1. Every month we put a U2 fan in the spotlight. The fan of the month for September 2016 is user allad1nsane. Read along for the interview we had with this U2 fan.

    "Bad hit me like a hammer that night. Bono saw it as we were right up front, which horrified me slightly, and we had what I can only describe as a moment I will never forget."

    Tell us something about yourself, who are you and what do you do for a living?
    I guess the best way to describe what I do is that I am an experience designer. I had a fantastic high school art teacher and knew early in my life that I had some artistic talent, I just didn’t know quite how to shape them into any sort of career.

    When I went to college in Montreal I immediately gravitated to the radio station. I was an editor for the radio magazine/program guide and learned graphic design from an unbelievable artist, Pat Hamou. The best side benefit to that gig was as “music media” we got comp tickets to pretty much anything we wanted to and to to meet and interview a lot of fantastic artists. I got an unbelievable education in music and design, especially since this was the era when college radio was critical to a lot of the burgeoning “alternative” categories of music.

    However as those were not my fields of study (I was a film major at the time) and morning classes were interfering with my nighttime adventures in punk, reggae, electro/goth and straight up rock and roll, I wasn’t particularly successful my first go round with college.

    Ultimately I gravitated towards technical theater, and really got into set and lighting design, which is what my degree is in.

    I started designing posters for theatrical events and then quickly got hired to do a lot of other graphic design projects -club, music and art stuff. Since it paid better than theater, I went with it. That avenue took me into graphic arts in the digital realm, and then into animation, game design, software stuff.

    I live in Silicon Valley now and have lived in the SF Bay area for 19 years, with the exception of a few years up in Washington state working for Xbox. I’m a co-founder of a small games based learning company which is incredibly exciting as in many ways it brings so many of these skills together. We’re trying to level the playing field for kids to uncover their math proficiency in a really dramatic way, no matter where they live or go to school, or if they even have a school to go to. Math opens up a world of job opportunities in a knowledge economy, so it’s kind of a wonderful pay-it-forward mission.

    How did you become a fan of U2, tell us how it happened?
    I was a little bit late to the party. The first time I saw the band was during the Amnesty International Conspiracy of Hope Tour. I had a lot of appreciation for the band’s activism, and was heavily involved in both the Anti-Apartheid movement in Canada as well as Act-UP (AIDS activism), so there was a natural connection there on a number of emotional levels.

    Like a lot of people, that connection grew with the Joshua Tree. I experienced a lot of loss during that period of friends to AIDS, and I remember One Tree Hill just ripped my heart apart, expressing a grief so profound in a way that I couldn’t. I saw a few shows on that tour and loved the band.

    At the time however I was wrestling with some personal issues around what I can only describe as a crisis of faith and wasn’t smart or experienced enough to decipher and appreciate the nuances of the heavy Christian metaphors .I didn’t know where the band could go from there and they fell off my radar a bit.

    Meanwhile,

    I was getting heavily into house music, the rave scene, DJ’ing and general electronica during that period of my life. I remember very clearly being on a dance floor and the dj dropped this insane remix of Even Better Than The Real Thing. I literally stopped moving. Achtung Baby had just dropped the week before. And I literally had a… “Holy S— This is U2?” moment. That sealed it. My first musical love was David Bowie, who invented the art of reinvention. And it was very clear that U2 were prepared to take a page or two from that playbook and the result was spectacular. The rest is history.

    You've attended 42 shows since the UF tour, can you guide us through these shows and share some of your highlights?
    The U2start tour counter includes upcoming shows and one Bono solo show (at the We Are Family foundation gala last spring). So, I’ve really only seen 39 full U2 concerts.

    Which means the upcoming I Heart Radio show in Vegas, if I’ve done my math correctly, will be my 40th full band show. I can’t tell you what a massive honor it is to be FOTM the month of not only the 40th anniversary, but my 40th show. I may have to play the lotto this month.

    Highlights: The first time I ever got anywhere near the stage was my first show. It was a day long concert (with phenomenal performances by some of my other heroes, in particular Lou Reed). This was pre 9/11. My friend and I started in the nosebleeds and in between acts we’d scootch down a few rows. Then we jumped barriers. Inch by inch we got to the floor. You can see our Canadian flag about 10-15 rows back in the MTV video of their performance. That was the last time I’d be so close until i+e.

    I was stuck in nosebleeds most of my concert going life up until maybe 2003-4.

    The first Zoo TV and PopMart shows I saw blew my mind for obvious reasons. The Vertigo shows came on the heels of an awful breakup and other personal troubles and gave me some badly needed joy.

    i+e blew me out of the water with the first show in San Jose.

    I was planning to only see the two shows in San Jose, but for reasons only U2 fans will understand, it became the miracle drug I needed at the time and I followed bits of the tour all the way to Dublin. I have only cried at 3 concerts in my life. Once was the first time I heard Bowie sing Life on Mars live. The second was that magical night in Dublin (Dublin 3) when Bono told the story of Andy and the piece of the car that “took a piece of him” right before launching into Bad. I share a lot of pieces of Andy’s story, without getting into too much detail. Bad hit me like a hammer that night. Bono saw it as we were right up front, which horrified me slightly, and we had what I can only describe as a moment I will never forget. I have video and witnesses…lol


    The other highlights were finally getting to meet and thank Bono twice in the space of a few months, and Adam. I met Bono within 6 hours of landing in Dubin for the first time ever. After 20+ years, face to face, I completely blank and just repeat Thank You, Thank You. Some other convo happened that was incredibly special to me, but that’s gonna stay private for now.

    Bono signed the book I caught off the e-stage in Chicago in NY this past spring. That (partial book) had traveled from Chicago to SF to NYC to SF to Dublin, back to SF and then to NYC before it finally got signed. It was a huge honor. I also want to thank the other fan from that night in Chicago — when Bono threw the book I did my best right fielder move and it bounced from the top of my hand onto another fan. She split it in half with me. I can not express my gratitude to you enough if you are out there, its been a special part of my journey.

    And finally -- the people I've met along the way. I've made some brilliant and enduring friendships out of a common love for this life-affirming band.

    You're also attending the exclusive Dreamforce '16 and iHeart Music Festival gigs at San Francisco and Las Vegas respectively. How did you get in? What do you expect for these shows and what do you know so far?
    I got in through luck mostly (thanks to an early morning tip-off from my wonderful Brazilian friend Jose) donating to the Benioff charity, and a bit of phoning in some favors. I expect those shows to be greatest hits shows, given the audiences. I know some things about the Dreamforce show that isn’t public knowledge yet. I will say this though. The Cow Palace only holds about 14000 people. The crowd will be much bigger. They have planned for this and I think it will be a huge and awesome surprise.

    Some people say that the U2 live experience is being ruined by cell-phones and other technologies. What do you think?
    I’m torn on this. My views have changed quite a bit on this during the last tour. I enjoy Periscoping shows for my friends who can’t be there, as so many have done for me, but have caught myself watching the show through the iPhone viewport going “What am I DOING?” I’ve got Bono giving it all he’s got 10 feet away from me. I love to dance and move at concerts, feed off the artist and give energy back.

    The last straw for me was when a tall guy at the e-stage in MSG held up a freaking iPad over his head. I think it’s gone too far. U2 has been brilliant in embracing the tech and co-opting it to their advantage. I don’t ever want to take the magic that is a U2 show for granted. And I think of how the guys live with iPhones shoved in their faces and it puts it into perspective a bit. I realize its become a barrier between me and the artist. It basically breaks the energetic and emotional connection by putting a barrier between you. I’ve been guilty as hell of this, but by the end of i+e I was really over the phones.

    Do you have U2 on continuous rotation in your playlists, or do you take some breaks from the band?
    Not continuous. I’ve always been super open minded around music. On my drive home today shuffle went from Talking Heads “Animals” to Bowie’s “Heart’s Filthy Lesson” to Metric, Kendrick Lamar, and Jimmy Cliff.

    What is for you U2's defining live moment and why?
    The first thing that comes to mind is the LEMON. I think it was an over the top display of their willingness and confidence to move outside of their fan expectations into something wildly inventive. It was hilarious and badass and epic and theatrical all at once.

    I also think i+e in its entirety as a theatrical piece and narrative is masterful. There are really only two artists that come to mind with the same scale of musicianship and theatricality over the long haul are David Bowie and The Rolling Stones. They represent two very different artistic narratives and paths.

    After the early 90s Bowie went off with Tin Machine and redefined his career by making the music he wanted to and hoping the fans came along. He could have easily toured on his back catalog for years and it would have been great, but as an artist he pushed forward. He set the pace, we just tried to keep up.

    The Stones do tour on their back catalog, and they do a great job. Different approaches.

    With i+e, U2 have made a very bold and clear statement that they plan to innovate and stay true to what interests them musically and artistically. That's a risky move with an amazing back catalog. I just fell head over heels in love with them all over again this last tour.

    In a house fire, which one of your U2 items would you save?
    My copy of Alice in Wonderland signed by Bono. The pile of psalm fragments I collected from the various paper drops during i+e intermission. The photo of Bono and I in front of The Point Depot in Dublin. Oops. That’s not one. I’d throw them all in my Joshua Tree lunchbox a friend gave me (which I find hilarious) and grab that.

    How different is U2 compared to other artists that you like?
    They are in a category of their own. Back to the longevity theme. As I have grown as a person, as my life has changed, I see so much more nuance and layers of the band as I’ve dug deeper into who they are as people, how they work as a band. The only other musician who has held my interest at that level for so long was — you guessed it, one Mr David Bowie.

    What are your hobbies and interests away from U2, musical or otherwise?
    Game design, technology for health and education, virtual reality experiences.

    Thank you again to U2Start for this opportunity to voice my appreciation for a band that has shaped so much of my life's journey and worldview. And to the U2Start crew for keeping the fires stoked. You guys are amazing. Big love to all the fans out there and I hope to see you on the road next year



    Thanks for this interview allad1nsane!

    Note: Our crew members choose the fan of the month, you can't sign up for it.
  2. Thanks a lot for this interview Adrienne.
    Who would've known, your 40th show will be during the 40th anniversary of the band!
    I loved your stories about the concerts in Dublin. So cool that you've met Bono and Adam.
    The part about helping kids with math sounds fascinating. As a math professor, I can't tell you how many college students are still not proficient in basic algebra.
    Have fun at the iHeart show!
  3. Wow, that was a great read, Adrienne!

    Enjoy the iHeart Music Festival and Dreamforce
  4. Thank you so much. It was really an honor to do this, and to try and edit it down to a few paragraphs was not easy.
  5. Awesome read. Coincidence that U2 went to the same "house" to reinvent that Bowie did? Enjoy the upcoming shows... I'm jealous.
  6. Same house, same production team -- amazing. There is so much cross narrative between Bowie and U2, I could talk for hours. In so many ways they are a spiritual successor to Bowie -- and I've loved how much homage they paid to him over the years. Elvis, is indeed English <3
  7. Fascinating stuff, and a very enjoyable read! Always love to hear about others journey with U2 and their concert experiences.

    Hope you have a great time at those upcoming shows! Super jealous!
  8. Originally posted by allad1nsane:[..]
    Same house, same production team -- amazing. There is so much cross narrative between Bowie and U2, I could talk for hours. In so many ways they are a spiritual successor to Bowie -- and I've loved how much homage they paid to him over the years. Elvis, is indeed English <3


    I was just looking through my album of photos I took on the Sound & Vision tour and it made me sad. I still don't think I've yet realized the true magnitude in which I'm going to miss him.
  9. Very nice interview...

    Gongrats and have a good fun in the iHeart Music Festival and Dreamforce
  10. Wonderful interview! Still holding out for my first live experience with U2, I can only hope it'll be as amazing as some of yours.

    Enjoy those shows coming up!!
  11. Originally posted by cesar_garza01:Thanks a lot for this interview Adrienne.
    Who would've known, your 40th show will be during the 40th anniversary of the band!
    I loved your stories about the concerts in Dublin. So cool that you've met Bono and Adam.
    The part about helping kids with math sounds fascinating. As a math professor, I can't tell you how many college students are still not proficient in basic algebra.
    Have fun at the iHeart show!
    Thank YOU Cesar! Happy to talk offline about our little math company. We've had tremendous support from both the private and public sector. If you are a math professor you are probably familiar with one of my colleague's work.