June 20 at Fed Ex Field
Beth and I walked the sunny sidewalk to the stadium through moments that remain vivid in my memory to this day of writing, nine months later. To be in the company of my big sister Beth on the final day of this journey was a great gift.
We found the Dream Out Loud film crew easily with directions from the lovely Amanda McCune, and joined them to shoot film under a shade tree. I sat self-consciously for my long-anticipated fan interview. David Barry set me up for a comfortable and most enjoyable conversation.
After the interview we met Michael Wilson, a fan who was due to interview next, Phillip Roy Neal Chambers, the U2 Fan Tour ticket guru, and we sat and pow wowwed in the Sun for awhile before Beth and I went on the stadium walkabout. We stopped and chatted with Brigitte, and I met a new U2 friend Rhonda Apple waiting in the GA line, who I would subsequently "see" at Periscope broadcasts when the tour travelled on to Europe in July.
We circled the stadium and scoped out where the band might enter, but I wasn't feeling waiting for them today, so we went on to find the Red Zone entrance.
At about 2:30pm at the designated RZ entrance, we found 2 other fans waiting to obtain their RZ wristbands. So we joined them. I had a sharpie, and for the first time in my life, I played line leader and marked numbers on the hands (of any that wanted them) there before us and those that soon joined to form a line behind us.
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| With Philip, David, Amanda, and Michael Photo by Beth Weier |
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| Lowest queue number I will ever have! |
What a luxury, to enter the stadium after queuing for a mere few hours and nab what seemed to be prime rail! I chose the corner at the Edge side of the tree stage where the Red Zone was divided from the more crowded GA rail in front of the tree stage. Yes, I was hoping that the band might see my sign, and that I might gift someone with a few (now slightly wilted) summer solstice irises.
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| My friends, Sun and Joshua Tree |
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| The best times |
Across the tree stage, there was Dahna Propst... I messaged her a picture of herself across the stage and she sent me back one of me. Soon enough, my other sister Julie and bro-in-law Tom were there using the seats I had grabbed in the presale, which I had sold them after grabbing a couple of Red Zone spots in the public onsale. Julie texted me that she had unexpectedly run into our cousin Jennifer as she went for a pre-show snack. There was simply love around every corner, well before the band came onstage.
And then, the techs closest to the band started walking up and down the long ramp to the tree stage. There was Stuart Morgan, Adam's right hand man, and I managed to catch his eye and show him my license plate from my rail spot, earning a smile I remembered from 17 years ago. And then, Dallas Schoo, a rock star himself to us long term U2ers, marched Edge's guitar down the ramp to the tree stage amidst great cheers and jubilation from the masses on the ground. He began tossing out a pick here and there to a few lucky fans. When he turned my direction, I waved the irises at him, and he walked right over to throw me a pick! It fell on the ground as I returned a throw of the irises.... And he caught the flowers then stayed to make sure the local security in front of me picked up the tiny prize and gave it to me! Oh I was buzzing then. Dallas turned and walked back up the ramp, flowers tucked into his elbow, and when he reached main stage, he turned around to look back our way, lifted the flowers above his head, and waved before disappearing into the substage underworld.
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| Dallas made sure the pick found it's way into my possession as he held those droopy irises. (With gratitude to photographer Janice McKenzie). |
All this, already, and the day hadn't even given into the dark of night yet.
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