2001 February - U2 at the Astoria in London

For a while there had been rumours that U2 were going to play the Astoria in London as one of their mini gigs in support of the new album. When the gig was announced we tried to get tickets by phoning up and entering competitions to no avail. My friend and fellow fanzine editor Debbi said she would see if she could sort out tickets via Principle Management - seeing they gave fanzine editors tickets during tours maybe they would do the same now?

Nothing materialised and I went off on a short holiday to Dublin with my friend Julie. While I was there, one evening Debbi rang me on my mobile, after making sure I wasn't driving she told me that we had tickets for the Astoria gig! I was, for once, lost for words, it was only two days to the show, I would arrive home in the early hours of the day of the gig, how would I get to London (I live 300 miles away), what about accommodation, how would I get the tickets for the gig? So many questions raced through my mind along with at state close on hysteria! Debbi, bless her, said she would book my train ticket to be picked up at the station, she'd also organise the accommodation. She'd told Principle Management that I was in Dublin and they said to pop in the office.

Next day Julie and I went to Principle Management and spoke to Cecilia there. She said that my ticket would be waiting at the box office and that I would have to have some photo ID in order to pick it up. I think it was only then that I really believed I was going to see U2 play at the Astoria.
Later that day we set off on our journey back to the UK. I got home around 2am on the day of the gig. I had to be on the train to London by 6am so little sleep was had.

At 5am I threw a few things into a backpack, including my passport for ID, got a taxi to the station and caught the train to London Euston. As I sat on the train i could hardly believe what I was doing, but I knew it would be worth it.

I met up with Debbi and jackie and we headed straight to the venue. There were a lot of people millling around outside the Astoria and there were ticket touts everywhere with tickets selling for as much as £1000. There was a buzz of excitement, of something special happening – which of course was true! We picked up our tickets safely and it was then with that ticket in my hand that the excitement really built up for me.

The Astoria was a small venue, the main auditorium was reached by following a maze of corridors. The whole place looked a bit rundown, not helped by the fact it was painted in mainly in black. On either side of the small stage were two garishly coloured Doric pillars. The floor area was small and that was where the “ordinary” people were, the small dress circle above being reserved for celebrities. Among the people we recognised up there were Salman Rushdie and Liam Gallagher.

DJ Jon Carter did a set for about 45 minutes which seemed to last for hours, but when he started playing Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys are Back in Town” we knew U2 must be coming on at any moment and the rising excitement in the small venue was palpable.

At 9.30pm to the strains of The Kinks’ “Waterloo Sunset” U2 came on stage and there was immediate mayhem! They blasted into “Until the End of the World” and the whole crowd leapt up and down, and moved around the small space. I was in the middle near the front (looking back not a wise move!) and remember at one point Bono looming above me, think he was crowd surfing which only made the chaos worse! It was the one time I wished Bono would get away back onto the stage. It scary as tall men were leaning over me and pushing me down. It was too much for me and as U2 started playing “Beautiful Day” I moved the short distance to the back of the floor where there was some space to breathe, Debbi had moved there too. As the place was so small we still had a good view of the stage.

The whole feel of this show was so different to any U2 arena or stadium gig I’d been to. It was raw, sweaty, and very high energy. It must have been a little like it had been in the early days for both the band and the fans“Elevation” was next with everyone singing along with the band, it felt like a manic party. “Stuck”, dedicated to a lost friend, followed and was very moving and beautifully performed. The next song was a surprise, it was “Gone”, always a favourite of mine. By now the crowd had calmed down a little but the atmosphere still felt electric, it was good to hear that song again. U2 cranked things up a bit again with “Discotheque” followed by “Staring at the Sun” and “New York”.

So far Bono had not talked to the crowd very much, but at this point he decided to introduce the band to everyone. He said that Larry and Ann had a new baby three days previously and that she was in the audience tonight, he appeared in awe that she was there so soon after giving birth. Bono continued, saying that Adam had the “biggest bass in the band” to much laughter from the audience. He introduced Edge as the “Zen Presbyterian”. He finished off by saying that the band was “re-applying for our job” and the job was “to be the best band in the world”, this provoked a huge roar from the crowd. Then they launched into “I Will Follow” and the crowd went mental, it truly was like the roof was going to be blown off this little venue, it was the best party I’d ever been to!

An acoustic “Desire” followed, then “The Ground Beneath Her Feet” which was dedicated to Salman Rushdie who took a bow up in the dress circle to our left. Next was “Mysterious Ways”, then a lovely version of “One” during which the gig eased into another phase.

The manic excitement calmed, and a sense of intimacy, warmth and closeness replaced it.There was a little snippet of “Unchained Melody” followed by a simply wonderful version of “All I Want is You”. Bono sang the song with a mobile in his hand, I thought maybe Ali was not able to be there and was on the other end of the line, but it turned out she had been there as she was in the car with Bono when they left the venue. He must have been missing someone else as he sang that song.

Next was the highlight of the gig for me and many other fans. As the distinctive opening notes of “Bad” rang out shivers went down my spine. Halfway through the song Bono went to the right-hand side of the stage and down into the crowd and sang the rest of the song there amongst the fans. He was illuminated by a white spotlight, I had a wonderful view and will never, ever forget it. It was so powerful and emotional, one of those moments of a show you never forget, Bono, the rest of the band and the fans were one. It was an awesome performance, showing the power of music and U2 at their best, Bono is the consummate performer and can connect with an audience in a way no other can. After a little of “Sympathy for the Devil” tagged onto the end of “Bad” the band left the stage.

Chants of “40” rung out from the crowd and soon the band were back on stage to perform – “40”. Bono changed the lyrics a little, but I cannot remember how. It was the typical low-key U2 way of saying goodbye. As in the past Bono left the stage first, followed by Adam, then Edge, and after a short drum solo, Larry. And so after one hour and twenty minutes the Astoria gig was over. It was a show of distinct moods, from a raw, energetic, rocking first half to an intimate and emotional second half. I feel really privileged to have been there.

After the show we went round to the back of the venue to wait for the band leaving. It was a bitterly cold night and on top of that it started to rain. There was an umbrella factory beside the Astoria and workers there took pity on us and gave us brollies! Debbi dropped her camera I had to pick it up for her as she because her hands were so cold. By then we were functioning on adrenalin I think.

Eventually the band came out and they all came across to the fans and chatted and signed things, though in my case my pen didn't work because it was so wet! Adam was very concerned about how cold we were bless him.

And that was it, we were flying so high we stayed up all night and next day I got the train and travelled the 300 miles home. All a great madness, I was amazed at my stamina, U2 certainly gives you superhuman strength and determination!

Every ticket tells story - my battered Astoria ticket!

1997 August - Popmart Dublin, A Sort of Homecoming and Aching Feet!

August 29th saw Dianne, Jane, Julie, Sharon and I on a plane headed from Leeds to Dublin. It was great to be on my way back to my favourite city. Sharon and Julie hadn't been there before so we gave them a quick tour of the U2 places - Dockers, Principle Management, Hanover Quay - before heading to our accommodation in Dun Laoghaire. Unfortunately we hadn't been able to stay at Ken and Elizabeth's because the house was already booked, but we stayed at a really nice B & B just around the corner.

We drove into town and to Principle Management where I had to pick up the tickets that I had been allocated as a fanzine editor. Julie and Sharon went in with me. We went up the marble stairs into the open plan office. The place was in chaos, people darting about everywhere, visitors arriving, phones ringing. I gave my name at the reception desk and said we were here to see Cecilia. We were asked to sit on large comfy black leather settees nearby and wait for her. I noticed that there were large wooden beams across the ceiling and like last time I'd been here the fax was in over-drive!

Soon Cecilia arrived , she was very nice and at first said she had no tickets left, but then offered me two VIP seated tickets that were not together. She apologised profusely that they were separate, but I didn't mind. I had already bought a ticket just in case these didn't materialise so they were a bonus. As I wanted to be near the front with my friends I ended up selling these tickets for cost price to two Aussie fans who were so upset they didn't have tickets and couldn't afford the prices the tout were asking. They were very deserving of the tickets and very grateful, the girl was in tears!

That evening we went for a walk on Killiney beach which was as peaceful and beautiful as ever before going into the Court Hotel for a meal for the Library Grill there. Our friends Declan and Mary joined us and we had a lovely night of good food, good company and delicious Irish coffees!

We had decided that we would try to get into the front enclosure for this first Popmart Dublin gig so that meant getting in the queue early - we were at Lansdowne Road by 9am, we really must be mad. Sharon and Julie had to wait by another entrance so I was queuing with Dianne and Jane. We would take turns to nip off to nearby hotels to use their toilets or get some food and drink. After a few hours we were herded into "pens" and still had another two and a half hours to wait before we were let in to the stadium at 5pm.

Our wait was worthwhile as we got a great position right beside the B-stage. I looked at the clock, it was 6pm which meant there was another three hours before U2 would be on stage. It's at moments like that when you are in a good position that you can't leave because you'll never get back in, you can't sit down, or go off for food or the toilet, that you wonder if you'll ever last to see U2 on stage!

The support was Ash who I didn't enjoy (though they I did like them a lot more over the years since this gig) The stadium erupted and there was a brilliant atmosphere. The show was good, no great changes, I think they decided to play safe for their first night in their hometown. The karaoke was the Irish Eurovision Song Contest winner from the 70's All Kinds of Everything which Edge dedicated to his favourite publican Paddy the landlord of Docker's.

Bono sang a lovely version of Molly Malone accompanied by 40,000 other people! He remarked that the local residents wanted fans to keep the noise down and that he wouldn't want the crowd in his back garden!

Hold Me..... was very theatrical with Bono laughing demonically at the beginning. There was a new ending with him on the B-stage pretending to impale himself on the mike stand. He did this right in front of us so I got great photos. Staring at the Sun was dedicated to, "George Harrison and everyone at the Sunshine Home for the bewildered." Bono patted Edge playfully on the bum at the end of it. One was dedicated to the journalist Bill Graham and they finished with MLK.

All in all it was a great concert and it was great to be in such a good position to see it all. I was amazed by the amount of sweat that poured off Bono, he must lose pounds during every concert.

After the show we went round the back and met up with our friends and waited. We didn't think we would get the chance to meet anyone after the chaos there had been at the RDS four years earlier. But this night there weren't that many people waiting so we hung on. My feet were killing me and my back was aching, this concert business is hard on the old body! We passed the time doing yoga exercises that Dianne taught us to ease our aching backs.

Bono came over to the fans briefly but he was quickly surrounded and didn't stay out long. Things were a bit calmer when Edge came out and he came along the line of fans chatting and signing autographs. Larry and Adam didn't stop.

After Edge left we headed home. I felt so tired and my feet were burning I couldn't wait to lie flat and take the weight off them, I don't think I have ever stood so long before or since. We got burgers at the Abra in Dun Laoghaire and I ate mine lying on my bed giving my poor feet welcome relief!

1993 August - Dublin Zoo Time 1

I'd had a welcome weeks break from travelling to u2 gigs before setting off for Dublin. I met Jane at the UK airport and we flew over together. We went to our accommodation in Dublin where Dianne and Caroline were waiting for us. In the intervening week they been to the two Wembley shows and Cork that we had decided to miss, so we caught up on all the news they had from their experiences there.

The next day Jane and I went down the quays to Principle Management to pick up two tickets. It was the first time that I had been there. We rang the intercom and were let in, we walked up the marble steps, there was a huge modern art painting on the staircase wall. The main office was open plan with various U2 pictures on the walls. I noticed the fax machine was in overdrive! The doors to the boardroom were open and I could see a huge oval table with chairs around it in there and discs on the walls. Cecilia came across to us and was very pleasant and gave us our tickets and then we were off out again.

We met up with our friends at the RDS in Ballsbridge and waited in the queue. It was once more a very warm day but luckily we were well sheltered by trees that lined the road.

Unfortunately once more we entered by the gate furthest from the stage and had to run down the field. Needless to say, being crap runners we didn't get to the barrier by the B-stage which was our target but we were fairly close. There was quite a crush and some very pushy fans, I also couldn't really see the main stage so it was far from ideal.

After what seemed like an endless wait the show started in the usual way and followed the usual set. I could almost predict what would be next and what Bono would say. I always remember him once saying that the hardest part of a show is making it look spontaneous. I knew what he meant now, each time he said the same things it sounded like the first time, so he was doing a good job! I kind of realised then that, even though I was enjoying the gig, I'd seen too many shows close together on this tour and vowed I would not do that again - and I haven't.

Stay was performed on the B-stage close to where I was. It was lovely and the voices of U2 and the crowd rang out over the stadium and floated off over Dublin city. Bono grinned from ear to ear impressed with the home crowd. Anytime a band member came to the B-stage the crush was awful, this was the first time I'd experienced this. Being quite small I was getting pushed into people's backs and it wasn't very pleasant. I decided to leave my friends (who were all quite a bit taller than me) and get out of there. I didn't have to move far back to be in a much better position and I could see most of the main stage too.

MacPhisto said that it was good to be home and, "To be where people call me dad. Shall I give them a telephone call?" He dialled the number and got an answer-machine message from his four year old daughter Jordan, "Hello, we're not home, we're away on holiday. And daddy if that's you we're not coming back until you take the horns off." She sounded really cute and chirpy. MacPhisto didn't say anything, he put the phone down and started singing Ultraviolet. The call seemed to affect Bono, he seemed very emotional and distressed afterwards and for the rest of the show.

During Edge's wonderful solo in Love is Blindness Bono got a girl up on the stage and held her close laying his head on her shoulder. Then he took her hands and tenderly ran them down each side of his face, all the while his face was creased with emotion. Bono can't hide his feelings and it was like intruding on something very private, and yet not being able to look away because it was also very powerful.

Can't Help Falling in Love finished the show with the part where Bono and the crowd sing "Falling in love" to each other lasting longer than usual before fading away into the night.

I felt so moved that I was close to tears by the end of the concert and when I met up with my friends again they felt the same and instead of feeling high on adrenalin we felt sad, so powerful was the emotion we had witnessed.

When we left the RDS there was absolute chaos outside. There were at least a couple of hundred Mediterranean fans screaming and running after any car that left the venue. They banged on the cars band members left in and even hung on to them. It was very dangerous for the fans themselves and those trying to stop them and must have been frightening for the band inside the cars. Other fans, including us, just watched this chaos in disbelief. I'd never seen anything like it before and luckily I have not seen anything like it since.

We left and went to Jury's Hotel across the road to get a taxi intending to go back to our accommodation. There were no taxis there and a huge queue so we decided, at 2am, to go into the hotel and see if we could get anything to eat. Surprisingly we could (probably just because of the gig, there would be lots of ravenous fans wanting something to eat post-show).

Our time in Jury's soon lifted our mood as we had the most entertaining waitress. Caroline, who was a vegetarian, asked for a vegetable stir-fry. "Oh don't have that, " said the sour-faced waitress, "It's not very nice, it's bland."

Caroline insisted that was what she wanted, "I wouldn't have it," insisted the waitress seemingly oblivious to the rest of us falling about with laughter, "we get a lot of complaints about it, it depends which chef is on." Obviously it was bad chef night tonight .

Eventually she accepted Caroline's order with a shake of the head and a tutting noise. We were by now hysterical with laughter - all except Caroline, who even now could not see the humour in the situation. I always think it's really sad when you don't have a sense of humour, you miss out on so much.

The waitress continued to amuse us by almost dealing the plates across the table like they were cards, we had to catch them to stop them flying off the table.

Our food was really good and much needed and when the waitress was clearing away the plates Caroline said that she had enjoyed the stir-fry. "You must be easily pleased" said the waitress absolutely deadpan without a glimmer of a smile. That was too much for us, we all just fell about laughing - except Caroline who looked at us all as if we were mad - we laughed so much we were becoming hysterical.

We left Jury's at 3.30am and found a row taxis waiting outside. Still laughing we fell into one and headed off "home". Never will we forget our 2am meal at Jury's Hotel Ballsbridge!

1992 December - Friends, A Hothouse Flower, Meeting a Rockstar in the Street

After Zoo TV life soon got back to normal. I got together with a lot of my new U2 friends and with some I found I had a lot more in common than just U2 and people such as Jane, Debbi and Dianne became close friends. Others drifted away, including Jeanette who found God and left U2 and me behind. Achtung Baby was a time when a lot of Joshua Tree era fans lost their interest in U2, it was such a radical move away from their old sound that it wasn't for everyone. My very first U2 friend, Pat in the US was one of these but we have remained in contact to this day.

Jane, Bee and Kelly and I had another holiday in Dublin in December. This time we decided to rent a house and we found a lovely three bedroom terrace house in Dun Laoghaire, it had plenty of room for us and was very homely It was owned by Ken and Elizabeth who lived next door. Lovely people, who were very welcoming and over the years they too have become good friends, and though they sold the rental house years ago, I still go to see them whenever we go over to Dublin.

We did all the usual things in Dublin, lots of nice meals including one in Dillons a lovely restaurant owned by Bono's brother Norman. We'd seen a session at the Harcourt Hotel advertised which included Liam O'Maonlai from the Hothouse Flowers in the line up. We were all fans of traditional Irish music and Kelly was a big fan of Liam's so we decided to go along. We got seats right at the front, and soon the place was full and the session started.


The line up was Liam O'Maonlai, Donal Lunny, Paddy Glackin and Nollaig Casey. And so began a wonderful evening of great music and fun. They all were exceptional musicians and you could tell they loved every moment of their performance. Liam sang a few songs in Irish, they were beautiful and haunting and you didn't really need to understand Irish to feel what they were about. All in all it was a brilliant evening.

Another evening we decided to check out U2's newly opened Garage Bar. How can I describe the place? Well, there was sawdust on the floor, the seating was old and often ripped bus seats, the tables were bits of metal, the bar was made of corrugated red plastic, and there were bits of plaster hanging from the ceiling. It probably cost a fortune to get some hot person to design the place! But it definitely wasn't our type of bar and we didn't stay long. And as it turned out the Garage Bar didn't last long either, I'm not surprised!

We then decided to go into the nearby Clarence Hotel that Bono, Edge and others had just bought. We went in the front entrance and it felt as if we'd stepped back into the 1950's! It was very quaint and old fashioned and there was a tea dance going on in what was later to become the Tea Room Restaurant. It felt like a time capsule. So we didn't stay there long either!

Later in the week we went to Principle Management to see if we could meet any of the band, we had absolutely no idea if they were in town. It was very cold and despite many layers of clothing I was shivering. But after only about 15 minutes Bono and Edge arrived, they went straight into the office - Bono giving us a little wave before he did so.

Shortly afterwards Bono and Edge left again with two men we did not recognise. One of these men opened the window and said to us, "We'll be back." Beside him was Bono who gave us the thumbs up. Naturally we decided to hang on.

While we were waiting a huge lorry stopped in the middle of the road and the driver shouted out to us that Bono and Edge were being interviewed just around the corner. We thanked him but just stayed put as it was clear they would be coming back.

And it wasn't long before they came back and both Bono and Edge came over to us right away. Bono didn't have his Fly shades on and it was lovely to see his blue eyes once more. He looked quite tired and I noticed a lot of grey in his stubble. He said that they didn't have much time and if we wanted anything signed they'd be happy to do that. Bono recognised Jane and said,

"You were here last November weren't you?"

For once Jane was lost for words, we were both amazed that he'd remembered that! He kept saying, "You were, you were" to Jane who still didn't answer, I eventually said, "Yes we were," and Bono nodded with a 'I was right' look on his face.

Edge asked what we were doing here at this time of year and Jane, in full flow once more, said that we were on holiday and we couldn't come earlier as we had been following a certain band who had been on tour earlier in the year. Both Edge and Bono smiled at that.

I then asked if Bono would sign a photo of the band at Sellafield that I'd got from my local paper, he immediately laughed and showed it to Edge and said, "We should have had this with us at the interview as an example of how four people can dress up like complete dickheads!" He then signed it and passed it on to Edge who also signed it. at other meetings I managed to get all four of the bands' autographs on the photo and I've uploaded it at the end of this article - they do look like dickheads! Edge was very sweet, he had such gentle eyes and I loved the little bit of shyness he has.

Paul McGuinness arrived at this point and Bono went over to him, he said something about going to a Guggi exhibition to him before coming back over to us. Some passing lads now stopped and got autographs and then both Bono and Edge left heading for the city. We did hang on a little longer to see if Adam was around for Jane, but there was no sign of him so we left and headed into the city.

As it was December though it was only about 5pm it was dark and very cold and the icy wind roared down the quays. We put our hoods up, put our gloves on and wrapped our scarves round and round our necks to try and keep the biting wind out. I looked like a gnome with my pointy hood and Jane looked like she had on a neck brace as her scarf was wrapped round so many times! But we didn't care what we looked like as long as we were warm.

As we walked along I looked up ahead and saw a man approaching wearing what looked like a sheepskin coat very like Bono's. I thought that it couldn't possibly be him. Where we were on the quays wasn't very brightly lit so I looked and looked at this approaching person before realising it certainly was Bono!

"It's Bono!" I said to Jane

"Huh?"

"It's Bono coming down the road!"

She too was amazed and we agreed we would only stop if he did. We were also aware of how ridiculous we looked all wrapped up against the elements but we couldn't do anything about that now! In contrast Bono's sheepskin coat was open, flapping in the wind and his shirt open well down his chest, does he not feel the cold??

As he got closer he recognised us and smiled (maybe my gnome look caused that!) and he stopped just in front of us and said, "Hi."

"Hello again," Jane said, "We'll have to stop meeting like this!"

Bono laughed and asked where we were going. We said we were off to have a nice hot drink.

"It's just closed," he said, probably meaning the nearby City Arts Centre, " but there are lots of nice coffee shops in Temple Bar where I've just been."

As we talked people were passing us and recognised Bono but though they stared no one stopped. We said we were off to Bewley's and with an "Enjoy yourselves," and a little touch on my shoulder off he went walking down the road towards Principle Management. We could hardly believe we'd bumped into Bono in the street and that he'd stopped to talk! It could only happen in Dublin. As we headed towards Bewley's for some reason we didn't feel the cold anymore!

(Cumberland News)

1991 November - Cold Weather & Warm Meetings

We had a few days left to enjoy Dublin after the release of Achtung Baby. In that time we listened to the album time after time and I loved it! It is still one of my favourite albums, it was risky for U2 to move so far away from their old sound and it paid off with a ground-breaking album.

We did the usual Dublin things and visited our favourite places. One night the difficulties between Carol and me reached a head and I had a row with her and walked off to my accommodation! I'd had enough and was not going to put up with being totally ignored and disrespected by her. She looked shocked when I retaliated - she didn't think I'd do that. I rarely lose my temper, but when I do it's not a pretty sight!

Next day I went to where we'd all agreed to meet up and only Jane arrived. I felt bad for Jane because she was friends with both of us and was in a difficult position. It gave us a chance to discuss the situation and she told me she'd had a big row with Carol after I left, and that she'd had enough of her too, I felt a bit better knowing Jane's position on it all. Apparently Carol had gone off with the Aussies today.

All week we'd kept just missing the band. By being at the wrong place, or leaving early, it was getting a bit frustrating. Jane and I went down to U2's offices at Principle Management on the Liffey Quayside. After quite a short time Bono arrived in his Jaguar, he honked the horn and gave us a big smile. He screeched to a halt just inside the gates and jumped out of the car leaving the engine running and door open, and asked the security man to park the car for him. He then headed towards us,

"I'm sorry, I'm 15 minutes late for an important meeting."

Jane said it was no problem and that we understood, but he kept heading towards us, hair blowing in the wind, his open sheepskin coat flapping around him. He came right up to me and kissed me firmly, but gently on the cheek, I felt my knees buckle . He had lovely aftershave on. He then kissed Jane on the cheek also. She just had to say something about the album, but found it difficult to get the words out. Bono stood waiting patiently, looking at her intently. I was just gobsmacked after my kiss and was probably just standing there with a silly grin on my face .

Eventually Jane blurted out, "It's just ..... wonderful!"

"Really?" said Bono, his face had lit up as if he was really please to hear that, "We weren't sure about it you know."

Jane managed to get more words together and said that it was a great album etc and Bono beamed and said, "Good girl!" enthusiastically slapping her on the shoulder quite hard twice.

Then in a whirl he said, "I'll see you again", waved goodbye and rushed off into the office. He was like a human hurricane!

It was a very short, but sweet meeting. It was nice to see that Bono was so keen to know what we thought about the album, and that our positive response made him so happy.

Jane's favourite band member was Adam and she hadn't met him so far on this visit so a couple of evenings later we went back down to the office with the Aussies and Carol to see if we could meet him. So far I had only met Bono and I was hoping to meet the other band members too.

It was so cold that I was shivering and wondered what the hell I was doing standing on a bitterly cold quayside in Dublin in the evening! But, luckily we didn't have to wait too long before the first memeber of U2 left the office. Edge came out and got into his car but stopped at the gates, there were quite a few fans there so I suppose it was safest for him to stay in the car.

"Are you not cold?" He asked looking right at me seemingly genuinely concerned.

"Yes" I said quite sheepishly with a wry smile. I noticed how gentle his eyes were and he was also a bit shy which was so sweet. He signed album covers and very politely shook hands with everyone, what a gentleman!

Next was Larry, and surprisingly for him, he stopped to sign autographs, but asked for no photos to be taken and everyone heeded his request. He was very pleasant and signed for everyone who wanted an autograph.

Third one out was Adam, he too stopped, stayed in his car but happily signed autographs and posed for photos, like Edge he was very polite and respectful. I'd just got my album cover signed by him when I noticed Bono had come out of the door and was just kind of standing in the dark in the background.

Carol and I went over to him and I asked him to sign the free poster I'd got in HMV. I'd given him a silver pen to sign it with but it wasn't working and Bono kept saying,

"Dear me, dear me" as he valiantly tried to get the pen to work. I told him to press it down gently, he pressed it down hard and a big spurt of silver came out all over the poster and his hand!.

"Oh dear me!!" he exclaimed as he bit his lip. He tried to rescue it by using another pen, but it was still a mess, ahh well, it's unique anyway. By then Carol was asking him twenty questions and the Aussies and some German people had come across also, so I stood back.

Meanwhile Adam, who was giving Bono a lift, was patiently waiting,

"What is that man talking about?" he said to Jane, who had been happily chatting to Adam when everyone descended on Bono. I was really pleased that she got her meeting with him.

Eventually Bono threw himself into Adams car, it was a sporty Aston Martin and so there was not much room, and Adam had to shove Bono and his voluminous coat coat out of the way in order to get at the gear stick. They had all been so kind and friendly with us, I watched Adam's car disappear into the night and thought how lucky we were to be fans of a band who are such nice people.

We walked up the road and saw all of their cars outside Docker's, but we just walked on into the city and left them to enjoy their drinks in peace.