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I can't liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive..
With or without youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...
I'm listening to The Best of U2: 1980-1990 at work this morning, and I'd forgotten how much I love early U2. Later U2, not as much (although I do love many songs on All That You Can't Leave Behind). So I'm flipping through the CD booklet, and the music is reminding me how great songs like "With or Without You" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "The Unforgettable Fire" are, but the photos in the liner notes are reminding me how HOT Larry Mullen Jr. is/was/always shall be. Damnation!
*touches Larry Mullen Jr. and is burned*
I had the good fortune to see U2 in concert once. It was during the tour for The Unforgettable Fire, so I guess it was about 1985 and I was 15. It was at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, and my friend Kim (don't remember her last name) was a year older and had a car, so she drove. We got there super early because we - me, Kim and Dina (Merrill?) - fancied ourselves as groupies. Awwww, yeah. I've been backstage many a time in my day.
We didn't get backstage that day, though. But we were very close to the front of the line, so when the doors opened we were able to rush in and get fourth-row seats on the floor. Yep, general admission. The floor was covered with rows of plastic chairs that were bound together at the edges.
The Red Rockers opened. I don't remember anything about them other than that I think they had a decent single at the time, "China." Wait, it's all coming back to me now (ewww, Celine). I think that song went something like:
Or something like that. I'm definitely hearing the melody of the chorus in my head.
So, Red Rockers get off the stage, and then the audience is all whipped into a frenzy for the boys from Ireland. People stand up on the seats of their chairs. We do too. U2 starts playing and everyone starts jumping around and chair dancing and pogoing all over the place.
Then people start standing on the backs of the chairs. The plastic chairs. Pretty soon, the backs of the chairs buckle under the weight, so that the backs of the chairs are now bent backwards and are parallel to the seat. Which basically eliminated the space that had once been between the rows of chairs.
Then that happens in every row, until you've basically got several hundred people jumping around and chair dancing and pogoing on an elevated, shaky floor made of bent plastic chairs. Balancing? Very difficult. Falling? Very easy.
And we did. Several times. Then people started pushing and surging forward and stepping on the fallen and pushing and stepping and surging and not thinking and shoving and pressing and screaming and dancing and pushing and surging until ...
We're pushed tight up against the stage. I can't breathe, and my back hurts, but it doesn't matter because THERE'S LARRY MULLEN JR. AND OH MY GOD IS HE CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE.
Ah, "Bad" just started playing on this CD. This is such a beautiful song.
Mmmm. U2. I've seen them in concert as well...for rock stars, they're definitely ageing well. And their music is ageless, IMO.
Posted by: Ka Ching at December 5, 2003 12:40 PMYay! I knew you had good taste in music. Larry Mullen Jr. IS hott. You can have Larry, and I'll take The Edge.
I always wondered what The Edge's wife calls out in bed though. I'm thinking maybe, "The Edge!" or maybe just "EDGE!" or perhaps, "OH EDGIE POO!" or, you know, maybe his real name.
Posted by: Teem at December 5, 2003 04:05 PMHeh. Speaking of rock stars and in bed.
I have this theory that the face that musicians make when they're really into their music, or playing hard, or trying to convey emotion is the same face they make, um, at a critical moment in bed.
And frankly, I'd yell out "EDGE!" in bed. That's kinda sexy!
Posted by: Ka Ching at December 5, 2003 04:42 PMAnd Bono's wife: "Oh, Bono. Oh! Bono! OHHHHH BOOOOOONNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Bono's gotten a little bit pretentious in his "old" age, though. That's why I like Larry - he doesn't mess up his image by actually, you know, speaking.
Someday I'll have to tell the story about meeting the Replacements.
Posted by: Julie at December 5, 2003 07:18 PM