenny met downtown for dinner to celebrate Tasha’s birthday. After, we drove by the arena to check out the GA line. There were already about 50 people in line at 10:30pm. Jenny and Dan got in line while the rest of us went back home to get our stuff. We got in line around 1:30am. We had fun hanging out with everyone, but it was quite cold. Tasha and I slept in my car for about an hour. We went over to meet the band around 3pm. They finally came in at 4:30pm. I videotaped them driving in, Bono walking out, Edge walking out, Larry walking out, Adam walking out, and all of them signing autographs. We could barely believe that they were all four outside signing autographs. This was the first U2 played Baltimore and they all four came outside to meet all the fans. Adam signed Tasha’s purple pants. She was VERY excited. He said, ‘They’re great ones.’ When Larry came one person away from me, his bodyguard told me to turn off the videocamera. So I did not get video of my encounter with Larry, but Tasha took a great picture of it. Larry walked to me. I said, ‘I don’t have anything for you to sign, so can I have a hug?’ Larry looked at me a little strange, then smiled and said yes. Then we hugged and it was a nice, strong hug. In the picture, Larry has a big smile on his face. After the hug, I thanked him. Tasha hugged me and then I cried like a baby. I was so overcome with emotion. I had been waiting to meet Larry for 14 years! The concert itself was so unreal! We stood at the tip of the heart on the outside. It was me, Tasha, Jenny, Cathy, and Kate. Garbage was supposed to open, but the drummer got sick, so Graham Parker & the Figgs filled in at the last minute before heading over to their own show. As soon as All You Need is Love came on, the crowd went wild, and even crazier for St. Pepper’s. And then ‘WOO-OOH-HOO! ELEVATION!’ During New Year’s Day, Cathy and I held up her American Flag that she had brought. Bono took it from us. He hugged it. He looked at me and said, ‘You take it back.’ He handed it back to me so gently. He said, ‘Thank you.’ I said, ‘Thank you.’ Then he started walking away, turned to me, gave me the peace sign and nodded. Best Bono concert moment EVER for me. I have a fantastic picture of the Bono hugging the flag. Song highlights of the Baltimore show for me were: I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For (I cried), Pride (with MLK’s speech a la ZooTV), Out ofControl, Staring at the Sun and Please. A guy behind us was pulled up on stage to play Knocking on Heaven’s Door with the band. During One, all of the names of the passengers on the flights from 9/11 were displayed – and then they went right into Peace on Earth. I cried through all of this. They ended the show with Walk On. It was the most emotional and spiritual and uplifting U2 show. Just unbelievable!
camping out for U2 Elevation Baltimore 10.19.01
Larry hugging me
crying after Larry hugged me
singing with Bono
Bono hugging the American flag after 9/11
10 years later Larry hugged me again, but this time I didn’t have to ask him. On his way to the stage in Pittsburgh on July 26, 2011, Larry walked over to me and hugged me without saying a word. I again cried hysterically. Larry Mullen Jr is a man of few words, but he is a great hugger!
My favorite U2 song that begins with K is Kite. Even though Kite is a great song and was even better live, it is not really one of my favorites. It is not even my favorite song off of All That You Can’t Leave Behind.Kite was the only U2 song that I could find that began with K. But I remember Bono belting out Kite on the Elevation Tour right in front of us, and it was amazing!
Something is about to give
I can feel it coming
I think I know what it is
I’m not afraid to die
I’m not afraid to live
And when I’m flat on my back
I hope to feel like I did
Cause hardness, it sets in
You need some protection
The thinner the skin
I want you to know
That you don’t need me anymore
I want you to know
You don’t need anyone, anything at all
Who’s to say where the wind will take you
Who’s to know what it is will break you
I don’t know which way the wind will blow
Who’s to know when the time has come around
Don’t wanna see you cry
I know that this is not goodbye
In summer I can taste the salt in the sea
There’s a kite blowing out of control on a breeze
I wonder what’s gonna happen to you
You wonder what has happened to me
I’m a man, I’m not a child
A man who sees
The shadow behind your eyes
Who’s to say where the wind will take you
Who’s to know what it is will break you
I don’t know where the wind will blow
Who’s to know when the time has come around
I don’t wanna see you cry
I know that this is not goodbye
Did I waste it?
Not so much I couldn’t taste it
Life should be fragrant
Roof top to the basement
The last of the rock stars
When hip hop drove the big cars
In the time when new media
Was the big idea
That was the big idea
What is your favorite U2 song that begins with K?
This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge – my 26 favorite U2 songs. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog DeenasDays.
My musical journey on the road with U2 started 20 years ago today in Hampton, Virginia. It was Saturday March 7, 1992, and I was 19. My first U2 show was the fifth of the ZooTv Tour. On the morning of March 7th, my best friend, Cindy, and I drove four hours south from Ellicott City, MD to Hampton, VA. Back in those days, there was no need to get to the city of a concert a day early because there was no general admission – we had actual assigned seats on the floor. We checked into our hotel and immediately walked across the street to the Hampton Coliseum, even though it was hours before the concert was to start. We saw a small circle of people with a big microphone hovering over them. As we got closer, we realized Bono was in the middle of that circle! I didn’t speak with him, but got close enough to hear what he was saying to everyone else and to take pictures. For my first U2 show, I was seated in the fourth row in front of The Edge. Bruce Hornsby and Phil Joanou walked in from behind the stage and passed by us on their way to the soundboard. The Pixies opened. For the only time on the ZooTv Touraccording to U2gigs.com, “The Fly is played after Even Better Than the Real Thing and Mysterious Ways, rather than before.” The set list from my first U2 show was as follows: Zoo Station, Even Better Than the Real Thing, Mysterious Ways, The Fly, One, Until the End of the World, Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, Tryin to Throw Your Arms Around the World, Angel of Harlem, Satellite of Love, Bad/All I Want is You, Bullet the Blue Sky, Running to Stand Still, Where the Streets Have No Name, Pride, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, Desire, Ultra Violet, With or Without You.
I have finished writing my memoir, On the Road with U2: my musical journey, about my adventures the past 20 years on the U2 tours from ZooTv to 360, including all 75 concerts, the places I’ve seen and the people I’ve met. It has been a wonderful journey, both living it and reliving it while writing about it. I am working with a literary agent and currently searching for a publisher. There are many books about U2, in fact amazon.com lists over 5000. Most of the U2 books are biographies about the band, some are written by fans about their own U2 experiences, and I think I am the only one who has written a U2 book with a Larry Mullen theme. In addition to writing about the places I’ve seen, the people I’ve met, and reviewing the 75 U2 concerts I went to the past 20 years, I also write about every Larry Mullen moment in those concerts. But don’t worry, I also write about the other three guys in U2.
I had always wanted to drive across the country, and I had always wanted to follow U2 on tour – the whole tour. And last summer that is exactly what I did. I wasn’t working and barely had enough money, but I packed up the car and Elvis, Cilla and I left our house for three months to drive to every U2 show in the US on the last leg of the 360 Tour. Along the way, I visited great American sights, saw 16 fantastic U2 concerts and met many great people.
the traveling threesome
We drove over 18,000 miles through 31 states – some states we drove through multiple times. We drove through and/or stayed in Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Delaware, New Jersey and Minnesota. I visited Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Deadwood in South Dakota, Red Rocks in Denver, Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Reno and Lake Tahoe in Nevada, the Experience Music Project and Kurt Cobain’s house in Seattle, Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, Harmony Hotel, Joshua Tree Park and Elvis’ homes in Palm Springs, took a bus tour of LA and Hollywood, visited Johnny Cash’s grave outside of Nashville, Bronz Fonz and Summerfest in Milwaukee, the Football Hall of Fame, and saw Soundgarden in Philadelphia. My favorite places were Mount Rushmore, Palm Springs, and Milwaukee.
I saw all 16 U2 360 shows in the US. My favorite moments (my squealing moments) of each U2 360 concert were the following: watching U2 walk through the crowd and walk to the stage, Larry banging the drums to open Even Better Than the Real Thing - boom boom! boom! boom boom!, when Larry and his drums turned around to face behind the stage (where I was) during Mysterious Ways, Larry standing up (back to back with Bono) banging the drums singing “LET ME IN THE SOUND” during Get on Your Boots, Larry walking around with his conga during I’ll Go Crazy, Larry and his drums turned around to face behind the stage (where I was) and then Bono rapping at him during Sunday Bloody Sunday, Larry’s drum solo during Scarlet, and watching U2 leave the stage and walk through the crowd to the tunnel leaving the stadium.
it's all about Larry
My favorite U2 360 shows were Anaheim2, Chicago, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Seattle, but each of the 16 US shows were special. The Denver show was special because it was the first U2 show in the US on the last leg of 360, it was the first time I heard Zooropa and Scarlet, it was in the stadium where my beloved Denver Broncos play, and I met Beth. The Salt Lake City show was special because I heard Love Rescue Me, one of my favorite songs, for the first time. The Seattle show was one of my favorites because I talked with Bono before the show about meeting Larry, Larry walked over to me smiling and shook my hand as he walked to the tunnel as he left the stadium, I watched the show with Jenny, and I met Chuck. The Oakland show was special because Larry sang a part of Lou Reed’s A Perfect Day and I talked with Bono again before the show about meeting Larry. The first show in Anaheim was special because it was the first time Paul McGuinness had ever been on stage. The second show in Anaheim was my favorite 360 show because U2 brought back my favorite song I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For for the first time that leg and I cried, and they completely changed the set list by opening the show with five straight songs off Achtung Baby then played Streets. The Baltimore show was special because it was the loudest audience of the tour, Larry took off his shirt on the way to his car after the show, I got the set list and I watched the show with Tasha. The East Lansing show was special because it stayed light through Elevation and U2 entered through the bleachers up top behind the stage. The Miami show was special because it was the first time U2 played North Star in the US. The Nashville show was special because it was the first time U2 played The Wanderer, in honor of Johnny Cash, they brought up a blind guitar player at the end of the show to play All I Want Is You, and it was the first time I saw Larry get out of his car at the stadium. The Chicago show was one of my favorites because it was the first time I had ever heard One Tree Hill, which was completely spontaneous and the first time it was played in the US since 1987, U2 played Out of Control for the first time in the US that leg, and I shook Edge’s hand before the show. The Philadelphia show was special because U2 brought back the original version of Magnificent and moved it down in the set list, I watched the show will old Elevation friends, and I met Natasha. The St. Louis show was one of my favorites because of the amazing energy both from the audience and U2, and I got a little shout out from Bono about the Larry Mullen Band. The New Jersey show was special because it ended with Out of Control, it was the longest show of the tour, and I met Anisha. The Minneapolis show was special because it was the only show in the US that leg that it rained, a drenching downpour complete with lightning, and I danced in the rain throughout the show with Deb and her husband. The Pittsburgh show was one of my favorites because it was the last US show, Matt and Melissa danced on stage during With or Without You, U2 closed with Bad (one of my favorite songs which was played for the first time in the US that leg), watching the show with Abbey, and my favorite moment of the entire tour was when Larry hugged me on his way to the stage.
I had the best summer of my life on the U2 360 Tour. I learned there really is humidity in Southern California, to never drive around Chicago or Atlanta (especially on July 4th weekend), don’t avoid an outdoor concert in Miami in the summer because you think it is going to be too hot because the shows in St. Louis, Baltimore and Nashville were much hotter, and U2 fans really are the greatest. But the most important thing I learned is to always follow your passion, even if you think it’s impossible or impractical. If I had thought logically and practically, I would have skipped the second Anaheim show to make it an easier drive from California to Maryland to make it to the Baltimore show, but then I would have missed my favorite show of the tour. And if I had been thinking logically and practically, I would have never even gone on the trip to begin with because I couldn’t really afford it, but then I would have missed out on the best summer of my life On the Road with U2 on the 360 Tour.
I left Minneapolis just before 11am the morning after the U2 show. I was in a great mood because it was such a great show, but I was exhausted. I stopped one time in Wisconsin before stopping for the night at a Motel 6 in Joliet, Illinois. The next day I drove through Indiana and Ohio, again, and made it to Pittsburgh for my final show of the U2 360 tour. I had driven 16,888 miles since I left Memphis 73 days prior. Neil McCormick was showing Killing Bono that night in the Pittsburgh area, but I was too exhausted to go. Plus I had already seen it at the Seattle Film Festival in June.
U2 in Pittsburgh
DAY 74 – JULY 26 – U2 360 #16 – PITTSBURGH
My final U2 360 show (my 16th of that leg, my 24th of the tour, and my 75th U2 show overall) ended on amazing high note, more than I could have hoped for, more than I imagined – Larry hugged me on his way to the stage! So the first few songs on my last U2 360 show were pretty much a blur. It was a standard set list but then U2 ended the show with Bad, one of my favorite U2 songs – haven’t heard it since Chicago1 in 2009. So glad Bad was the last song I heard U2 perform. When Larry walked off the stage and toward the tunnel, he saw me, smiled and gave me a thumbs up – twice. So glad Larry smiling at me was the last image I have of the U2 360 tour.
U2 360 Pittsburgh 7.26.11
I began the day in Pittsburgh just as I had for the previous 15 U2 360 shows – walked the dogs, ate breakfast, watched tv, napped, ordered lunch and went to the stadium in the afternoon to wait for U2 to arrive. I met Abbey and Anisha in the lobby of my hotel the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh, and we took the free shuttle over to the stadium at 2pm, even though it was close enough to walk. It was a beautiful day – 80s, sunny, breezy, and not humid. I saw many friends old and new, including Jennifer and Chris, Tyler and his dad, Tim, and Sarah. But the surprise was Matt, Melissa, her parents and Kim. I had no idea they were coming and very happy to see them – and it turned out to be very fortunate for me as well.
me, Abbey, Sarah waiting for the band
U2 arrived just around 5pm. Bono and Edge came out to greet the fans. I couldn’t get close enough to talk with them, but I did see Larry and Adam get out of their cars and walk inside. Matt and Melissa talked with Bono and selflessly told him about me and how I had driven to every US show and would like to meet Larry. Brian, Bono’s security guy, told them to wait there and he would see what he could do. Brian came out later and told me Larry was in a meeting, but he told Larry about me and Bono told Larry about me. Maybe Bono and Larry knew he was talking about me, since I talked with Bono in Seattle and Oakland about meeting Larry and Larry sometimes waved to me as he walked to the stage – and Brian said he had seen me at the shows. Brian took my phone number and said he would look for us inside. He also gave us wristbands for the soundboard and for the red zone.
Bono talks with fans in Pittsburgh
Although I had the credentials to go to the soundboard and the red zone, I went to my usual spot on Edge’s side of the inner circle to wait for U2 to enter. Abbey was with me and Deb and her husband and Melissa’s parents were also there. Brian came over and told me that he was still working on getting me to meet Larry. Interpol didn’t take the stage until about 7:45 and played their usual set.
inside Heinz Field waiting for U2 to walk in
I’m not sure when U2 came out, probably just about 9pm. When they walked out of the tunnel (on Adam’s side) I noticed that Larry wasn’t first as usual. Adam and Edge were first and Larry and Bono were behind them, so I kind of thought something was up. But then somehow Larry moved up front. As Larry walked up the ramp, he locked eyes with me and was smiling. He walked across the platform, jumped down to me, and hugged me. He didn’t say a word, he just put his arms around me. It felt like the hug lasted forever. He definitely pulled away first because I kept hanging on. I think I muttered a ‘thank you.’
Larry looking at me (photo by Deb Pruitt)
here he comes! (photo by Tony Chiapetta)
Larry jumping down to hug me (photo by Kari Moore)
Larry leaving me (photo by Izzy Ciszewski)
Congrats from my friends after Larry hugged me (photo by Tony Chiapetta)
Larry gave me the biggest, best hug ever and then went on stage. I burst into tears, as I am doing now while writing this. My friends around me congratulated me and hugged me, which made the moment even more special. I was so excited that I don’t really remember Even Better Than the Real Thing or The Fly. I don’t think I came to until Mysterious Ways when Larry’s drum kit turned around and faced me behind the stage. I never in a million years thought Larry would walk over to me and hug me on his way to the stage before the show. I have four videos (sort of) of Larry hugging me on his way to the stage in Pittsburgh.
This is the video I took as I usually do when U2′s entered the stadiums. I stopped the video when I saw Larry was walking toward me.
This is the video Deb’s husband took of Larry hugging me. He was 3 people down from me. It isn’t of the actual hug, but you can see Larry jumping down to me and then see him jumping up again.
In this video, you can see Larry jump down to me, but you can’t see me. And then you can hear Melissa’s dad say, “Deena got it!”
This is the only video of Larry hugging me. It’s hard to see so keep your eye on Larry, even when that woman’s head is blocking him. In the far right bottom corner beyond the pink squiggly lines, you can see Larry hugging me. This video is by Rick Long.
During Even Better Than the Real Thing Bono said, “Hot summer night in the Burgh!” Bono introduced The Fly saying, “Some crowd rock circa 1991! Achtung Ya’ll!” Instead of singing Until the End of the World, I kept singing “You were acting like it was the end of the tour.” During the band introductions, Bono said, “This is the last night of the 360 Tour in the United States. We’ve had some cool people come out of our town. Would you say behind me you might call this man the Charles Bronson of U2? Larry Mullen on the drums. Our very own movie star.” U2 again wore their LED jackets during Zooropa and City of Blinding Lights. I love Larry in that black, leather, 1950s Elvis looking jacket. He should always wear black! At the end of Vertigo, Bono sang a snippet of Two Hears Beat as One. During I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight, Larry looked at me and I shouted ‘Thank you!’ What a dork I am. At the end of Where the Streets Have No Name Bono shouted, “Tuesday night in the old steel town!” I decided to go over to Adam’s side of the inner circle during Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me so I could watch U2 leave.
Larry's hot black jacket
Larry I'll Go Crazy
Matt & Melissa on stage with Bono during With or Without You
As With or Without You started, Bono brought my friends Matt and Melissa on stage and said, “60 shows. Matt and Melissa. Where love stories begin.” Matt and Melissa slow danced while U2 played. It was beautiful. After Moment of Surrender, U2 took their bows, huddled together and then played Bad with a little snippet of 40 at the end! It was fantastic! It lasted for almost nine minutes. Bono dedicated Bad to Andy Rowen who was at the show and whom the song was written about. Andy Rowen is the brother of Bono’s friend Guggi and the brother of Peter, who is on the cover of Boy.As U2 were walking off stage, I could have sworn I saw Larry looking for me on Edge’s side where I was when he hugged me at the beginning of the show. But when they were almost at the tunnel, Larry saw me, smiled and gave me a thumbs up – twice. It looked as if Larry was going to walk over to me, but then he was ushered toward the tunnel.
Goodbye Larry (photo by Julie Dixon who was right near me)
After the show I saw Chuck and Tasha and told them about Larry hugging me and then I met up with Beth and shared my story with her. I walked back to the hotel alone (with thousands of other happy U2 fans) across the bridge looking back at the claw for the last time. I got back to the hotel and talked with Patty and her husband. Then I took Elvis and Cilla outside where Abbey met us, and we chatted for a bit. Then I went back inside and wrote in my journal about my last night on the U2 360 tour. I barely slept that night, only 3 hours.
me and Beth
The set list of the U2 360 show in Pittsburgh was as follows: Even Better Than the Real Thing, The Fly, Mysterious Ways / Someone Somewhere in Summertime / Promised You a Miracle, Until the End of the World / Anthem, I Will Follow, Get On Your Boots, I Still Haven’t Found / The Promised Land, Stay, Beautiful Day / Space Oddity, Elevation, Pride, Miss Sarajevo, Zooropa, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo / Two Hearts Beat As One, Miss You / I’ll Go Crazy / Discotheque / Psycho Killer / Life During Wartime / Please, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Scarlet, Walk On, One, Hallelujah / Where The Streets Have No Name, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me, With Or Without You, Moment Of Surrender, Bad / In The Garden / Walk On The Wild Side / 40. My video of an overview of the U2 360 show in Pittsburgh, my last show.
My Musical Journey ended with Larry hugging me on his way to the stage of the last show in the US on U2′s 360 tour. I keep replaying it over and over in my head. Larry walking toward me, smiling, jumping down to me, putting his arms around me without saying a word, and hugging me. It seemed like it lasted forever, but after watching the videos, it was only a few seconds – but those were some magnificent few seconds! That was definitely my favorite moment of the tour and a perfect ending to my Musical Journey! I finally Found What I Was Looking For on the U2 360 Tour!
Day 64 of my U2 360 tour across America brought me from Philadelphia to St. Louis, driving almost 900 miles in over 16 hours. It should have only taken about 14 hours, but two traffic jams in Indiana caused my delay. It was much like my drive from Miami to Nashville, actually it was like deja vu. My drive from Anaheim to Baltimore was easier than my drive from Miami to Nashville and from Philadelphia to St. Louis. Elvis and Cilla were exhausted!
Cilla and Elvis resting after their long 16 hours in the car
I left Philadelphia just after 6am est driving the Pennsylvania Turnpike – again. I was on that dreaded $20-toll turnpike the week before and two weeks before that, and would be driving it again in a few days and again the following week. Ugh! But I did come across a historical marker at the one of the first travel stops on the PA Turnpike, so at least that was something interesting.
the PA turnpike
We stopped four times for gas, food, etc in addition to the two times we were stopped in traffic. Both traffic jams were on Route 70 West in Indiana about two hours apart, which was very frustrating. It was truly Carmageddon everywhere that day in July – the 405 in Southern California was closed, 240 in Memphis was down to one lane, and Route 70 West in Indiana was shut down twice. But if I hadn’t been delayed, I wouldn’t have seen the beautiful sunset – there is always good that comes with the bad.
Illinois sunset
We finally arrived at our great Drury Plaza Hotel in St. Louis just past 9:30pm cst, over 16 hours later. As soon as I walked into the lobby, I realized this was the hotel I stayed at when I visited St. Louis eight years ago when I went to the Orioles-Cardinals game. The staff there was fantastic! They answered my questions immediately and quickly brought me what I needed, as well as checked me in quickly knowing I had a long day. To reward myself for my rough day of driving, I ordered a pizza from Imo’s for a late dinner – ‘an original St. Louis style pizza.’ I didn’t even know there was a ‘St. Louis style’ pizza. It is very thin crust with provolone cheese, but it tasted like cheddar was mixed in with it. It was no Ledo’s, but it was really good.
St. Louis style pizza
view of the Arch from our hotel room
DAY 65 – JULY 17 – U2 360 #13 – ST. LOUIS
The U2 360 show in St. Louis was amazing! Definitely one of my favorites, along with Chicago and Anaheim2. Even though it was a standard set list, there was no Out of Control or One Tree Hill, the band and the audience had such a great energy. Bono was especially excited – he was really excited and happy. The Fly returned after its brief departure in Philadelphia, and Magnificent disappeared again. For the first time both Bono and Larry acknowledged me on their way onto the stage and then later Bono gave me an indirect ‘shout out’ during the band introductions. The St. Louis show was the hottest show of the tour, beating Baltimore and Nashville, with its 110 heat index.
U2 360 St. Louis 7.17.11
My friend Beth flew in the morning of the show. We talked the day before as she made last minute plans to come to St. Louis, so we decided that she would share the hotel room with Elvis, Cilla and myself. We relaxed in the hotel for a bit, then went to lunch on the way to Busch Stadium, which was only a couple blocks away from our hotel. We had a great pasta lunch at Caleco’s thinking we should carb up to sustain the long day in the 110 degree heat!
St. Louis Arch before the show - at our hotel
a special U2 lunch
the claw at Busch Stadium in St. Louis
After lunch, we made our way to Busch Stadium to try to figure out where U2 would drive in. Luckily, the spot we chose was in the shade. My friend Chuck and Beth’s friend Tim were there. We also ran into Cathal and a few others. There was a bit of discrepancy where the band was actually going to drive in. There were a lot of people on the other side of the stadium waiting, and only about 10 of us on our side. Turned out we were right and the band drove in just after 5p where we were waiting. Bono rolled down his window and waved, and Edge and Adam waved from inside their cars. The guy in the fourth car, who I assumed was Larry, didn’t wave or look at us – just looked straight ahead. About 15 minutes or so later, another car drove in and this time it was Larry and he waved. We were surprised when no one came out to greet us, since there were only about 10 of us there.
waiting for the band (photo by Beth Nabi)
I walked into the stadium and over to the inner circle on Edge’s side, but it was closed. So I had to walk around to Adam’s side, get my stamp for re-entry, then walk back over to Edge’s side. Even though I could see that U2 was going to walk into the stadium from the tunnel on Adam’s side, I wanted to be on Edge’s side so I could watch them walk onto the stage, or under the stage actually. My friend Jason from Memphis joined me. He had contacted me earlier and drove up that afternoon and luckily bought a GA from someone outside the stadium around 6pm. I met a guy and his young son Tyler, I mean like 7 years old young, who had been to 9 shows this tour. Turned out, they read my blog and Tyler’s favorites are Larry and Bono. A guy from the crew asked me how many shows I had been to. When I told him all the US shows that leg and I was driving to all of them with my dogs, he said I was crazy and should just give my money to him. I told him I should work for U2, so I could get paid to follow the tour.
U2 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis
Interpol took the stage around 7:30m and played their usual set. I still was not a fan, but they were ok. U2 didn’t come out until about 9:15pm. On the way to the stage, Larry saw me and smiled and waved. And not his usual obligatory smile and wave, but he actually seemed to recognize and acknowledge me. Then Bono smiled, waved and said ‘Hi’ to me. I could definitely see recognition in his face – and it’s been a long time since I spoke with him in Seattle and Oakland. So maybe Bono and Larry were actually waving to me as they drove into the stadium earlier. Or it could have been the fact that I was almost always standing at that same spot where U2 walk onto the stage and always wearing my straw cowboy hat and ‘Larry Mullen Band’ tee. Yeah maybe after 12 shows, they finally recognize me. Please watch my video of U2 walking to the stage – it’s a little (a lot) shaky.
Mysterious Ways
My excitement grew even greater when U2 followed the opener Even Better Than the Real Thing with The Fly, which they had removed from the set list in Philadelphia and replaced it with Magnificent. Introducing The Fly Bono said, “Are you ready for some crowd rock circa 1991? We’re not gonna walk, we’re not gonna crawl. Tonight St. Louis, we Fly!” After The Fly, I knew the St. Louis show was going to be one of my favorites. U2 had such a great energy, and Bono seemed especially excited and happy. The Fly was followed by Mysterious Ways and Until the End of the World as usual, but I just love four straight opening songs off Achtung Baby. And it doesn’t hurt that Larry starts Even Better than the Real Thing with his pounding drums and then he and his drum kit turn around and face behind the stage where I am during Mysterious Ways. But the inner circle wasn’t that crowded, so I moved from my usual spot behind the stage and stood toward the side of the stage during Until the End of the World and I Will Follow and actually got pictures of the whole band. During Until the End of the World, Bono again said “Bass and Drums” and then “Love and Peace.” He went on to say, “What sort of magic night is this? St. Louis. Missouri. Warm summer night.” During I Will Follow, Bono said the most important word of the night was ‘surrender.’ He sang, “I surrender. St. Louis. We surrender.”
I Will Follow
As if I wasn’t excited enough, or hot enough, from Get on Your Boots, one of my favorite parts of the 360 show, Bono started his usual talk before I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For. He read the set list from a show U2 played in St. Louis 30 years ago. I thought they would play an impromptu old song, especially when everyone cheered when he read Out of Control, but they didn’t. Then Bono started the band introductions. He said, “So much has changed and yet so much remains the same. Larry is still upset about the fact that we changed our name to U2 from the Larry Mullen Band. And there are some people here who agree with him.” With that Larry busted out laughing. Everyone thinks Bono was referring to me, and maybe he was since both he and Larry did clearly notice me on the way to the stage. Please watch my video of Bono’s band introductions.
Bono
That St. Louis show was so hot and humid that Bono took off his signature jacket during the second or third song and performed in his tee shirt. Then he left Edge to introduce Stay while he went down into the underworld to change his shirt. During Beautiful Day Bono shouted,” Turn the lights on Willie. I want to see these people.” Then during Elevation, Bono brought up some new U2 fans on stage. As hot as it was, U2 chose the St. Louis to wear their lighted jackets during Zooropa and City of Blinding Lights. I love Larry in that black jacket (it’s so Elvis), but I can’t believe they chose the hottest show of the tour to wear them. In the past, it had only been at the colder shows. During City of Blinding Lights, Bono brought up a young boy with him to run around the cat walk – again during the hottest show of the tour.
Beautiful Day
new U2 fans on stage for Elevation
Bono says Goodbye to boy he brought up for COBL
It was so hot that Adam went shirtless under his jacket during I’ll Go Crazy. After watching Larry start I’ll Go Crazy, turn around facing the back during Sunday Bloody Sunday, and his drum solo during Scarlet, I walked around to Adam’s side of the inner circle to watch the rest of the show. Even though I like Edge’s side better, I knew U2 would leave through the tunnel on Adam’s side of the inner circle. As they walked by very quickly, I shouted out to Larry and he waved and smiled, but at my friend Chuck not at me.
Larry I
hot Larry, literally
One
July 17th was the 8th anniversary of my beloved Grandmother’s death, so maybe Grandmom had a hand in making that U2 360 show in St. Louis special for me. It was a great night! A fantastic show! One of my favorites! People who weren’t there have asked me why the St. Louis show was better than the others because there wasn’t anything extraordinary about the set list. It is hard to really put into words unless you were there. It was just a feeling we all had who were at the show. There was an amazing energy that night in St. Louis!
The set list from the U2 360 show in St. Louis was as follows: Even Better Than The Real Thing, The Fly, Mysterious Ways, Until the End of the World, I Will Follow, Get On Your Boots, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / Many Rivers to Cross, Stay, Beautiful Day / Space Oddity, Elevation, Pride, Miss Sarajevo, Zooropa, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, I’ll Go Crazy / Discotheque / Life During Wartime – Psycho Killer, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Scarlet, Walk On, One, Hallelujah / Where the Streets Have No Name, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me, With or Without You, Moment of Surrender.
The U2 360 show in Philadelphia was a great show, made even better because I shared it with my old Elevation tour friends as well as couple new friends from the 360 tour, especially since it was because of U2 Elevation show in Philadelphia 10 years ago that we became friends. U2 brought back the original version of Magnificent, not the remix version. They hadn’t played Magnificent since Anaheim1 on June 17th. It took the place of The Fly, but in the 6th spot in the set list not the usual 2nd. U2 ended the show by singing Happy Birthday to Nelson Mandela.
U2 360 Philadelphia 7.14.11
I took a cab from my fabulous Hotel Palomar to Lincoln Financial Field around 3. I walked around the stadium and ran into Ayaz, Kim and Abbey – my friends from the Elevation tour. I finally arrived at the spot where U2 was going to drive in. Along the way, I met Christine and Natasha whom I’ve been talking with on Facebook. Christine also lives in Maryland, and Natasha is also a huge Larry fan who is considering moving to Maryland. My old Elevation friends Jenny and Tasha were also there. U2 drove in after 4pm. Bono came out to greet everyone, but the Philly fans got a little too excited and I couldn’t even get near Bono to see him, let alone talk with him. He didn’t stay very long, and I don’t blame him.
the Linc in Philly
you can see the top of Bono's green hat
After sort of seeing Bono, Natasha and I walked back around the stadium and went to the front of the GA line to watch everyone enter. I got to talk with my friend Beth for a little bit and finally met Anthony! I also got to catch up a bit with Cathal, author of Me and U2. We heard the crew sound check Breathe and U2 sound check Magnificent, so it wasn’t a real surprise when they played it. Unfortunately, no Breathe though. Natasha and I went into the stadium after the enter GA line filed in. It was quite a complicated walk down to the inner circle, which was already pretty crowded at 5:30. In fact, Adam’s side was closed.
me, Beth, Anthony
GA line in Philly
the claw in Philly
crowded GA in Philly at 6pm
We went into Edge’s side of the inner circle and stood behind the stage to get our spot to watch U2 enter the stadium and go on stage. Rob, another friend from the Elevation days, joined us – as did Jenny and my new friend Andrew. I met Chris who I’ve been talking with on Twitter. Jenny and I were wearing our ‘Larry Mullen Band’ shirts and Natasha was wearing her ‘It’s All About Drums’ shirt. Dallas said Hello, shook my hand and complimented me on my hat and then said, ‘\”its not about the drums its about the guitar.” When opening band Interpol walked on stage which wasn’t until after 7:45, the drummer noticed our shirts and pointed at us. Then after their set when they were walking off stage, the drummer gave his drumsticks to Jenny and said, “This is for my love of Larry.”
Interpol's drum sticks
There were again issues with venue security moving us away from where U2 walks onto the stage, but we found Rocco and he straightened it out again for us like he did in Anaheim. It’s great that U2 and their crew really care about their fans. I just wish they would communicate better with venue security.
Adam and Larry walk to the stage
The inner circle was especially crowded. People were even in my spot on the back rail behind the stage. It was great to watch the show with my new friend Natasha and my old Elevation friends Jenny, Paola, Gina and Rob. It was the standard set list, except for the replacement of The Fly with the original Magnificent, Hallelujah into Streets (first time I heard it) and Happy Birthday to Nelson Mandela – even though it was 4 days away and may have made more sense to sing it at the St. Louis show. At the end of Mysterious Ways, Bono sings, “Young American. Philadelphia.” During Until the End of the World, Bono said, “Bass and Drums!” and then “Love and Peace!” I love it when he says ‘Love and Peace!’ It reminds me of the Vertigo tour. I have a Love and Peace drum pin from the Hard Rock and my Christmas card this year says ‘Peace, Love, Joy.’
Larry I'll Go Crazy
After Magnificent, Bono said, “Wow! That is a great start! Thank you SO much! Philadelphia!” There weren’t really any extensive band introductions. Bono just named everyone and again thanked the fans for their patience while he was recovering from his back surgery. He commented on what a special unity there is between U2 and their fans. He did say they were in the home of the Philadelphia Eagles, to which I booed loudly. I don’t think Bono knows that the team is led by a dog killer. During City of Blinding Lights, Bono sang, “City of brotherly and sisterly blinding lights.” During Walk On, Bono said, “A message of love from the city of brotherly love all the way to Asia.”
Bono and Edge Sunday Bloody Sunday
At the end of the show, we went back to tunnel where U2 would exit. Larry again took off his shirt on the way to his car. On the way out of the stadium, I met Steve who I’ve been talking with on Twitter. It didn’t take too long to get a cab back to the hotel. U2 ended at 11:30, and I was back at my hotel by 12:30. Please watch my video of an overview of the U2 360 show in Philadelphia.
With or Without You
The set list for U2 360 in Philadelphia was as follows: Even Better Than The Real Thing, I Will Follow, Mysterious Ways, Until the End of the World, Get On Your Boots, Magnificent, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, Stay, Beautiful Day / Space Oddity, Elevation, Pride, Miss Sarajevo, Zooropa, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo / It’s Only Rock and Roll, I’ll Go Crazy / Discotheque / Life During Wartime / Psycho Killer, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Scarlet, Walk On, One, Hallelujah / Where the Streets Have No Name, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me, With or Without You, Moment of Surrender, Happy Birthday.
end of the show in Philly
The day after the U2 show I relaxed in my lovely suite at the Hotel Palomar in Philadelphia before my long 16 hour drive to St. Louis for the U2 360 show on Sunday.
My friends Tasha and Amy and I spent the 4th of July in Chicago walking up and down Michigan Avenue. We ran into some of our U2 friends, had lunch at the Purple Pig and hung out in Millenium Park before relaxing in our room at the Hotel Monaco. We had thought about going to the White Sox game, but decided against it. We should have gone because we found out later that Larry was there with the U2 360 crew.
Chicago River
Millenium Park fountain
Chicago Tribune Building
me, Amy, Tasha
DAY 53 – JULY 5 – U2 360 #11 – CHICAGO
The U2 360 show in Chicago, which was my 70th U2 show since 1992, was amazing!!!! U2 played Out of Control, which they haven’t played in the US on the 360 tour! I like it so much better than I Will Follow. It has a better energy, much more excited. I had been wanting them to play it all tour. The shock of the night was when U2 closed the show with the spur of the moment addition of One Tree Hill, which they haven’t played in the US since 1987! I love One Tree Hill as it is off my favorite album The Joshua Tree. We met The Edge before the show and saw John Cusack watching the show. A great, great show – my favorite U2 360 show, along with Anaheim2. Soldier Field was the only venue where I saw U2 on two different legs of the 360 tour.
U2 360 Chicago 7.5.11
The day of U2 show in Chicago Tasha and I stayed in the hotel all morning and early afternoon. We had lunch in the hotel restaurant before going to Soldier Field. Since it is 2 miles from our hotel, we took a cab because we didn’t want to pay $46 for parking or get stuck in traffic after. We arrived at the stadium around 2:30 and waited for U2 to arrive. We knew exactly where to wait because we were at Soldier Field in 2009 for the U2 360 opener of the US tour.
U2 in Chicago
Around 5:30, U2 arrived at Soldier Field. I’m not sure who arrived first because we couldn’t see who was in what car, except we did see Edge and Bono drive in. A few minutes later, Edge walked back out to greet the fans. I was surprised because it was a good 5 or 10 minutes after he drove in, plus no one had stopped to greet the fans since Bono did in Oakland almost exactly a month ago. Edge went to the other side of the street to sign autographs, so we didn’t think we would get the chance to meet him, but we did! He came to our side of the street and directly toward us. I had met Edge back on Elevation and gotten his autograph, so I just wanted a picture with him. Tasha asked if we could take a photo with him, but he said no. So we shook his hand – his guitar playing hand! I asked him if Larry was coming out. He said, “I can’t say for sure. I can’t speak for Larry.” I thanked him for coming out to greet us, but Tasha said it was too late and I had already offended him. I don’t think Edge had a sense of humor about it like Bono did in Seattle and Oakland.
meeting The Edge
After meeting The Edge, we went into the stadium, went to the bathroom, got a drink and was inside the inner circle by 6pm or so. I started out on Adam’s side because that’s where Tasha wanted to be, but it was getting too crowded for me where she was standing, so I left when Interpol started. I did not love Interpol, but didn’t hate them either. I would see them 5 more times. They never did grow on me, but they were alright. I went over to Edge’s side of the inner circle because I wanted to watch U2 walk onto the stage, even though there were coming out of the tunnel on Adam’s side. I finally got stable video of all 4 walking in and if I’m not mistaken Larry winked and waved to me. Please watch my video of U2 entering Soldier Field.
here they come
Larry!
During the opener Even Better Than the Real Thing, I made my way back over to Adam’s side of the inner circle. Bono said, “Aw yeah ChiTown in the summer. Where ya gonna take us tonight?” Before The Fly , Bono said, “A whole side of Achtung Baby for you.” But it wasn’t. During The Fly, Bono again screamed “Achtung Y’all!” like in the ZooTv days. During Mysterious Ways, Bono sang a snippet from Trying To Throw Your Arms Around the World. I was really hoping for an all Achtung Baby concert at some point in the tour since it was the 20th anniversary, but that never happened.
After Until the End of the World, instead of I Will Follow, U2 played Out of Control – finally! I had been wanting to hear Out of Control the entire tour. It is such a great song, so much energy, so much better than I Will Follow. I went nuts as soon as it started! Bono mentioned that it was their first single and he had met the love of his life the same time he met Larry, Edge and Adam. After Out of Control, U2 went right into Get On Your Boots. This was an amazing back to back combo of songs full of excitement and energy. It was at this point I knew that the Chicago show was going to be my favorite of the 360 tour – tied with Anaheim2. Please watch my video of Out of Control.
Get on Your Boots
LET ME IN THE SOUND!
After Get on Your Boots, Bono started talking. This is usually the part where he introduces the band, but he talked about them more than actually introduced them. Bono said that Larry and Adam had been in Chicago for the 4th of July, just as Tasha and I were. Bono said, “Larry watched the White Sox win last night.” I knew I should have gone to that White Sox game! Bono introduced I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For saying, “This is a single off The Joshua Tree for Island Records circa 1987.” Then in the middle says that John Cusack is in the house, “Happy Birthday John.” And at the end, dedicated it to Clarence Clemmons by singing a bit of Jungle Land. During Elevation, Bono said, “Take me to the other side. I’m in Larry Mullen’s band.”
I
After Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me, we went back to get a spot to watch U2 walk out – we could see their cars waiting for them in the tunnel. We could also see John Cusack watching the show! After With or Without You, Bono said that two days ago was the 25th anniversary of Greg Caroll’s death and they had written a song about it, but they weren’t going to play it. The crowd booed, so Bono said they would discuss it and maybe play it after Moment of Surrender. They played a snippet of One Tree Hill after and then Bono said, “Ok here’s the deal. If we screw up really badly, you can’t put it on the internet. Fair?” Then Edge was trying to figure out how to play it and shouted, “For fuck’s sake!” Luckily for us Edge figured it out and U2 played One Tree Hill for the first time in the US since 1987. It was amazing, especially when the drums and bass kicked in! I went nuts. The Joshua Tree is my favorite album and I didn’t see the Joshua Tree tour because I was only 14, so anything played from it is a gift to me! Please watch my video of One Tree Hill.
a really bad, fuzzy picture of John Cusack
U2 left the stage and made their way toward us. Adam waved to Tasha. Larry just walked by. As they were almost to their cars, Larry and Adam simultaneously took off their shirts and got into their cars! We walked the 2 miles from Soldier Field back to our hotel, and so did a lot of other people – there was actually a pedestrian traffic jam.
there they go
mass exit from Soldier Field
U2 360 in Chicago was such a fantastic show! My favorite of the tour, along with Anaheim2. There was a great energy in Soldier Field and the inner circle was really crowded, even where I stood behind the stage. The set list for the U2 360 show in Chicago was as follows: Even Better Than The Real Thing, The Fly, Mysterious Ways / Tryin To Throw Your Arms / Independent Women, Until the End of the World, Out Of Control, Get On Your Boots, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / The Promised Land, Stay – In the Wee Small Hours, Beautiful Day / Space Oddity, Elevation, Pride, Miss Sarajevo, Zooropa, City of Blinding Lights – My Kind of Town, Vertigo, I’ll Go Crazy / Discotheque / Life During Wartime, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Scarlet, Walk On – Battle Hymn of the Republic, One, Will You Love Me Tomorrow / Where the Streets Have No Name, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me / My Kind of Town, With or Without You, Moment of Surrender / One Tree Hill, One Tree Hill.
Tasha left, and I spent the next day in my hotel room, which is the best way to spend the day after a U2 show. I had a week before my next U2 360 show in Philadelphia.
After the U2 show in Miami Wednesday night, I spent Thursday relaxing in my fabulous suite in the fantastic Epic hotel. I left Miami at 6am est Friday morning and should have arrived in Nashville around 7pm cst. But because of horrible traffic around Atlanta, I didn’t make it to Nashville until 9pm. I was in the car 16 hours driving over 925 miles. I was exhausted. Elvis and Cilla were exhausted. By the time I got checked in at the Hotel Indigo, unpacked and walked the dogs, it was after 10pm. I should have known better than to try to make it from Miami to Nashville in one day, especially when that one day was the Friday of 4thof July weekend.
terrible Atlanta traffic
sunset in tennessee
after the sunset
DAY 50 – JULY 2 – U2 360 #10 – NASHVILLE
The U2 360 show in Nashville was fantastic, which was a nice reward for that long trafficy 16 hour drive from Miami the day before. It was the 50th day on my U2 360 across America tour, my 10th show that leg of the tour, my 69th U2 show overall and the 100th show of the entire 360 tour. I had been really looking forward to the Nashville show not only because it was sort of my hometown show (3 hours from Memphis where I lived at the time), but also because U2 hadn’t played in Nashville since 1981. I wasn’t disappointed. There were some great moments at that U2 360 show in Nashville. U2 played The Wanderer for the first time, honoring Johnny Cash. And after Moment of Surrender as U2 was walking off stage, Bono pulled a blind guy up on stage who played guitar while the band came back and played All I Want is You and then Bono gave him his green ‘goal is soul’ guitar.
U2 360 Nashville 7.2.11
My friend Tasha flew in the morning of the U2 show in Nashville. We relaxed in our hotel room in the morning, then had lunch at Blackstone on the way to Vanderbilt Stadium, which was about a 7 block walk. We arrived at the stadium and talked with old U2 friends and met new ones. We immediately discovered where the band was going to enter – we saw the signs for the dressing rooms on the building attached to the stadium. Since it was hot and sunny, we decided to stand in the parking garage to wait for them. We had a great view of where U2 would get out of their cars and enter the building, or if they walked out to sign autographs and take pictures we could run down to meet them.
Vanderbilt University in Nashville
U2 fans old and new gathering in Nashville
the claw in Nashville
'backstage' (photo by Sharon Foster)
After a couple hours, everyone figured out where we were and joined behind us. Edge arrived first, waited in the car a while, and then went into the building. We noticed that Edge’s car had a Shelby County license plate, which is Memphis. Then we saw Willie Williams give Edge’s security guy a Sun Studio tee shirt. Were U2 in Memphis visiting Sun Studio and Graceland without me? Bono arrived next and started to walk toward us, but Brian pulled him back saying they didn’t have time. Adam and Larry arrived at the same time. Adam got out of the car first and went into the building. Larry then got out of his car and smiled and waved to the fans then went into the building. I didn’t get to speak to Larry, but this was the first time this tour I saw him arrive at the stadium and get out of his car and wave to us. Please watch my video of U2 arriving at Vanderbilt stadium in Nashville.
Bono arrives in Nashville (photo by Sharon Foster)
Larry arrives in Nashville (photo by Tasha Hindman)
Hi Larry! (photo by Tasha Hindman)
We easily made it into the inner circle, even though it was a small college stadium. This was the last show Florence and the Machine opened, which was fine with me. I watched the show in Nashville from Adam’s side of the stage because Tasha loves Adam. Also, U2 entered from Adam’s side of the stage, so for only the second time I didn’t watch U2 walk under the stage from Edge’s side.
U2 enter Vanderbilt Stadium
so close yet so far away
During Even Better Than the Real Thing, Bono said, “In a sea of songs, where you going to take us tonight Music City?” Before The Fly, Bono said, “Nashville, Tennessee! With love from Berlin 1991. The Fly,” And then again in the middle shouted “Achtung Y’all!” Bono pulled our friend Dan up on stage during I Will Follow – it was Dan’s birthday. There was a lot of echo during I Will Follow, which I don’t remember before.
Until the End of the World
LET ME IN THE SOUND!
During the band introductions, Bono mentions that U2 hadn’t played Nashville since 1981 and then says his name is Bono and they are a band from Dublin, Ireland. Bono went on to say, “Behind me the man who gave us our first job and made us as a result unemployable for anything else. He’s a handsome man. He’s a thoughtful man. And he’s had that haircut since 1981. Larry Mullen on the drums.” Please watch my video of Bono’s band introductions. Before I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, Bono said, “In a city of masters, we’re students. We’ll stay students.” Later in the song, Bono said that their friend Cowboy Jack Clement was in the audience. Clement worked with Sam Phillips at Sun Studio in Memphis and recorded Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and many others. Clement recorded U2 at Sun Studio for Rattle and Hum. Immediately following Still Haven’t Found, Bono started singing The Wanderer trying to imitate Johnny Cash’s voice. At the end, he said, “forgive us Johnny.” This was the first time The Wanderer had ever been played at a U2 concert. Please watch my video of The Wanderer. I heard the audience cheer for the first time when Bono sang, ‘a shout rings out in the MEMPHIS sky’ during Pride.
Larry I'll Go Crazy
Bono on the bridge
After Moment of Surrender, Edge, Larry and Adam were walking off stage when Bono announced they had a special guest. A guy appeared on stage and played guitar to All I Want is You while the rest of the band joined in. He dedicated the song to his wife and then Bono gave him his green ‘Goal is Soul’ guitar. Security was really annoying and wouldn’t let us stand to watch U2 walk out of the stadium, but we managed anyway. After screaming LARRY a few times, he finally turned to me and smiled and waved. As we were walking out of the stadium, we noticed the fan who was on stage playing All I Want is You was walking out right in front of us. He was blind, and he didn’t have the guitar with him. He said he had a sign saying something like ‘pull a blind man up on stage’ and they were mailing him the guitar. He also said he didn’t realize what was going on. He thought the concert was over and then Bono pulled him up on stage. I later realized he was the same guy who had been emailing me earlier that day looking for a GA ticket. Please watch my video with that fan, Adam, playing All I Want is You with U2.
Larry looking at me because I was standing next to Tasha who was taking the picture (photo by Tasha Hindman)
Tasha behind Adam who played All I Want is You with U2
The U2 360 show in Nashville was a great show! It bumped Baltimore out of the spot for my second favorite show, and may even be better than Seattle – although Larry did shake my hand at the Seattle show. But in Nashville I saw Larry arrive and get out of the car and walk into the building, which I hadn’t seen Larry arrive at any of the previous 9 shows. We got two extra songs in Nashville - the first time playing of The Wanderer in memory of Johnny Cash, whom I love, and All I Want is You was played with a fan on stage who got to keep the guitar. Also I got to hang out with a lot of my friends – Tasha, Chuck, Jennifer, Melissa, and others. I didn’t take many pictures, which is proof I was really into the show. It was hot though – hotter than Baltimore even. Please watch my video of an overview of the U2 360 show in Nashville.
my typical view during 360, but this time from the left
The set list for the Nashville 360 show was as follows: Even Better Than The Real Thing, The Fly, Mysterious Ways, Until the End of the World, I Will Follow, Get On Your Boots, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / The Wanderer, Stay, Beautiful Day / Space Oddity, Elevation, Pride, Miss Sarajevo, Zooropa, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, I’ll Go Crazy / Discotheque / Psycho Killer / Life During Wartime, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Scarlet, Walk On – You’ll Never Walk Alone, One, Amazing Grace / Where the Streets Have No Name, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me, With or Without You, Moment of Surrender, All I Want Is You.
Streets
DAY 51 – JULY 3
On Sunday, the morning after the U2 show in Nashville, we drove to Hendersonville about a half hour away to visit Johnny Cash’s grave. Tasha and I are both big Johnny Cash fans and had never been to his grave, even though I had lived in Memphis the past 3 years. After Hendersonville, we passed by the Corvette museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky and stopped at Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace in Kentucky before we made our way to Chicago for the U2 show Tuesday.
Johnny Cash gravesite
RIP JR and June
Abe Lincoln was born in Kentucky?
Tim and Beth spotted us on the road to Chicago after the U2 show in Nashville
Day 43 of my U2 360 tour across America brought me from Maryland to Michigan for U2 360′s show at Michigan State University in East Lansing. I left my parents’ house in Ellicott City, Maryland at 10am and arrived in East Lansing, Michigan at 7:30pm – driving 578 miles stopping only twice. It was a long, boring drive along the Pennsylvania and Ohio turnpikes, costing me a total of $22. in tolls. Over the next month, I would drive back and forth across the Pennsylvania and Ohio Turnpikes over and over again. Please watch my video of my drive from Maryland to Michigan.
They were very excited in East Lansing for the U2 360 show. There was a U2 flyer and a newspaper with U2 on the cover at the front desk of my hotel, the Howard Johnson. Apparently U2 hadn’t played in East Lansing since the early 1980s and there hasn’t been a stadium concert there since the Rolling Stones in the early 1990s. I had never been to Michigan before, but I didn’t have time to do any sight seeing. I just had just enough time to drive up from Maryland, see the U2 show, and then drive down to Miami for the next U2 show.
East Lansing loves U2
DAY 44 – JUNE 26 – U2 360 #8 – EAST LANSING
The U2 360 show at Michigan State in East Lansing was good. The same set list as Baltimore, except Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me was played instead of Ultra Violet. It stayed light outside through Elevation, which was really cool because I’ve never seen a U2 show in the daylight before. This East Lansing show was the least crowded 360 show I went to, even though it was sold out. They didn’t sell many GA tickets, so there was plenty of room inside the inner circle and the rest of the floor wasn’t even half full. There were no red zones and the catwalk of the inner circle went almost to the stands.
U2 360 East Lansing 6.26.11
I started off my day in Michigan relaxing in my hotel room, ordered a pizza and walked to Spartan Stadium around 1:30 – it was only about a mile away. I walked around the stadium to the GA line, which seemed very calm and happy. I finally met Lori-Jo (EdgeFest) whom I had been talking with on Twitter. The GA line was right by the entrance the crew was using to go in and out of the stadium, so everyone assumed U2 would be arriving there – but it was at the opposite end of the stage. I walked around the stadium to see if there was anywhere else U2 could drive in. When I returned to where I started, Dallas and Sammy were also walking back. I asked Sammy if U2 were really arriving here in front of the GA line, and he said there was no else they could come in. Then Dallas asked how I was doing and shook my hand. A little while later Rocco informed us that U2 was not doing a sound check, so this indicated to me that U2 was going to arrive very late.
Spartan Stadium at MIchigan State
I decided to go back over to where the catering was set up and where the crew was going in and out of. There was no back stage in the stadium – no dressing rooms. They had set up a ‘backstage’ at the hockey arena around the corner. I waited there, later joined by Beth and Tim. Even though I had met Beth in Denver, I didn’t really hang out with her or get to know her until East Lansing. We stayed until almost 8 and nothing. We saw Florence and the Machine arrive and leave, but no U2. We learned later that U2 was driven right up to the stadium and let out there. This was the first time on this leg of the tour that I had not seen U2 arrive at the stadium, unfortunately it wouldn’t be my last. This was also the 4thshow in a row that Bono did not stop and greet the fans before the show as he did for the first 4 shows of that final leg of 360.
Beth and me
I went into Spartan Stadium at 8pm and still got inside the inner circle. There was so much room and behind the stage was smaller, narrower. We didn’t have wristbands and were not allowed to go up into the stands for concessions or bathrooms. There were no red zones. I stayed on Adam’s side of the stage because I realized U2 were again going to enter on Adam’s side – this was the first time I haven’t been on Edge’s side of the stage to see them walk under the stage. But they actually entered through the stands – walking down the bleachers through the fans. U2 started their walk to the stage just after 8:45, and it was still light out and stayed light until 9:40 through Elevation. Please watch my video of U2 entering through the stands at Spartan Stadium.
here they come - down the stands through the fans!
I watched the first part of the show from Adam’s side of the stage and could even see Edge. It was nice to have a good view without being squished. True I like it behind the stage, so I can watch Larry, but I also like having a lot of room around me. During Even Better Than the Real Thing, Bono said, “Go green. Go white. Go orange. Where the you going to take the Irish tonight? You take us higher.” I was very excited when Bono said, “Achtung Y’all!” during The Flylike he used to on ZooTv. He said it in Anaheim2 and Baltimore, but he seemed to really scream it in East Lansing. During the time Bono usually introduces the band, he said they were very happy to be at MSU and how U2 never made it to university. He said, “U2 became our university. Rolling Stone became our text books. We’re still students. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”
Even Better in the daylight
The video screens were black for the Mark Kelly intro to Beautiful Day, but then came back on during the song. Bono did quick band introductions during Elevation saying “Larry Mullen is a prince of a man.” During Mysterious Ways when Larry turned around I went behind the stage. He saw me and gave me a big smile! I went back to up to the side of the stage until the end of the Pride when I went behind the stage and stayed there until Larry started I’ll Go Crazy. I got my usual nod and smile from Larry. Then I moved around to wait for Larry to make his way around the catwalk and watch him trot over the bridge and throw his conga to Sammy.
Bono on the bridge
The East Lansing 360 show was good, but not my favorite. The crowd was loud, but more cheering than singing along like in Baltimore. Although they did really love I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – as they should. This U2 show in East Lansing was the halfway point of my 360 tour – 8 out of the 16 US shows. Please watch my video of an overview of the East Lansing show.
Until the End of the World
The set list was as follows: Even Better Than The Real Thing, The Fly, Mysterious Ways, Until the End of the World, I Will Follow, Get On Your Boots, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / The Promised Land, Stay, Beautiful Day – Space Oddity, Elevation, Pride, Miss Sarajevo, Zooropa, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo / T.V. Eye, I’ll Go Crazy / Discotheque / Psycho Killer / Life During Wartime, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Scarlet, Walk On / You’ll Never Walk Alone, One, Will You Love Me Tomorrow / Where the Streets Have No Name, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me, With or Without You, Moment of Surrender / Jungleland.
My name is Deena Dietrich, and I am living back home in Ellicott City, Maryland with my 2 dogs Elvis and Cilla. My passions are Dogs, Elvis, U2, LMP, NKOTB, the Denver Broncos, the Baltimore Orioles, blogging, social media, biographies. It is better to regret something you have done, than to regret something you haven't done, so ... Pursue your passion!
