Maybe You've Heard of Them?
So there's this band I've been following since I was a kid. I remember it like it was yesterday... They were four lads who shook the world. Not the Beatles. U2.
Yes, I remember it like it was yesterday. It was 1984 when The Unforgettable Fire was released. I bought it, played it, and thought that here is a band that's got something special about them. But, at the time, I was still stuck in a Depeche Mode rut having just broken loose from the chains of Duran Duran. Too - many - memories - flooding - back...
Fast forward to March of 1987 when U2 released The Joshua Tree. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Here's the album I had waited for. It was for me and me alone to enjoy and take in and understand. Only I could see the hopeful desperation (or desperate hope) of "Where the Streets Have No Name" or feel the pain in "Running to Stand Still." I felt I knew the poet in "One Tree Hill" and mourned his loss as much as the band did through their lyrics and music. Never before was an album written for me to get.
In 1987, I was still in my very early teens. I didn't have a job and we didn't have much money. BUT, I did study the fine art of winning call-in radio contests. I set my sights on winning me a pair of tickets to the U2 concert. Voila! I got them. It really wasn't much effort and the poor radio DJ had to give me clue after clue to get my question right. The answer was "Ballerina Girl" by Lionel Richie. The question escapes me, but I do remember the answer.
April 15, 1987, L.A. Sports Arena. That night, I found my calling, my band, and the soundtrack to my life. It was just me and the band in that arena and it was magical. Bono said, "Jump." and I said, "How high?" OK, maybe it wasn't that dramatic, but I sure had a heck of a time. I won another pair of tickets to their 2nd U.S. tour leg and saw them in November. I caught a terrible case of pneumonia at the outdoor show. I ended up writing to Bono and telling him I almost died. His "people" wrote me back and said that they were going to give him my letter. I imagine that he carries the tattered letter in his pocket and if I were ever to run into him, I'd say something that'd make him pull out the letter and we'd share some brilliant moment of connection and friendship spanning time and distance. Or not.
Suffice it to say that I've not missed a tour since and almost 20 years later, they're still my favorite band. If they want to sing it, I want to hear it.
Yes, I remember it like it was yesterday. It was 1984 when The Unforgettable Fire was released. I bought it, played it, and thought that here is a band that's got something special about them. But, at the time, I was still stuck in a Depeche Mode rut having just broken loose from the chains of Duran Duran. Too - many - memories - flooding - back...
Fast forward to March of 1987 when U2 released The Joshua Tree. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Here's the album I had waited for. It was for me and me alone to enjoy and take in and understand. Only I could see the hopeful desperation (or desperate hope) of "Where the Streets Have No Name" or feel the pain in "Running to Stand Still." I felt I knew the poet in "One Tree Hill" and mourned his loss as much as the band did through their lyrics and music. Never before was an album written for me to get.
In 1987, I was still in my very early teens. I didn't have a job and we didn't have much money. BUT, I did study the fine art of winning call-in radio contests. I set my sights on winning me a pair of tickets to the U2 concert. Voila! I got them. It really wasn't much effort and the poor radio DJ had to give me clue after clue to get my question right. The answer was "Ballerina Girl" by Lionel Richie. The question escapes me, but I do remember the answer.
April 15, 1987, L.A. Sports Arena. That night, I found my calling, my band, and the soundtrack to my life. It was just me and the band in that arena and it was magical. Bono said, "Jump." and I said, "How high?" OK, maybe it wasn't that dramatic, but I sure had a heck of a time. I won another pair of tickets to their 2nd U.S. tour leg and saw them in November. I caught a terrible case of pneumonia at the outdoor show. I ended up writing to Bono and telling him I almost died. His "people" wrote me back and said that they were going to give him my letter. I imagine that he carries the tattered letter in his pocket and if I were ever to run into him, I'd say something that'd make him pull out the letter and we'd share some brilliant moment of connection and friendship spanning time and distance. Or not.
Suffice it to say that I've not missed a tour since and almost 20 years later, they're still my favorite band. If they want to sing it, I want to hear it.
posted by Cee in SF at 9:47 AM
4 Comments:
I lurrve U2 beyond the beyond. And you, too! I linked to you in my blog. I hope you don't mind. Maybe all 3 of my regular readers will check you out! Hee hee.
You're making me blush! Hey, I'm one of your regular readers so I'm probably gonna only get 2 extra hits. I love seeing the hit counter go up and up! You know I love you, love your work. See you in cyberspace...
U2 are fan-dooby-tastic. Despite the fact I was still in nappie when they first releaased an album - their one of my favourite bands today. We were hoping to see them here in Cardiff last June, but by he time I got home from work and got online the day the cikets were released - they were sold out. Perhaps I should take a leaf outta your book adn try to win me some!!!
When all else fails, try to win them! When I have to buy tickets, my "Plan A" is getting a slew of co-workers on the phone when tickets go on sale and have them shout when they get through. I run over and make the purchase. They're the only touring act worth paying for, in my opinion and they always put on a fantastic show!
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