"U2 showed the world how to react. [...] That's the spirit! That's rock n'roll! I listened to the 2 shows live on mixlr. It was really emotional! Goosebumps like i was there with them!"
Tell us something about yourself, who are you and what do you do for a living?
My name is Jérôme. I'm 41 years old. I live in East of France with my fiancee Sandra and my 2 kids (Ana 4 years and Thomas 4 months). I work in a DIY store.
How did you become a fan of U2, tell us how it happened?
I think I first heard about U2 in 1983 or 84. I was 10 years old. I remember seeing Under A Blood Red Sky on TV. Some older guys from my neighborhood were listening to War and The Unforgettable Fire through there ghetto blaster at that time. And then came July 13,1985. I was in front of my TV (like billions of people). I heard and saw Bad. It changed my life forever ! I felt in love with that band immediately. Bad is still my favorite song after all these years.
What does your U2 collection look like? What kind of stuff do you have and how is it organised?
Nowadays my collection is on stand-by. I used to be a real collector. I used to buy everything they released , in all formats possible. Now i have a "wife" ! (Just kidding!) But you can't spent all your money on such things when you have a family and kids. It's called "priorities".
But I still have some precious items: my vinyls (like The Unforgettable Fire double single 7" or In God's Country single cassette), a few books, cd's , dvd's, deluxe boxes, and a lot of bootlegs of course (i used to have them all, but after years of collecting I decided to just keep the best ones). I remember buying bootlegs on cassettes per "paper" mail back in 88/89.
In a house fire, which one of your U2 items would you save?
God I don't know ... maybe the U2 by U2 book. think it's a great biography.
or the Achtung Baby deluxe box set ! just love that album!!
You've attended all tours since ZooTV to 360, can you guide us through these shows and share some of your highlights?
I had a ticket for the Paris show on December 11, 1989. But my parents wouldn't let me go to the show. They thought i was too young to go to Paris with friends. I was 15. So my first official U2 show was in Strasbourg June 23, 1993. I won the ticket on radio game. I remember perfectly the course of the day. Strasbourg is 2 hours away from where i live.I went there with a friend. We bought train tickets. 8 o'clock in the morning we were at the front gate. spent the day under the heat. but it was worth the wait: First row ! Zooropa Tour!! God dammit!! I jumped, danced, sung my lungs out, and cried a few times !!! It was a really intense breathe taking experience !
My second show was in Mannheim, Germany on July 31, 1997. Pop Mart Tour. And it was wet. Really really wet! First Row B-stage. Great show under the rain (You can catch the excellence of the show on the bootleg, one of the great soundboards of that tour).
My 3rd show was Paris, July 18, 2001. My first and only indoor show. Edge's side seat tickets. I just love indoor shows. Even if the venue is big and crowded, it feels so intimate! And i felt like they blew the roof away on this day!
My 4th show was Vertigo Tour in Paris July 9, 2005. Bad seats far away from stage. And i didn't liked that much that tour overall ( Except the indoor shows in the US).
And then came the 360 Tour. 4 shows, 3 in Paris and 1 in Frankfurt. I had the chance to experience all angles of the stage. GA Front, Edge's side seats, Adam's side gold category seats, and behind the stage. All were Great memorable experiences!!
My only 'regret', after my missed Lovetown show , is for the I&E tour. I had tickets for Cologne (October 17) and Paris (November 11). But unfortunately i couldn't make it. My girlfriend was pregnant. And i had to stay by her side. My baby boy was born on October 23rd. He had some minor health issues so i couldn't go to Paris too. But nothing is more important than my kids , even a U2 show. I just hope that she won't be pregnant again for the next tour!
Btw i just noticed that almost all the shows i went to, were in July. Cool fact!
This last tour will be forever linked to Paris and those emotional days in November. As a French citizen, what was your reaction when U2 played the last 2 shows in Paris and invited the Eagles Of Death Metal, how do you lived those last shows?
The night the attacks happened, I was already asleep. I was still sad that i couldn't make it to the show on the 11. My girlfriend was feeding the baby. She woke me up as soon as she saw the news on TV. I just couldn't believe it. We both cried that night. And she was 'angry' at me because i was supposed to be in Paris during those days. For the story, a friend of mine should have come with me in Paris on the 11. But he is a bit paranoid. He was afraid of a terrorist attack linked to what was happening in the last months in middle east and France as well (Like the Charlie Hebdo massacre early that years). And in the end he was right! That's terrifying!
U2 showed the world how to react. Their visit at the gates of the Bataclan and after the 2 postponed shows. That's the spirit! That's rock n'roll! I listened to the 2 shows live on mixlr. It was really emotional! Goosebumps like i was there with them!
With regards to the continuation of the Innocence and Experience tour, what are your hopes and expectations for the Experience part of it?
First I hope to be part of it!!
I think it's gonna be like the first part of the tour of " Innocence" ,the new songs of Experience will be the heart of the set and the rest of the setlist will be built around that theme of Experience. Like every fan i wish they'll put out some old , even never played, tunes. But as we all know, U2 don't take so much "risks". But there will definitely be some surprises as usual.
If you could go back in time, which U2-era would you like to be in, and why?
I was indirectly in every U2 era. Yeah i'm old!
But for some of them i was a bit too young to enjoy the experience. I wish i were in my 20's when the Unforgettable Fire came out. I'd loved to see that tour. I probably would have wear a mullet too! With no shame! Haha!
And of course The Lovetown era.
These shows were pure Rock N'Roll! The songs they've written between 87 and 89 were so inspiring to me. How different is U2 compared to other artists that you like?
I'm into music since i was a little boy. I grow up listening to my parents records. Beatles, Stones, Doors, Dylan .... Then i discovered my own bands from the 80's. Simple Minds, The Clash, INXS, Midnight Oil, The Housemartins... Only To mention a few. And of course U2. As i said, U2 changed my life. U2 is on my mind every single day. I can relate every song to a specific time of my life. It's a kind of love story. Really! Some of my friend call me a fanatic. And i think it's true in some ways.
I also love The Smiths, Pixies and Pearl Jam. Those 3 bands are an important part of my musical journey too.
What are your hobbies and interests away from U2, musical or otherwise?
My first hobby are my children. It's a full time job! To watch them grow has no price.
Between drawings, playing dolls and diapers i listen to a lot of music. I love watching TV series too like the walking dead, game of thrones, shameless, ....
A few years ago i had 2 blogs that kept me busy. The Spiral Staircase (about U2 bootlegs) and The Ultimate Bootleg Experience (about bootlegs in general). Maybe some of you might remember them.
I also used to play bass. I had a few bands over the years. One was a U2 tribute band called Zoofly. Once we won the Achtung Awards. An internet contest organised by the french site U2 Achtung.
To conclude i just wanna add that it's a real pleasure to be picked as fan of the month! It's an honor to be part of this great site!
Cheers to y'all!!
Thanks for this interview Spiral!
Note: Our crew members choose the fan of the month, you can't sign up for it.
