2007 - May, Bono at HQ and the Clarence Penthouse

Sorry for the long gap since my last post, I just seem to have been so busy with other writing and life in general. But now I'm determined to continue updating this blog regularly until I'm up to the present day, then I'll update it when there are any U2 happenings in my life. Below is one of the most marvellous U2 experiences I've had!

All our trips to Dublin are special, but this week long 2007 trip was more special than usual, we were staying in a rented apartment – but for one night we were going to stay in the Penthouse at the Clarence Hotel – we’d saved for two and a half years for it! Debbi, Dianne, Julie and I were at last back in Dublin for this holiday of a lifetime. It was good to meet up with my friends again; we always just seem to pick up from where we left off when we get back together.

On Tuesday lunchtime we went down to U2’s studio in the docklands. How it is changing there, the gritty griminess and character being replaced by large, anonymous glass and steel buildings. Even the Kilsaran concrete yard was now closed and the famous bench gone. I’m not sure about all the changes in Dublin, so many wonderful old buildings have gone, I feel they should have done more renovation and so kept some of the city’s unique character alive within the new.

We had no idea whether U2 were at the studio, but not long after we got there Adam arrived. We had a short chat and took photos; as usual he was a real gentleman. About an hour later Bono arrived too and not long after parking his car in the garage appeared at the studio door. He made no attempt to come across the road and was clearly waiting for us to come to him so we did. He looked really well and suits the short hair; also its more natural colour is much better for his pale Irish complexion.

He was chatty and asked us various questions including what we had been doing so far on our holiday, we told him about our trip to Brittas Bay the previous day and he said he loved it there. We all got autographs and photos taken with him. We hadn't been sure whether to tell him about our stay the penthouse at the Clarence later that week. Debbi quietly asked me. "Shall we tell him?" H heard and said. "Tell me what?" His eyes going back and for between our faces. Don't know why but I quietly said to Deb ."Ok." (As if he wouldn't hear me!) Debbi then shared our plans with him. Bono asked what we were celebrating and we told him it was a special birthday for Dianne. He was too much of a gentleman to ask how old she would be, I jokingly told him she was 30! To which Diann said. "It's a long time since I've been 30!" I added that we'd be saving to do this for ages as I didn't want him to think we were rich fans who could do something like that whenever we wanted. He said we'd love it in the penthouse, and after wishing Dianne a happy birthday and saying goodbye he went back into the studio. It’s always so good to meet Bono, he has the ability to make everyone around him feel special and important and we were certainly full of smiles as we left Hanover Quay that day!

A couple of days later and it was our big day at penthouse at the Clarence Hotel; I was wide at 6.30am, very unusual for me! We spent the morning getting ready, we looked like different people in our lovely clothes, we felt like different people too.

The limo was a bit late, the chauffeur couldn’t find us! After I gave directions over the phone he was soon there. It was a white stretch limo, black leather seats, yet let down by plastic glasses for the “champagne” which tasted more like Cava to me. It was all rather over the top for my liking, but still, it was special and that was what this day was all about. We sat inside watching a U2 DVD and drinking champagne as the driver took us on a tour of the city. I really just wanted to get to the Clarence!

When we did get to the hotel we were treated like royalty and shown round the ground floor of the hotel (as if we'd never been there before) before getting into the lift up to the penthouse. We were so excited it was hard to remain calm! The staff member showed us around the two floors of the duplex penthouse before leaving us on our own. It was then we could let go and just explore.

The penthouse was fantastic, much bigger than it looks on photos and everything of the highest quality. We had welcome cocktails waiting for us as arranged, but there was also a bottle of champagne in a very expensive looking Alessi cooler on ice with 4 glasses which wasn't part of the deal. We checked with reception and were told it was complimentary, so we popped the cork, the champagne was wonderful!

We spent the after just enjoying the penthouse. On the lower level was a sitting room, dining room, two bathrooms, a kitchen and two bedrooms. Along the entire front of this was a balcony overlooking the River Liffey and Dublin. The upper level was reached by a stylish oak and stainless steel spiral staircase. This level was open plan at one end a seated area the other end had a baby grand piano and a very well stocked (and expensive) bar. There was a balcony at the back where the hot tub was. There was also a small balcony at the other end of the loft that gave you a lovely view onto the city.

We relaxed in the hot tub with our champagne, we chatted as we watched DVDs on the huge TV. We could hardly believe that after over two and a half years of saving we were finally in the penthouse.

In the early evening we started getting ready to go down to the Tea Room for our meal. We had bought special outfits and I must say we looked so glamorous – we barely recognised each other!

At 8pm we went down for dinner, we were greeted by a lady who said, “You are looking very beautiful tonight ladies” and we were shown to our table. There was an envelope on the table that the waiter handed to Debbi. She opened it and for a few seconds just stared at it. We all guessed what it was even before she read it out and then passed it round it said "Happy Birthday, love Bono”. Before we had a chance to say anything the sommelier was there pouring champagne. Debbi asked if it was from Bono and we were told yes. We were so surprised and touched that he'd done this we were nearly crying! For a while we were speechless (which doesn't happen often) and it was a while before we got ourselves together and were able to look at the menu and order (which also doesn't often happen!!)

The meal was wonderful, excellent quality and service. We'd planned to have a very special expensive bottle of wine with our meal so we still had that too. It turned out that we didn't have to pay for that either, all our drinks that night (including the champagne that had been waiting for us on our arrival at the penthouse) were on Bono. Even now I can hardly believe he did this for us, going to the penthouse was exciting enough, but for Bono to do this made it perfect, it was so thoughtful and kind of him.

After finishing the wine in the Study we went back up to the penthouse. We stayed up all night chatting, drinking wine, having a laugh, making a video and watching DVDs, we didn't want to miss a minute of our stay by sleeping. Sometimes we went out onto one of the balconies to look at the lovely view of the lights of Dublin at night. It felt like we were in another world high above those lights and, really, we were. We were in the rarified world of the rich and famous, sampling their lifestyle for 24 hours and we were loving it!

We watched a beautiful dawn break over the city from the balcony which signalled that our stay in the penthouse was nearly over. I felt sad that it was coming to an end, yet I also felt lucky. Lucky that I could afford to do something like this - even if it meant a lot of saving. Lucky to have three special friends in Debbi, Dianne and Julie to share this with. And lucky to be a fan of Bono, whose thoughtful kindness made our stay at the penthouse at the Clarence Hotel absolutely perfect.

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.

I'll Be Back!

Sorry for the long gap in my posting on this blog, U2's 360 Tour and holidays have taken up my time over the last few weeks. But I hope to be updating this site within a week or two. So don't give up on it - come back in about two weeks and there will be more for you to read here. See you then!

2005 June - Dublin 2 Vertigo, Smiles and Exhilaration

Another day another gig. This one started well, our seats were a lot better, lower tier about halfway down the pitch. As soon as U2 came on we realised the sound was great too, after the previous gig that was a relief.

Bono talked a lot at this concert, he said they were the worst wedding band in the world but the best rock 'n' roll band. He said it was going to be a "party night" and that's certainly what this night turned out to be. Then he said about the Irish stealing Edge from Wales and delivering him to the GAA (Gaelic Athletics Association). More seriously he talked about the "fragility of life" and how it had affected them personally recently, then he dedicated Miracle Drug to "all the doctors and nurses that keep us alive."

The set was pretty much the standard one, the only surprise in the set was the inclusion of Party Girl. Bono got a lad called Brad from Canada up on stage to play the guitar. He's held up a sign saying "I can play guitar", Bono said, "It pays to advertise!" During the song he changed some of the lyrics singing, "I don't give a shite", a reference to the 11pm curfew which they passed by around ten minutes.

The energy of the gig was brilliant, exhilarating. I felt proud of U2 and along with the rest of the crowd sang along and enjoyed every moment. The feeling of being part of something special was very strong and the love of the Irish was so apparent for their band. I felt part of that too, because I'd just discovered I had Irish ancestors, so was one of them as well, a great feeling!

Getting back to our hotel afterwards was a bit of a nightmare. We waited in a chaotic taxi queue for ages. In the end we gave up on that and got the night bus back, arriving at 4am, ahh the touring life!

This gig was a wonderful way to end our European leg of the Vertigo tour. We were going to see two shows later in the year in Boston so the Vertigo Tour wasn't quite finished for us yet.

2005 June - Dublin Vertigo, Up In The Gods and Disappointment

The day after the Glasgow show saw Debbi, Julie and I suffering from varying degrees of sunburn. It had been cloudy when we set off for Hampden so we didn't think we needed any sunscreen, but it got out really hot and sunny and there was no shade and now our pale English complexions were bright red! We went to a pharmacy and got some great aloe vera lotion that calmed our redness down a little.

We flew to Dublin for our last two Vertigo tour shows in the British Isles. We were staying at Bewley's Hotel in Ballsbridge, always a good place to make your base in Dublin.

Before the U2 part of the trip we visited our friends in Dun Laoghaire and also had a meal with my German friend Chris who was also in Dublin for U2 gigs. It was good to catch up with them all. That's one of the lovely things about going to U2 gigs, you get to see so many old friends again.

On the day of the gig we all had to kind of split up a bit as we had tickets in different areas of the stadium and were also meeting various friends. So Julie and I headed into town to meet Rosie, our friend from Northern Ireland. We had a meal with her before heading towards Croke Park. Once there we said bye to Rosie too as she was sitting elsewhere.

Our seats were abysmal! And yes, they were fan club seats, shame on you U2! We were at the far end of teh pitch, top tier, four rows from the back. Dreadful seats. I must say I got vertigo at Vertigo we were so high up. Plus there was a hell of a wind blowing up there as well.

I was really looking forward to seeing Snow Patrol, but was really disappointed because the sound was so bad, very muddy.

U2 took to the stage to a raptuous reception, but as soon as they started to play we realised the sound was just as bad for them. When Bono spoke it was impossible to understand what he was saying. The set was a pretty standard one, and for me the show was completely spoiled by the sound. Friends who were in other areas of the stadium said the sound was fine where they were, so we had the bad luck to be stuck almost as far away as you can get from the stage and to have the worst sound I've ever heard at a U2 concert. Shame and very disappointing.

We met up with our other friends once more and hung around after the show, only Larry stopped to speak with fans. He was very friendly and charming, obviously happy to be back on home ground.

We headed off back to our hotel feeling a bit deflated and hoped that tomorrows show would turn out to be a lot better for us.

2005 June - Glasgow Vertigo, Magic and Fun

We flew from London to Glasgow where we were seeing the next gig, nowadays it's cheaper to travel long distances and also save time that way. We got the airport bus into the city centre and after a walk up one of Glasgow's hills checked in at the Travel Inn.

We dined in the hotel restaurant and later met our friend Alan from the Scottish U2 tribute band NU2 in the hotel bar later that evening, it was nice to see him again.

Next day Debbi and Julie left early for the stadium, they wanted to get in the queue so they would be sure to get close to the barrier as we had GA tickets. Dianne and I didn't want to do that so we took it easy and left about two hours later. When we got to Hampden we found that the queues were not long and our friends were only about three yards in front of us! Things are never as manic in Scotland as at other venues which is really nice.

As we waited the weather got hotter and hotter as the day progressed, there was nowhere to get any shade and Debbi got badly sunburned. Julie and I also got burned but not quite as badly. the suffering we go through in the name of U2!

The gates opened at 4.30pm and everyone streamed in, up loads of steps and then down loads of steps into the stadium. We got a great position right on the catwalk barrier, almost the same as in Manchester. And, one of those weird coincidences once more, our friend Dawn was right near us!

The support was Black Rebel Motorcycle Gang and Interpol, both pretty boring for me. Then it was U2, and right from the start it was clear Bono was in high spirits and full of energy. During Elevation he lay on the stage and kissed a female photographer. At the beginning of Miracle Drug Bono counted on his fingers and said. "Three notes...." then he looked at Edge who shook his head and mouthed "Four", everyone including Bono laughed.

Later Bono talked about Make Poverty History before singing One and said the band were very proud of their fans for supporting the cause. Then he said. "We're coming back to Scotland for the G8!" He was referring to a concert that was going to take place when the next G8 meeting was in Edinburgh in a few weeks time. It got a huge cheer from the crowd.

At one point he got a pretty young girl out to dance with, she looked a bit like a very young Ali. After the show we bumped into the girl who was still very hyped up. She was called Maria and very sweet. I asked her if Bono had said anything to her and she replied that all he said was. "Shhh," and put his finger to his lips when she first got on the stage, I remember seeing that. At one point she burst into tears and that was when he pulled her close and cradled her head and rested his head against hers. I told her I'd got some photos of her and Bono, she was so pleased, we swapped email addresses and I later sent her copies.

The encore started with Zoo Station followed by a really rocking The Fly. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own was sung very close to us and brought a lump to my throat, Bono was lost in the music. That song could have also been written for my mother and me, I really relate to a lot of those lyrics.

Bono added a bit of Walk On and Happy Birthday to One in honour of Aung San Suu Kyi's recent 60th birthday.

During City Of Blinding Lights Bono got a helium balloon from someone in the audience and let it go and we all watched it float up into the darkness and drift away. It was a simple thing but it felt special and drew the crowd together, Bono is a natural at those kind of things.

This Glasgow show was one of those shows, where U2 seized the moment and a huge stadium felt small and intimate, that's the genius this band can reach at times. We left feeling uplifted and elated, pure magic!

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.

2005 June - Another U2 Tour, Manchester Vertigo

After the usual four years it was U2 tour time once more, and this time it was the Vertigo Tour which started for me in Manchester. The usual crew, Debbi, Dianne, Julie and I met up at our hotel, the Ancoats Travelodge. I always love the first time we all get together again. We do meet up regularly inbetween tours but as we all live in different cities, and in Dianne's case as different country, we don't see as much of each other as we'd like to. When we do get together for a U2 tour it is always exciting!

That evening we walked the short distance into the centre of Manchester and Canal Street, which is the city's gay area, always very vibrant and lively. We'd gone there not because we're gay , but because a restaurant called Velvet was recommended by a friend. It was really good and well worth the visit and we had a good evening catching up on each others lives over a couple of bottles of wine.

Next day was a dull wet day (unusual for a U2 tour in the UK which generally means a good summer! Bono must decree good weather for us LOL) as we took the half hour walk to Manchester stadium. There were quite a few people already there in queues, and as we had general admission tickets we joined one. We saw our other friends Karen, Serena, Julia and Linda already there and had a chat with them.

Then, a very odd thing happened, the security people built a 8 foot "wall" around our group of about 300 fans and gave us wristbands. We thought it meant something like we'd get into the ellipse and got quite excited.

I later left to go to the toilet and bumped into my friend Dawn and her daughter, it always amazes me how you can meet up with someone you know amongst thousands of people! Unfortunately though I could get back into the fenced off area with my wristband Dawn could not.

At 4pm the doors were opened only to be immediately closed again! People were getting annoyed as we could hear people were being let inside elsewhere. Three quarters of an hour later one door was opened which caused an awful chaos of pushing and shoving, i couldn't believe the stupidity of the security staff.

We eventually got in and saw the ellipse was full so went for the catwalk and got a good place right on the rail near the b-stage on Adam's side. It was going to be a long wait. but at least we had two really good support bands to listen to, The Bravery and the wonderful Snow Patrol. Both were excellent. By now the sun was shining and it was pleasantly warm, but despite all this positive stuff I found it hard to stand for those hours until U2 came on.

U2 spared me a little extra wait time as they started at the very early time of 8.15pm (apparently this stadium has an early finish rule) with a rocking Vertigo followed by a trio of old songs, Will Follow, The Cry, The Electric Co. I noticed Bono seemed to be moving quite stiffly and didn't have the usual "spark" he normally has. I heard the next day that his back was playing up again and he'd had numerous injections in it the day before the Manchester gig. Many would have cancelled the show, but Bono and U2 only do that as a very last resort.

Initially the lighting and screens were ineffective due to the sunlight and early start. But as it darkened the lighting showed it's beauty, and I loved the images on the screen, very effective and often thought provoking. I especially loved it during City of Blinding Lights and the chorus of that song stayed with me throughout the tour (as my friends will testify! ).

We had some wonderful close ups of the band as they walked along the catwalk near us, loved their version of Love And Peace Or Else on the b-stage close to where we were.

It was really good, and a big surprise, to hear Zoo Station once more at the beginning of the first encore. The show finished with Vertigo again, which didn't feel right to me, U2 always finish a show gently, drifting away from us into the darkness. This ending, an assault on the senses, which is great for the start of the show, was not for the end of a U2 show. Later in the tour they did change this and finished with one of their slower songs once more.

Manchester was a good show, and it was wonderful to see U2 play live again, good to see mypals again, good to be on the road again - where to next?

2004 November - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb

The release of a U2 album is always a special event for us fans, and it's really nice to be able to share it, so I went through to my friend and fellow u2 fan Dawn's place so we could listen to it for the first time together. It was a miserable November night, but I got a warm welcome and we were both excited and apprehensive about the album.

We listened to it one song at a time and discussed it before moving on to the next. The truth is we were both underwhelmed. All That You Can't Leave Behind was a good, safe album, what we really expected after the shaky Pop, they had to make a safe album to get fans on board once more. But How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb was yet another safe album, very much on the lines of ATYCLB, but in my opinion, not as good. It wasn't a bad album, it was okay, but a bit of a disappointment for us two fans who had wanted something that went out on a limb from the band. We were hoping to be challenged by U2, but it was not to be, it was quite predictable and Bono's lyrics were often not up to the usual standard.

To this day it is the album I've played least. I like some individual songs, but in general it doesn't excite or hold me. Later we got to hear a song that was left off the album - Mercy - and I loved it, pure unbridled U2 that , better than any song on the album by miles. But I can see why Mercy was left off, it was too different to fit in with the rest, but it's the song I've played many more times than any Bomb album track.

2004 May - Another Meeting At HQ

Julie and I had another weeks holiday in Dublin, by now it had become a tradition to holiday in Dublin in May - which actually is usually a lovely month to go there weather-wise. We did some of our favourite things there and also went beyond the city.

One place we visited was the ancient tomb of Newgrange (it's around 5000 years old) about 30 miles north of Dublin. I'd been before but this was Julie's first visit. It's an amazing, atmospheric place that still has a mystic feel about it, almost as if that magic is seeping out from within the stone it is made from. As you walk down the passage to the inner chamber you see symbols such as wavy lines, concentric circles, spirals carved into the stone - their meaning long lost in the passing of time.

We also saw a play at Bewley's Cafe Theatre, and went on the Dublin Ghost Tour. During this we found out how Misery Hill (which then was a piece of waste ground at the western end of Hanover Quay, now it's full of anonymous glass and steel buildings) got it's name. Apparently hundreds of years ago there was a leper colony there and that's where the name came from. Lepers were secretly taken by boat up the Liffey to St Audoen's Church in the city where there was a special door where they could hear mass. They say there is a ghost with missing body parts seen on the 40 steps at St Audeon's which is supposed to be one of the poor lepers. I must say those steps feel pretty creepy, so you never know.....

Anyway, I digress from U2. On the Thursday we went to HQ and again it was a United Nations of U2 fans with Hungary, USA, Austria, Holland and the UK represented. The American girl had been there two weeks previously and had met Edge, Adam and Larry. She heard Bono was back at the studio, so she came all the way back from the US to try to meet him! Dedication or what??
Bono arrived first and went into the garage, but didn't come out. Dallas came out not long afterwards for no apparent reason and chatted with us, think he was just sussing us out. Adam arrived and then Edge. Not long after Edge had arrived the front door opened and Bono stood in the doorway and gave a peace sign and just stood there. So we went across and gathered round the door, which was a bit dangerous as the Kilsaran lorries were careering up and down the road! Soon though I forgot all about them.

The American girl flung herself at Bono and gave him at hug which he returned, he seemed really overwhelmed. He looked really tired and I remember the girl saying he must be tired just getting back home and he said he was. Around this time Edge joined Bono, they often seem to do the meet and greet in twos when there are quite a few fans. I was quite near Bono and he looked across and recognised me. "Awww, hello sweetheart." He said and leaned forward and gave me a kiss on the cheek, I was so chuffed! I had Peter And The Wolf book ready to sign but as there were eleven fans there, he was busy with someone else. I noticed Edge was unoccupied so asked him to sign a DVD a friend wanted signed. Then Bono got to me and signed my book with his usual self portrait and name.

At this point I pulled back and took a few photos. I noticed Bono was quieter than usual, friendly and warm, but seemed worn out and slightly distracted. His hair was a lovely auburn colour, but needed a wash!

One of the Hungarian lads told Bono about the U2 tribute band he and the other guys with him were in and gave him a CD they had made. He really listened to the lad and seemed genuinely interested. They were really nice and I took a photo with Bono and Edge and the lads from the band.

Then Bono said he would have to go as he had a lot of work to do, and he quickly disappeared into the building. Edge then kind of took over, signed everything people wanted signed, posed for photos with all who wanted them and chatted. He was so lovely! I find Edge's quiet, calm manner and touch of shyness so endearing, he's very sweet.

So another meeting over with, we had been incredibly lucky over the last few years with meetings with U2 and really appreciate the band giving their time as they did. It's also really lovely to meet fans from all over the world at HQ.

2003 October - The Peter and The Wolf Exhibition In Dublin

My friends Chris and Andy were in Dublin on their honeymoon and they asked me if I’d like to meet up with them there for a couple of days, they didn't need to ask me twice.

While we were there, on the 1st October, the Peter and the Wolf exhibition for which Bono had done some paintings, was opening, this being the first stage of a mini-tour for the paintings, so of course we were keen to go to see them.

We walked down Dame Street to the City Hall where the exhibition was being held. It was really interesting to see Bono's pictures - which were huge in some cases, large in all cases. Some were more like practice sketches, and, though I feel Bono isn't amongst the great painters, others were good and interesting, the longer I looked at them the more I saw. His father featured a lot, in one picture he's very stern and there's a tiny Bono below looking up at him. There was a menace and darkness about the paintings in general and the wolf tends to look a bit stoned in my opinion!!! Bono’s daughters' additions of the flowers are the gentlest, softest aspect to the pictures, which I felt really worked as they offset the general harshness that came across in the artwork.

The CD of the music by Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer for Peter and the Wolf was playing in the background and there was also a short film running about the making of the CD and paintings. All were being sold to support a very worthwhile cause - The Irish Hospice Foundation.

The City Hall itself, built in 1779, is a wonderful building. The exhibition was held on the first floor which was reached via a sweeping staircase. In the centre of the large room there was a circle of pillars with classical figures on pedestals in between them and high above a beautiful done in the centre. The large Georgian windows ensured the room was well lit.We were almost first in, there weren’t many other people there.

Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer arrived not long after we did and they did a photo shoot. There was also a man videoing the proceedings, and at one point I noticed him videoing us as we looked at the paintings, I tried to keep my back to him once I'd noticed! Later he approached us to say that they hoped to make a documentary about the making of Peter and the Wolf and the exhibition and as we were in some of his film and he'd like our permission to use our images. He didn't have his usual forms to sign so he asked us to say our names and give permission as he filmed us. I don’t know if the documentary ever came about.

Chris asked one of the women there if she thought Gavin would sign autographs and she said he probably would once he'd finished with the shoot, so we waited. Chris went to him first and he was really nice to her, she told him that she and Andy had just got married and he congratulated them, asked where they came from. He is so like Bono it's uncanny. His voice, his mannerisms, his humour, his clothes are all very similar. Then I went up to him giving him the auction brochure to sign. He looked at me and said.

"Aren't you buying the CD?"

I told him I'd ordered it online, he asked which website and I said the Irish Hospice one, he seemed pleased at that. Then with a grin (like Bono’s!) added.

"But you should go to Gavinfriday.com the official website, that's much better!"

I told him I do go there too and he seemed chuffed about that. He asked my name (and how I spelled it – how many ways can you spell Sue?!) as he signed my brochure and looked right at me smiling as I thanked him afterwards. He also has Bono's charm!

It was really good to see the paintings in real life – there is something special about seeing the actual brushstrokes it makes paintings really come alive, I could easily visualise Bono working on them. I heard that he came to the exhibition in person later that day, but we were long gone by then. It was really good to meet Gavin, I can certainly see why he and Bono are friends, they are like two peas in a pod as they say.

2003 May - UK Coolness, Italian Fire At HQ And A Big Surprise

May 2003 saw Julie and I taking a weeks holiday in Dublin. You may think from reading this blog that all we do when in Dublin is hang around at HQ, that's certainly far from the truth. On this visit we went for dinner at our friends house in Dun Laoghaire and met up with another friend. We visited Powerscourt House and Gardens in County Wicklow, a gorgeous place close to Enniskerry (which itself is a lovely place). The house was built around an original 13th century castle (owned by someone called la Poer which was eventually anglicised to Power) between 1731-1741. A devastating fire in 1974 reduced the house to a shell before it was renovated in 1996. The gardens were added in the 1800s.

We had a wonderful time wandering around the gardens, which lie in the shadow of Sugarloaf mountain, that apparently had been influenced by those of Versailles. There was a touching pet cemetery where much loved pets of all kinds, including two dachshunds and a cow, were laid to rest.

We also went to see the play Sive, by John B Keane at the Gaiety theatre. When in Dublin we always try to go to see an Irish play and I can say that this one is still at the time of writing this, the best I've seen. In the brochure about the film it says: "Written 40 years ago it is a rich character and social portrait of mid-century rural Ireland, a classic morality tale about the consequences of greed and bitterness." If you ever get the chance to see it, go, you won't regret it.

But this is a blog about my U2 history, so enough of the other Irish stuff! On the Tuesday afternoon we went down to HQ, there was a Dutch couple already there. We saw all the band arrive but no one came out. We left at 4pm and went out to a favourite restaurant where we had a table booked that evening, food won out over U2!

Next afternoon, after a bit of shopping we went down to HQ again, usually there were no other fans there. Not long after we arrived edge drove into the garage, not long later Bono arrived and after a couple of minutes he came out of the front door and crossed the road and came to see us. He looked well, I noticed his stubble was quite grey now. We were lucky that we got time with him on our own. He asked how we were and said he was late again and "Always running from one thing to another." I thought what a hectic life he has and how people, including myself, were always wanting something from him.

He continued to say that he was very busy and asked us to tell our friends or anyone we saw at HQ that if he didn't come out he wasn't ignoring them it was just because he was so busy.

"I have two jobs now you know." He laughed and said that the band seemed to be doing ok without him. I jokingly said.

"They don't need you now then."

"Oh no no no I'm here quite a lot!" he replied defensively, but with a smile. Bono had recognised me and said.

"You come here every year don't you?" I admitted to it! We then asked when the album would be ready.

"Maybe in the Autumn, maybe before New Year, maybe after New Year" he said shaking his head and shrugging as if he had no idea really. He said it was a "Real firecracker" and I said I was ready for some new U2 music and he smiled.

Bono then asked us what we had planned for our stay and I told him we were going to friends in Dun Laoghaire for a meal that night.

"That's nice." Bono said.

I then asked him if he would sign something for us and he said of course. I had the Irish first day cover of the Rock Legends stamp issue with U2 on it.


"Ahh, you've got the stamp, that's great!" he exclaimed. He was just going to sign it when out of nowhere appeared a very excited Italian couple. They kind of barged in and took over.

"We are from Italy!" the young man announced loudly.

"Oh are you?" Bono said with a laugh. They were so excited, the girl was hyperventilating and thumping her chest and the man was just saying. "Bon-o, Bon-o, Bon-o" over and over. It was really funny and Bono took it all in his stride. It struck me that this meeting showed the difference between the Brits and the Italians. We were excited but did not express it, they were also excited but the Italians let it all flood out!

The girl then just went up to Bono and kissed him, he seemed to enjoy that, she was very pretty. They told him that they had just got married, he asked when and where, and if they were on their honeymoon now which they were. Bono then turned to me and said.

Bono turned to me and said. "You'll have to take a photo of them." Meaning of them and him, which I said I would. He then remembered the envelope he still in his hand and said.

"I'll do this first though." And proceeded to write "Bono stamps on Pop" on it, which I thought was very witty considering he'd had little time to think.

I took a photo of the couple with him and it turned out really nice. then the couple talked to me at breakneck speed in Italian, eventually through sign language, I realised they wanted another photo taken with Bono which I did. The man himself was just laughing through all this.

He then took Julies Best Of CD cover, looked at it and said that the buffalos "Look like sunglasses." What?? Strange how his mind works sometimes. He then proceeded to draw sunglasses around them. The Italians borrowed my pen and also got an autograph. Strangely after that they seemed to lose interest in Bono and kind of talked between themselves! Bono came over to Julie and me and held a hand out to each of us and said that he was sorry but he had to go, he then kissed us both on the cheek, squeezed our hands, said bye to the Italians and went back in the studio. We left very happy women!

It was a lovely meeting very personal, and funny too. Bono has the ability to make you feel very special, that's a rare trait in a person. How many people as famous as him could you meet like that so informally and without security? I wish Bono's detractors could see things like that.

Two days later. In the morning we drove out of the city to Avoca Weavers and then Powerscourt. It was our last day in Dublin and that evening we went to the Killiney Court Hotel for a meal in the Library Grill, a favourite haunt of ours for years (no long gone unfortunately). Afterwards we went upstairs to the Coast Lounge. We ordered at the bar and looked for somewhere to sit, it was very quiet and I went to sit near the open fire, not really looking at the few people who were in the lounge. Then behind me I heard Julie frantically calling. "Sue, Sue, Sue" in a low, but rather desperate whisper. I turned and went back to her and all she could say was.

"He's here!"

"Huh?" Said me.

"He's here!" Said Julie again.

"He can't be." I said dumbstruck. But then I could hear Bono's voice not too far way, I couldn't believe he was there, it was 9pm and I thought he'd be still in the studio . I must admit I felt a bit panicked, I have no problems with meeting him at HQ or on tour, but I was worried that if he'd seen us here he might think we followed him there or something. This was his private time and I don't think fans should intrude into that and I felt distinctly uncomfortable.

We went to a table as far away from him as we could, so that if he had seen us he'd know we were not trying to eavesdrop, in all honesty I don't think he did see us. There weren't that many people in the lounge and even though we were far away we could still hear him sometimes. He was with three women who I didn't recognise. He talked and laughed a lot, part of me wished I was part of that group as they seemed to be having fun.

Initially I felt self conscious, and was texting Debbi frantically for something to do as Julie had kind of gone mute with shock! Debbi texted back saying "Buy him a drink!" LOL. But we both soon relaxed more as time passed and I told myself to stop being silly - this was a public place, we had not followed him, it was pure coincidence and we had every right to be there!

After about 30 minutes Bono left, we saw him clearly as he went out, he looked at the floor, not making any eye contact with anyone, (best way not to get stopped by anyone) most people's eyes were on him. A couple sitting near the women went over and asked them if it had been Bono who was with them and they said yes. Though people had noticed him no one had disturbed him.

It was certainly an exciting way to spend our last evening in Dublin, talk of surprises. Can't get away from the man LOL!

2002 September - Dublin, Happy Birthday At HQ

I decided to spend my birthday in Dublin this year, I travelled over by myself and met up with my friends Andy and Chris over there. We did the usual Dublin things, walked on the beach, had nice meals.

We wandered down to HQ on the Wednesday, it was soon obvious that the band were around, lots going on. We waited for a while and saw Adam arrive he waved to us but didn't come out, and we left about an hours later.

Next day was my birthday, I met up with Chris and Andy at HQ that afternoon. They gave me some cups and tea for my birthday - the cups were lovely and people often still admire them. Not long afterwards another friend of mine, Rosie, arrived - it was wonderful to see her again. She gave me some beautiful silver earrings which I still love to this day.

It was really warm and sunny so it was very pleasant sitting waiting on the bench opposite the studio. Adam was the first to arrive and shortly afterwards came out to meet us. He looked very well and was very laid back and polite. He asked who had been here yesterday and I said Chris, Andy and me and he said that he'd come out later but we were gone. I asked him if the others were coming down and Adam replied that there wasn't much going on at the moment and that they were popping in occasionally. He added that Edge might come down later.

Rosie told him it was my birthday and asked if I could have my photo taken with him, he smiled and said yes. I went beside him and he put his arm round me, he seemed very tall compared to Bono. Then the other had their photos taken with him, all the time he was friendly and chatty.

Finally Adam said what a lovely day it was and he was going to go now to enjoy it. We waited a bit longer but things were quiet there so we took our leave. This was our last day in Dublin so it was so nice to have met Adam, an extra birthday present for me!

2002 May - Dublin, Just What I Needed.

For once I didn't feel particularly excited about going to Dublin as I'd been through a very difficult time in my life. In the last four months my mother died after a long illness, a close friend died suddenly and totally unexpectedly at the age of 55, and just two days before the trip I had to put my gorgeous dog Toffie to sleep. I was wrung out emotionally and felt numb, but I went ahead with the trip that had been arranged for months as I felt it would do me good. And it was true, once in Dublin I was able to get away from reminders that caused pain, and start the road to recovery.

On the Wednesday Julie and I went down to HQ. There were a few fans there from the US, Spain and Romania - an United Nations of U2 fans. Hanover Quay was it's usual noisy self. Lorries trundled in and and out of the concrete works which was busier than ever with the building boom in the city. Cement dust was in the air and every now and twice a bulldozer came out with water in its trough and spewed it into the street - the wave of water slammed into the door of the studio. Maybe they were trying to damp down the dust, who knows!

At 3pm Bono and Edge arrived together and shortly after their cars went into the garage the front door of the studio opened and Bono appeared in the doorway. He looked at us, we looked at him, not sure whether to approach or not. Eventually he broke the silence by saying.

"Are you going to come in?"

We all shot across the road and were allowed to enter the hallway at the bottom of the stairs of the studio. Edge was there too and did a very polite meet and greet, shaking hands with everyone as they came in. By now Bono was sitting on the stairs, he looked tired and pale, but was very warm and kind to us all. When I got to him he looked at me, smiled in recognition and said.

"Hello darling." My knees went weak! The rest of the people there kind of took over then and I stood back and took a few photos. Bono was saying.

"Don't come to close, I've got a bug." While the others were talking to Bono I got a photo and autograph from Edge. Eventually I got my time with Bono, he was talking about the Slane video and said it was coming together well and was affirmative when I asked if it was going to be released.

Edge took his leave at this time saying he wasn't well either. He looked rather flushed.

"Have you all got the cold?" I asked.

"Yes." he replied, "I'm going upstairs to get some Aspirin."

The Romanian lad was in a U2 tribute band and asked Bono if he could swap glasses for a photo, he obliged, saying afterwards. "I'd give you them but I can't." When asked why, for once he was lost for words! Bono then took a guitar the lad had and played it a little and sang a few lines.

I was last to get a photo with Bono, as usual he put his arm around me and pulled me close. He gently rubbed my arm soothingly as he held me, it was almost as if he knew I was fragile at the moment and needed some TLC. He is a very intuitive man and maybe he did pick up some of my sadness.

And that was it, We all said our goodbyes and we left and the studio closed behind us. Bono is my favourite (as you've probably guessed!) and meeting him and having that soothing hug really did make me feel better. He'll never know how such a simple gesture helped me. And over the next few months I was to get strength from U2's music which helped me to gradually heal.

2002 March - The Meteor Awards In Dublin

Julie, Debbi and I attended The Meteor awards in Dublin in early March, U2 were receiving awards so we were really looking forward to it and hoping the band would play a song or two. We'd bought quite expensive VIP tickets and got all dressed up to look the part.

As we crossed the East Link bridge Walk On was playing on the taxi radio, so fitting! We were dropped off at the back of the Point Depot. There was a special entrance for the VIP guests, complete with red carpet, though I must say the waiting photographers put their camera down as we approached LOL!

We were given wristbands and went up the escalators to the champagne and wine reception. It was all quite low-key really and I didn't recognise anyone there.

We went to our seats which were quite good and opposite the real VIPs. We saw Paul McGuinness arrive and noted that there were four empty seats beside him.

The opening act was a band called Kila, and as the lights went down U2 took their seats to a big cheer and applause. As the people in that area were getting up and down to go for awards etc there was always dim lighting on which meant we had a good view of U2 opposite us.

Patrick Keilty presented the show which included Enrique Iglesias, the Cranberries, Gabrielle, Six, Westlife. But I must say we spent most of the time watching U2! Bono talked a lot and couldn't sit still for long. People kept coming up to him (he had an aisle seat) and talked or asked for autographs and he always responded to them. It was nice just to watch him, what patience he has. How strange it must be to know so many eyes are upon you, that you are never anonymous.

U2 were nominated for seven awards and won them all, so they had many visits to the main stage. When Walk On won the Best Song category Adam thanked Daniel Lanois as he had saved the song being dropped during recording.

Bono spoke about the Slane concerts and thanked the crowd for keeping him going when all he could see in the audience was his father's face. He admitted it was still a difficult time for him, his honesty about his grief was really moving.

We fully expected the band to play at some point during the show but they didn't. We were very disappointed, as I'm sure were a lot of people.

It took us ages to find the buses that were taking up to the after-show party at Cafe en Seine. It was a wickedly cold night and the wind whipping up the Liffey from the Irish Sea chilled me to the bone. I had high heels on and not being used to them my feet were starting to ache and I was so glad when we found the bus!

Another red carpet awaited us at Cafe en Seine Flanked on either side by two 14 foot inflatable "waiters". Beyond was a heaving mass of people, queues for everything, nowhere to sit, music so loud you couldn't speak, my idea of hell! On top of that my feet were now agonisingly painful, all I wanted a seat.

The place itself was amazing, Debbi had been before but it was my first visit. Massive golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, there were palms everywhere, two floors of galleries with balconies, the floors were tiled with Victorian tiles, very beautiful.

We got our food and found some backstairs to sit down on to eat it as it was a proper meal not finger food that you could wander round with. anyway my feet were glad of the rest!

The only people we recognised were Stephen Gately and Craig Doyle, of course the A-lister party was elsewhere. Gradually the place emptied a bit and we found seats which was much better. We were determined to make the most of the night and stayed until 3am before getting a taxi back to our hotel. I was so relieved to get those damn high heels off!

2001 September - Elevation Tour, Glasgow - The End Of Our U2 Road

The 28th August saw Julie and I sitting on a plane en-route from Ireland to Newcastle. We picked up my car there and drove back to my place in Cumbria, had lunch and then set off north to Glasgow - ahh this jet set lifestyle of U2 fans eh?

We arrived at the SECC at 3pm and one of the first people we saw was our friend Karen. She told us that the queue for the heart enclosure was just up the hall and that we could still join it. I said that we only had seated tickets and she said they were selling standing tickets now at the box office. We didn't have to think twice, we bought tickets and quickly sold our seated tickets for cost prices to grateful fans.

We joined the very organised heart queue. One of the things I love about the Scottish shows is that they are always well organised and most of the more obsessive fans who are at the front of every queue tend not to get that far north!

We were let into the heart at 6.20pm in an orderly manner. After going in we couldn't go out into the main hall, but there was no need to as there was a merchandise stall, refreshments and toilets just for the heart crowd, absolutely brilliant almost like being VIPs!

The support band was a local band The Cosmic Rough Riders which I enjoyed and who the crowd loved. Then it was U2 and the audience went wild! There was plenty of room to move about and even though we are both small we could easily see everything on stage.

Bono seemed very tired, I think all the physically and even more the emotional and psychological strain of the last few weeks were catching up with him. But he still put all he had left into the show. The crowd were great, you can always feel the special Celtic bond between the audience and U2 when in Scotland. Glasgow was a last minute addition to the tour as well and I think the crowd really appreciated that too.

It was quite a short show, no New York or In A Little While. The song that really got to me that night was With Or Without You. Bono said, "This is for my dad - and this is for you" to us. Later he said that the audiences at shows during that time helped him get through those difficult personal times, and by singing that song at Glasgow he was telling us that. It was a very emotional performance and there were quite a lot of tearful people in the crowd including me.

Mysterious Ways was special that night, it wasn't playful and earthy like in London, it was spiritual, that's the only way I can describe it. Bono totally lost himself in the music. He had said earlier in the tour that music is magic, well we saw a bit of that magic in Glasgow that night.

It's always a bit sad at the end of the last U2 show you are going to see on tour. This UK leg of Elevation had been very special because of the illness and death of Bono's father. I was quite emotional myself and related a lot to Bono, because my mother too was terminally ill at the time and died a few months after his father.

Bono shared stories about his dad with us and gave us an insight into what he was like, and it struck me that in many ways Bono was very like him. All this created an intimacy about these shows, a closeness, as we supported Bono emotionally as he poured his heart out to us in each show. It could only happen at a U2 show and I feel really privileged to have been part of it all, they were truly special times that I will never forget.