U2 is coming!

So, word is that U2 will, finally, be here in December. Finishing off their world tour, no less.

I must confess to you now, that I am an unmitigated U2 fanatic. I discovered U2 back in 1992, when my dear chum Caleb saw fit to introduce me to their album “Wide Awake in America” during a random roadie we went on. During that previously-described trip, Caleb threw in the tape as the sun came up, playing the song “Bad” (the live version) and proceeding to wail along at the top of his lungs as the music got more and more intense.

The music was intoxicating. Caleb’s singing wasn’t, but we’d been friends long enough that I’d learned to block him out.

Soon after, I started borrowing Caleb’s U2 CD’s and copying them to tape. Eventually, I bought out Caleb’s whole CD collection for $200 (this is an interesting story—Caleb decided that, though CD’s were great, he was going to go back to tape, get CD’s from the library, copy them all, and eventually get over on the system. Of course, not long after he was complaining about how I’d bought his CD’s from him for $1 each and he was now having to deal with fast-forwarding and rewinding again…), which included every U2 CD released up to that point, and I became an unabashed fan.

I was almost tripped up with the advent of “Zooropa”, U2’s foray into techno-pop. However, I found that after scratching my head at the first listening, by the third I was back into it. Same held true for their next album, “Pop”.

I got into U2 just late enough that I missed most of their early concerts. But when the opportunity finally came for me to see them in Oregon (the “Popmart” tour in Eugene, Spring 1997), I jumped at it. I remember sitting way up in the bleachers of Autzen Stadium, looking at the clear, starry sky, and singing along to “With or Without You,” just as every other fan was, and thinking that, at that moment, my life was perfect.

I also remember that JLowe went to the December, 1997 “Popmart” concert in Seattle, that I’d been trying to get to, but hadn’t been able, and called me with his cell phone, leaving a voice-mail of Bono crooning undecipherably in the background.

The same held true for their “Elevation” tour in 2001. Only, that time, I was indoors, but that had a disco ball shooting stars around the room (sometimes, I was hit, and I became a star for a moment), and so it was almost as nice.

I had heard rumors that U2 was on tour again, but hadn’t really focused in on them. Recently, I feared I’d missed the ticket sales date, and wouldn’t be able to see them this time around. Until Monday, when my friend BT called to advise me that the tour was ending in Portland, in December, and tickets go on sale this weekend.

Joy! Utter joy filled my heart, realizing that I’d probably be able to eek some tickets out, despite a budget that’s rapidly collapsing, thanks to my puppy.

Turns out Ollie has mites, so I had to spring for a dip yesterday, and some more antibiotics for her almost-gone runny nose, and I feared that, at that point, I’d be relegated to hearing others talk about a concert that I never should have missed.

But The Missus, who still hasn’t bought me a birthday present, has advised that she’ll spring for my ticket. And so, Saturday, I’m going to be bad and skip out on the first part of my church’s “Work Day” (our annual tradition, which I’ve never attended, where we do touch-up painting, clean stuff, work on the plants outside, etc.), and drive to an undisclosed location where I’ve determined I’ll be less likely to be stuck in a long line, and more likely to get tickets for me and JLowe.

Now, in recognition of my upcoming joy, I will go back to work, listening to U2 on my MP3 player all afternoon. And dreaming of that night in December when, again, everything will be just right.

Catch ya later.

P.S.: I applied for, and have been accepted as, a writer for the Portland Metroblog, which I should start working on later this week or next week. My posts there should be less about me and more about the city I live in and love. Feel free to check it out. As I told them, I'm not really that opinionated (at least, not publicly), but do have interesting perspectives on things, and I hope that my posts over there will at least be interesting.