U2 toured Australia twice in the 90s, first in '93 (Zooropa) then in '98 (Lemon (?)). I didn't go to either of them.
Why? First time around because I didn't really love them as much. My nostalgia glands hadn't kicked in. In '98 though, I was probably going through my slack mofo phase where I would buy tickets then just bloody not go to the gig cos I was sad at going alone and woe is me ladeeda depressive shit... Not a good time for me. I clearly did it at least twice, and not just some el cheapo $5 gig at a pub - with Everclear at the Metro, then Smashing Pumpkins at the Hordern Pavillion. I'm sure Billy would've been crushed by my no show. Oh, and while I knew Bono was probably going to pull some McPhisto big-ass stage gesture shit, and they
did have that big lemon on stage, I was kinda getting turned off by their attempts at being disco or ironic or cynical or whatever you call it. I like my U2 big and sincere, heart on sleeve singing words like "incantation, isolation, condemnation.. let it go, and fade away" Soppy and earnest.
Anyway, I'm finally going! Along with 6 other slack-arses that couldn't be bothered helping to get the tickets. Why the hell do I have to be the Ticketek line-up-for-1-hour-or-more peon. Oh yeah, sure, you all have jobs - just like I do! Okay, it's not really that big an imposition, but why doesn't anyone else give a damn about these things and try organising things. Sometimes it's good, cos once I got to corral my friends into checking out Philip Glass playing the Koyaanisqatski soundtrack at the Opera House. Or go to the Big Day Out (which is waay more fun when you have friends to lose in the crowd).
My biggest mistake was turning up to Ticketek at Star City at goddam 8.30 in the morning! Why o why didn't I go earlier? It's bloody U2! People sleep over for these things! I saw people smugly beaming as they got their tickets, lugging their pillows, blankets, luggage, and in one instance - a 14" TV. No slumming it for those fans. The good thing was it was all under cover. If you're going to stay the night for tickets, make it at Star City. Not only are you not exposed to the elements, but you have easy access to food and alcohol and poker machines! Why, you could - theoretically - actually earn enough money to get up to 8 A Reserve ($200 ea) tickets. If there were two of you, that'd be 16 tickets to scalp, er peddle, because all 16 of you got called to jury duty or had to do something for the Army Reserve that evening. And since some ebay suckaz have paid up to 8x for a ticket, you're looking at a potential profit of $22400 (($200 per ticket * 16 tickets * 8x markup) - ($200 * 16 initial investment) ). You don't get that at the Elizabeth St branch.
Back to the topic - why was I late for U2 tickets? I got my 8 D reserve seats - yes, up there in the air close to the clouds - at 9.45.. and then I found out later that tickets sold out at 10am! That's cutting it a bit fine. How come I was able to haul ass to get New Order tickets at 7.30 in the morning? A show that I really regretted seeing as they didn't play Bizarre Love Triangle or Confusion. Bernard blurted out something about how sick he was of it, but he had to play the damn song called Blue Monday. (though they did play Love Will Tear Us Apart!) So how could I do it for New Order and not U2? Am I just getting too lazy to care about rock and roll?
I was actually more excited about getting tickets for Sleater-Kinney, also selling on the same day. Actually.. no, they were selling on 2 December, same day as the White Stripes. But anyway, comparing all 3 shows, from small (S-K) to medium (White Stripes) to humongous (U2) -- maybe I'm not really as enthusiastic about the bigger shows because of the distance factor. Watching it from so far away, that the best you can do is just look at the big screen -- well, what's the point? Might as well watch a DVD. But then, watching at home on TV - you don't get to be part of the big herd/ crowd doing the gigantic singalong.
But then fukkkkk... 70,000 people singing "One". Maybe 50,000.. since there will be spouses and children or parents bought along who have NFI when it comes to the lyrics.
I remember feeling a bit of this when we saw Springsteen, in what was probably one of the worst gigs of his career, where the power came out 5 times, and he was already swearing at one point "I don't know what the fuck is going on". Watching at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and I couldn't actually see anything onstage... just doesnt work for me.
Yes, this is incomplete, but I gotta get some sleep.
Phew, it stinks. Was 33deg C today. Hottest day of the year, apparently. And it's only going to get hotter.
17 days to go til Christmas! Yes, I really do want that 60Gb ipod this year. Dear Lord, please. Maybe I can buy it then give it to my wife and get her to give it to me. Yay, my devious mind has a cunning plan. Bla bla bla...
