The Memories of Me and My Old Best Friends II

- by Watts| watts4u2@sprynet.com

"Where were you when you first heard U2? When did you become a fan? Or more
specifically, where were you and what were you doing when a new album made
its debut, in the form of a new single?"

I became a fan when "New Year's Day" was starting it's "heavy rotation" on
MTV.  I went out and got "War" and it just blew me away.  I was 14 at the
time and was listening to stuff like Men at Work and Duran Duran...the
Doobie Brothers were my favorite band.  U2 were serious about music and the
fact that music had real meaning in a world too often devoid of meaning.  I remember being on the school bus, listening to my "New Year's Day" on my Walkman and having chills run all over my body when Bono exclaims "We can beee  oonnnnnnnneeee".  The record hit me hard....it was the first album that just grabbed me and wouldn't let go.
After just a listen or two to "War", I became a huge U2 fan, they were the
best, and I let everyone know it.  I went out and got "Boy" and "October" within two weeks of buying "War".  A buddy of mine was a huge fan of The Police
(I was, too, but not like U2), and I remember him saying that U2 were one dimensional, all their songs had the same sound, while The Police had a greater variety and musicianship. He made a "Chuck-a-Cha-Ching Cha-Ching" sound
trying to copy Edge's style.  That criticism rang true a bit back then, but little did he know what lay in store!  Since then, he has come to me and admitted, "I was wrong".  Ah, that was a good day!  And it may help explain my criticism of Sting's new advertising campaigns for Compaq and Jaguar, as I have always seen a rivalry between U2 and the Police/Sting.

I got "Under a Blood Red Sky" the day of its release.  After seeing the special on "Showtime" at a friend's house, I was even more taken with U2.  And hearing "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" and "Party Girl" made me want to start collecting the U2 stuff I didn't have.....old singles, bootlegs and the like.....

"The Unforgettable Fire" debuted while I was stuck away at boarding school.
I first heard "Pride" on my clock radio and I was like "wait a minute....I
think that's U2....it is, IT IS!"  It sounded so completely different from
anything they had done, yet it was still unmistakably U2.  Wow, their first
hit song.  Finally, I didn't have to tell everybody who U2 were, and people
I had pushed U2 on were giving me some credit for picking out this great
band. Cool!  Finally, two weeks after its release, I got a tape from a guy down the hall.  The end of "A Sort of Homecoming" was my theme for that school...the lines "For tonight, at last, I am coming home, I am coming home"....I only stayed at the school for a year.  While I was there, I met another U2 freak, and we traded autographed pictures for bootlegs, he got me 4 early singles, and we performed as U2 for a school "air band" contest.  He was a little flabby, so he got to be Bono (hee hee), wearing the "War" Tour black T-shirt with white flag and all.  I was the Edge on a lacrosse stick guitar.  We "performed" "Two Hearts Beat as One" outdoors to a real crowd....it was wild being on stage, pretending to be U2, in front of a big crowd.  We lost the contest to a guy that did an unbelieveable performance dressed up like Prince.  He deserved it.....we were good, but he was better. 

"The Joshua Tree": I got this on the first day of release, but I was a bit
removed from U2 then.  I was in the middle of a heavy Led Zeppelin phase,
and U2 just didn't rock hard enough for me anymore.  I was put off then by
all the textures that Eno/Lanois had put on UF, and I thought U2 were headed
in the wrong direction.  Well, JT opened my eyes to UF again, and now I
think UF was one of their best records.  The first song I remember hearing
was "Streets"...played it in the tape deck of my buddy's Scirocco as we left
the mall, and all my friends laughed at it, but I knew that there was
something special there.  They were listening to The Beastie Boys.  I like
'em now, but let's just say it was a little annoying back then.  JT pulled
me back in to the U2 fold, and I've never doubted U2 since.  As soon as you think they have left you, they come back and bite you in the ass.  "WOWY" was the first single, and back then I thought it was kinda boring....I mean my friend's
MOM liked it!  But it really grew on me, especially given the fact that I
was in my first real relationship, and she left me and hooked up with one of
my "Beastie friends". 
JT continued to grow as I went to college and all the b-sides kept coming
out....man, U2 just kept the music coming!  It was brilliant stuff....those b-sides helped show how far U2 would grow in the coming years.......

Rattle & Hum:  I first heard the very end of "Desire" on the radio in the
backseat of my girlfriend's Acura Integra, before the official release.  I
was like "wait a minute....I think that's U2....it is, IT IS!"  (sound
familiar?)  Then the harmonica kicked in and I was just on cloud nine.  Man,
U2 is playing real rock'n'roll!  I loved R&H immediately, but I could see
why there was a backlash.  It didn't bother me that U2 were searching for
musical roots....I was too!  If I could change R&H, I would have made 1 live
album and 1 studio album.....it was too chopped up between live and studio.  The album was a soundtrack for much of my extended college career.

Achtung Baby:  "The Fly" was an early release and I wore out the single
tape I had.  I remember the video for the first time....blown away.  They've
done it again!  Who are these guys?  THAT'S U2?  You bet, baby!  In your
face.  I bought this at a midnight offering at a record store in Durham.  I
drove over with 3 friends and we jammed all the way back to Chapel Hill.
Man, Bono's voice on Zoo Station was just wild.....industrial.  EBRT had a
hook you could catch Marlin with, and I knew (as Bono put it), It was one
heavy mother.  It helped me deal with my worst breakup ever (She WAS So
Cruel), and that was the first time I ever got to see U2 in concert....after
all these years!  FINALLY!  (Charlotte, Atlanta Omni, and Columbia, SC) Who would have seen these funky rhythms coming from U2, like in "Mysterious Ways"?  The lyrics on this album in particular just fit my life so well.  How do they know? I found the bootleg "Outside Broadcast" and began collecting U2 bootleg CD's at this point.

Zooropa:  Once again, bought it on release day (all but "UF"....) at a
Midnight store in Richmond, VA (hey Teresa!).  I had just bought the
"Salome: Axtung Beibi" outtakes and was rocking with Edge's freedom in the
studio, so Zooropa was not what I expected at all...(who are these guys?).
I was living at home just after college, trying to plan my future, and Zooropa was asking the same questions I was asking myself.  "What do you want" in the intro.....it was just perfect.
"Numb"....what can you say?  U2 were way out on a limb here, far removed
from the band I thought I knew, but they still managed to hit me where I
feel it the most, while surprising me at every turn.

Passengers:  I didn't even know this was coming out or what it was, but the
manager of Camelot was a buddy and as I perused the aisles, he said "Have
you seen the new U2 release?"  I was like, huh?  Imagine my
suprise/chagrin/delight when I put on "United Colors" in the car in the mall
parking lot.  "This is U2?"  Woah.....a coupla classics and a lot of
experiments....."A time for cutting hair...."  I had my hair cut that day, just before I bought Passengers.  My Mom had been pushing Pavarotti on me for years, and I had to give her credit now that he had done a duet with U2.  I didn't see that coming......

Pop:  I got the WAV files off the 'net....the snippets of "Disco" and
"WUDM".  No store here had a midnight offering.  Once again, U2 had
remodeled themselves, but I knew what was going on thanks to wire and the
'net.  The internet changed the way I heard U2, now I had input from all
sorts of people that were huge U2 fans, who knew more about them that I did.
That was kind of a shock.  I'll never again fear that I don't know about a
record release, but I'll never go into a new record blind again.  That's sad
in a way, but I think the benefits outweigh any negatives of being
"informed".  I loved "Discotheque", and Pop was a great album, but it did not live up to my expectations (perhaps in part because of all the hype on the internet).  The concerts were another matter....I finally had great seats to some shows, and a dream came true for me. 

Here's what I posted to wire back then:   From Memphis to Clemson, May 20, 1997  

"My U2 Vacation" week turned out to be the greatest musical journey ever!
Memphis was a blast, got there early, listened to the soundcheck, but my
11th row seats were a bit of a disappointment, too far from the center
on the left facing the stage. It was impossible to see the b-stage
without standing on the chairs, and I was on the aisle...easy fodder for
the security guys (who were great, too many people just ignored them!)
The audience singing "Pride" was the highlight for me, you know "The
Memphis SKYYyyYYY" was really belted out by the crowd. "Can't Help
Falling in Love" was very short, but a nice touch.....I wasn't impressed
with the sound, from my seat anyway.....but it's always great to see U2!
On Thursday, I tourned Graceland and drove to Chattanooga on the way to
Clemson. I arrived in Clemson on Friday afternoon in time for the
soundcheck, and with time to scope the place out. I found a fenced area
behind Death Valley where the roadies were and a gate with ushers
guarding it. I struck up a conversation with a couple, asked if they'd
seen anybody, but they just got there too. I went back to my car for
awhile, played some guitar, and then walked back to the gate.
I saw the couple I had been talking to, and walked toward them...I
looked up, and there was Bono, walking right up to them! I reached my
hand out and said "Bono! Nice to meet ya", he shook my hand (Whoever
said he shakes hands like a minister is right on), and then a girl asked
me to take her picture with him. BTW, he was wearing the black hooded
sweatshirt with hood on, and had those shades on. I was shaking, but
managed to take the picture and kick myself for leaving my camera in the
car! As I handed the girl her camera, Bono started to walk over to some
more fans, but before he got away, I said "Hey Bono, enjoyed y'all in
Memphis the other night!" He turned around right at me "Oh yeah? Was
the sound all right?" he grabbed his throat, "I mean with my voice and
all.." He sounded hoarse...I said "No, it was fine, I enjoyed the
audience singing along to.." and he was off to say hello to others.
I had a huge smile and a lifetime memory! U2's been my favorite half my
life (I'm 28), and it was great to have this dream come true! After
this, I expected to be let down by the concert, but then I found my
seat! Right side of the b-stage, right where the whole band plays!
The Clemson show was much better than Memphis, and not just because of
my great seats....they just plain rocked, the sound was SUPER, and it
was the best concert experience of my life. I was right up against the
gate for most of the show ( I did let some girls in front of me, i am a
gentleman after all!, Ha!) I got some decent pictures with a disposable
camera, but I swear,they looked away every time. The security didn't
seem to care about cameras at all, but maybe they do bother the band up
that close....Sorry, but I couldn't resist!
"If You Wear That Velvet Dress" was eerie, even more so than the album
version. Edge & Bono spinning a web....
The ends of "End of the World" and "Where the Streets Have No Name" were
awesome rockers.
"Stand By Me"and "if God Will Send His Angels" were both longer than
Memphis.....The audience singalong to "Stand By Me" I think is supposed
to end in confusion and laughter, if Bono wanted to, he could lead the
crowd through it, but it looks to me like he's curious to see if the
audience will sing the ending or keep the song going.....it makes for a
great shared moment between the band and the audience!
I shared a laugh with Bono on stage! They were at the end of "With or
Without You" and Bono was leaning over right in front of me looking at
the floor, and letting out the final "Awwwwwwwww" like he does, and as
he looked up right at me (recognizing me?) I went "Awwwwww" right back
at him with a big smile on my face. He broke into a big grin, smiling
right at me! He leaned over to drink a cup of water, then looked back
down into the audience. I went "Ahhhhhh", like you do when you quence
your thirst and Bono almost did a spittake on me! I made him laugh
pretty good, and he seemed to be in a cheery mood all night.
"You gotta watch out for those fighter planes, y'all" during Bullet was
great, he said it like he was in a Bruce Willis movie! He asked the
audience "You people in Clemson are smart people aren't ya?" or
something like that, and it made me laugh, since I went to UNC, an ACC
rival school, and we used to make Clemson jokes......flame away!
He also said, "Why haven't we played here before?" near the beginning of
the concert, when the were clicking on all cylinders. At the end Bono
said "This was a great show...Thanks!"
It was the greatest concer ever for me, and if anybody has a tape of it,
please let me know!
How can Raleigh top this?"
Well, as we know, Raleigh ended up being cancelled at the last minute.

Now, here we are at the beginning of a new U2 cycle, and I can't wait to see what they have up their sleeves this time.  "Beautiful Day" sounds great to me....it's an unusual first release for me because it sounds like U2.  Every first single has surprised me with a very different sound that I had to get used to.  "Beautiful Day" sounds like U2 is coming home after spending the 90's experimenting and evolving.  I still think the best is yet to come for this band.....and I look forward to living through it. 
I feel lucky to have found U2 at an impressionable time in my life, and I've never regretted hitching myself to their train....what a ride it's been.  Rock on, U2!  

u

The essay was first posted on Wire, August 31, 2000, and reprint for this page purpose by kind permission of the writer.