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Buses heading to U2 with or without you
Kevin Myers moved to Bedford from Prince Edward Island a month ago and hopefully his new neighbours are U2 fans like he is.
"My favourite U2 song of all time is Angel of Harlem," he says. "There’s something about it, it’s got grassroots like that Harlem gospel choir kind of feel, so every time I hear that song I gotta turn it up to 12. I have quite a few of (their albums), and the MP3 collection is pretty big.
"I used to play in a band that actually covered some U2 songs, and I’ve been a U2 fan since I was 17 or 18, and now I’m 19," jokes Myers, who’s actually closer to 39 than 19.
"We got just general admission tickets, but that’s a good opportunity to get into the crowd and crowd-surf and get to meet the real true fans that don’t have the big bucks to sit in the VIP seats. That’s how I like to see a concert."
Myers and his partner have seats on one of the 500 buses taking fans to the Magnetic Hill concert site for tonight’s U2 (with Arcade Fire) show in Moncton. Safety and socializing were equally important reasons for them to travel by bus.
"For convenience, and so we can have a few drinks and get back, so No. 1 is for safety and No. 2 is for the social aspect," he said. "You sit in a bus for 2½, three hours, you’re going to meet a lot of U2 fans and have a lot of interaction with people that share similar interests."
Steve MacLeod’s most vivid memory of the Eagles concert in Moncton in 2008 is the eight-kilometre walk from the concert site back to his car. MacLeod parked as close to the venue as he could, then hoofed it. That was for a show that attracted 40,000 people, so he fervently hopes that if U2 draws 100,000 tonight — a number that’s being tossed around — he doesn’t have to walk more than twice as far.
That won’t be an issue for people on the buses, which have their own designated parking spots at the venue.
Halifax charter bus company Ambassatours will have 15 motor coaches on the road today, carrying everyone from people who won the trip on Q104 to more than a hundred security guards being brought in to work the event.
"Once the hotels sell out in Moncton, the buses become extremely attractive," said Sean Buckland of Ambassatours. "It’s great business for us; to have the wheels turning on 15 buses is fantastic."
Elayne Pink of Absolute Travel has put together packages at up to $399 for VIP concert seating for six busloads of U2 fans, far more than for any previous show. "We could have sold more (but) we ran out of bus parking, so that was what stopped us. AC/DC (in 2009) did two buses, and the Stones (in 2005) did about two, so it’s quite a bit bigger."
Duane and Karen Chapman of Prospect will be attending their first outdoor concert tonight "cuz it’s U2," Karen said. "They were big when we were in high school."
The Chapmans already had tickets when they won another pair on the radio, as well as a bus ride, so they sold the first pair. Now with general admission tickets in hand, they’re hoping for fine weather.
Pam Long of Windsor Junction shelled out for more expensive tickets, which come with chairs, better bathrooms and a clear view of the headliners.
"We’re pretty psyched, (but) we’re not teenyboppers so I wanted to have a seat that I could sit in," she said.
"My husband and I talked once about going to Ireland to see them — maybe we had too much wine. Then we heard that they were coming here, and I always wanted to see them.
"Not being an outdoor concert person personally, this is a step for me, but I’m going to suck it up and do it. I have a rain cape, we’ll put some bug stuff on us and it’s going to be just great, I don’t care what I have to do.
"We sit home and listen to their music, have a glass of wine and I sing their songs. My daughters are really happy they’re not coming with us so they won’t be embarrassed."
========================================================================
i added this story, because it was a bus trip to the Omni center in atlanta GA, that would change my life forever.
my best freinds brother Al, was a huge Hard-core U2 fan...and they had a tour date for the Joshua Tree album set in Atlanta...
He wanted to go WIth someone, and asked me if id go with him.
i HATED the band...i mean, HATED them, all except for that one song.."with or without you" , because the video intrigued me.
and I didnt want to go with him alone, i dodnt like him that much as it was...so i convinced him to go halfsies on another ticket for my best friend, his sister Sandy.
we paid 60 bucks a piece for the tickets.
had a round trip bus trip to and from.
and reserved seats. they were waaaaay far away, but being there, changed my entire view of the band...forever.
i cant even remember the set list, to be honest. i didnt own the cassette yet. so i ddnt listen to the band at all.
i was there for that one song...
but i dont even remember that as much as i remember when he pulled 2 girls up on the stage that had created (from a sheet) an AMNISTY INTERNATIONAL banner...
i can remember he stopped the band, let them up, paraded them around, and talked about what amnisty international was...
that was all the magic...
he stopped the band again, looked right down at his feet, asked someone if they could play the gitar.
an exchange of conversation happened, where we could only here Bono speaking.
looks down says: "can you play the guitar?"
person (ill guess they said something to the effect of: "yes"
some more chatter
Bono : "if you can play then you can come up here and play The Edges guitar for this next song."
the next moment was pure magic too me.
they ge tthe guy on the stage, The Edge takes a guitar OFF his shoulder, hands it to the guy, and the guy plays WITH THEM!
i cant remember if we could hear him or not, i dont even remember the song he did it on..
but THAT moment was what i took away with me.
well, 2 moments.
1 was about the effort to give people freedom.
the other was how well they loved the audience and came to them and shared themselves on our level. they didnt seem too good to not be accessible.
20 years later, at the newest almbums release (No Line On The Horizon), and my next opportunity to share in the magic again, they STILL pull individuals up on the stage and share moments with them.
and the humanitarianism STILL continues as well.
whats not to love about a band that does that?
MICHELLE
ill forever love this band...
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Kevin Myers moved to Bedford from Prince Edward Island a month ago and hopefully his new neighbours are U2 fans like he is.
"My favourite U2 song of all time is Angel of Harlem," he says. "There’s something about it, it’s got grassroots like that Harlem gospel choir kind of feel, so every time I hear that song I gotta turn it up to 12. I have quite a few of (their albums), and the MP3 collection is pretty big.
"I used to play in a band that actually covered some U2 songs, and I’ve been a U2 fan since I was 17 or 18, and now I’m 19," jokes Myers, who’s actually closer to 39 than 19.
"We got just general admission tickets, but that’s a good opportunity to get into the crowd and crowd-surf and get to meet the real true fans that don’t have the big bucks to sit in the VIP seats. That’s how I like to see a concert."
Myers and his partner have seats on one of the 500 buses taking fans to the Magnetic Hill concert site for tonight’s U2 (with Arcade Fire) show in Moncton. Safety and socializing were equally important reasons for them to travel by bus.
"For convenience, and so we can have a few drinks and get back, so No. 1 is for safety and No. 2 is for the social aspect," he said. "You sit in a bus for 2½, three hours, you’re going to meet a lot of U2 fans and have a lot of interaction with people that share similar interests."
Steve MacLeod’s most vivid memory of the Eagles concert in Moncton in 2008 is the eight-kilometre walk from the concert site back to his car. MacLeod parked as close to the venue as he could, then hoofed it. That was for a show that attracted 40,000 people, so he fervently hopes that if U2 draws 100,000 tonight — a number that’s being tossed around — he doesn’t have to walk more than twice as far.
That won’t be an issue for people on the buses, which have their own designated parking spots at the venue.
Halifax charter bus company Ambassatours will have 15 motor coaches on the road today, carrying everyone from people who won the trip on Q104 to more than a hundred security guards being brought in to work the event.
"Once the hotels sell out in Moncton, the buses become extremely attractive," said Sean Buckland of Ambassatours. "It’s great business for us; to have the wheels turning on 15 buses is fantastic."
Elayne Pink of Absolute Travel has put together packages at up to $399 for VIP concert seating for six busloads of U2 fans, far more than for any previous show. "We could have sold more (but) we ran out of bus parking, so that was what stopped us. AC/DC (in 2009) did two buses, and the Stones (in 2005) did about two, so it’s quite a bit bigger."
Duane and Karen Chapman of Prospect will be attending their first outdoor concert tonight "cuz it’s U2," Karen said. "They were big when we were in high school."
The Chapmans already had tickets when they won another pair on the radio, as well as a bus ride, so they sold the first pair. Now with general admission tickets in hand, they’re hoping for fine weather.
Pam Long of Windsor Junction shelled out for more expensive tickets, which come with chairs, better bathrooms and a clear view of the headliners.
"We’re pretty psyched, (but) we’re not teenyboppers so I wanted to have a seat that I could sit in," she said.
"My husband and I talked once about going to Ireland to see them — maybe we had too much wine. Then we heard that they were coming here, and I always wanted to see them.
"Not being an outdoor concert person personally, this is a step for me, but I’m going to suck it up and do it. I have a rain cape, we’ll put some bug stuff on us and it’s going to be just great, I don’t care what I have to do.
"We sit home and listen to their music, have a glass of wine and I sing their songs. My daughters are really happy they’re not coming with us so they won’t be embarrassed."
========================================================================
i added this story, because it was a bus trip to the Omni center in atlanta GA, that would change my life forever.
my best freinds brother Al, was a huge Hard-core U2 fan...and they had a tour date for the Joshua Tree album set in Atlanta...
He wanted to go WIth someone, and asked me if id go with him.
i HATED the band...i mean, HATED them, all except for that one song.."with or without you" , because the video intrigued me.
and I didnt want to go with him alone, i dodnt like him that much as it was...so i convinced him to go halfsies on another ticket for my best friend, his sister Sandy.
we paid 60 bucks a piece for the tickets.
had a round trip bus trip to and from.
and reserved seats. they were waaaaay far away, but being there, changed my entire view of the band...forever.
i cant even remember the set list, to be honest. i didnt own the cassette yet. so i ddnt listen to the band at all.
i was there for that one song...
but i dont even remember that as much as i remember when he pulled 2 girls up on the stage that had created (from a sheet) an AMNISTY INTERNATIONAL banner...
i can remember he stopped the band, let them up, paraded them around, and talked about what amnisty international was...
that was all the magic...
he stopped the band again, looked right down at his feet, asked someone if they could play the gitar.
an exchange of conversation happened, where we could only here Bono speaking.
looks down says: "can you play the guitar?"
person (ill guess they said something to the effect of: "yes"
some more chatter
Bono : "if you can play then you can come up here and play The Edges guitar for this next song."
the next moment was pure magic too me.
they ge tthe guy on the stage, The Edge takes a guitar OFF his shoulder, hands it to the guy, and the guy plays WITH THEM!
i cant remember if we could hear him or not, i dont even remember the song he did it on..
but THAT moment was what i took away with me.
well, 2 moments.
1 was about the effort to give people freedom.
the other was how well they loved the audience and came to them and shared themselves on our level. they didnt seem too good to not be accessible.
20 years later, at the newest almbums release (No Line On The Horizon), and my next opportunity to share in the magic again, they STILL pull individuals up on the stage and share moments with them.
and the humanitarianism STILL continues as well.
whats not to love about a band that does that?
MICHELLE
ill forever love this band...
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