In those good old days!??! I would be eating lunch at the cem with the radio blasting in the background, listening to DJ Robin Sherwin of WOUR spinning tunes and occassionally dazzling me with gems from heretofore unknown bands. And tunes that I could tap my toes to from my fave bands and... whatever. I recall 1980ish and some song with this INCREDIBLE guitar intro busted up by some intense drumming and then just kicking coolie! WOW I stopped to make sure WHAT I had just heard and......U2!//!!!??? HUH! What a song! I WILL FOLLOW Went right out and bought the album "BOY"! Guitar album or what! Courtesy of THE EDGE with a style unlike anybody I ever heard. I was hooked! Now in the early 80's The Who were still putting out records(Rather crummy by Who standards, but where that quality had fallen off, Pete was releasing solo albums that defined the epitome of his writing ability) so I was still heavily immersed in this classic English band and records and tours were still the rage and the guy was playing electric guitar. But '82 rolled around and the year signalled the end of new Who material and supposed touring. And as December passed and the last show in Toronto led to Pete calling it quits, U2 had the fortune to release their 3rd album "WAR" and WOW. GUITARS GUITARS GUITARS Glorious and The Edge could play that thing and make me stand up and take notice! Needless to say, I had the opportunity to see them in Auburn NY that April with Dan Happ and with "GLORIA" opening the set....and highlighting the "WAR" album, this was a band that had merit and deserved my attention now that the Who had left this earthly plane.

The fall of '84 and the release of the unbelievable "UNFORGETTABLE FIRE", an ENO inspired tour de force, elevated this band to the top of my faves! And that incredible winter tour of small halls, of which I attended the first 3 shows, well The Edge picked up that guitar, that Pete had cast aside. The fervor and passion of U2 was evident throughout their '85 tour and I was taken aback with the thought that I could so soon replace the glory of The Who with this Irish band dedicated to the guitar and lifting their music to wrangle the emotions out of ya. And as the Unforgettable Fire laid the groundwork through the mid 80's, U2 was readying to claim the greatest band in the world tag in 1987 as The Joshua Tree appeared with the incredible buildup in "Where The Streets Have No Name". WHATTA SONG!!! The artistic peak of the band and I was a part of the opening of the world tour in Tempe and the cementing of their top status with that TIME magazine cover. And catching a whole string of '87 shows and a part of the European ones that summer, I was quite thrilled by the whole spectacle. A trip to London, Paris and Dublin broadened my horizons. I had always loved European history and this was an opportunity to experience what I had studied for years. Wow! The stuff rock'n'roll can do for ya. An awe-inspiring moment in the Life and Times of....

The late 80's saw the release of "RATTLE AND HUM". An album finding U2 searching for some kinda roots in America. A lotta songs I liked but not my all-time fave U2 record. And taking a lot of time off from the road, they readied themselves for the new decade. And in '91, Achtung Baby arrived. I still remember that indescribable bunch of noise of a beginning to Zoo Station! I liked it! Ultraviolet! Man the EDGE was playing and Adam and Larry were holding down the fort BUT there was something about Bono.... The tour opened in Florida and off I went and a pleasant surprise in meeting Jim Fromalbini and being introduced to Karen. Now I saw a buncha shows as the year moved along and though that band could play, the big production was not my cup of tea and there was something about Bono... Well I guess I musta gotten over Bonoed cause I just did not like him anymore! Man drop those sunglasses and forget the fly. A stab at humor for this "too serious" band that I did not find funny. Oh well...that was it. The passion that I held for U2 dissolved and who woulda thought one could lose so much interest. The last coupla records did not even get thru my ears and ....bring on PEARL JAM!!!!!!haahhahaah SORRY!