by Barbara

Not a concert review but a Mother’s dream comes true.

I am by all accounts a huge U2 fan. I have had the opportunity to see them on many occasions. During their last tour I became pregnant with my first and only child. I still traveled to many cities to see them, the last show was Detroit 1997 and my daughter was born December of that year. It is a big joke in my family that my daughter knew Bono’s voice better than she knew her father’s voice when she was born.

Let’s skip 3+ years to present day, my daughter like her mama is a big fan. She thinks that U2 members our friends of hers. Needless to say I had secured myself tickets to all of U2’s Chicago shows, but had debated whether I should include my daughter. It was decided that 3 ½ was too young for a child to attend a concert.

Soon the first Chicago show had arrived and for the first time I decided that I wanted to see the band outside the venue. I went to the venue with camera in hand and sure enough I got amazing pictures of the boys before the show.

So what’s a mother to do? I decided that before the 2nd Chicago show I would tell my daughter that we were going out for Mother’s Day and that I had meet a horse, named Ace, the day before that we both could see & pet.

So off we went to the venue to see Ace and maybe the boys. I was nervous, I had not told her of my real intent.

We visited with Ace and one of the roadie’s had a dog that he brought over to play with my daughter. This alone made my daughter’s day.

Soon it was time for the boys to arrive and out of the blue my daughter sees Larry in the car with his window rolled down and just screams, “there is Larry the drummer”. I’m sure that Larry heard her. Larry and Adam pulled in and all of a sudden Larry is coming back up the hill. Larry eventually makes his way to my daughter. What he did and said almost blew me away. She commented about his dragon shoes, and suddenly he was caressing her face. She was in heaven.

Next came the arrival of Bono and Edge. Again they did not disappoint. My daughter was so happy to see her “friends” that it was like she was having an Elvis encounter (that’s for you Larry). She started crying and calling to them. They were also great even though I think Bono took a few steps back when he heard her cry.



The next day with pictures in hand see told her entire gymnastics class about the encounter. (By the way one of her teachers had been there Sunday and was jealous that see had pictures).

I know this forum is usually to review the concert, but because I was so touched by the people that made my daughters Sunday outing so special I had to say thank you. Thank you DeDe from Washington for playing with my daughter (your picture is on the way). Thank you to the people standing on the fence that allowed me to put my daughter in the very front so that she now has these memories. Thank you Dale Patch and your dog for being so kind. Thank you Ace and John. And most of all THANK YOU U2 for letting a mother fulfill her child’s dream; I will always be in your debt.

B from Chicago

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