2010 Germany - Hannover, The Aliens Have Landed

2010 Germany - Hannover, The Aliens Have Landed

All photos in this post are (c) Christine Moeller.  Thanks again Chris for letting me use them.

August 12th 2010

We treated ourselves to a taxi to get to the stadium, it actually turned out to be cheaper than if we had gone on the train and it was so much easier.

We waited where we thought the band would enter the stadium once more.  Again they arrived with a police escort, this time with sirens blasting!  I counted the luxury car convoy and got 14, but I'm sure I missed a few as I was also trying to see through the blacked out windows.  So no meetings again, during the 360 Tour U2 have definitely been
more distant which is a shame, but then again a meeting is a bonus, they don't have to meet and greet fans.

We had good seats 11 rows up the lower tier on Edge's side (we always seem to end up on his side).  We got talking to a girl who was sitting beside us, she had come by herself from Berlin and this was her first U2 concert.

They opened the same way with Stingray and Bono doing a circuit of the catwalk doing his funny, clumsy "dance".  I just love it, such fun!  Still don't know what Bono shouts out every now and then, but he did finish with, "Achtung baby!" though. 

The show followed the same set as Frankfurt, but the atmosphere was very up, Bono was in one of his jokey, fun moods.  At one point he started talking in an alien-like voice saying that they come from a "Little green planet called Ireland".  Then went on saying they had crash landed their space ship and needed to be re-built by German doctors and nurses.  He kept laughing and saying sorry but he couldn't stop himself, still speaking in alien tones he told us one of the nurses was at the concert and it was her who stamped made in Germany on his arse.  He introduced Edge as R2D2, Adam as Princess Leia and Larry as Darth Vader.  I've never seen Larry laugh so much as when he heard that!  Bono introduced himself as "The big hairy one".  It was just so funny, I've never laughed so much at a U2 concert.  Some of the general concert goers there must have thought what a strange accent he has!  Maybe he's on too many painkillers?? 

Glastonbury seemed more defined and it was easier to hear the lyrics as the sound was clearer than at Frankfurt.  The ending to me sounded rather Vertigo-like.  "It's getting better," Bono said, "You don't mind us experimenting on you?" By now he'd dropped the alien accent .  The song didn't get as good a reception here as it had in Frankfurt.

The original video to The Unforgettable Fire was there again I was pleased to see, it just works so well.  What an amazing song that is and the band were just very young men when they created it.  Bono said something in German before the song, and even to me it sounded
terrible - my German friends confirmed that Bono's German is lousy
and they found it very hard to understand.

At the end of City of Blinding Lights Bono got a girl out of the audience and they walked, arms around each other, along the catwalk.   He took so long about it that he was late getting ready for Vertigo!  The band kept repeating the opening music and eventually Bono got in place saying, "Sorry, I was just giving her Spanish lessons  -  uno, dos, tres, catorce!"  This is the first 360 show that I have been at wher he hs got someone out of the audience.  I'd missed that because for me and most fans it is part of a U2 show, when Bono gets someone on stage we all feel like we are up there.

Crazy was more "evil" in Hannover, I think that was what I was missing in Frankfurt, the menace and rawness and that was there tonight.  Loved him yelling out "RRRRRRRiot!"

We had bought cheap binoculars at the stadium and they were great.  Now I can't remember the song but there's a point where Bono is on the bridge on our side and turns to walk back to the stage, well in complete unison Debbi and I raised our binoculars to view a tasty back view of Bono.  We looked at each other and laughed out loud!  Great minds.

Streets was a uplifting as ever it's always mind-blowing to look round the crowd when this song is being performed, so many people singing, clapping, dancing in unison, it's certainly a special tune.  At the end of the song when they were preparing to leave the stage before the encore, Edge playfully threw a punch at Bono, who jumped back and laughed.

After the encore Bono mentioned that Paul McGuinness was born in Hannover "About 125 years ago."  He then went on to lead the audience in a rendition of Happy Birthday  for the band's "Friend and mentor" Wim Wenders who was going to turn 55 in a couple of days.

Then Bono continued, "I would like to...to" we could tell that he was distracted by something, he continued, "Just fix that speaker."  He then gave the speaker three hefty kicks before saying, "There it is!" with some satisfaction.

He then went on to dedicate Moment of Surrender to Robert Enke, a Hannover footballer who committed suicide last year.  The lights went onto Larry, he stood up and was wearing the local football team's jersey, this really seemed to strike a chord with the crowd and I actually found the song very moving that night. 

So that marked the end of 360 2010 for my friends and me. The girl from Berlin was radiant, smiling from ear to ear, she'd loved her first U2 concert.  I thought I'd be feeling sad that it was all over, but it had been such a fun, uplifting concert that we all left feeling animated and happy!

Frankfurt and Hannover had exactly the same set lists yet the shows felt very different.  The crowd were more receptive and enthusiastic in Frankfurt.  Bono was more ebullient and downright funny in Hannover and his mood transferred onto the crowd it was a real party gig.

During the Frankfurt gig I kept thinking Bono's even smaller than usual and couldn't work out why he looked different.  Then at Hannover I noticed that he had relatively normal shoes on, quite high heels, but fairly normal soles.  Maybe he had to wear those very thick soled shoes for his back problems rather than vanity.

Bono seemed back to his old self fitness wise, though Deb and I both noticed that once he winced and froze for a second when he was taking a big step up.  He also didn't run at all or get his leg over the bridge as he used to do.  He must have worked very hard to get well enough to do the tour, bless him.

We got the train back to the centre of Hannover and once back at our hotel opened the wine and nibbles and chatted about the gig.  We had our now traditional after the last show U2 quiz, it was close but Julie won.  It took us ages to come back down too earth after the gig and it was getting light by time we went to bed!

Now we are already tentatively planning our next leg of  U2 360, 2011 in Canada.  I think that we will see a very different show next year (but I hope Bono keep wearing those trousers!)

2010 August - Frankfurt, He's Back and it's Showtime!

All photos in this post are (c) Christine Moeller.  Thanks Chris or letting me use some of your amazing photos!

10th August

Show day, we were all excited and headed off to the stadium in the afternoon.  The Commerzbank Arena is situated beside a forest and you have to walk through it to get to the stadium, it really is a lovely setting. We waited for the band to arrive, it was a very hot day but luckily where we were in the shade of the forest and even had log seats to rest on.  We got talking to other fans which helped pass the time.  One of the security people told one of the German fans that U2 would arrive at the airport at 4.30pm and then come to the stadium.  That seemed to be true as at around 5.40pm security was increased, we were told to stay where we were and if Bono wound down the car window we could go across.  A convoy of cars headed by two police outriders arrived, and sped into the stadium.  I've never seen U2 arrive in such a convoy, it was impossible to see into the cars and no one wound down a window and anyway it would have been difficult to stop a the convoy would have been backed up the road. Of course it was too soon to have a band sound check which was a shame, I always enjoy listening to them.  Ahh well, c'est la vie!

We went into the stadium and had something to eat sitting in the lovely sunshine.  We went to our seats, great ones at the front on a small tier inbetween the upper and power tiers on Edge's side.  Kasabian were the support, they were ok.

The Claw and stage all looked the same to me, though I've heard some people saying they thought the catwalk was smaller.  It must have been difficult to erect as there was a kind of capsule suspended high up in the middle of the stadium which was held in place by horizontal cables.  One of the Claw legs was very close to the capsule and the "spike" had to be placed between the cables, it must have been a logistic nightmare, no wonder it was already nearly built on the Saturday that we arrived in Frankfurt.


I'm not going to review the concert song by song, I'll just write about aspects of it that stood out for me.


As before, Space Oddity opened the gig, but the band's entry was different, they all walked on together from behind the stage and then went straight into Return of the Stingray Guitar (typical long-winded U2 song title LOL!)  I really liked the tune, which was mainly instrumental.  Bono was doing a circuit of the catwalk during it, throwing funny Zoo-like poses.  It was humourous and yet also very touching as it was almost like Bono was showing us he was all better after his operation and we, the audience, were celebrating that with him and sending him our love.  It felt very powerful and I felt very emotional myself, we nearly lost him as a performer and I was so glad to see Bono cavorting around the catwalk in his own clumsy, inimitable way .

The next song was Beautiful Day, followed by a generally very "up" rockin' set.  I really missed No Line on the Horizon, don't know why they dropped it, it was well received live last year.  I had purposely not listened to Glastonbury on the Net so this was my first experience of it, and boy did I like it, a real rocker!  I'm so glad U2 were brave enough to play new music live, it was a new U2 experience for me and a very good one.  It was very well received by the crowd too.

Bono thanked the German doctors and nurses who treated him recently and said he now had "Made in Germany" stamped on his arse!  He likened U2 to German cars, Edge was a Mercedes Benz, Adam a BMW and Larry a Trabant.

Miss Sarajevo was brilliant, I am still stunned by how Bono can sing opera like that!  The audience clapped and cheered as he gave everything he had,  a spine tingling moment.

The video for The Unforgettable Fire had been changed.  It was more colourful and very pretty, but it didn't have the same link with the music.  The Crazy remix seemed a bit different, the chorus was more upfront, it seemed more refined, and though I liked it, I preferred last year's rawer version.

Walk On and the masks are gone!  Yay!  Instead the people carried lanterns with the Amnesty International symbol on the front to highlight their Free Burma Campaign.  In my opinion this worked well and it touched me much more than the creepy masks.

Hold Me, Touch Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me replaced Ultraviolet in the encore.  The steering wheel was now lit up in red, which was much better.  Now I'd been disappointed to hear Ultraviolet had been dropped, but I loved HMTMKMKM!   It was performed in a very theatrical way, Bono looked menacing, the red of the steering wheel reflected in his glasses added to the overall effect. I'd forgotten that I really liked this song live much more than on CD.  Loved when Bono sat on the wheel and swung on it, he'll be on a trapeze next!

With Or Without You was simply stunning.  The show finished, as last year, with Moment of Surrender, (dedicated to those who lot their lives in the terrible crush at the recent Love Parade in Germany) and I still feel it doesn't work well as a closing song.  I felt that night if the show had finished with With or Without You it would have been perfect.

General comments - Frankfurt had a great audience, very responsive, there were times when the whole field and much of the stands was leaping about, wonderful atmosphere.  There were a couple of minor technical hitches and the sound wasn't the best I've heard.  And finally, I must say that those tight leather trousers of Bono's make me glad that I'm a woman and can appreciate how they cling to his delightful arse, thighs and other bits, fabulous!

2010 June - U2 360 at the Rose Bowl DVD Review

I had pre-ordered the Deluxe version of the 360 at the Rose Bowl DVD and was surprised to see it pop through my letter box yesterday!  So last night I sat down with a glass of red wine and watched disc one.  I was a bit worried what I would think about it as I had not been that impressed by the hour long highlights shown on Sky TV earlier in the week.  I haven't mentioned every song and my review is my initial impressions, I haven't sat and thought about it, it's just the impressions and feelings I got while watching.

Get On Your Boots starts the show,  I realise that I really don't like this song very much now, it seems kind of clumsy.  Magnificent was next - this is a song that definitely should start the show, it's perfect for that.  The audience was a bit subdued to say the least and Bono worked hard to motivate them and shouted, "Get off your fat asses."  LOL! 

Beautiful Day was well received and Bono added at bit of God's Country at the end which was a nice touch.  Again Bono worked hard to get the audience going in Mysterious Ways.  He introduced the band, Larry was U2's James Dean, Adam, Rhett Butler - "Suave, sophisticated, frequently gone with the wind", a reference to Adam's problem with wind .  Edge was a "Visitor from outer space" who boldly goes where no other guitar player goes, "Mr Spock to us, the Edge to you."  He described himself as a mixture between Arnie Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, which besides the lack of height I didn't really get.

Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For was a special moment, as often happens the audience took over the singing, I think that was the point the crowd finally got into the concert.  I got that warm, fuzzy feeling I often get a U2 concerts when something special is happening that is beyond the music.  Why does this song affect people so?  I think it's because it touches a nerve deep within, across all borders, we are all searching for something, we are all striving, so can relate to this song. 

Bono called out "Buzz Aldrin's in the house, the second man to walk on the moon."  2009 was the 40th anniversary of the first men on the moon. 

Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of  was lovely, a quiet acoustic version - there was a funny interchange between Bono and Edge at the beginning.

Next was No Line on the Horizon  and seeing this confirmed it is definitely my favourite song from the last album.  energetic, a bit raw round the edges, I love when Bono just blasts out a song like that.  Love the bit where the band come crashing in again at "Traffic cop...." fab.

Elevation was another the audience liked, but it is not one of my favourite U2 songs.  Liked the bit Bono put on the end,  females fans will enjoy it LOL!

I really enjoyed In a Little While though it is not a favourite song of mine.  There were views of the earth from space and the International Space Station on the claw screens which worked really well with the song.  At the end Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne recited some lines of the song, which again was very appropriate with lyrics such as "A man takes a rocket ship into the skies."  Nice.

The Unforgettable Fire was wonderful. The claw lit up beautifully, complimenting the music well.  Once more I marvelled at the talent of such young men in the early 1980's writing such a fabulous, complicated and mature song,  Bono mentioned Stephen Gateley, who had recently died, as "A beautiful spirit, a bright shining spark."

There were some great aerial shots of the claw and stadium during City of Blinding Lights,  again it worked really well with the song. 

Vertigo rocked, the screen "spinning" manically at the end.  Crazy (I can't bothered to write out the full title of the song, it's too long!) came across well, the sound cranked up on my headphones was much better than on the TV programme the other day.  I still love this version of the song, in fact I like it better than the album version.  Bono gave some clapping lessons - and said they had a "Cuban beat going."

One was another of those moments, it's a song that brings people together, performed wonderfully, throughout the concert I thought Bono's voice was excellent.

Streets was dramatic, the stadium was lit up and all you could see was a mass of people having  ball.  One camera shot was from behind the band members who had gathered together- Bono standing astride two monitors - it gave the viewer an idea of what it was like for the band to look out over that sea of people, amazing.

Ultraviolet was slightly different to the European version, the screen intro differed, though it was still orange, no poem, just the Zoo baby speaking.  The "steering wheel" was illuminated with red lights with a white light at the centre that shone onto Bono's face.  I found that much better, as sometimes UV was too dark at shows I saw last year.  His laser suit sent of beams of red light for ages, he must have been plugged in for along time! 

With or Without You, what can I say?  Arguably the best song U2 have ever written, again at a very young age. The steering wheel was now lit up blue. I love how Bono works with this song, he always seems to bring something new to it.  At the end he took off his "suit of lights" (fame?) put it on a clothes hanger and hung it from the wheel and it was lifted up and disappeared into the claw.

The closing song was Moment of Surrender.  I still feel this song is not a good finale to a show.  I know U2 nearly always have a lowkey ending to their gigs, but they are also uplifting.  I find Moment of Surrender quite depressing, almost dirge-like and not the best way to end a show.

All in all I enjoyed the DVD, the band played and sang well and seemed to be enjoying themselves.  The sound was good via my headphones.  The whole show flowed well and there was some good use of the claw to compliment the songs.  It brought back great memories for me of the shows I saw last year, I found I often had that smile on my face that I get when watching U2.  I haven't watched the other disc yet, I hope to do that soon.

I must admit I was also very aware of Bono and what he does physically in a show, and I will be very surprised if he will be recovered enough to be able to do the European leg of this year's tour.  He has to heal, stregthen his muscles, then get fit for a tour, I doubt it can be done.  Though I suppose it might be possible to move the dates back a few weeks.  I might be wrong, I hope I am, but I wouldn't want Bono to injure himself further for the sake of a tour.

Over the past few months my relationship with U2 has been a bit strained at times for various reasons.  But I think the rocky patch is passing.  I was surprised by how concerned I was by Bono's health problems, it was almost like a friend was unwell. And watching the DVD made me realise how good U2 are at their job too.  All they have to do now is bring out a special album, and the present circumstances give them a good opportunity to do just that.

2007 - November, "Bleedin' rock stars"

Debbi and I had a short break in Dublin in November. We treated ourselves to a one night stay in the Garden Terrace Suite at the Clarence, much cheaper than the Penthouse but nowhere near as grand! The other two days we stayed at Bewley's which was as nice as usual, it's always a good place to stay.

We went down to Hanover Quay on our last full day in Dublin, and luckily we managed to get parked right opposite the studio. There were a couple of girls and two young men already waiting at the studio. The second stroke of luck was that all the signs that the band were there or coming were there so we waited.

Shortly after we got there Adam arrived and stopped to talk, both Debbi and I got good photos taken with him and were able to have a little chat. Debbi told him she wasn't too well and he asked why and she said about overdoing it the previous night, he asked where she'd been and she replied the Clarence. I then asked how the recording of the album was going, and after a short pause he said, with a hint of frustration. "Well, we haven't really started on it yet!" Not what we were wanting to hear! At this point a young man came and asked for an autograph and shortly afterwards Adam went into the studio. The men left after that.

Edge and Larry arrived shortly afterwards but didn't stop, three down one to go, Bono. It was dry and not cold so it wasn't unpleasant waiting and there is always something to watch at HQ. The area has changed beyond recognition, each time we come there are new blocks of offices or apartments, shops and restaurants. Grimy Misery Hill, noisy, dusty Kilsaran Concrete, the garage with the German Shepherd guard dog up the road all gone. And soon HQ will be gone too and it will be the end of an era for us, I feel a little sad about that.

A courier van drew up outside the studio and the driver asked us what we were waiting for and Debbi said "a bus", he laughed and said that this was a very "odd street". Around this time the two girls left, so now it was just Debbi and I left waiting.

I had my usually very reliable "feeling" that we'd meet Bono but time was passing and there was no sign of him. Then luck smiled on us for the third time - at about 3.30pm Bono arrived in a taxi, he waved to us as it pulled up outside the studio. He got out and after saying goodbye to someone who was in the taxi with him he came across to us. At this point I got that familiar, surreal feeling, as I watched him walking towards us. Unusually he wasn't wearing his glasses which was nice, he stopped in front of us and greeted us in his usual way,

"Hi how are you?"

We said we were ok and Debbi said,

"Fancy meeting you here",

Bono smiled and then he leaned forward and kissed Debbi and said he liked her hair (she's had part of it dyed dark pink), then he leaned over to me and kissed me. We both noticed he had no aftershave on. He was just about to say something when Debbi jumped in and said.

"Can we just say something to you," immediately she had his attention, he looked at her intently, waiting for what was coming next. She continued to thank him for what he did for us when we were in the penthouse in May. I added that it made our stay there just perfect.

"Did you stay up really late?" he asked.

"We stayed up all night!" I replied, Bono was very impressed with that and with a gesture said,

"YES, great stuff!"

He obviously approved! Debbi continued saying that we'd really enjoyed every minute there, going in the hot tub, drinking champagne..... Bono smiled as he listened. Then she said,

"Actually we were at the Clarence last night, but not in the penthouse".

"I should think not," he said emphatically, "what do you think you are, bleedin' rock stars?!"

We all laughed, he is so funny. Then Bono said he would have to go as he was an hour late, so we said our goodbyes and then he disappeared into the studio. It had been a very short but sweet meeting. We had so wanted to be able to thank him personally on behalf of ourselves and our friends Dianne and Julie, for his kindness in May. We had left a thank you note at the studio in May but we never knew if he got it of course. So we were so pleased to be able to thank him in person and we were lucky to have been the only fans there when he arrived. It was great to have a kiss from him too! He really is so sweet. I'd like to say he looked well, but he looked very tired and drawn. Later we found out that he had already been to a meeting of Irish Hunger Taskforce in Cork earlier that day. He really needs to slow down a bit.

We went to our car and were sitting getting ourselves sorted when four young and very beautiful Italian girls appeared from nowhere and came over to us. They asked if Bono was in the studio we told them he was and that he had arrived just a few minutes earlier. The girls were ecstatic, apparently Bono had told them yesterday that he would see them for autographs and photos at 6pm today. The girls were so excited, shouting repeated thanks yous and blowing kisses to us over and over as they walked away. I'd have loved to have been there when they met Bono!

That meeting was a lovely ending to our short Dublin trip and it felt like we had been able to make a perfect ending also for our May Penthouse trip by giving our thanks to the B-man.

2005 October - Vertigo Tour Boston 2

Another beautiful warm and sunny day in Boston, apparently the weather was much warmer than usual for the time of year. We went to Banknorth Gardens and waited by the back entrance, there were about 40 fans in all I would say. We saw Larry arrive, he waved. Then Adam whose car went up the ramp and then came back down again backwards! LOL! He got out of the car and signed for fans, he was charming.

Then before we knew here was Edge sauntering down the ramp and he too was so friendly and signed lots of articles for fans, who were by this time quite excited.


Finally Bono arrived. His car stopped at the bottom of the ramp and his minder asked everyone to stand back on the kerb which they did. Bono methodically worked his way along the line of fans on the other side of the road first, chatting, signing, posing for photos - one with a fans young son (ages about 4 or 5) who couldn't wait to get out of Bono's arms back to his father's! As he got to the end of that side a Duck Tour came past , it was funny to see the recognition dawning on people's faces when they realised it was Bono there in the street, he gave them a wave.

He then came across to our side of the road, he glanced up at us as he was signing our stuff, recognised us and kind of doubled back giving a wink, he asked Julie. "How is everyone?" Then to me he smiled and said. "You've picked the good weather!" I replied. "Yes it's lovely." And that was my interaction with Bono, you meet a world famous rock star and you talk about the weather! But then in Ireland and the UK we talk about the weather a lot as it's so changeable! Dianne asked whether they would be playing Bad and Bono replied that he didn't know, they hadn't decided yet.

We went to a nearby bar called The Ruby Room and had cocktails and something to eat before returning to the arena for the gig. Our seats were very good, in the first block on Edge's side.

The set was very similar to last night's, except that they did Crumbs and an acoustic Stuck. We were close enough to see that Bono was reading the lyrics to Stuck from a sheet of paper on the floor! It was a good show and we couldn't have asked for better seats.


So that was it, our last Vertigo Tour show, it had been a great tour once more, I loved all the travelling, places, people, shows we saw. Roll on the next tour!


We only had one more full day in lovely Boston. We went to Boston Common which was lovely and then onto the Cheers bar (really called the Bull and Finch). The entrance was just like on the TV but inside it was different, still it was nice to see as I loved that TV series. We had the obligatory photo taken outside of course!


We went to the Prudential Tour and took the lift up to the 50th floor to see the amazing views over the city. It was still warm and sunny and visibility was fabulous. The river meandering to the sea, the city spread out before us, it was noticeable there was lots of green in the city and that the downtown area was compact.

That evening we went back to the Prudential to have a meal at the Top of the Hub restaurant on the 52nd floor and had a fabulous meal with that gorgeous view. It was our farewell to Boston treat to ourselves and was worth every penny. I love Boston, and hope I will be able to come back one day.



(Edge and Adam photos by Dianne Beeaff)

2005 October - Vertigo Tour Boston 1

At the end of September Julie and I flew over to Boston for a week's holiday combined with two U2 shows. This was to be my first visit to Boston and I didn't really know what to expect, most of my visits to the US so far had been to the West. We had a relatively short flight (compared to the longer haul ones to the west of the country). The approach to Boston was lovely very green and lots of little islands in a blue sea.

New and old in Boston

We stepped out of the plane into warm sunshine and luckily that's how it stayed for us for the entire week! Our hotel was lovely though the room was very small. I quickly decided I really liked Boston. It had a leisurely pace and for the first time on a visit to America I felt it had a history in the city. Most American cities are so new (to a European anyway!) that for me they don't have a sense of a past, but Boston did have that and I liked that.

We spent the first few days sightseeing and went on the famous "Duck" tour, our duck was called Molly Molasses and our guides proper job was a doctor and she called herself Dr Quack! LOL! The city was lovely, old and new mixed together, lots of green areas and parks and of course the ocean. The ducks are amphibious vehicles and Molly slipped into the Charles River and from there we got fabulous views of the city. The duck trip was very informative (did you know there are 81 Dunkin Donut outlets in Boston?!) and also fun.

We visited Quincy Market, Fanieul Hall, lots of shops, Boston Common and lots more, there is so much to see in the city that we did not get anywhere near to seeing it all.

On 2nd October Dianne joined us, it was good to see her again. Next day was our first U2 gig. It was at Banknorth Garden just a short walk from our hotel. I had to pick up the tickets, no problem there and we were also given wristbands and told to come back at 5pm and get into line according to our numbers. Very organised, and it meant we were free to go off and do our own thing. We decided to have a meal at a nearby restaurant before going back to the arena to wait for the band arriving. They arrived very late and did not stop - later we found out that they were late because their plane had been delayed.

Once in the arena we couldn't find any space on the barrier, and as we are both quite short we decided to stand at the sound desk where there was a little platform. It turned out to be a great place. Keane were the support band and I really enjoyed their set and they went down very well with the crowd.

U2 came on just before 9pm, the stage looked small compared with the European stadium gigs but I much prefer arenas. They started with City of Blinding Lights with the "curtain" of glistening lights around them, it looked very beautiful. The set was much like the shows we'd seen already. Miss Sarajevo was stunning when Bono sang the operatic Pavarotti part, his voice just filled the place, I could hardly believe it was him! The audience clapped and cheered. It's kind of like Bono is still trying to prove himself to his now deceased father by singing the opera he loved so much. There was a really lovely acoustic encore of The First Time and Wild Horses. They finished with 40 which was a much better ending than the high energy repeated Vertigo they did in the European shows we saw, U2 should always finish gigs low-key, that's their way and it works.

We hung around at the back for a while afterwards, the only band member we met was Larry who was very pleasant, he shook hands with people, signed autographs and even posed for photos!

I really enjoyed the show, though I always find American shows are not as exciting as European ones, or maybe it's just me. We walked the short way to our hotel and drank wine, ate nibbles and discussed the show before going to bed.

2005 June - Hot Days, Hot Gig, London Vertigo Tour

A few days after returning home from Manchester I was travelling again, this time on a train to London. When I stepped off the train in London I thought I'd come abroad it was so hot! Got to our hotel in Kingston where my old schoolfriend Marian joined and Julie and Debbi. Our hotel was basic but fine. That evening we went to a lovely Italian restaurant close by. The "sculpture below was just by our hotel, I like an artist with a sense of humour!

We got a taxi to the stadium at Twickenham, it was three miles away, further than I thought, everywhere is further than you think in London!

The stadium was huge and we were right at the back in the middle tier, wonderful. But at least from that position you could really appreciate the huge screen across the back of the stage. I liked it especially during Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own and Miracle Drug. In the latter it started with an ECG trace in green, very effective. Bono dedicated the song to. "Doctors, nurses and scientists who keep us alive.... especially the nurses!"

The set was very similar to Manchester with the addition of All I Want Is You and Running To Stand Still both songs I love. Bono was in much better form with a lot of smiles and interaction with the crowd.

Bono got a girl up on stage at one point and filmed her, but he was holding the camera on its side. He gave the girl the camera and she continued to film sideways. When the girl gave Bono the camera back Edge walked up to him, took the camera, turned it the right way up and gave it back to him. All the while Edge had a kind of "he's hopeless" look on his face. Bono laughed and shrugged his shoulders. A funny moment.

I really enjoyed the show, despite being a million miles away from the stage. It had a lovely atmosphere and the balmy evening was pleasant too.

Afterwards we went round to the backstage entrance to see if we could catch the band leaving. After a long wait Adam came out and was his usual gentlemanly, polite self. Then Larry came out, he looked very thin, but he was pleasant and signed lots of autographs for people. A car with tinted windows came out and people thought Bono was in it, which was probably right as we did not see him that evening. Edge was the last to leave and he spent a while with the fans.

It took us ages to get back to Kingston. It was late and we didn't know the area and no taxis passed by. We eventually saw a bus stop for all night buses that stopped close to our hotel and we didn't have to wait long for a bus. The next night we realised we could have got a bus from right outside the backstage entrance of the stadium!

That night it was difficult to sleep as it was so hot, there was no air conditioning (not usually needed in the UK!), our window was open but no cool air came in, it was like being in the Mediterranean!

Next day it was 33 degrees centigrade and the highest humidity for 30 years in London! We had planned to go to Hampton Court Palace today as it was not that far from where we were staying. But the heat was draining and instead we found an air conditioned bar, cooled off and had cocktails - mine an appropriately named Alligator Cooler which was delicious!

We didn't have tickets for the second show, but, as it was a lovely day, we decided to go to the stadium and sit outside and listen to the show. When we arrived we could hear Beautiful Day drifting through the sunshine from the stadium up the road, very apt.

Quite a few people had decided to do what we did and it was really pleasant sitting in the sunshine at the backstage entrance with other fans listening to the music. No one told us to move on though there were plenty of police around. At one point a nearby blackbird on a roof sang its own beautiful song competing again Bono!

The show finished and people streamed out of the stadium. A couple of girls with an Irish flag asked a policeman to pose for a photo with them which he did. There was a really lovely laidback fun atmosphere.

The band left early, not long after the end of the show, Edge first, he didn't stop. Bono came out not long after him and stopped. The crowd was bigger than last night and a bit rowdy (as they often seem to be in London). I caught a glimpse of him, he was shaking hands with fans. But the crowd gathered round him and he disappeared from sight and I got pushed back, I didn't want to be part of that melee anyway, it's so disrespectful and potentially dangerous. I was told later that a woman had asked Bono to kiss her young daughter who was asleep by the gate, he did this and ended up pushed against the gate by the crowd. He left after that and I don't blame him.

So that was our London leg of The Vertigo Tour, which I'll always remember for its hot days and balmy nights.

2001 August - Elevation Tour, London,

August 18th saw me in London along with my friends, Dianne, Jane, Julie, Sharon and Marian. It was really nice to see Marian again, she is an old school friend of mine and we hadn't met in person for years.

Marian, Sharon and I got a taxi to Earl's Court followed by Julie, Jane and Dianne in another taxi. We got there fairly quickly and waited for the others. We waited and waited and they didn't arrive. We were starting to get really worried when they turned up, apparently their taxi had been involved in a minor crash! They were all ok though thank heavens.

We went to the stage door area and waited and it wasn't long until the first band member arrived, it was Larry. He was very pleasant to all the fans there and willingly signed autographs. Not long afterwards Adam arrived and again met with the fans, it was raining heavily by now and Sharon held her umbrella over him as he signed autographs.

As we had seated tickets we didn't have to queue up so we went to eat nearby before going into the venue. The show was good, once more Bono dedicated Kite to his father and the support for Bono could almost be felt. I really enjoyed Mysterious Ways once more, I love the way they did it on this tour. Edge's guitar is amazing and Bono really prolongs the ending and ad libs a lot which really add to the song for me. The audience was very responsive, sometimes in London the crowd can be a bit unreceptive but that night they were great and very enthusiastic. This show was a bit like the Birmingham show we saw, good, and well worth seeing, but it was not one of U2's great shows.

2001 August - Elevation Tour, Birmingham, Deja Vu and Meetings

Immediately after the last Manchester show Dianne, Julie and me headed north to my home, as I had to work for one day. Then on the following day, 14th August, we got the train to Birmingham for the next show of the tour. It was hectic to say the least! But I love all the madness and travelling involved when on tour.

It was a lovely, warm summers day and, after dropping off our luggage, we headed to the NEC Arena close by. We wandered around the back to see if we could catch the band arriving, there were already quite a lot of people there. I got a touch of deja vu - nothing much had changed since we had last waited there, met the band and got into the sound check during Zoo TV in 1992. It was hard to believe that was nine years ago it didn't seem that long ago, how time flies.

Our timing was impeccable, we'd barely got settled and then the first band member arrived - Larry. He came across to the fans, he was very quiet and did not seem at ease, he also looked unhealthily thin. But he spent quite a long time signing things for fans.

Adam and Edge arrived in separate cars at the same time and they too came over to the fans. They started their meet and greet at opposite ends of the line of fans. Both were charming and patient, Edge sweet and gentle in his manner, Adam the perfect polite gentleman as ever. They signed things, chatted and posed for photos.

It was quite a while before Bono arrived. He must have just arrived in the UK from Ireland as he was going back home after every show and staying by his father's side in hospital. I didn't expect him to come across, but he did. The airport was only about three miles from the venue so that made it convenient for him.

Two excited Italian fans came around the barrier shouting. "Italy Bono, Italy."

Bono's security man smiled and said. "Italy, behind the barrier." The young men complied.

Bono started dealing with fans at one end of the line and worked his way along. He looked tired and had deep lines etched in his face and he was quieter than normal, he didn't look at people as much as he usually did. It amazed me that he had time for fans at this difficult time in his life. But as he moved along the line of clamouring fans he gradually became more effusive, it was as if he was taking on the energy from the fans and it was pumping him up. He started talking more and even chatted and joked to someone on a fan's mobile!

After dealing with the main group of fans he headed back towards the arena, he stopped by a small group of people that were beside a car park station pay point. He chatted to those people and paid special attention to a lady of very advanced years - who probably had no idea who he was. We could see her absolutely beaming as he chatted to her, his Irish charm obviously working. He kissed her on the cheek as he left leaving her with a huge smile on her face.

The show was a good one, but in all honesty not a great one. There's nothing special I remember about it, after all the heightened emotion of Manchester every one's senses needed a rest I think! I do remember Bono joking about Adam's legendary problems with wind!! I wasn't disappointed that the show was just "good", and it was still worth going to.

After the show Dianne, Julie and I went back to our hotel and had a drink in the bar which was full of other U2 fans so there was a good atmosphere. It was a good way to end the day.

Next morning it was back home for me, working for three days before picking up my suitcase once more heading south on the train to the next gigs in London - what a jet-setting life being a U2 fan on tour is!

2000 March - U2 Being Given the Freedom of Dublin

When we first heard about U2 being granted the Freedom of the City of Dublin we thought it would be brilliant if we could go to see them receive the honour. The only problem was getting the tickets! They were free but you could only get them in Dublin. Our friend Declan managed to get some for us, but we were still two short for Julie and Sharon. Then our friend Elizabeth told us about an offer at a restaurant – have a meal there and get tickets, so Julie and Sharon were booked in for a meal there - we were all set!

The ceremony was at Smithfield Civic Plaza, an area just north of the River Liffey. The Plaza had just been renovated; it was a large cobbled rectangle with twelve 26 metre high poles with huge, as yet unlit, gas braziers at the top. There were also wing-like protrusions about 2/3 up these poles to catch the light. At the end of the plaza was a small stage with a video screen suspended from a crane to the left of the stage. The first two thirds of the plaza was a cordoned seated area, the rest a standing area. To the left of the plaza were newly renovated buildings, on the other side old Dublin still survived, though much of it derelict. Such a contrast between old and new there.

Kelly and Ping’s (wonderful name!) the restaurant that had the ticket offer, was amongst the new buildings, in the equally wonderfully named Duck Lane. I went in the restaurant with Julie and Sharon as I wanted to see what it was like. I heard someone calling my name and some U2 people from America I knew (and had tipped off about the ticket offer) were already in there, I had a chat with them before joining Julie and Sharon. The meal and wine was good - I was official taster - and the girls felt their money was well spent.

After the meal we went onto the plaza, we ended up quite near the back and, being small, I couldn’t see over people’s heads to the stage, but I could see the screen ok. Our friends who had queued up while we were in the restaurant were further to the front.

The entertainment started at 6pm. First on was Juliette Turner who I found a bit boring, next was Belle x 1 who were really good. Dara were next, so-so, and finally Ronnie Drew who was, well, Ronnie Drew!

At 8pm the Civic ceremony began. The gas flares were lit and looked very impressive reflected on the poles’ “wings” gently lighting up the area. The moon, which was almost full, hung above O’Neill’s Hotel to the left of the plaza. The councillors, Aung Sang Kuu Kyi’s son (she was also getting the Freedom of the City that night) but was still under house arrest in Burma so he was representing her, and U2 sat on seats behind the Mayor, Mary Freehill. She talked about the freedom of the City and what it meant. She appeared very nervous and was not a good speaker.

She then talked about Aung Sang Suu Kyi and there was a film of her thanking the City of Dublin for the honour. A beautiful Waterford Crystal eagle was then presented to her son.

Then it was U2’s turn. The Mayor talked about them both as individuals and a group. When praising Bono for his tireless work for Jubilee 2000 he looked both pleased and embarrassed at the same time, shuffling about on his seat. The crowd was really behind them and cheered loudly. The band was then presented with their scrolls and Waterford Crystal Joshua Trees that I thought were ugly! Hope the band liked them.

Then each band member gave an individual speech. Edge thanked loads of people including his first wife Aislinn which I thought was rather nice. Larry started by saying something in Irish, then he got part of his speech mixed up which was funny, but he dealt with it well. Adam’s speech was short but sincere. Bono’s was long, also sincere and witty. He said U2 was for everyone not just for Dubliners, which was rather nice for us foreigners to hear! He spoke of tolerance in all aspects of life and for all people. Then at the end he said they were going to play a few songs – the place erupted, we’d all been hoping for that.

They started with a lovely low-key version of All I Want is You. Then they launched into Desire. Bono dedicated the next song, The Sweetest Thing, to his long-dead mother Iris, it was the first time it had been played live. Bono’s voice was not 100%, he found it hard to reach the high notes, but it was still a treat. The final song was One which was dedicated to “John Hume, David Trimble, Gerry Adams and Big Ian”. There was a wonderful atmosphere, almost like a proper concert and the love of the Irish crowd for “their boys” was clear to see and feel. I wanted it to go on and on, but that was the last song and people soon started drifting off into the night.

I felt extremely privileged to have been there, and was grateful to our Irish friends who made it possible. It was an experience not to be missed and one I’ll never forget.

1999 January - Chilly Dublin and a Larry Miracle!

Jane and I decided to have a three day break in Dublin in mid-January, not the best time to go to that part of the world, but hey, we're Northerners, we're tough!

On our second day, our only full day in the city, we went into the city and walked to The Ferryman for lunch. We were going to meet my friend Rosie at HQ later that day. Then I saw someone who fitted Rosie's description walking past I ran out into the icy pouring rain and shouted "Rosie!" and the woman turned and came back. I'd got to know Rosie, who was from Northern Ireland, through my fanzine and we'd arranged to meet for the first time here in Dublin.

We had a lovely chat in The Ferryman, she was so nice, very softly spoken and gentle with a great sense of humour, we all got along really well immediately. Rosie is still a very good friend of mine to this day.

We braved the weather and ventured out and walked the short distance to Hanover Quay. It was cold and damp and it is at these times that you ponder on your sanity! there was one other fans there a Dutch girl who talked incessantly and was a bit of a pain to be honest.

Luckily we didn't have to wait long for the first arrival, it was Adam, who smiled and waved but went in without coming over to us - we never go to band members, we leave it up to them and so we know that when we get meetings it's because the band members want to meet us not because they have been forced into it.

Next came Edge, he posed for a photo by his car when he saw Rosie with her camera, what a sweetie! In those days they didn't park their cars in the garage like they do now.

Next arrival was Bono, on the phone with the car windows all steamed up. He sat in the car chatting and as he did so Larry arrived. He stopped near us and was happy to sign autographs. Rosie had old records that Larry had asked for in Propaganda. He carefully looked through them all and said he had them all but very politely thanked her for bringing them.

Jane then congratulated him on the recent birth of his daughter and said. "Can I ask you what you've called her?" Larry smiled and replied. "You can ask but I'm not going to tell you!"

At this point Bono got out of his car came across and said jokingly to Larry. "What's this Larry, Christmas?" We thought he was probably alluding to the fact that it is very rare for Larry to stop for fans.

Larry completely ignored him, then looked at me and said. "Are you wanting a photo?" I was stunned into silence for a few seconds, Larry asking me if I wanted a photo?! "Er.... yes please." I said and gingerly walked across to him. He stood like a statue beside me no touching, Jane took the photo, then Rosie also got a picture with him. I'm pretty sure Larry did that to piss Bono off because he's made that quip - we hadn't asked for a photo. He looked stunningly handsome on the photo - I cropped myself off because it's such a terrible photo of me!

I must admit that I was quite glad when Larry left because I wanted time with Bono, but of course couldn't ignore Larry when he was being so sociable! The Dutch girl talked at Bono constantly (she'd said nothing to Larry) mostly about Gavin Friday. We could hardly get a word in for her and she often rudely interrupted too. She did ask Bono a U2-related question, enquiring what they were doing in the studio and he replied. "Knitting, embroidery, a bit of weaving......."

We got some things signed and Bono was very pleasant and obliging. Rosie asked for a photo with him and he said yes, then I asked and he was the opposite of Larry, he put his arm firmly round my shoulder and pulled me in close, he smelled lovely! He looked really well, dressed in a leather jacket cap and awful orange tinted black-framed shades. He was chatty though at times he was having difficulty concentrating because of the constant interruptions by the Dutch girl who stood back the whole time, strange.

After he left we went back to The Ferryman to warm up and reminisce. Rosie left at 4pm to get her train back to Northern Ireland but we stayed on to meet up with our friend Declan later. We hadn't seen him since his wedding so it was great to catch up on things with him. He was keen to hear about our meeting and we had a long chat before we went our separate ways.

Next afternoon Jane and I flew back to the UK. It had only been a short visit so we had been incredibly lucky to have those meetings. And to this day it's the only time I've met Larry and had my photo taken with him at Hanover Quay!