1. Every month we put an U2 fan in the spotlights, the fan of the month March 2012 is user patou2. Pato is from Argentina and is a long term fan. Read along!

    Tell us something about yourself, who are you and what do you do for a living?
    My family has got Irish ancestors, and when I was a small kid I used to attend Irish community gatherings. We did a great variety of things, from dancing traditional Irish dances to playing games. I Was small by then, but the ones who were a bit older listened to U2 and I was soon faaling in that magic world. I remember listening to Rattle and Hum, Under A Blood Red Sky and The Joshua Tree in the community. My brothers were also part of that group (we're 7 children), and they also listened to U2. When Achtung Baby was released, my bigger brother bought it and we listened to it the whole day at home. Zooropa soon came out and it was me who bought it. It has accompanied me from then on.

    You happened to attend three separate tours (Popmart, Vertigo and 360) in Argentina. What was your favourite tour out of the three - and the atmosphere at those shows, given the Argentinean shows always have incredible crowds and great performances?
    Tough question! Popmart was something really depp, I had eagerly awaited for it. On the first show, I was at the front row on the lateral fence, and I saw the band walking in front of me at the start of the show. The concert was awesome, and the closing with Mothers Of The Disappeared and the Madres De La Plaza De Mayo onstage was something really incredible
    On the Vertigo Tour... well, I still have goosebumps when I think of these shows! Earth was shaking, it really seemed like an earthwuake during songs like Vertigo. The show was amazing. I remember how the ending of Love And Peace Or Else struck me, and the strength of The Fly. On the first night, I remember Bono starting to sing Love Is Blindness and encouraging the band to follow him..... Wow. I regret that there isn't a full recording of that show, the band was on fire and the audience was the best audience ever.
    But I have no doubt that the 360 Tour was the best show of them all. The Claw, the lights, everything was perfectly visible from all angles. I saw the second concert from a good seat, but I deeply regret it: there, I realized that I need the madness of the GA!!!
    The final winner is Vertigo Tour for me. But all of them fulfilled my expectatives. The key is seeing them as many times as possible!! It's truly an unforgettable experience. I'm really jealous of the Europeans and Americans, who get to see many more shows than us, and can do short trips to see them more often. But U2 come rarely over here, and they do very few shows...

    You've reviewed numerous shows, a commendable effort. What motivates you to review this many shows?
    I've got all the bootlegs burned on CD, in a shelf that takes up a whole wall at home. I have listened to them all, and I happen to perfectly remember some of them. I once tried to organize a bit my bootleg collection, doing a little description of each show so I could have a quick glimpse of what each show was like. So that's why I do so many reviews here, I have small reviews written in each CD!

    Following on from the shows you've reviewed, and your favourite u2 album being Rattle And Hum, what do you think of the live songs on there, and which would be your favourite from that album?
    A song that really struck me from that album is Pride. I'm really carzy about that version, and that particular live performance made me go into the live side of U2. The R&H version of Bullet The Blue Sky is one of the best I ever listened to, and I really enjoy the cover songs as well. I'd really love them to release a similar album to R&H now, with 8 new songs and 8 live songs. It would be a great album, wouldn't it?

    If you could go back in time, which U2-era would you like to be in, and why?
    Another one tough to answer... I think that musically the Point Depot shows were somewhat of a climax, but if I had to choose a particular concert, I'd rather be in a live Zoo TV show. I choose Lovetown as a whole, though!


    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?
    All my brothers like U2, some more and some less. They're not absolute fanatics as me, though. Many close people came to the 360 shows, family and friends. I have a close cousin -who's in U2start too- that started to like U2 in 2001; then, I gave him the New Year's Eve show and he joined the fanatic side of U2 too!


    What is your favorite U2 videoclip, and why?
    It's really hard for me when you make me choose something particular about the band..... because I simply love it all. Anyway, the Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own videoclip, with Bono singing a capella walking around Dublin, it always gets me. I also adore the videoclips from The Sweetest Thing, One (the original), Where The Streets Have No Name, All I Want Is You, If God WIll Send His Angels... the list goes on, you know.

    How different is U2 compared to other artists that you like?
    Well, the big difference is that they're the best band of the world. I'm fan of many other bands and I also collect bootlegs from them. Some of that bands do also have some legendary shows! BUT U2 has got that "something", has got many epic tours, and reviewing their history, how they evolved, how they developed, taking risks and always keeping a high standard in their releases and live performances... That's what makes them bigger, that's what makes them what they are: the best band in the world. And that goes without mentioning the non-musical aspects, like their constant fights for human rights and against poverty, they respect their fans, they've had no big scandals, they're together from a lot lot of years ago... Although we all know they're not perfect, they do many commendable things to look like they are.


    What are your hobbies and interests away from U2, musical or otherwise?
    I'm a sports fanatic as well. Both of practicing them and watching them! In my life, I've played many sports like football , handball , rugby, tennis , volley (among them), and I really like to watch any sports on TV... Whenever my 2 years daughter allows me to!


    Thanks for this interview patou2!

    Note: Our crew members randomly pick fans of the month, you can't sign up for it.
  2. I haven't read this yet, but I want to say how surprised I am that Pato hadn't gotten this yet. Deserved!

    ¡Una buena entrevista también! ¡Felicitaciones!
  3. Great questions and answers!
  4. Very good interview!!!! Felicidades Pato!!!
  5. well done Pato very well done!
    i'm not so much in reviewing stuff but what you're doing there is very very remarkable and to appreciate a lot .. you're definetely great!
    it's very nice talking to you, very glad when it happens .. especially about football .. much appreciated your understanding of my particular moment with Inter hehe
  6. Good read Pato! As Mr_Trek said, it's been a long time coming.
  7. Nice read, Pato.

    However, I think you should include playing "Artist vs Artist" as one of your hobbies.
  8. Well deserved Good read, Pato
  9. Cataloguing and one-by-one-reviewing a +1000 bootleg collection is fan of the month worthy itself. Simply awesome.
  10. Thank you for the nice words

    i considered myself as a huge fan , but you are huge too !!

    Special thanks to Sergio . He helps me to translate my answers

    Rummy : Artist vs Artist is one of my secrets hobbies , Battle of songs and i have a few more.....
    Ronnie: The football topic is a bit abandoned because last 8 matches weren t good . Sure they ll be back !!

    I tell everyone you are welcome in Argentina !!!!
  11. Very good read and very deserving of fan of the month. It's great looking at a show you're about to download and seeing a review from someone you recognize. Luckily we have that on every single show.
  12. After reviewing several shows, I really am surprised how you've got this so late. You deserved this earlier! Anyway, Congratulations Pato! Was a fantastic read, for sure!