A U2 Fan

My license tag on my car

Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows I am a U2 Fan.  Here’s how it all began.  I was born in the age when most Christian kids weren’t aloud to listen to secular music and many of my friends made it their focus to obtain non-allowable music. 

Being the youngest has it perks.  My brother had a huge drawer in his room full of cassette tapes.  When I was 13 I would “borrow” some of his music without permission.  He was always on the cutting edge, which worked out great for me.  I vividly remember seeing War (with that pretty boy on the cover) and October in his music drawer.  I was hooked!  There’s nothing like a little Gloria and Sunday Bloody Sunday!  What passion and the good news for me was that U2 had scripture weaved all through their music and still do.  That made them acceptable to my parents! 

Tour Book from
Unforgettable Fire

I remember counting down the days until the Unforgettable Fire came out and remember going, on the release date, to Kmart to buy the album (for those of you young folks, that is a round thing that spins and is played with a needle…yeah I know, weird.)  Somehow I convinced my mom to let me go to a U2 Concert when I was 15 in the Coliseum.  No one puts on a show like U2. Bono is wild as a front man and always pours his heart into every show.

I went to my 2^nd concert in Tampa during the Joshua Tree Tour.  My sweet Daddy stood in line with me at Turtles Music Store to get a lottery number to buy tickets.  Dad got the better number and when I got up to pay with my credit card, I found out they only took cash….Dad quickly pulled a $100 bill out of his money clip and saved the day!

Marie, me and Jenny in Lakeland

Backstage Pass

The most memorable concert was in Lakeland in 1992.  U2 hadn’t toured in years.  I had joined a fan magazine called Propaganda and they gave U2 fans special tickets for shows.  I ordered all my tickets through them and had phenomenal seats, (front row in Miami, the show the night after Lakeland.)  My BFF, Jenny McCue and I took off for the concert meeting up with other good friends, Michell, Mary Kay, Andrew and arrived at the arena after lunch. Being good groupies, we stood in the back and waited for U2 to arrive for a sound check.  When Larry roared up on his motorcycle sheer panic erupted.  There was one girl especially having a complete hysteria attack (well, besides me!) named Marie.  We grabbed each other, jumping up and down, hugging and hypervenilating.  I have never had such an instant friendship with anyone.  We happened to be staying in the same hotel and even went back to the venue, in the wee hours after the concert, made friends with all the roadies and saw all the cool cars up close, that had decorated the stage!  We saw several shows together and became lifelong best friends.  As fate would have it, she lost her mom at a young age and shortly after I lost my Dad and our friendship quickly moved past our U2 connection and we grieved together.

Red Rocks, Denver, Colorado

My compulsive obsessive personality has led me to Red Rocks in Denver, Colorado to the outside ampitheater which was the site of the outside U2 concert, Under a Blood Red Sky and all the way to Dublin to sign my and Marie’s name on U2’s studio wall on Windmill Lane, to having a license tag on my car, A U2 Fan. I have been backstage at a show and I can’t confirm whether I bootlegged shows with a small tape recorder….

U2's Studio on Windmill Lane, Dublin, Ireland

October 2010 was one of the highlights of my life!  My sweet husband Dan had NEVER been to a concert.  I still can’t believe it!  But oh, what a great first one he picked to see!!  Marie flew into town and we drove to Tampa and met up with my other sweet BFF Jenny McCue.  Her boyfriend Tony hooked us up with free rooms in a she-she resort!  We all rode together to the concert and had the time of our life.  Even though I am pretty sure Marie and I traumatized Dan and possibly those surrounding us as we jumped, sang at the top of our lungs and sweated to a whole new level!  I felt like I was young, free and 17 again! I even wept during Amazing Grace because they had a light on a waving American Flag! Dan was sincerely impressed and couldn’t believe how good Bono could really sing!

Tampa, October 2010

My sweet friend Marie, bought me a ticket to the show in Nashville that is TODAY!  I had to cancel due to life circumstances and I sit here reminiscing, knowing Marie will be singing with Bono tonight and I will miss them both!  Until next tour my friend…..  #depressed #blessedbyU2