Melbourne and the U2 Concert 19 November

Like every diehard fan, I was thrilled to hear that U2 were coming to Australia, only to be crushed like so many others when I couldn't get through on the phones the first day and missed out...only to watch ebay sellers flogging those coveted tickets off for up to 8 times the selling price. DIRTY RATS!!! Who else hates that??

THEN...a few weeks later, the band announced another sale of tickets for extra concerts in Adelaide, Sydney, and Melbourne. YAY!!!!!! But...hang on...where was Brisbane? Briefly miffed, I soon realised that this was an opportunity not to be missed. Ms Brilliant here rang the nearest TicketMaster office ( the Rugby League club) and asked if they were opening to sell U2 tickets on the morning of the sales. Told at first the usual time was 10 am, she grovelled and grovelled...and finally a Friendly Manager agreed to open 2 hours early so she could buy tickets at 8 am (9 am EAST). So there she was bright and early, not another person in sight...the Friendly Manager logged on..FRONT ROW A RESERVE!!!

Then, of course, the band postphoned the tour because of the illness of a family member. Waiting...waiting...waiting... Then new dates are announced...and hang on....I'm scheduled to present at a Conference in India the weekend before and aren't due to be back until the following week! Naturally, being the die-hard fan I am, I rearranged my travel plans so I was coming back early. Arrive back from India (20 hours of travel in 24 hours), 9 hours at home, head for Melbourne. A tad punishing, maybe, but what are bodily needs when the spirit is being nourished, I ask you?

In Melbourne awaited my longest term female friend, the Empress's Mother, who had graciously accepted the invitation to accompany me forthwith (as opposed to the response of the original invitee, the Irish Idget...It having declined to make the journey from Galway...how slack is that, I ask you??)

Needless to say, like the rest of Melbourne, the Empress's Mother was duly impressed with U2. Even jetlagged and not quite with it (courtesy of a Raging Headcold graciously bequeathed by my Indian roomie, Contagious Chris -aka The Logical Libran-), I was still able to appreciate my first serving of Live U2 in years. Bono's passion on the subject of Africa also further impacted on earlier discussions at the conference the weekend before. I will tell you more about the conference in another post, when I have figured out the photo thingy and the links here a bit better.

As for my trip to Melbourne, even though I slept most of the four days of my visit, I naturally still managed to leave my mark... particularly on Empress Mother's Second Ugly Child and The Empress's Mother's Loyal Partner... who have both now apparently both succumbed to the Indian Headcold in the wake of my lightning visit. (One can only hope that Second Ugly Child loses his voice... there has to be SOME compensations, right?)

As I said, one always likes to leave an impression...