Cell phone pictures

This here is a picture of Bono during the song "City of Blinding Light." Cell phones don't really take good pictures do they?






This is Bono and Adam Clayton behind us. Remember, the stage is "O"-shaped. If you're standing where I am, the main stage is in the top third of the O, and right now, they are standing on the bottom.





The guitar pick I caught. It's black, with a red bullseye and the "U2" in the middle. on the back is a gold embossing of Bono's signature.

I'm in a place called Vertigo...

Hello, hello....

Three words: It. Was. Awesome.

The day started like any other. But it ended with the best experience of my life.

We arrived in the City of Blinding Lights - or, in this case, the City of Feet of Snow at around 5. The show started at 7:30. That was just enough time to grab some food. The hotel we stayed at (which was so nice it deserves it's own review) had a TGI Friday's right in it. They were running a 2-for-1 happy hour, so I had a couple Freebirds (Jack and Cokes...) and a really nice jalapeno burger. I ate so fast because I just wanted to get to the arena. I looked outside at the flying ice-cold snow a few times during the meal and didn't look forward to walking the four blocks to the show. Then the waitress came over.

"Are you here for U2?"

"Yes."

"You should take the train. It's free. It picks you up right there." She was pointing at the hotel front door. Ten minutes later, we were getting off the train right in fron of the arena. We had General Admission tickets, which meant we were on the floor and would have to battle our way through the crowd in order to get to the front of the stage. It was a battle I was ready to fight. A security guard standing outside the area was asking people if they had GA tickets, because we were to stand in a different line. So we went over and got in that line, which moved really fast.

As we got toward the front, I noticed they were slapping wristbands on folks after scanning their tickets. I figured that was to be sure they belonged on the floor. Every couple minutes, I'd hear a group of people yell out. I didn't know why. Then came the explanation. The couple in front of me turned around, and he says, "You know the stage is an ellipse, right? Like a circle. They scan your ticket twice. If your name comes up on the second scan, you get inside the circel and closer to the band." My heart is pounding in my throat. I want that!

We get closer to the front and the guy's girlfriend turns around. "OK," she says. "If we get in, you guys are with us. If you get in, we're with you." I nod OK. They scan her ticket. She's in! We yell. And jump. Then I hope she remembers her deal. Then she turns around. "Come on, you're with us!" I can't believe it. We get a second wristband and that couple gets a couple beers on me. (thanks, by the way. I can't thank you enough!)

So we went in and were standing, literally, touching the stage. Touching it! Then the opening act came out, some band called Institute. Then I realized, Gavin Rossdale is the lead singer! You might remember him from the band Bush. Very cool. He was standing on top of me. They were very good, and played for about 45 minutes.

A half hour later, and over 20,000 people later, out came U2, to the song "City of Blinding Light." Electric. Four songs later, they finally stopped. The crowd was so loud. Bono could feel the place shaking. I know, because I read his lips as he went over to Adam Clayton. "It's shaking in here!" Then he looked at the crowd and said, "That's incredible."

They did sing a Christmas song. A John Lennon one. "Happy Christmas." It was pretty. They sang all of their hits, and each one lit up the room. When Bono introduced "One," he told the crowd to get out their cell phones, because he wanted to "light this place up like a Christmas tree." I turned around to get the scope of it, and it was the prettiest, most amazing thing I ever saw. Larry Mullen Jr., Clayton and Edge were all trying to suppress smiles.

Perhaps the most powerful message of the night (and U2 fans know there are many messages, mostly about peace and basic human decency) was when Bono related the story of where the band was when John Lennon was shot, 25 years and one day before this concert. Turns out, the band had just finished a show in front of 20 people at a place called Stage One, in Buffalo, the same city they were in last Friday. Bono said he would never forget it, because John Lennon whispered in his ear, and that's why he is where he is today. Throughout the night, the band played tribute to the man by playing several Beatles songs. Touching.

"Miss Sarajevo" - Bono sang the Pavorotti part perfectly. He has such a powerful voice! And the control...impressive.

Oh, yeah, and after Bono finished playing his guitar on "Yahweh," he threw his guitar pick into the crowd. It is now in the possession of quint.

There's so much more I could say. I'm sure this sounds disjointed, for that I am sorry. But it was the best experience of my life. One I will never forget.

The pre-U2 report

OK. In just over 24 hours I'm heading to the snowed-in city to the west to see, arguably, one of the greatest bands of all time.

I hope they sing a Christmas song!

I went to a pro football (not soccer, you crazy Euro-folk!) game a few weeks back with my aunt, uncle and dad. We had a fantastic time - my uncle is a season-ticket holder. He's got these really nice seats that are actually covered up in the outdoor stadium, and the seats even have a switch under them to turn on a heater! I actually got hot at the game and had to turn my seat off! (This is a big tangent, but the seats also have their own private restrooms and restaurant indoors behind them, and waitresses will bring your beer, I mean, nutritious food, too you.) The game was so fun! Anyhow, afterwards, we all got talking about the concert I was going to, and I found out that my aunt and uncle are going to the same concert!

I have good tickets, floor, general admission, so I'll get to see Bono sing up close. The aunt and uncle have lousy seats - they'll be able to touch the arena roof. But we're going out afterwards, and that'll be fun. And I booked myself a hotel room. So I'll be able to enjoy going out, except for the cold...

I heard a U2 song on the radio - "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" - yesterday, and I started to wonder, how many people on this planet have a U2 song as their theme song? U2, whether you like them or don't, is a band for the ages. The soundtrack of our lives, all of our lives, could fit a U2 song on it. (At this point I started to wonder what my theme song is. I got frightened when I realized it might be "wannabe" by the Spice Girls. I take that back...my song is "wishlist" by pearl jam - the greatest. band. ever.)

I like "With or Without You." The bass line gets me, it's electric. I really just want to hear a Christmas song.

Awful quiet around here...

It snowed today. And I got a parking warning from the town police. Apparently I'm not allowed to park in the road from November 1st till April 1st. With three cars and a small driveway, I guess it's time to clean out the garage. Clean out the garage so I can actually fit a car in it? That's just crazy-talk!

I picked up War of the Worlds on DVD. Good flick, but no special features on the disc. Steven Spielberg is a good director - probably my favorite - but his DVDs are surprisingly sparse when it comes to features. You need to wait until a special anniversary comes out or something. Like Jaws, or E.T. And even then, you don't get a commentary. I'd pay a lot of money to hear a Steven Spielberg commentary.

And yes, I am a mediafreak, it is what I went to school for, and I am one of those dorks who loves hearing the commentaries on DVDs. One of the best ones, as far as entertainment goes is Dude, Where's My Car? The Goonies is good, because it was years later when they did the commentary. One of the neatest commentaries is the one for the Pilot episode of Lost. The producers actually stop the show so they can show you even more "Making Of" features. And one of the most educational commentaries was the one for X-Men. They really get into the whole creation of the reality of the movie, and even how particular shots and effects were set up.

Nothing funny happened to me yesterday. I've kinda been just floating along the past week. Ever have a week like that, where you just feel, I dunno, detatched isn't the word I'm looking for....how about....spacey. Yeah, spacey. Have you ever had a week where you just felt spacey? Lumpy, I know you have because you're reading this after staring at those walls for three hours.

I just saw it's Britney Spears' birthday. What do you think people bought for her? Huge bottles of Vodka? Shoes? Underwear (even though she doesn't seem to wear any...)? Happy birthday, Britney. And if you hadn't changed 100% from how you were three years ago, and also walked around on a stage carrying a huge snake, I'd still marry ya. (Do you think the was going for a phallic symbol with the snake?)

And in honor of her birthday, here's a random quote from Britney: "I always listen to 'NSYNC's Tearin' Up My Heart. It reminds me to wear a bra. "

Please join me in saying..."What?!"

Don't expect to leave happy

As you know, I saw Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire this weekend. I don't know what else to say about that, so now I'm going to tell you about it. If you haven't read the book and want to, stop reading now, because I'm assuming everyone knows what happens...and if you haven't read the book and want to....WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR????? Get off your duff and read the thing! Do NOT see the movie! READ THE BOOK!

The movie starts exactly like the book did, in dusty old mansion near a spooky graveyard, with tombstones bearing Tom Riddle's (You-Know-Who's father) name and the names of his parents. Those of us who read the book know why these people are no longer among the living. Inside the house, there is an additional person than there was in the book, but the movie needed to do that in order to compress the story. Understandable, and it works. Frank Bryce snuffs it, and Harry wakes up, thinking it was all a dream.

The Quidditch World Cup was fun. Ginny has a few lines, and they really show her slow development into the girl we know and love in Book 6. Then the chaos begins, and the Death-Eaters start marching. And chaos it is! It's a very frightening sequence, and I really felt...nervous...for the first time in a Harry Potter movie. The third movie has an overall sense of foreboding, but I was never really "scared." This fourth movie really makes you nervous.

The new teacher, Mad-Eye, makes you nervous too. I think that might be because he's always nervous. He even curses the enchanted ceiling in the Great Hall in a funny moment. One thing I did miss though, was him always saying "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" But the movie did keep in a scene where Moody shows Malfoy what a ferrett he really is.

The two international schools of magic arrive at Hogwarts in very nice sequences - like Mr. Weasly says, "When we all get together, we can't help but show off." In a slight change from the book, Beauxbatons is a girls school and Durmstrang is a boys school. It works, and is cool. I gotta add, it's neat to see the characters we know and love interact with new folks - not just the one new teacher here and there.

Fred and George FINALLY get the chance to be Fred and George! Oh, it's so refreshing to see them act like they do. They are mischief-makers, and they do it in this one. For those curious, they do take the aging potion, and the age-line Dumbledore put around the Goblet does work on them....and Sirious is in the movie, but just in the fire, and that was good enough for me.

The Yule-Ball was perfect; the dancing was elegant and Ron and Hermione did have their row at the end of it, and I felt so bad for her. The tasks were all amazing. I swear that dragin was real. I don't know where they found a real dragon to act in a movie, but good lord! That this was real. The Black Lake was neat, and scary, and "zee grindylows" were very cool. The maze. The maze was impressive. No Blast-Ended Skrewts or anything, but I sat in a theater full of people, and a lot of them jumped in the maze sequence.

Then we get to the graveyard, back where the whole thing started. Wormtail comes out and gets right to work. Cedric is no more. He does the re-birthing spell in its entirety. Bone from the father, flesh from the servant, blood from the enemy. Arm-slicing and all. It's all there. And so is You-Know-Who. Scary. Great bad guy.

I also think a lot of the people I saw the movie with hadn't read the book, because when Lucious was unmasked, a lot of people gasped.

The wands connected, Harry saw his parents, and Cedric, who asks Harry to take his body back. Harry does. And they land back at Hogwarts, where no one realizes what wrong. They are all clapping and celebrating. Then, slowly, the realization comes over the crowd that something has gone horribly, irrevocably wrong. Harry sobs, the students stand silent, Cedric's dad runs out of the crowd and just wails, clutching his son, taken early from him by the whim of a madman. Seeing it was actually worse than reading it. People around me cried.

At the end of the movie come two lines that have come to define the Harry Potter series since the fourth book came out: "Everything's going to change now." "Dark times lie ahead. Soon we will all have to make the choice between what's right and what's easy." The Dark Mark has been cast, and it's not going to get any easier for Harry.

This movie was fantastic. Best HP movie yet. They did cut a lot, but they told they story, and that's what's important. I give it a 10 or **** or an A+ or whatever your grading system is. Just don't expect to leave the theater incredibly happy. That's not going to happen in a Harry Potter movie anymore. Not until number 7 at least.

Great site for readers!

OK, is this kosher to post a link here? Hope so. Anyway, I found a really great site for the truly nerdly, such as yours truly. Its called what should I read next? So far it only contains 14,000 books but continues to grow as you add your selections. Just type in a favorite book or author. For instance my favorite book of all time is Pride and Prejudice and I was awaiting the Kiera Knightly version only to find it won't be playing in this area!! Probably all the result of a bespectacled boy with a scar :). Anyhow, at http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/ I find I need to read The Other Boleyn Girl, Jane Eyre, and Gone with the Wind, all of which I did read and enjoy and I have now added Up Country by Nelson DeMille to my to-be-read pile. In searching for Harry Potter, I find that Harry Potter fans also enjoyed The First Men on the Moon by H. G. Wells. Now if only I can get my daughter to sleep early enough to get reading done....

Tickets to Goblet

Yessssssss! I have purchased a ticket to see Harry Potter and the Golblet of Fire for tonight!

It's not my favorite Harry Potter book, but the one that will make for the best movie...dragons, mermaids, giants, Mad-Eye, and what else? Oh yeah, only the baddest wizard to walk the earth. He makes quite an entrance too...

My favorite Harry Potter book is Chamber of Secrets, followed very closely by Half-Blood Prince. Now there's a movie I can't wait to see!

This'll be a good way to end a bad week, I think.