Every month we put a U2 fan in the spotlights, the fan of the month May of 2025 is user grzeko. Read along for the interview we had with this U2 fan.

"U2 will always be my base or home in music. However, they made me leave it. For years, I knew I’d follow them on tour. Now… I think I might go to one show. But we’ll see what the U2 future brings – maybe we’ll reconnect."

Tell us something about yourself, who are you and what do you do for a living?

Hello there! My name is Gregory and I live in Warsaw, Poland. I work for the biggest rock radio station in the country.

How did you become a fan of U2, tell us how it happened?

I became a U2 fan… I guess 24 years ago. It was after the All That You Can’t Leave Behind release, and there were a few circumstances that led me to being a massive fan. But at first, it was… Elevation. Sorry guys! It was Elevation, which was the main promo song for the Tomb Raider movie.

I was a big fan of the franchise at the time. I made a quite popular website about the adventures of Lara Croft. So, there was Elevation, which led me to buy the ATYCLB CD with my dad. I thought part of it was okay, part not, and I forgot about it for some time.

Later, I accidentally found a bootleg from the Elevation Tour, Arnhem night 2. And it was a blast. I started looking for other show recordings. The second one was London, August 18th. Then: Boston DVD, The Best of 1990-2000 CD, Slane DVD… and around 2003, I went crazy about the band and started buying previous albums.

Tell us about your first live experience, in Poland in 2005. What was it like?

I waited for this show so, so much. These were the wild times with forums, IRC groups, and stuff like that. Thanks to the internet, I got in contact with one of the people organizing the event. That way, I reserved tickets before the sale started.

And when it started, I didn’t go to school. Instead, I went to the organizer’s office and collected my tickets (I went to the show with my friend). Fast forward to July, and we’re in Chorzów. We went to see the stadium the day before the show. We met Ukrainian girls who decided to sleep at the gates – they started the queue.

We came back the next day and stayed in the queue for hours, watching TV crews interviewing people. It was quite hot, then there was heavy rain when The Killers played. It stopped before U2 came out.

You all know how a U2 show looks, so I’ll tell you only about the fan action – the flag. Not many remember that it didn’t go quite as planned. The idea was to make it during New Year’s Day guitar solo, but people started waving their white and red things when The Edge started playing piano… and there it was – for the whole song.

In your opinion, what has been U2’s defining moment and why?

I think it was Achtung Baby and Zoo TV, which showed that the boys had the balls to risk it all and change it all. That’s in general.

For me personally, it’s probably ATYCLB and the Elevation Tour – that’s what comes to my mind first when I think about them.

For people a bit younger than me, the defining moment is Vertigo, but it’s not a good one. Many of them think it’s cringy with the “yeah yeah yeahs”. They associate it with the South Park episode with Bono.

Then, of course, many today think the defining moment was uploading SOI to every iPhone in the world.

Name a non-U2 artist you discovered because of U2 (directly or through the fandom).

The Killers were the first, as they were the supporting act at my first U2 show. I still like them and follow their releases, but I still haven’t seen their headlining show.

Which U2 live recording still gives you goosebumps no matter how many times you hear it?

I’ll choose the official ones… and I guess the obvious ones. RTSS -> Streets transition from Sydney 1993, Bullet the Blue Sky from Boston 2001, Out of Control from Slane 2001, The Unforgettable Fire from Pasadena 2009, Berlin 2018 in full.

I won’t choose anything from bootlegs, though I’ve heard every show recorded since 2000 and many from before. That’s because there’s a lot of them, and because of everyday life and lack of time, I tend to listen to them only once.

Back in the day, it was much more times per recording, but now it’s like a live show for me. It’s once in a lifetime. Therefore, I don’t remember them that well.

What are your expectations for U2’s next album? Do you think it will be their last?

With this tempo, I guess we’re waiting for the second-to-last album. It will be the last one recorded now, and then Songs of Ascent (or something based on it) for the end.

I don’t think much about the next album. Unfortunately, I’m quite disconnected from U2 now because of the way they work, communicate, and what they release:
• No real chance to see them live for almost 7 years now (I’m not counting Bono’s solo shows and Sphere, which was a local event).
• Almost no new music for more than 8 years now, and the new tracks (like the Sing 2 one) are horrible. The really good new track, Atomic City, is basically a cover of two other songs with new lyrics.
• More and more cash grabs with nothing more to offer.

All of this redirects me to other artists. U2 will always be my base or home in music. However, they made me leave it.

For years, I knew I’d follow them on tour. Now… I think I might go to one show. But we’ll see what the U2 future brings – maybe we’ll reconnect.

How different is U2 compared to other artists that you like?

Oh, I like very different artists – from Coldplay and Depeche Mode through Billie Eilish, Madonna, or Nick Cave to Metallica, Rammstein, AC/DC, and sometimes even Behemoth. So, some are similar, some are very different.

What are your hobbies and interests away from U2, musical or otherwise?

I love live shows. Last year, I saw about 60. They determine my calendar, plans, and what I’m listening to right now. They give me what U2 used to give.