100 Things | U2

23. I am a U2 fan.




There is this thing going around on Facebook called the Soundtrack of Your Life: "Think of 25 albums that had such a profound effect on you they changed your life or the way you looked at it: they sucked you in and took you over for days, weeks, months, years. These are the albums that you can use to identify time, places, people, emotions. These are the albums that no matter what they were thought of, they musically shaped your world. They stood up, they lasted, they mattered. They still matter, in some way (even if only in memory)."

I have started it but I haven't finished it but U2 is on there several times. I first heard them when someone passed me a walkman - with a tape of them. It was the album War. And I was hooked. We were on a long bus ride from Omaha to Colorado for Bible Camp and I just kind of lost myself in the music.

Although I saw a lot of bands and concerts in my teenager to early 20's - U2 was one of those that I just couldn't ever afford to see. Or just something always got in my way of seeing them. I really wanted to see them on the Joshua Tree tour. It is my favorite. But it didn't happen. I finally saw them on the Zoo TV Tour.

While watching this concert tonight, I realized that the last time I saw them in concert was my birthday and it was either 1991 or 1992 - I think it was 1992. I think we were living in Topeka at the time. I think I still have the tickets around here somewhere. I was very lucky as I got to see them twice that tour. We had got tickets for a concert in Ames, Iowa as that was the closest to Omaha. I remember Jim and I standing outside Homer Music in the Old Market waiting for the tickets to go on sale. I can even remember what we were both wearing isn't that scary? I really wonder if we were in living in Topeka at that time. But I know that we got them because it was the closest at the time and my sisters (who lived in Omaha) went with us.

U2 then added more dates and a Kansas City date was one of those dates. The KC date on my birthday. And so he got them for my birthday. That tour they had a belly dancer come out and dance on one song for sure "Mysterious Ways" and maybe she danced for a couple more. It was her birthday too - so Bono wished her a happy birthday. It was so cool to hear Bono saying Happy Birthday even if not to me - but on my birthday. It was freezing out. But it was worth it.

I have really good memories associated with U2.