The Big Question -- How You Discovered U2

Originally posted by LikeASongMy parents are big fans since the Joshua Tree era.
I am a big fan since I was born.

No more story

Originally posted by anstratdubh1979It was 1981/82. A friend at school had an extra ticket to see J. Geils Band. "Freeze Frame" was a big album for them that year. I went and there was this odd band opening. Odd but fully of energy.

The singer was passionate and all over the place. The drummer looked younger than me! The bassist had this poofy blonde afro. And the guitarist had this funny shaped guitar (The Edge's Gibson Explorer)

For weeks I'd bug my buddy... "Hey, what was that band again... the one with the guitar palyer with the funny shaped guitar"?

I learned their name: U2. But it was not easy to find their albums at first. A year later, a girl I was dating brought over this record (yes, vinyl!). She thought she'd discovered something new to share with me. In red lettering U2 WAR. I remembered the name and she put on the record.

Playing drums and playing drums in marching band too... The drums on Sunday Bloody Sunday sucked me in immediately. The pounding bass drum on Seconds... and more drum goodness to be had on The Refugee and Like A Song. In between all of those, there were sparkling guitars, the likes I'd not heard before... except when I'd seen U2 open for J. Geils.

We listened to that record over and over that day. Each time finding something new, something deep, something fresh.

I remembered telling her about that J. Geils show and that weird shaped guitar. "If I ever learned guitar, I'd want one of THOSE", I told her. I'd shared that story with a few over time. One former g.f, with whom I am still very close with, took me at my word. I began learning guitar a few years ago.

One day, I'd gone to visit her family in Marin. Melissa showed up. I wasn't expecting her to be there. Her family was - they knew the reason for her journey. She was there, from NY, to deliver a gift. That gift she was looking for, for over 3 years. That gift was a 1976 Limited Edition Gibson Explorer.... the same make, model and vintage that The Edge uses!

So now, I have one of those funny shaped guitars. And it is the pride of my collection of guitars.

Originally posted by anstratdubh1979It was 1981/82. A friend at school had an extra ticket to see J. Geils Band. "Freeze Frame" was a big album for them that year. I went and there was this odd band opening. Odd but fully of energy.

The singer was passionate and all over the place. The drummer looked younger than me! The bassist had this poofy blonde afro. And the guitarist had this funny shaped guitar (The Edge's Gibson Explorer)

For weeks I'd bug my buddy... "Hey, what was that band again... the one with the guitar palyer with the funny shaped guitar"?

I learned their name: U2. But it was not easy to find their albums at first. A year later, a girl I was dating brought over this record (yes, vinyl!). She thought she'd discovered something new to share with me. In red lettering U2 WAR. I remembered the name and she put on the record.

Playing drums and playing drums in marching band too... The drums on Sunday Bloody Sunday sucked me in immediately. The pounding bass drum on Seconds... and more drum goodness to be had on The Refugee and Like A Song. In between all of those, there were sparkling guitars, the likes I'd not heard before... except when I'd seen U2 open for J. Geils.

We listened to that record over and over that day. Each time finding something new, something deep, something fresh.

I remembered telling her about that J. Geils show and that weird shaped guitar. "If I ever learned guitar, I'd want one of THOSE", I told her. I'd shared that story with a few over time. One former g.f, with whom I am still very close with, took me at my word. I began learning guitar a few years ago.

One day, I'd gone to visit her family in Marin. Melissa showed up. I wasn't expecting her to be there. Her family was - they knew the reason for her journey. She was there, from NY, to deliver a gift. That gift she was looking for, for over 3 years. That gift was a 1976 Limited Edition Gibson Explorer.... the same make, model and vintage that The Edge uses!

So now, I have one of those funny shaped guitars. And it is the pride of my collection of guitars.

Originally posted by anstratdubh1979It was 1981/82. A friend at school had an extra ticket to see J. Geils Band. "Freeze Frame" was a big album for them that year. I went and there was this odd band opening. Odd but fully of energy.

The singer was passionate and all over the place. The drummer looked younger than me! The bassist had this poofy blonde afro. And the guitarist had this funny shaped guitar (The Edge's Gibson Explorer)

For weeks I'd bug my buddy... "Hey, what was that band again... the one with the guitar palyer with the funny shaped guitar"?

I learned their name: U2. But it was not easy to find their albums at first. A year later, a girl I was dating brought over this record (yes, vinyl!). She thought she'd discovered something new to share with me. In red lettering U2 WAR. I remembered the name and she put on the record.

Playing drums and playing drums in marching band too... The drums on Sunday Bloody Sunday sucked me in immediately. The pounding bass drum on Seconds... and more drum goodness to be had on The Refugee and Like A Song. In between all of those, there were sparkling guitars, the likes I'd not heard before... except when I'd seen U2 open for J. Geils.

We listened to that record over and over that day. Each time finding something new, something deep, something fresh.

I remembered telling her about that J. Geils show and that weird shaped guitar. "If I ever learned guitar, I'd want one of THOSE", I told her. I'd shared that story with a few over time. One former g.f, with whom I am still very close with, took me at my word. I began learning guitar a few years ago.

One day, I'd gone to visit her family in Marin. Melissa showed up. I wasn't expecting her to be there. Her family was - they knew the reason for her journey. She was there, from NY, to deliver a gift. That gift she was looking for, for over 3 years. That gift was a 1976 Limited Edition Gibson Explorer.... the same make, model and vintage that The Edge uses!

So now, I have one of those funny shaped guitars. And it is the pride of my collection of guitars.

Originally posted by djrlewisNot wanting to seem unoriginal, but

That's some ex you have there. And you saw them when they were a support band. OMG.

Originally posted by anstratdubh1979It was 1981/82. A friend at school had an extra ticket to see J. Geils Band. "Freeze Frame" was a big album for them that year. I went and there was this odd band opening. Odd but fully of energy.

The singer was passionate and all over the place. The drummer looked younger than me! The bassist had this poofy blonde afro. And the guitarist had this funny shaped guitar (The Edge's Gibson Explorer)

For weeks I'd bug my buddy... "Hey, what was that band again... the one with the guitar palyer with the funny shaped guitar"?

I learned their name: U2. But it was not easy to find their albums at first. A year later, a girl I was dating brought over this record (yes, vinyl!). She thought she'd discovered something new to share with me. In red lettering U2 WAR. I remembered the name and she put on the record.

Playing drums and playing drums in marching band too... The drums on Sunday Bloody Sunday sucked me in immediately. The pounding bass drum on Seconds... and more drum goodness to be had on The Refugee and Like A Song. In between all of those, there were sparkling guitars, the likes I'd not heard before... except when I'd seen U2 open for J. Geils.

We listened to that record over and over that day. Each time finding something new, something deep, something fresh.

I remembered telling her about that J. Geils show and that weird shaped guitar. "If I ever learned guitar, I'd want one of THOSE", I told her. I'd shared that story with a few over time. One former g.f, with whom I am still very close with, took me at my word. I began learning guitar a few years ago.

One day, I'd gone to visit her family in Marin. Melissa showed up. I wasn't expecting her to be there. Her family was - they knew the reason for her journey. She was there, from NY, to deliver a gift. That gift she was looking for, for over 3 years. That gift was a 1976 Limited Edition Gibson Explorer.... the same make, model and vintage that The Edge uses!

So now, I have one of those funny shaped guitars. And it is the pride of my collection of guitars.