Et tu, U2?
Adelaide was host to the U2 juggernaut last night. You hear that? The juggernaut, I tells ya! Juggernaut. Any town worthy of a juggernaut visit has to be world class right? Any excuse for me to use the word juggernaut. Juggernaut.
Needless to say, this sleepy little town squealed with the gusto of a gushing groupie.
Bono and co were humble enough to mingle with fans prior to the show, to which Bono was unfortunately assaulted by our local media.
I don’t remember specific lines, but the “interview” (as they labelled it) went something like:
Media: So how do you feel [to be back in Adelaide]?
Bono: I feel great
Media: [Obviously star struck but a little annoyed that Bono wasn’t gushing about how much he loves (and has always loved) Adelaide] It feels good to be around?
Bono: Yeah… I am… I’ve been a great fan… [trails off as he tries to remember where he is]… er… [thinks]… I’ve been looking forward to… [trails off again as he desperately doesn’t want to lie, but doesn’t want to say a contrived pander to our parochialism]… kissing beautiful Australian women [all right! swish!]
Media: South Australian women [laughs]
Bono: er… yeah…
When will Adelaideans get it through their thick fucking heads that we’re not a world class city, that we’re not that special in the grand scheme of things, that just because we remember that U2 visited here 8 years ago (edit: it has been 13 years, I've been informed - apologies for the oversight) it doesn’t mean that Bono does, and that the only reason bands visit here is for our great wines and lax marijuana laws?
As the Irish would say: Jaysus fecking Christ!
I am glad that we managed to cram 60,000 people into the stadium, as that’s probably the environment that U2 is better accustomed than being swamped by bogans and star struck, amateur media with delusions of grandeur.
So, I hope that U2 and their tens of thousands of roadies had a great time in our little corner of the world. I apologise for our media. They know not their proper place and have no proper sense of decorum.
This morning’s local breakfast radio was gushing about the concert, and they mentioned the thing about SMSing your name so that it displayed on the huge screen. Then they gushed about how they “received a text message from Bono” afterwards. There was the typical “Wow, that’s really good of him” thing.
Yeah, I can imagine the scene. Bono going over the entire 60,000 name list with his mobile phone in hand as he clicks away at the keypad.
Edge: You comin’ t’ th’ pub, mate?
Bono: Edge, what ar’ ye thinkin’? I’ve gotta git these text massages done, ya limey git. Th’ pub can wait!
Edge: Alrahty then. I nay thought the text massages t’was a good idea. I told ye.
Bono: But ah’ve gotta be good t’ me fans, Edge. I’ll see ye after I’m done.
Bono continues to feverishly tap away at the mobile phone, trying in vain to get all the text messages done.
Bono: Ah shit! I hate pradict’ve text!! Sorry, abaht that, Emily van der Schans of Westbourne Park… your SMS has a typo in it. I was meanin’ t’ type “good” insted of “home”
Yeah. Right.
U2 are a world-class group of people. Adelaide… alas… is not. Get over yourselves people. You don’t realise how tragic you look. Yes… that probably includes me as well.
posted by Andy at 9:38 AM
13 files below
Andy, I think you need to check out Killerrabbit's post :
http://killerrabbitwithpointyteeth.blogspot.com/2006/11/adelaide-oh-adelaide.html
12:40 PM
Thanks Surfercam. Although I do think your idea of a "Bash Adelaide Day" is a bit like kicking Eddie MacGuire in the bollocks after he's fallen down.
Sure it's a laugh, but it's far, far too easy.
3:14 PM
Amen to that Andy. I've never heard so many U2 songs blaring from car stereos or new 'mad fans' until this concert came to town.
I cant stand bandwagon stuff.
8:10 PM
13 years Andy. If you wanna have a rant, great, but get the time lines right at least.
U2 didn't play here on their last tour - they last played here in 1993.
6:53 AM
Danny, I stand corrected. Thanks. :)
9:19 AM
I know what's behind this... Bono got your name wrong in his text message. Instead of "Andy" he sent "Body"! :P
11:08 AM
I'm not a fan of your fair city and it seems you aren't either.
So the question is. Why do you live there?
11:25 PM
This is the thing Andy - I love this city. Sure, people are raving on about the crowd, but did you ever stop for a second and think that perhaps U2's newer material just isn't as inspiring as their older stuff? Their last two albums have been average at best and as a whole the show just didn't reach out to me like the last tours - even PopMart (in Melbourne) was a better atmosphere because the band seemed switched on. On Thursday night we saw U2 by numbers - a band that appeared bored and laid back. The response they got was a direct reflection of what they gave.
Have a look at my rant and see what you think: http://ohdannyboy.blogspot.com/2006/11/et-tu-u2.html
Agreed about the media - they are shit, but that comes with the territory. ASs for having a good time, well they lobbed into Adelaide at 6:30pm on the night of the show and left the following afternoon. I doubt they saw the outsides of the Hyatt and Aami all that much.
9:06 AM
I'm an SA gal and love Adelaide too, for precisely the reasons our dumb local journos pretend it isn't - we aren't sexy, or big, or likely to make an indent on a world-famous rockstar.... This kind of sucky question time reminds of 'Countdown' in the early eighties when Molly was about to keep his eyelids open enough to ask every single crap, one-hit-wonder Aussie band, "So, hey, are you going to crack to the US market?"
Not bloody likely.... and why would we want Adelaide to be anything other than what it is - a sleepy little 'city' in the middle bottom of Oz, nice to visit, but we don't need anyone more famous than Ben Folds to move here.
10:10 AM
There are a fair amount of people in this place that seem to think that everyone who visits here is immediately struck down with a case of "i-heart-adelaideitis". It's a delusion.
Adelaide is what it is. The sad thing is that I see a lot of people who honestly believe this hype we're sold by media and politicians - obviously to boost popularity/ratings.
Yes, you and Milly accept and love adelaide for what it simply is, but I'm afraid that you two are the exception in my experience, and i grow increasingly embarrassed as more locals try to assert how awesome their home is compared to other cities for reasons x and y - when at the end of the day... adelaide doesn't compare.
YOu and Milly understand that you like adelaide because you do. You don't need to be told why you love adelaide, unlike a lot of other locals.
I will finish on the words of Ben Folds (and I paraphrase): A lot of people from other cities bag Adelaide, but remember that Australia is the Adelaide of the world...
Steph: At this moment it is fiscally responsible for me to stay here... but the plans are to move.
9:23 AM
*stands and applaudes*
Someone needed to say it.
PS: I love Adelaide. Just not the public transport. And the Internet infrastructure. And the fact nothing's open after midnight. And the "holier than thou" mentality.
1:34 AM
remind me not to go there next time except if U2's in town.
in 13 years or so.
7:17 AM
The real tragedy here, with a clause opting not to mention our precious media starlets, is that 60-fucken-thousand people from Adelaide went to that concert.
You, too, must surely agree that that's about as stereotypically retarded of us big-eyed Adelaidians as it gets.
I wonder if the Cranker was cranking.
12:11 PM
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