A dream come true.

Most every show on U2's 360 world tour has ended with "Moment Of Surrender," but before walking offstage last night in Nashville Bono saw a blind fan upfront holding up a sign saying he wanted to play a song for his wife. "What do you want to play?" Bono said to him. "Get a guitar for this dude. Gents, we have a surprise guest." The man said he was really nervous, but once handed Bono's acoustic guitar he began playing "All I Want Is You." It started with just Bono on vocals, but soon enough the entire band joined in for a moment the man is unlikely to ever forget. 

When it was all done, Bono even gave him the guitar. Amazing!!!

The "So many choices" (dream)

Last night I was in and out of sleep all night. Waking up and moving around left and right. It was a strange dream albeit, I know I've had it before. It's the one where  I sit at the oblong table with names of songs written down on paper while I push my brain to choose one U2 song from the army of many as my first dance at my (dream) wedding. That's when I woke up in a pool of sweat wondering what was going on. Why have this dream now? Well as usual, I fell back to sleep and it continued. I remember thinking to myself there are so many choices I can choose from. 


Unchained Melody
Dancing Barefoot
Dreaming with tears in my Eyes
The Ground Beneath Her Feet
With Or Without You
If You Wear That Velvet Dress
Love is Blindness
All I Want Is You

Stay

Kite

In a little while
Moment of Surrender

I just think it's kind of funny that I've been dreaming about something that's not happening for quite some time. I tend to giggle when I think about it. Do you have any songs that you hold near and dear to your heart that sometimes you have crazy dreams about? I'd like to know so I won't be the only crazy one out there. And by the way it doesn't have to be a U2 song..... Well it should be.... I'm just saying!

Journal of Two Superfans

This Guy......

ya this guy 

decided to travel down to Anaheim 

on Thursday night for a mini Vaca.....

We're talking bout fly by the seat of

our pants trip leaving Walnut Creek at 3:30 in 

the p.m. and arriving in SoCal at 11:00 at night.

Some of you may remember the crazy trip down to AZ that

my sister Susannah, my brother Aaron and I took in 09.

 (detailed here http://goodbuthard.blogspot.com/2009/11/u2.html)

Well I thought that was a crazy trip.

This one might might label us  Legit U2 Superfans.

*For details please read on*

 We decided to check in with the U2

government the night before at 11:00 pm while adding our name on the daunting,unofficial U2 list of G/A crazies. As we checked in we found out that 202 people had checked in before us?!? People we are talking about 18 hours before the show actually starts.

Crazy!

This began the long wait from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm when

they decided to let us enter the field level,vying for position 

in and around the stage.As much as the show has become a massive

production with an enormous Claw structure and HD video screens

I have really only been a Fanatic for one position. 

Left Side.

Front Row.

5 Feet from The Edge.

I enjoy with my entire heart being able to share

the feeling of the back support of *front row metal* as we

rest our tired backs against it.

Once rested for that two hours before and after

Lenny Kravitz it was time to welcome the boys back

to the stage! 

Bono

 Edge

 Adam

The feeling that these guys exude is electric.

The venue was alive.

70,000 people on their feet singing 

along to almost every word.

Bono is such a showman.

A Rock Star through and through.

He knows how to get the fans going

yet underneath the rose colored glasses

he has a message to each and every fan that

comes to a show.

Edge on the other hand 

is the humble surgeon.

Creating amazing sounds with each and every note bringing the fans to their feet at each song. I've never been to a U2 concert when I've sat down. The sound is addictive. Aaron and I have been right in front of him enough times to know that this is the best spot in the entire stadium during the concert. Friday night was a great night. Why??? for many reasons. I could spend time with my wonderful brother for almost 36 hours. I felt that we needed some time to catch up from the missed time away. Both with the band and with each other.

At the end
of the night Aaron and I walked away with 

another *setlist, 2 yes 2 picks from Edge (via Dallas Schoo, Edge's guitar tech) and a great memory of another successful concert listening to our favorite band.

 Great Memories never to be forgotten.

Smiles always tell the truth.

Great Song to Continue the day with

If I could stay...
Then the night would give you up
Stay... and the day would keep its trust
Stay... and the night would be enough....

Three o'clock in the morning
It's quiet and there's no one around
Just the bang and the clatter
As an angel runs to ground

U2 U2 U2 U2 U2 U2 U2

What would a proper U2 be without the 3 Musketeers? That's all I've really known since the 1990's. So I'm going to include some pics of Aaron enjoying this concert with us front row from AZ. We were very fortunate this time around because Rebecca and her Husband Mark were present also to enjoy this amazing Set!!!               Like I talked about before, seeing U2 in concert is an experience. To me.... there are concerts and then there are U2 concerts. Without these two musketeers the experience would not be the same. Such a great time out with these two guys at the concerts over the years. When I go through the motions of staying in line all day and devoting an entire day and a half towards this group, I expect to get something back other than a great performance, right?
I mean come on be serious, if we really call ourselves Superfans 1-3 we have to try and gain everything we can, while we can that U2 is around right? There are a few items that I like to collect at the concert while I'm there if I'm lucky enough to get front row. The first is a set list. The second is I try to get a pick from The Edge or Bono. Those are pretty difficult. But the easiest of them all are pictures that I can take of the band from a great location. This time around I was unable to bring my camera and I relied on the guy next to me to take a few shots with his digital camera. I actually lucked out, because they turned out really well. Before checking out the pictures below check out the awesome new technology U2 put in place at this link that can allow you to locate yourself in the stadium and tag yourself within a High resolution picture!
http://www.u2.com/gigapixelfancam/110607/138138-jonathan-ruff

 
 

Just a quick glance at happiness

I'll keep the long, juicy filled blog for another day when I have all of the pictures to make it amazing; however here is a quick glance at what we waited in line all day for.

Front row next to The Edge.

It doesn't get much better than that at a sold out Oracle Stadium.

It was amazing. Not just that I was there with Superfan #1, but of our location and the concert in general. U2 belted out 24

amazing songs over a 2.5 hour reign.

Like I said these pictures don't do it justice being taken by my IPHONE.

We were so close.....

Each and every time we get to experience
these guys, we are very lucky.

I swear at least three times in the concert Bono looked at Sooz and I, as if he were singing right to us.... no lie, I swear!

 I feel like a kid in a candy store when

I get to experience this band. 

From the stands, from the seats, even from 10 feet

away, U2 was made for a stadium concert venue.

It's more than a concert, it's a production. It's so planned out to perfection, that I think each and every 

fan can take something different away from the concert.

I've always enjoyed going to the concerts with my superfans because they know how amazing U2 is in concert. We each hold that common bond of loving the band in its entirety since we were very young. I'm sad in some ways that my Sister (superfan#1) 

and my brother (superfan#2) might not be able to trek

down with me to Anaheim in a week for their next concert.

This is why I'm trying to steal superfan #2 away

from his obligations in the bay area just for a day as

we trek down to try and find "happiness" again. We'll see. 

Maybe I'll bribe him and his lovely wife in some way or another. 

They only come around every so often right????

HaHa well there's my happiness for the week. 

Oh and also I was able to grab this while at the show!!!!

Thanks to my boy AJ from the U2 road crew.(pictured above)

The Day

The dawn breaks with excitement on his mind.

He collects his thoughts as two years have past.

His love for something as simple as a 4 piece quartet

has driven his heart, soul and body toward exhaustion.

Night turns into day as the fire continues to burn.

Will the night equate complete happiness?

The cold concrete is forgotten

as the seeming less future is foreseen.

Dates, pictures, hymns and stories are

thrown around as a stepping stone for discussion.

The group commences.

they begin there walk towards a song in the night

My heart rejoices with the rest.

The exhaustion secedes long enough 

to feel success of a brighter day.

The ink still stands 

as a reminder of better days spent

with the people I love.

jr 6/7