1. Every month we put an U2 fan in the spotlights, the fan of the month March 2009 is user Risto. Risto was one of the first here who registered, though he only has become very active the last few months, mainly with his great bootleg upgrades and additions. Want to know more of him? Here's where you gotta be.

    Every fan of the month has an interview with us, you can read our interview with Risto in this topic:


    Tell us something about yourself, who are you and what do you do for a living?
    Well I hope this is the hardest question! I am Chris and I am 19 years old. As you know I am a big U2 fan from the Netherlands. I live in the greatest city, Rotterdam. I am studying Mechanical Engineering and I am in my first year now. Until now everything goes pretty well, although I need someone to push me sometimes when I get lazy.

    When I need the bucks and have some spare time I code websites. Last year I haven’t done anything big in this area, just quick and easy jobs.

    Did you ever have a special U2 experience like a live concert? Can you tell us something about it?
    Unfortunately not. Although I was a big fan of ATYCLB I really did not know much of the band. When I found the amazing world of bootlegs (during the Vertigo Tour) I started buying some of the DVD’s. It started with the Vertigo DVD, then Elevation, ZooTV and then Popmart.

    When I heard the guys on live recordings I really became a fan. I can’t wait until the summer. Then me and some converted friends will go to our first U2 concert!

    How did you become a fan of U2, tell us how it happened?
    This is a gray area for me. A long time ago there was some kind of tournament on TV and when there was Dutch success they played two songs during the recaps. One was Beautiful Day and the other one I can’t even remember. Which is strange because I wanted that single. However my parents bought me ATYCLB. This was my second album and it was the first one that I played in a loop. At this point I never heard of AB, Pop or the JT. Of course when I started downloading bootlegs I was caught in U2’s world.

    Live the sound was less polished, raw, energetic and full of emotion. While studio versions tent to be a bit overproduced for my taste. Although I am really happy with NLOTH at the moment. And live is where the beast is released. When Edge gets the time to do something great. He does something extraordinary!

    What is your earliest U2 memory?
    The song Beautiful Day. The first song I really loved, and still do.

    If you could go back in time, which U2-era would you like to be in, and why?
    This is a hard one. To be honest pre Lovetown U2 is not my thing. So I’d skip the 80s. It would be great to be at a ZooTV concert. But I prefer Popmart a bit. So if I could go back in time I would go to 1992 and continue until Popmart. Is that allowed ?

    What does your U2 collection look like? What kind of stuff do you have and how is it organised?
    Although I have uploaded many shows, I have to admit I don’t have them all on my computer. I only have 160GB so it’s stuffed pretty fast. The one’s I have I sort by tour and date. Something like this G:\Music\U2\Live\Bootlegs\1997-1998 - Popmart\1997-08-28 - Leeds (FM Broadcast). At the moment I am still reorganizing my collection in this way. When I look at the amount of bootlegs per tour these are my favourite tours:

    o Vertigo: 32 (promo and radio shows included)
    o Elevation: 26 bootlegs
    o ZooTV: 22 bootlegs
    o Popmart: 20 bootlegs (my real fav)
    o Lovetown: 10 bootlegs

    Probably not as much as the real collectors. But I will be real competition if I buy my next pc .

    When you're forced to leave to a deserted island and you can take only one U2 album with you, which would it be?
    Achtung Baby is the best album in my opinion. But I think I’d take ATYCLB. There is something spiritual going on when I listen to that one. Some songs are very uplifting. Something I’ll need when I am on a deserted island!

    How long been involved in bootlegs? Do you record shows yourself? What is your favorite U2 bootleg, and why?
    I haven’t been involved that long. It started during the Vertigo Tour and I still have to discover pre Lovetown U2. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to go to any U2 concert before so you won’t find any recordings of me on the net. I am going to the next Holland gig if I can get tickets, but I think I will let the experienced taper do what he does best . I don’t know how they do it! Getting through metal detectors and passing security.

    Now about my favourite bootleg. My favourite bootleg at the moment is the Leeds show during the Popmart tour. Energetic and a bit aggressive style. The band was in top shape and Bono pushed his voice to the limits. I know during Popmart his voice was a bit weak, but he really tried hitting the notes and during thing this show he succeeded. I could list every good performance during this show, but they all are really good. Must have gig.

    Do you have anything to add to the lossy versus lossless debate?
    My ears are pretty bad. But I can hear the difference between 128kbps and a CD. But above 160kbps the difference is inaudible for me. I believe people who can hear the difference at 192kbps but I don’t believe someone will hear the difference when MP3s are encoded with the high quality presets (V0-V2). Those encodings reach 320kbps max and an average of 200kbps. More than enough for me .

    What are your hobbies and interests away from U2, musical or otherwise?
    Two years ago I went to the RHCP. Also a great band in my opinion. A little weird though sometimes. But I like their music. Other bands I like (but really don’t know anything about) are Nickelback, 3 Doors Down and Kings of Leon.

    Outside of music I am pretty much satisfied with everything. Not a real partybeast (don’t know if that is English) but I can enjoy myself with my friends around.

    To stay in shape I go to the gym once or twice a week, also with my friends. To keep me from getting bored.

    At last I’d like to say I am honoured to be fan of the month. I haven’t been active for a long time until late 2008/2009. But I will try to keep as active as I am now

    Thanks to all the crew for letting me discover U2! And I hope to continue bugging you all with new uploads and links

    Thanks for this interview Risto!

    Note: Our crew members randomly pick fans of the month, you can't sign up for it
  2. That's a great little interview.
  3. Very nice Chris, and so much deserved
    Your favorite bootleg (Leeds) is awesome
    But where did you get that part of Rotterdam being the best city of Holland from? Seems like you got some wrong info there
  4. Nice one Chris
  5. Thank you guys

    Originally posted by markp91:Very nice Chris, and so much deserved
    Your favorite bootleg (Leeds) is awesome
    But where did you get that part of Rotterdam being the best city of Holland from? Seems like you got some wrong info there


    19 years of experience can't be wrong
  6. Nice interview!
  7. Ahhhh I was waiting for this. Justice. Not only for his uploads by the way.
  8. Nice read! I would've thought u're a tech freak who is gonna record everything in the next tour . plus, I thought u were older lol.
  9. Originally posted by loftarasa:Nice read! I would've thought u're a tech freak who is gonna record everything in the next tour . plus, I thought u were older lol.


    I get that a lot Although if someone would donate good equipement and free tickets I might record a lot

    Yogi, your avatar scares me! lol

    Thanks dieder
  10. Nice interview for such a horrible guy ......

    Congrats, really deserved

    Eetse!
  11. I really like these interviews, always nice to read
    thanks for the insight, risto!