More About U2

It didn't really hit me until they showed a black and white video (embedded in Pete's post below) with a shot of the band walking out onto stage. For the past, oh just 25 years, I've loved U2 and have had a massive crush on the drummer, Larry Mullen Jr. Also known as Lawrence, in case you were wondering. So when I saw that shot, I start screaming like a hysterical teenager, mouth agape, unable to reconcile the fact that a dream for 25 years was finally coming true. 

Forget the fact it was Pete's present for a minute, will ya? 

For my 15th birthday, what I wanted to do MORE THAN ANYTHING, was go see Rattle and Hum, the U2 documentary about their then-tour. I had already watched The Unforgettable Fire and memorized every lyric of that album and the Joshua Tree. This was before Pandora and iTunes, ahem, so I had to go to Rainbow Records  and scour the U2 section for a cassette tape, then dedicate a good hour of time to listen to the first side, note my favorite songs, memorize the lyrics, then flip sides and do the same. On Nov. 15, 1988, opening night at the Cineplex, I went to see it, and was beyond beyond beyond thrilled. It was insanely awesome.

So maybe I was a little obsessed. 

During the concert I continued to elbow Pete and just look at him with the most CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING look on my face. The swagger/lunge/weird dance of Bono and suggestive grunts, all memorized from Rattle and Hum, were there. Larry playing his heart out on the drums. Edge rocking it and providing backup vocals and Adam punctuating the songs with his bass. It was all there, and perhaps I'm being melodramatic, but it really was everything I had hoped it would be. I know Pete was thrilled, and really, it was such a memorable night. I sat there and wondered, why don't we go to awesome concerts more often? Because THIS -- THIS NIGHT -- was all about making memories. 

So what I'm saying is, it was so awesome. Beyond awesome.