THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE : Part II

Q: What do you get when you combine a frostbitten bum and a censoured penis with arthritic fingers cramped from one week of non-stop drawing?

A: The best damn night of our lives!

When we want something badly enough, we'll work our arses off to get it. If that also means freezing them off to let U2 know how much they've changed our lives, then we'd be right eejits not to take the chance. So...

By the time the authorities at the Providence Civic Center let in the GA line for the October 30th concert, Jules, Beth, Charline, and I were already waiting in line for the next night. Once we got our sleeping bag and comforter set up, we rocked out to what we could hear of Stereophonics and U2 with our ears pressed up against the side of the building. (Pathetic, eh?) Once the concert ended, lots of other diehard fans joined us for a dreadfully cold evening on the bare concrete sidewalks. But no pain, no gain, and we did all we could to keep warm.

As the night dragged on and the temperatures dropped, a really nice man walked over and offered us some useful advice: "Cardboard's a good insulator, you know?" He helped us grab a whole bunch from a trash bin nearby and lay it under the sleeping bag. Once we finished doing so, Jules, Beth, and Charline all laid back down, while he and I struck up a conversation. When I finally noticed that his jacket said 'U2 POPMART, PRINCIPLE MANAGEMENT,' I assumed that he was just another nice U2 fan who was obsessed enough to find that kind of paraphernalia. When I asked him where he got it from, he said he works for them... Of course, I freaked and squeaked in disbelief. But Scott assured me that he's one of their truck drivers, and he's been working with them at least since Zoo TV. When we finished talking about the stars and his life on the road, I asked him for his opinion on a scrapbook we had made for the band.

Months ago, considering how much I value my family and seeing how U2 hold their own sacred, I decided that I'd put together a scrapbook with portraits personally drawn of their family members and with letters Jules and I would write about their influences on us. A week before the concert, Charline and I started working on what turned out to be a really time-consuming project and finished it with no time to spare.

Scott was really impressed by the effort we put into the scrapbook, and said that we definitely needed to give it to the band ourselves. But as the night rolled on and concert time approached, we began to worry that heightened security wouldn't even allow us to bring it into the venue. Soon Scott reappeared, beckoning for us and the scrapbook. He said he'd take it to show to a bunch of people. When he returned, Scott told us that U2's make-up artists and caterers were impressed by the scrapbook, too, and were going to tell the band to look out for us in the crowd. I cried, thanked him profusely, and tried to hold myself back from giving him a big old bear hug.

Once we get inside, the four of us made a chain front row-center along the rail. When Stereophonics came out, we started rocking out even harder than we did the night before, and the band seemed to really appreciate that we were grooving along to them. The bassists, Richard, and the drummer, Stuart, saw us belting out the lyrics, so they started winking and smiling directly at us. That alone made it a great night, but we had no idea what we were in for later.

U2 came on and played"Elevation" and "Beautiful Day." Then it was time for "Until The End Of World," and a guy we'd met in line from Babson College and who runs a U2 radio program affiliated with u2station.com got pulled up to take photos of Edge and Bono groping each other during their duel. When "New Year's Day" began, I try to get Adam's attention with one of our posters. With the recycled slogan of "ADAM POSE FOR ME ACHTUNG STYLE"

ADAM SMILING AT US!

from the last Boston Elevation concert, we put a painted picture of Adam on the back, in all his naked glory, with a shamrock over his bits, covered by Velcroed-on clothing. When I finally caught Adam's attention, I put up the poster so as not to block the view of anyone behind me, and I began stripping him. Off comes one of his signature shirts -- and there's a small smile on his face; then his camouflage pants -- and a wider grin. When the wifebeater and the little blue boxers with the hearts finally come off, Adam is laughing. For the rest of the night, we get a few sweet little smirks from him whenever we make eye contact.

And we're in heaven...

But it isn't long before I start crying again. Mid-way through the concert during "Bad," I flip to a pic of Bono, Ali, and their little newborn John in the scrapbook and put it up so that Bono can see it. He glanced at it quickly and turned away. When he realised what it is, he knelt down, took it from our hands, and mouthed a "THANK YOU." I think I just responded with a nod, cos at that point, I'd totally lost my ability to think and was sobbing. He placed the book on the stage and started flipping through it, and finally left it on the drawing of his mom. Still singing "Bad" as he's doing this, he rose up and

BONO HOLDING OUR SCRAPBOOK..(!).. Thanks to Tash for the photo.

continued to stare at it for a few more seconds before he realised that he's supposed to be entertaining the other 15 000 people in the audience. After he walked away, I saw Edge staring at the scrapbook for a while, before a technician came to adjust the mic stand and offered it back to us. I shook my head to make sure he knew I wanted the scrapbook to go to them. He set it aside on an amp on the floor between the stage and the barrier. When the band reached the first encore, he rushed it backstage, and that's the last we ever saw of it.

Now, we're doubting whether U2 ever actually got the scrapbook once it left the stage. But that's alright if it didn't. Even if it was just for a split second that Bono recognised how much we cared about the band, that realisation and memory is enough to sustain us for a lifetime.