1. Every month we put a U2 fan in the spotlights, the fan of the month November of 2020 is user Lukinator. Read along for the interview we had with this U2 fan.

    "I never really got into live U2 or a lot of their lesser known tracks, but now, that stuff is my whole life. I now am, by far, a bigger U2 fan than I ever have been."

    Tell us something about yourself, who are you and what do you do for a living?
    My name is Luke Rominiecki. Im currently a Freshman in High School at Pine View School in Sarasota Florida. And for fun I do a lot of music related things, such as collecting and listening to vinyls, listening to U2's catalogue and bootlegs, and playing drums.

    How did you become a fan of U2, tell us how it happened?
    My parents have been U2 fans pretty much since Boy in 1980, and they showed them to me at a very young age. My Dad had been to the Giants Stadium show on the original Joshua Tree Tour, and my Mom was able to hear a few songs from their Fordham performance on the NLOTH promo tour from across the street. I remember loving all the hits, but for some reason, I really loved Red Hill Mining Town. That was the first song I was able to say was my favorite U2 song. Around 2017ish was the first era in my life where the only thing Id listen to was U2. My favorite song by them at the time was most likely So Cruel. I didnt know that much about them at the time, but they were definitely my favorite band at the time. My family was definitely considering getting tickets for seeing them at the Tampa show on JT17, but the tickets were just too expensive. Around the end of 2017 I stopped listening to a lot of U2, but would still listen to them every once in a while. I got big into The Beatles; and then into Led Zeppelin, which is when I started playing drums. Mid July of this year, I found this website, and within two weeks, U2 were back to being my favorite band. I never really got into live U2 or a lot of their lesser known tracks, but now, that stuff is my whole life. I now am, by far, a bigger U2 fan than I ever have been.

    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?
    As I said, my parents are huge U2 fans, and they got me into them. I've also been recently trying to get my friends to become U2 fans, and they are actually liking it. They don't know a single song, but whenever I put one on, they seem like they genuinely enjoy it.

    What does your U2 collection look like? What kind of stuff do you have and how is it organised?
    I have a lot of vinyls, concerts downloaded, cds, dvds, and a few shirts. Just yesterday, the ATYCLB deluxe came to my house, and I guess the rarest thing in my U2 vinyl collection would be a mint condition first pressing 11 O Clock Tick Tock with the sleeve and all. The most cool thing in my U2 collection though, would probably be the shirt that was sold at the Joshua Tree Tour in 1987. I have each category pretty organized within a section, but I have things like my cds and my vinyls on opposite sides of my house.

    If you could go back in time to see a U2 tour, which one would it be and why?
    If I could go back and see one tour, it would most likely be ZooTv. I think that was consistently their best tour, and also, the visuals and all that stuff are just amazing. If I could go back and see a tour's best shows though, it would be Popmart. Popmart is most likely their most inconsistent tour, with some clear flops of shows, but also a lot of the best they have ever done. Eugene, Washington, Rotterdam, Dublin, Sarajevo and Chile are all peak U2; and Leeds is tied with 12/04/06 as my fav U2 show of all time.

    Current music is more 'targeted' towards the younger demographic such as yourself, how does U2 fit into this musical landscape?
    I think U2 is actually quite similar to most modern music these days, but better. My friends listen to bands such as Glass Animals and Saint Motel, and I hear some definite similarities between them and U2, but the difference between them is that U2 just sounds better to me. They also have a lot of similarities to some modern acts I listen to, such as Vampire Weekend and The Killers. To my ears, these two bands are as good as what U2 is has been doing since No Line.

    U2 is working on a new future album, what are your expectations and wishes for their next album?
    For the next album, I want a surprise. I want something new, something they've never done before; but I don't want them to do something new just to be new. As to what that is, I do not know, but all I desire is a good U2 album.

    If there would be only one U2 song you could hear the rest of your life, which one would it be?
    That's a very good question. Even though my favorite U2 song is The Unforgettable Fire, I dont know if thats what Id choose to only be able to listen to for the rest of my life. I'd want something that's an epic of a song. Some songs that pop into my head immediately are songs like One Tree Hill, Ultraviolet and Zooropa. But I might honestly have to go with Kite. While it isn't my favorite U2 song, it is definitely in my top 5, and for me, is the U2 song that I feel is least likely for me to stop wanting to listen to, even if it was on non-stop till the end of time. It has everything about an amazing U2 song, plus more. Bono's emotionful vocals, a groovy rythm section from Larry and Adam, a slide part from Edge, which is rare, and one of the best programmed string parts Ive ever heard in my entire life.

    How different is U2 compared to other artists that you like?
    U2 is actually a lot more modern than other bands I listen to. When Im not listening to U2, I'm listening to bands like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Rush, or The Police.

    What are your hobbies and interests away from U2, musical or otherwise? Drumming as I said, and also swimming in my pool, or in the gulf of Mexico

    Something else I'd like to add as that if you have Discord, I suggest you join the U2 Discord Server: https://discord.gg/2sxmEHsJ





    Thanks for this interview Lukinator!

    Note: Our crew members randomly pick fans of the month, you can't sign up for it.
  2. Cool that there are still youngsters out there listening to U2....great interview Luke
  3. Is there another invite link for the Discord? Just tried to join and it says link expired.
  4. Great username. Always impressive to see young folk take up the reigns to follow this band.
  5. Such impeccable taste for a young lad! Leeds will always rank high in my favourites, one of the first bootlegs I listened to on repeat when I was in my late teens. Hope you get to experience them live soon!
  6. "For the next album, I want a surprise. I want something new, something they've never done before; but I don't want them to do something new just to be new. As to what that is, I do not know, but all I desire is a good U2 album"

    I agree.
    Nice ATYCLB vinyl!
  7. Thanks for sharing Luke or Lukinator. That box looks so perfect in your hand l am going to call you 'Cool Hand Luke'.

    Be careful with that box around the fire!
  8. U2, Beatles, Led Zeppelin...great choices 👍😃
  9. Great interview!
  10. Originally posted by miryclay:Thanks for sharing Luke or Lukinator. That box looks so perfect in your hand l am going to call you 'Cool Hand Luke'.

    Be careful with that box around the fire!
    Hate to ruin the illusion for you, but that fire is not a fire, its water vapor with a light under it. We don't really have fireplaces in Florida
  11. Wow, from what I read in the interview, you were very close to going in 2017, but have not yet seen U2 live. This needs to happen for you before the band retires.
  12. Great interview. Good to see a fellow drummer U2 fan.