"I became a fan i 1985 via Live Aid, a few days before my 14th birthday. I had seen the videos for Pride and The Unforgettable Fire before, at a local clothing shop where they played music videos on TV sets. They had a 120 minute tape on repeat, so you knew when to be there to see your favs."
Tell us something about yourself, who are you and what do you do for a living?
My name is Patrick, I live in Germany in the city of Recklinghausen – which is located in the north of the former industrial area we call „Ruhrgebiet“. It’s a beautiful town in an area with lots of nature to he north and a lot of concert sites close by to the south and west – the Schalke and Düsseldorf stadiums, the Westfalenhalle, the Oberhausen and Cologne arenas plus a lot of smaller clubs etc are within short distance, only 20 – 60 minutes away. So, a lot of opportunities. The Dusseldorf airport is also close by, which makes travelling abroad easy – although I prefer the train nowadays, even toLondon.I’m a bookseller originally, but nowadays I’m a teacher for people who want to become booksellers, too.
How did you become a fan of U2, tell us how it happened?
It happened in 1985 via Live Aid, a few days before my 14th birthday. I had seen the videos for Pride and The Unforgettable Fire before, at a local clothing shop where they played music videos on TV sets. They had a 120 minute tape on repeat, so you knew when to be there to see your favs. On July 13th, 1985, I watched Live Aid from the very start. I was really looking forward to this, I couldn’t believe that literally all my favourite current artists would be there, plus some legends. My best friends father had a fine record collection and we had just started to discover music from the 60ies and 70ies, so I was looking forward to The Who and McCartney as well. U2‘s performance blew me away, especially Bad, of course. I loved the snippets of Ruby Tuesday, Sympathy for the Devil and Walk on the Wild Side – I hadn’t known before that „snippets“ were a thing and only discovered later that Bono used to sing snippets of other songs at nearly every show since 1980. After Live Aid I bought all their records, although I was a bit disappointed with the live version of Bad on Wide a Awake in America (lacking the snippets), I loved all their albums instantly. Each musician played very distinctive and creative parts and some songs became instant favourites and remain favourite tracks to this day. A few months after Live Aid I got a tape of some performances from that day. The live version of Bad from July 1985 is probably the track I have listened to he most in my life. Still gives me goosebumps every single time.
Your first show was in 1987 back in the days of the original Joshua Tree tour. What can you remember from that show and tour?
Back in the day you learned about upcoming concerts from ads in music papers and posters plushand-written lists in music shops. Maybe there was a sticker on my copy of the Joshua Tree, which I had bought on the day of it’s release and immediately loved. Can’t remember how we got the tickets, though. They were 37 DM (less than € 20).I was 16 in 1987 and luckily, I was allowed to go to Cologne on July 17th, 1987, which was a holiday in Germany back then (Day of German Unity, which wasn’t to happen until 1990, of course). Me and two female classmates tock the train to Cologne. A teacher of ours who lived there had offered us accommodation, as our parents didn’t like the idea of us traveling through the night after the concert. There was trouble at the entrance, a lot of fraud tickets had been sold. It soon started to rain. More and more people were queueing up, seeking „shelter from the storm“. I quickly lost my friends. As inexperienced as we were, we had no plan in case of this happening. But we found each other after the show.The line-up was great: BAD, The Pretenders, Lou Reed – which I enjoyed, even though I was soaking wet. It was a cold day. I did not care. Despite the shitty weather, the atmosphere was great. This being my first ever stadium concert, I was amazed and thrilled by the excitement and anticipation of the huge crowd. This feeling got me hooked to going to concerts.The show started with John Lennon’s version of Stand by Me, which to our complete surprise, was taken over by U2. I really loved the whole show and thought it was great. Honestly, not their best on the tour, but to me, that night, it was the best and greatest show imaginable. All those snippets! A Beatles cover! They even played a full version of Bad, finished it – and then restarted it, because the crowd kept singing the „wide awake“-part. Nearly to full versions of my favourite song, along with more snippets than at Live Aid.Sadly, it was my only show on that tour but I soon started buying and trading tapes, so by the end of the 1980s, I probably had listened to most oft he shows oft that tour. Did you ever notice that they changed the setlist a tiny little bit for every show? Did they ever play the same set twice? I’ll have to check that again, I am a sucker for setlist analysis.
You've seen U2 in almost every tour since. What are your most and least favorite tours?
I nowadays focus on the positive – but since you are asking, I was underwhelmed by the Vertigo stadium tour. But recently I went back to that tour via bootlegs (thanks a lot, tapers!) and have come to appreciate it more than I did back in 2005. My favourite is ZooTV of course, my favourite show ever (of those I have been to) is Dublin, Aug 28th, 1993. But there are so many dear memories of traveling to shows with my best friend. I really liked the last Berlin show in 2018 – if that’s the lastshow I ever saw with the original line-up, so be it.Anyway, going to concerts is not only about the music, it’s also about the whole experience on that day, the traveling, getting to know people and places and spending time and money on something you never forget.
Where do you most prefer to listen to U2?
Definitely in concert. And in the car or when traveling by train. Sometimes also at home, but then only listen to music and don’t do anything else. And I don’t skip. If I listen to an album or a live show (preferred), I listen from start to finish.
When you're forced to leave to a deserted island and you can take only one U2 album with you, which would it be?
Probably Achtung Baby. If bootlegs are allowed, Dublin 1993.
Does anyone in your family or one of your friends like U2? If so, did they introduce you to U2, or did you "convert" them?
I have to ask my best friend…maybe I „forced“ him to come go and see Zoo TV in 1993 in Cologne with me, after he had taken me to see the Stones for the first time in 1990. I also took my sister two times and some other friends. But there are not many people around me that fully understand, why it is perfectly normal for me and Jan to go to Rome in 2017 to see two shows – and then head over to Barcelona to see a third. Luckily my wife is okay with it.
What is your favorite U2 book, and why?
„The U2 file“ by Hot Press which I got early at the end oft the 1980s and Bill Flanagan’s „U2 at the end of the world“. „U2 Show“ get’s an extra mention, because I am pretty much interested in what’s going on production-wise and backstage.
How different is U2 compared to other artists that you like?
Each time I listen to U2, I discover something new – often depending on the gear I use for listening.There is a lot going on, musically. I could probably identify over 90% of their songs by listening to only the drum or bass track; especially on the early records I find their playing very unique, unconventional. But every one in U2 still is very creative and innovative up to this day in their playing. Some might disagree, but I still find it very interesting to listen to their music and to them playing live.
What are your hobbies and interests away from U2, musical or otherwise?
Just recently I rediscovered my love for making music and playing live (I play the sax in a swing band), after I sort of had come to a halt during the pandemic and after the death of a dear friend, who was the guitar player in our band. I play a few instruments, on amateur level, and Songs of Surrender inspired me to pick up the Ukulele again and try to make U2’s songs work on four strings. Songs ofSurrender is also great to play along to, as there is enough space on it for added bass or percussion.Other favourite bands/musicians, to name a few: Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Radiohead, Miles Davis, The Velvet Underground, Sonny Rollins…In my spare time a read a lot nowadays – books and this forum, of course. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the great job you’re doing here.
