U2 in Milwaukee - Happy Birthday to Me!!!

My friend Kaaryn and I bought tickets for the Milwaukee U2 concert this past May after attending the show in Chicago. In Chicago we had behind the stage, very last row seats but had a great time. For the Milwaukee show we took the risk of General Floor Admission and BOY WAS IT WORTH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We left Kaaryn's house around 10:30 and arrived at her sister Addye's house in Milwakee just in time for a little bit of lunch. Kaaryn's parents were also there. Addye was nice enough to have bought this absolutely delicious chicken salad. We visited for a bit and then headed downtown to the Bradley Center. It was pouring rain so we bought new umbrella's at the Hyatt gift shop. Then, we hiked down to the line of people standing in the rain. Everyone was waiting to watch the band arrive, and U2 did shortly after. They arrived in black SUVs with a driver. Bono and Edge were in the first two vehicles, and Adam and Larry arrived in the third. We waited for a bit but figured they weren't coming out to shake hands due to the rain. So, after asking everyone what the black numbers on their hands meant (line number for GA Admission) we walked off to try to get a number. Well, we heard people screaming and ran back to find Bono and Edge had come out to shake hands despite the rain!

Well, I had purchased sharpie markers as a joke, but they came in handy! Bono shook my hand (he is short), and I asked if he would sign my shirt, which is the Vertigo concert t-shirt I bought in May. He was very nice but said, "Sorry darling, I am not signing anything today." I thanked him anyway. Afterall, I did shake his hand so I guess that was good enough. Well, I hear Kaaryn yelling my name. So, I turn around and she is screaming, "Bono signed my shirt"! I was ticked! So, I was play kicking her in the shins, etc. Turns out, she screamed to Bono that her cousin is Joe Sadler, which he is. Joe Sadler co-founded a clothing company calle Coexist, of which Bono is a huge fan. So, Kaaryn not only received a "God Bless You" from Bono, he signed her shirt without her even asking!

Edge came around the line as well. Edge is known for signing everything so I asked him to sign my shirt, and he more than willingly obliged. No, its not Bono, but Edge is the lead guitar of this band, which would have fallen apart without his wonderful musical talent. Some people at the concert didn't believe they signed our shirts, especially Bono, but the signature is characteristically his - trust me. And, I was there when Edge signed mine so if you don't believe me then, "phbbbt"! (Of course we had forgotten the camera in the car, but if we had had the camera this probably wouldn't have happened!) So, I am happy with that. We are going to have our shirts framed with tickets, etc. That's Kaaryn holding both our shirts!

After all that excitement we grabbed a few beers at a bar across the street and had a snack. I was given a free beer since it was going to be my birthday the next day (today as of this entry). Then, we went to stand in the general admission line in the rain. We waited for about an hour and a half before the line started moving. We met a few cool people in line, two of which bought us a drink inside. We had to leave the umbrellas at the door though so so much for new umbrellas!

Once inside we ordered a black and tan, which they serve on tap and found our place on the floor. We were really close to the stage, and everyone was very friendly. We even met two young athletes. One from Iceland and the other from Brazil (no kidding). We also ran in to one of the guys we met in the bar who was asking advice on how to keep a girlfriend. The opening act was called Dashboard Confessional, and they were a bit grungy for me but did a fine job.

After U2 came on we danced and sang and shouted for two hours straight! We did not leave the arena even once due to fear of losing our spot. We didn't need to though. We had stopped drinking water or beer long before U2 even came on stage. Plus, about half-way through we were so soaked in sweat that we were literally dripping all over the place! At one point Bono talked about how September 25 is the 29th birthday of the band, to which of course I started yelling, "it's my birthday too"! One of the best parts of the concert was when Bono forgot the lyrics to "Wild Horses". He laughed at himself and asked for a minute, but the crowd kept singing! This was the best concert I have EVER been to!The setlist was not as good as the Chicago show, but we had a better time because we had better "seats". For those of you who know U2, here is the setlist.

Main Set: City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, Elevation, The Electric Co., The Ocean, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Beautiful Day - Many Rivers to Cross, Miracle Drug, Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, Love and Peace or Else, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bullet the Blue Sky, Miss Sarajevo, Pride, Where the Streets Have No Name, One - Ol' Man River
Encore(s): The First Time, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, With or Without You, All Because of You, Yahweh, 40

WHAT A BIRTHDAY PRESENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!