Below you'll find the full report of nine days spent in South America.
It's rather long, longer that most college term papers, and it probably
took more time to write. So grab a cup of you're favorite drink, a spot
in you're favorite chair, and join Elena Espinoza, Nico Ford, Darci
Chapman, Christian Limpach, and me, on The South American Odyssey...
PS: My apology if this fills up your mailbox.
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Introduction:
The idea of going to South America to see U2 was first mentioned to me at
the Old Spaghetti Factory in Seattle, by Elena Espinoza, the night after
the Seattle POP Mart concert which closed the 1997 tour. Feeling sad that
the tour appeared to be over for me, and getting the chance to go to
Buenos Aires for a week, made me quickly say yes. Over the next month we
made plans, added new people and lost others in our merry band of
travelers. I even came really close to backing out. Am I glad I didn't?
You bet your ass I am! Nine days traveling around Brazil and Argentina
with four great friends, and going to four of the best shows I've ever
seen. Certainly a trip that I'll never forget. This is the story.
Friday 1/30/1998 - New York City - Leaving for Sao Paulo
The plan: Leave work at 5pm, stop at my apartment, pick up my backpack and
the Wire banner, then take the A train and bus to the airport. Sounds
easy enough, but nothing could have been further from the truth. I left
work at 5:00 as planned and hopped on the F train at Broadway/Lafayette
St. I was on schedule until the train got to East Broadway, then
everything started to fall apart. They announced that there was a fire on
the tracks ahead, everyone had to leave the train, and move to the back of
the station. I expected a short wait, it turned into a half hour delay
until the next F train arrived (the train I was on went out of service).
I still had over two hours to get to the airport, and the poster on the
train said it was about 70 minutes from lower Manhattan, so I was still
ok. I raced home from the station, the Wire banner was waiting, changed
into a pair of shorts, grabbed my backpack, the banner, and back to the
subway. As I got to the station the G train was about to leave, but I
passed on it, waiting for the F, my first mistake. It took about 10
minutes for the F to come. Ok, I was starting to worry a little. As we
pulled into Jay St. the A train I needed was arriving, unfortunately I had
to crossover, and the stairway I took at the end of the platform didn't
allow for cross overs. I quickly turned around and ran for the next one,
made it across, just in time to see the doors jerk open and closed. I had
missed it. I nervously waited as a C train, the other A, and another C,
came and went. Finally an A, to Far Rockaway, pulled into the station,
still plenty of time. The train seemed to move at a snails pace while
time seemed to accelerate. The usual strange assortment of fellow
passengers helped to keep my mind off the ticking clock, but only briefly.
There was the woman picking her nose across from me, a woman singing Bob
Marley's "Don't worry about a thing, every little thing is gonna be all
right" by the door, and next to me a woman having a long running
conversion with what appeared to be several people, visible only in her
mind. The A train pressed on through the tunnel.
As we emerged from the subway with the elevated tracks ahead there was a
still about an hour to go. The cold air blowing through the open door
sent a chill across my legs, as my stomach did the tango. As we left each
station I was sure they would announce JFK as the next stop, but stop
after stop I was disappointed. When the train finally got to the JFK stop
there was less than an hour left. I raced to the bus, found that Varig
was in terminal 7, and bus B would take me there. I boarded the bus with
some strange looks, "What you never seen someone in shorts when it's 40
degrees outside?" I waited and waited as a few more people boarded, and
finally the driver. This was going to be so close and thoughts of missing
the flight, and the Sao Paulo show raced through my mind. We twisted
through the parking lot, passing pickup points with no people, the Tower
Air terminal, and finally out onto the highway. I saw the sign for
Terminal 7, we passed 2 and 3 without stopping, and appeared to be heading
for 7 when we pulled off for stops 4W and 4E. I could no longer sit
still, continuously checking my ticket, I couldn't even remember the
flight number, as my mind was now racing, the clock ticking. Less than a
half hour till takeoff and we were not even at terminal 5!
Quickly through 5 and 6, then pulled into 7. "Where is Varig!" I scream,
"Inside, upstairs." I ran up the escalator, "Where the fuck do I go!"
Around the corner, back outside. "Where is Varig! Varig!" "The other end
of the terminal, by United" I ran through the terminal at top speed, but
no sign of Varig, where are the TV screens with the flight information?
Ok, found one, Flight 865 to Sao Paulo, Gate 10. The entrance is right
next to me, but I need to show my boarding pass, which I don't have, just
a printout STA gave me. After some frantic screaming I got past the
security guard, ran to the X-Ray machine. Straight through the metal
detector with no problems, but they want to check my backpack. "My flight
leaves in 10 minutes!" "Don't worry, you still have time" "Look it's just
my camera, some vitamins, film, and a small amount of C4" Well, I skipped
the part about the C4, these airport security guards don't have much of a
sense of humor, and zipped up my bag. "Where is gate 10!" "Go straight,
then turn right" Ok, almost there, I see gate 10, but nobody is at the
counter. I go to the next counter "Gate 10, Sao Paulo! Where do I go!"
"I wasn't aware that they were still boarding passengers, let me check" I
give him my ticket, throw my passport across the counter, as another crew
member arrives "You better call down to see if they are still letting
people on" My heart is bounding in my chest as he calls down and types at
the keyboard. They discussed my fate as one would discuss if they want to
super-size their Big Mac. A boarding pass is printed, "Here, follow me"
"Thank you!" I run down the ramp, make a quick right, then a left, the
crew is waiting, the door open. They check my passport and I board, less
than five minutes to spare! As I sit down, shove the Wire banner under
the seat next to me, and the backpack under mine I realize I've done it.
Yeah!
As I lean back, catching my breath, I think of actually getting the chance
to hear Bad played live again, and am filled with joy and relief. Little
did I know then, but at almost that same instant, over 5000 miles away, U2
was performing Bad for the first time on the POP Mart Tour during the
first Sao Paulo show. So, moral of the story, next time I'll pay the
$50.00, and take a car service.
There was a song I heard last weekend before the Super Bowl, played while
they showed John Elway's story. All I remember is one line that goes like
this, "I hope you have the time of your life." My journey continues.
Saturday 1/31/1998 - Sao Paulo - The first show
Arrived in Sao Paulo at 8:30am, after a brief sleep on the plane. As we
flew over Brazil I could see the country side looked much different then
North America, must be the vegetation. As we approached Sao Paulo airport
the city looked huge, much larger than NYC, and with tall buildings spread
out all over. When we landed the first thing I noticed was how hot it
was, as hot as the hottest day of a New York summer, and just as humid. I
went through customs with no problems and headed for the exit. It was
then when I realized I was now in a foreign country, didn't speak the
language, and had no idea where I was going, scary. As I headed out into
the arrivals meeting area it was packed with people eagerly awaiting their
friends and loved ones, many of them with video cameras to record those
special moments. I slowly moved through the crowd looking for Vidal, my
Brazilian contact, who offered to drive me to the hotel. I quickly
spotted a POP Mart shirt, white with Bono on the front, and we was holding
a sign that said "Henry Wagner." We did the introductions, I met his
friend Vanessa, and we found a phone. I called the hotel to get
directions and we were off. Outside it was even hotter and Vidal's car
didn't have air conditioning. It felt like the water was just evaporating
from my body, and I quickly coated up with sun screen.
The airport was located outside of Sao Paulo so it was about an hours
drive. The scenery looked like New York in many ways, and like Miami in
others, not very exciting, and I was sweating buckets. We went past their
version of Central Park, saw some statues to their revolution in 1932,
before heading to the hotel. We were staying at a hotel called Central
Park Service in what was said to be the nice part of town. I dropped my
stuff off, showered, and we headed off for food. Elena picked up the
tickets for tonight's show, they were free V.I.P. tickets, a $175.00
price, cool! They were also very elaborately designed. If you've ever
seen any of the European tickets you'll know what I mean. These had the
POP Mart tour logo printed on them, even a little hologram with the
shopping cart in it. Pizza Hut was that little taste of home that we
needed. Over lunch they filled me in the their troubles the with tickets
the night before, and Elena and Christian's problems in Rio. Hearing this
we decided to leave the banner at the hotel, which turned out to be an
excellent idea. The band was staying on the same block restaurant, and
just a few blocks from us, and there was the usual crowd of loyal fans
waiting for that brief encounter with their heroes. We stopped briefly
then headed off to the stadium. As we got closer to Morumbi the streets
were lined with people selling everything from hot-dogs, to T-shirts, to
soda, even Skol U2 promo items. There were people everywhere outside the
stadium, queuing up at all the gates. I've never seen so many people at a
show so early.
This is where our troubles began. We didn't know what gate to enter
through, and every guard we asked gave a different answer. We ended up
walking around the stadium including up a long hill. This was a bad idea,
it was so hot I thought I would pass out. We finally got someone to let
us in through gate 18, but they were searching people like we were going
to see the President, so a quick trip across the street to take my camera
apart and shoved it down my shorts we went. They didn't find the camera,
but came across two unopened bottles of Gatorade, and a partially drank
bottle. There was no way I was going to give this magic liquid up. Death
threats or not, it was hot as hell here, and I needed every drop of liquid
to keep my energy level up. Elena convinced the guards we were V.I.P.s
and deserved special treatment, plus we're Wirelings and that guarantees
us the red carpet, and a spot by the b stage railing, right? Oh, and if
it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd like someone with a fan and an
umbrella to keep us cool on the field till the sun goes down. They didn't
laugh.
Ok, I'm exaggerating, just a little, but we got through, Gatorade and all.
A quick trip to the bathroom to retrieve my equipment, and we're off. The
"bathroom" was just a wall, with a drain on the floor, and I wondered why
my feet were feeling so sticky. Unfortunately we couldn't access the
field from this area, and I wasn't looking forward to trying to explain
our story at another gate, not to mention hiding the camera again. One of
the local security guards took pity on us and escorted us down below the
stadium and out to the field, many thanks. He thought the V.I.P. section
was on Edge's side of the stage, up in the stands. This wasn't going to
do. We worked our way onto the field and tried for the main front
section, but this was just for the first 2000 people who entered the
stadium. Then we headed to the other side of the b stage. Vidal told me
that he bought a V.I.P. ticket for last nights show, and this was the
spot, right next to the b stage.
Next problem, we had yellow wrist bands, and everyone in that section had
purple or pink wrist bands. The local security didn't believe us, that we
had V.I.P. tickets and belonged in that section. Damn it, we're
Wirelings! We tried to track down a member of U2 security, even Jerry
Mele, but no luck. Elena and I eventually made our way to the other side
of the stage and found someone who took us backstage to the TNA office.
Craig explained that we had V.I.P. tickets and should have no trouble
getting through. He also showed us that there was a closed off section
with food and drinks just up from the field, near the b-stage. He tried
to convince us that this was actually better than sweating out on the
field. Ahhh, I don't think so.
To try and make a really long story shorter, Craig spoke to the local
security, ended up in a twenty minute debate about the tickets and
wristbands, in which time we found Darci and Christian, and finally got
into the V.I.P. area, with new wristbands. After quickly filling up on
water it was off to the b stage. By now the railing was filled with
people, but we had a great view. The stadium was packed too, and the
audience was celebrating.
This was my first concert experience outside of North America, and my
first general admission stadium show. By now it was around 4:00, and the
entire stadium was full, 95,000 people. I read that Morumbi was the
second largest football stadium in the world, the Maracana in Rio being
the largest, this was going to be an insane show. Since it was so hot the
security gave out small cups of water to keep the audience from passing
out of dehydration. Thank you! The problem of what to do with all the
empty cups was quickly solved be some creative fans who stacked hundreds
of them together in twenty foot towers and hoisted them into the air. The
audience would roar their support as each new section went up. Eventually
they grew too long to be held up so people began a horizontal chain, more
than 100 feet long. It stretch from stage left, past the b stage, and
over toward the sound booth. Fans in the upper deck joined in by throwing
their cups down onto the field, it looked like rain. After many rounds of
the wave, football chants, and twirling shirts it was time for the opening
bands. Both bands sang in Portuguese but we really got into it. Normally
in the US the opening bands would barely be acknowledged on stage, but
here everyone was on their feet, jumping up and down, singing along. The
stadium was shaking and U2 was still hours away. One of the bands had a
DJ onstage who started spinning the drum beat to Sunday Bloody Sunday.
The whole stadium joined in with the "Oh, oh, oh" part, then began
screaming "U2! U2! U2!" I felt a rush of adrenaline that is normally
reserved for the best moments of a U2 show, if this keeps up tonight will
be the greatest show ever.
As the crew got the stage ready the crowd slowly moved closer to the
stage. Our area wasn't too bad, but some of the people along the rail in
the main section of the field were getting pulled out due to the crush.
Some even carried out. As 9:30 approached The Verve's "Bitter Sweet
Symphony" started. Here we go!
When the band hit the stage the crush started in our area too. During the
first few songs I struggled to keep my spot and shoot pictures. I still
couldn't get to the rail and everyone had their hands up, so much for that
idea. In the end I shot less than a roll of film, decided to enjoy the
show instead. The show itself was great, U2 were rockin' and the audience
was so loud. During "I Will Follow" everyone was jumping up and down in
unison, it made the cameras shake, and the images on the screen shake!
Tonight's show was broadcast by MTV Brazil so that might explain why U2
stuck to their regular set list. I was a little disappointed at not
hearing any of the songs they were rumored to be adding for the South
American tour.
By the end of Streets I couldn't take it anymore, the heat was unbearable,
and I couldn't see a thing, so off to the safety of the stands I went.
Just getting off the field took most of Lemon and Discotheque, people were
packed in everywhere. I swear, every inch of the field was covered by
people, shoulder to shoulder. During Velvet Dress I worked my way along
the first level to the back of the stadium for a great view. Hearing the
audience sing along during With or Without You was incredible, even during
the break between choruses they kept singing "Oh, oh, oh, oh!"
As the show neared the end I was hoping for something special to close the
show, and we got it. As One ended Edge broke into 40. At the Seattle
show 40 blew me away, and left me in tears, but tonight I was so
exhausted, and dehydrated that all I could do was quietly sing along. Bono
seemed to forget the lyrics again, and Edge extended the song by
continuing to play the guitar as they walked off stage and down the ramp.
My first South America show had come to an end, somehow I'd given all my
energy early on and now needed a long shower, and lots of sleep.
It took a while for all of us to meet up so I watched the fans slowly make
their way out. The entire field was covered in a layer of plastic cups,
I'm sure glad I don't have to clean that mess up!
Sunday 2/1/1998 - Sao Paulo - Exploring the city
Everyone slept in today, and the fifth person in our group arrived, Nico.
The Wire banner made it's first appearance today, rolled out in the hotel
room for some of our South American friends to sign. We got to meet
Patrick from Rio, one of the biggest U2 fans you'll ever meet. He told us
he heard the sound check at Rio where they were practicing Bad with
Mothers of the Disappeared, and "El Pueblo Vencera" For those who don't
know, Bad is my all-time favorite song, and the thought of hearing it,
with Mothers of the Disappeared, was incredible.
While most of the group waited at the band's hotel Darci and I headed off
the explore Sao Paulo. It would take weeks, or even months, to cover this
city so we decided to walk down the main avenue near our hotel. There was
a small park, with some nice statues, great sidewalk markets, and an art
museum. The line for the museum wrapped around the block, and we wondered
what exhibit was inside. But with the long, slow moving, line, and a lack
of time, we moved on. We picked up every newspaper and magazine with U2
on the cover, and there were a lot of them. In the local shopping mall we
came across a music story with the Brazilian releases of all the U2 albums
in the window, unfortunately they were closed.
Eventually we ended up back at the band's hotel, still no sign of U2. We
decided to meet up for dinner and find a steak restaurant. We heard the
steak in South America was incredible and built up a big appetite looking
for a place that was reasonably priced, and that would let us in wearing
shorts and T-shirts. When I finally sunk my teeth into some filet minion,
covered with an incredible brown mushroom sauce, I understood what
everyone was talking about, it was delicious.
During the walk back to the hotel we met up with a guy from France who was
working in Sao Paulo. He was surprised to hear we had traveled so far to
see U2. When we got back to the hotel we headed for the roof top lounge,
and an amazing view of Sao Paulo by night. The lights went off in every
direction, and the radio towers that look so plain by day were so
beautifully lit at night. The heat that beat down on the city during the
day was radiating back up and it made all the lights twinkle, beautiful.
Monday 2/2/1998 - Sao Paulo - Leaving for Buenos Aires
We said goodbye to Darci and Christian for a few days, they were off to
Iguazu Falls. Elena, Nico and I checked out of the hotel and then
explored the city, making our way to the bus terminal for tickets, then
the city center. The highlight was going to the top of the Edifico
Italia, a 41 story building with a restaurant on top. The view was
amazing, but we still couldn't see the end of the city, in any direction.
While we ate some incredible ice cream a storm system rolled in on one
side of the building. As the rain fell, and lightning struck the radio
towers it was bright and sunny on the other. That's how big this city is!
As we walked back to the hotel for our luggage we spotted a wall of large
U2 promo posters. Nico had to have one so went spent about a half hour
slowly working one off the wall, while getting some rather nasty remarks
from passerbyers. We ended up just getting a large "U2" in three pieces,
better leave before the cops come.
On the cab ride to the bus station we got one last look at Sao Paulo,
while playing "Guess that bootleg." It's scary how much we know about U2.
Do you know what show Bono says "Outside it's America, it's Chicago,
YEAH!" or "Every song we ever wrote was a rip off of a Lou Reed song.
Here's one of them." This city is amazing, you go five feet and it looks
completely different. Streets shoot off in every direction.
The bus station was huge too, and it reeked of gasoline. Our bus was one
of those large, long distance buses, with all the emanates of home: a
bathroom, water and coffee, and nice comfortable seats. We had quite an
assortment of fellow travelers, but it seemed like we were the only
Americans. Nico and I had two seats together, and Elena was stuck sitting
next to a guy who insisted on hogging the arm rest and sticking his ass
out as far as possible. Plus, the woman in front had the seat all the way
back, and all she was doing was lying down sideways on the base of the it.
We spent the first two hours driving through Sao Paulo, stopping for fuel,
even spent some time parked in a garage for a tune-up. When we finally
made it past the city limits and out into the night, the sky filled with
stars. Since we were below the equator these were stars I'd never seen
before, and as my eyes adjusted to the dark the Universe appeared out our
window, a beautiful sight. At our first rest stop we came across a
magazine with an extensive article on U2 and technology, plus some yummy
wafers. Finally, it was time for a nights sleep.
Tuesday 2/3/1998 - On the Road - Sleep, Spittle, and Speed
When I woke up we were out in the mountains, and there was lush green
everywhere. We were also going about 70 mph, downhill. The driver was
weaving in and out of traffic like were in a Ferrari, racing down the
Autobahn. Unfortunately we were in a bus, in the mountains of Brazil, and
all the passengers, and our luggage, were getting thrown all over. I was
laughing my ass off as one second I went from being pressed up against the
window, peering out over the edge of the mountain and certain death, to
almost getting thrown over Nico and out into the aisle, the next. What
was even more amazing was the Nico told me last night she awoke to the
sound of the tires breaking loose from the road as driver took turns at
unheard of speeds. We decided that our driver was really a retired
formula one driver, who wanted to show off his handling skills. This
would explain why our bus trip was listed as 36 hours, and the original
trip we heard of was at 42 hours.
Throughout the day we made our way through the rolling mountains, past
dinosaur and UFO trees, and out onto the plains. Every few hours we would
stop at some small road side dive for food and a bathroom break. At one
rest area we spotted a truck whose cab was sporting a stylish picture of
Tina Turner, in her big hair days, on one side, and an extremely tacky,
silver backed, sticker of Jesus, crown of thorns and all, across the
center of the wind shield. Don't worry, I've got a picture as proof.
The truly sad part of the trip were some of the towns we drove through.
I've never seen actually slums before, towns that consist of nothing more
than small shacks put together with any scraps available to keep the
elements out. Even the cats and dogs looked under nourished. It was
heartbreaking.
Late in the afternoon we were back out on the open plains, and the sky
looked like it was ready to put on one hell of a show. By the time the
sun set the rain started to pour down and Mother Nature let loose with the
most powerful lightning storm I've ever seen. Lightning has always been
my favorite severe weather condition, and as we bounced down a pothole
riddled dirt road lightning ripped across the landscape. By this point I
switched seats with Elena, and got to use her Walkman. The Verve's
"Bitter Sweet Symphony" was playing over and over, as the light show
continued.
The storm stopped as we approached the Argentinean border. First we
stopped at a bus terminal, where they collected our passports. We figured
they would stamp them and we'd be on our way. Instead the bus pulled away
from the station, and out into town, without our passports. To make
matters worse, when we stopped for dinner, the usual spaghetti and rice
for me, the bus pulled away, with our luggage. Something funny was going
on. Luckily I remembered to bring my backpack along, but Elena and Nico
had their gear onboard. While we waited we met a guy from Germany who
working in Brazil, and just decided to take the bus to Argentina with the
hopes of going to Patagonia. I lent him my Lonely Planet book, when the
bus finally arrived back. Then it was back to the bus station, where the
driver picked up the passports, but still didn't return them. Elena was
nice enough to remind us that American and Brazilian passport fetch a high
price on the international market, since both countries have a wide range
of cultures living within them. It finally looked like we were heading
for the border, but first the driver treated us to an in ride movie, Tom
Clancey's "Clear and Present Danger" staring, my favorite actor, Harrison
Ford. It was even subtitled in Portuguese. We watched the entire, two
hour, movie while moving only about a mile. Most of that time was spent
waiting on line at the border. Eventually they made all of us get out of
the bus, fear of getting lined up and shot went through my head, and at
last got our passports back. Now I could get some sleep.
Wednesday 2/4/1998 - On the Road - Arriving in Buenos Aires
When I awoke we were in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, finally the bus
ride was nearing it's end. We got to the bus station almost on time, they
must account for the long delay at the border as part of their schedule.
Either that, or the driver just floors it to make up for lost time. When
we got off the bus we still didn't have a place to stay, so we figured
might as well find out where the band is staying, then stay someplace
nearby. We had a list of the high priced hotels that are frequented by
celebrates, and Elena started to make some calls. After a few tries we
found out they were staying at the Park Hyatt Hotel, and found a place
nearby that was reasonable.
When we got into the taxi and told the driver we were in town for the U2
shows he said "Oh, they're staying at the Park Hyatt Hotel." Then when we
get to our hotel, the Guido Palace Hotel, and asked the receptionist how
to get to the Park Hyatt, she says, "That's where U2 is staying." Does
everyone in this town know where U2 is staying?
After we all had a much needed shower, and brushed our teeth, it was time
for food. We found a nice restaurant along a park, even met some American
tourists. They told us they were staying in the same hotel as U2, and
asked for our extra rolls to throw out the window as the band left. We
also learned that the band had come down for dinner the night before in
the hotel restaurant to see a tango show. Bono even got up and sang.
When we got to the Park Hyatt we heard the band was out for the day so we
decided to go explore the city. The first place we had to visit was the
Plaza de Mayo, named in remembrance of the revolution of May 1810. There
were pigeons all over the park and we noticed one eating out of someone's
hand, so we purchased some maiz kernels and started feeding them. We were
instantly attacked by a hundred pigeons, with more flying out of the
trees, and down from the surrounding buildings. At times there were four
and five perched on my hand, some standing on the backs of another to get
at the food. It was hysterical! Nico even tried to get some to eat out
of her hair.
Eventually we ran out of food and made our way to the center of the park,
to the Piramide de Mayo. According to the Lonely Planet Guide this is "a
small obelisk over an earlier monument, around which the Madres de la
Plaza de Mayo still march every Thursday afternoon in their unrelenting
campaign for a full accounting of Dirty War atrocities." On the ground
surrounding the statue were painted images portraying their struggle, and
the death of their children.
If you're not familiar with their story, like I wasn't, it's an incredible
story of bravery and love. During the military rule of Argentina people
who opposed the military's policies were taken and executed, often right
on the spot. The people who were killed weren't acting out with violence,
just protesting the lack of basic human rights and privileges that we, in
America, take for granted. Even the right to gather and protest our own
government's stupidity is something I've never thought I'd need to fight
and die for. Many of these protesters were students, often the most
liberal people, who see the world for what it is. As a result they
"disappeared." Not willing to quietly sit by and let this go unnoticed
the mother's of the children joined together to march for recognition, and
to spread awareness of what was going on. These atrocities were not
simply limited to Argentina, but other countries in Central and South
America as well. For the Joshua Tree album U2 wrote the song "Mothers of
the Disappeared" for the Madres de El Salvador, another remarkable group
of woman, working for the same cause. Even though the government of
Argentina has since changed, I was horrified to learn that those
responsible for the death squads were still walking the streets, free of
any official persecution. The Madres de la Plaza de Mayo continue to work
to see these people brought to trial, and find justice for their loved
ones. Walking around the Piramide de Mayo, seeing the paintings, you
could really feel their hearts beat.
We made our way back to the band's hotel and met up with some local
Wireling's. It was strange to see how they all recognized our names, and
we became instant friends. Elena and Nico recognized a few of them from
the Miami show too. It was amazing to see how excited they were, and all
the other fans around the hotel. We learned that several of the Madres de
la Plaza de Mayo had come to visit the band at their hotel. Would they
actually play "Mothers of the Disappeared" tomorrow night?
During the evening the crowd grew, we shared stories, and sang songs.
Someone even blasted U2 from their car stereo and everyone joined in. We
sang songs from War, the Joshua Tree, and the Sarajevo concert. Eventually
Bono showed up, got out, waved, and went in. We decided to wait it out,
and sing more songs, this was too much fun to miss. Someone screamed near
the side entrance of the hotel and we went running. It turned out they
spotted a curtain move, but hey it was something. We all lined the fence
as With or Without You blast from another car, surely waking up everyone
within ear shot. The hour was growing late, and the hotel was probably
getting flooded with calls from annoyed neighbors, so they announced the
band needed their sleep and would not be coming out. To insure that we
left they also said anyone still here in a half hour would be arrested.
Not wanting to spend the evening in a South American jail we quickly said
goodnight to our new friends and headed for bed.
Thursday 2/5/1998 - Buenos Aires - And still their hearts beat
Once again we went through lots of trouble to get our tickets from TNA,
but in the end we got free V.I.P. tickets again, cool. They told us that
we had to buy tickets for the next two shows, and we got field seats.
Tomorrow I'd get to experience my first race across the pitch. The V.I.P.
seats were up in the stands again, but this time no access to the field.
We hung the Wire banner over the railing and people slowly came over to
check it out. The we plotted our move to the field, and thanks to some
creative talking by Nico we got down there.
By the start of the show Nico, Elena, Christian, and I had made it into
the area in front of the main stage, near the b stage. After getting
crushed in Sao Paulo Darci decided to stay in the stands. The crush along
the rail in the main section was even worse than Sao Paulo. I watched in
horror as people were continually pulled out of the crowd, some unable to
walk. I was hoping to meet up with Martin Stieglmayer from Austria, who
was also traveling around South America, but hadn't seen him up till now.
We finally spotted him along the rail, in front of the b stage, getting
crushed, and he didn't look good. Steam rose up from the crowd when they
sprayed water to try and cool people off.
The opening bands were different, and I just couldn't get into it. We
heard they were considered to be funk, so during the break before U2 came
out they spun an incredible set of great funk tunes. We heard the "Theme
from Shaft," "War, What Is It Good For," James Brown's "Sex Machine," and
many other classics.
This time when U2 hit the stage we had a great view. Bono spoke in
Spanish many times, and the audience was incredibly loud, singing along at
every opportunity. Whenever Bono would come out to the b stage we would
struggle to keep our spots, but tonight I was determined to hold my
ground. The crowd had a great chant, they'd sing, "Oh lay, oh lay, oh
lay, U2! U2!" Sometimes it would be "Bono" or "The Edge" instead of "U2",
and the band just loved it.
With the standard set list again, I knew they must be saving something
special until the end, and it could only be one song. As Bono introduced
One he said "Every country, every city, has it's ghosts. These ghosts
won't be forgotten." As he said this the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo walk
out on stage, about thirty in all, and begin slowly walking back and forth
across the center section of the stage. I knew what I was about to
witness will be something special, history, one of those rare moments that
makes traveling thousands of miles worth every penny. Seeing this,
hearing the crowd sing along, and knowing what has to come next,
overwhelms me, and the tears start to flow. Bono sings an incredible
rendition of One as the Mothers continue to slowly walk. Then, as the
song ends, they all line up across the stage, behind Edge, Bono and Adam.
Without a word Edge begins Mothers of the Disappeared. A new video
sequence begins, footage of the Mothers marching in their search for
justice for the sons and daughters, as Bono starts to sing. The song is
almost too painful to watch, and to hear. Bono changed the words slightly
to "We hear their hearts beat, and still their hearts beat" I thought 40
in Seattle was emotional, but the next few minutes in River Plate Stadium,
with 70,000 people singing "Oh oh oh oh. Oh oh oh oh." goes beyond
description. One thing remained, Bono starts singing "El Pueblo Vencera"
and the audience joined in. This was it, the moment I'll never forget,
the defining moment of my POP Mart tour, and my 15 years as a fan.
As the song ended Bono walked to the base of the stage, turned, bowed, and
applauded the Mothers. Larry stood at his drum kit and did the same,
followed by Edge and Adam. One of the Mothers stepped forward, took
Bono's hand and held it in the air, then took off her white head scarf and
handed it to Bono, who put it on. The band left the stage and the
audience roared in their applause of the Mothers, and began to sing what I
was later told is Argentina's national anthem. As the lights came up we
embrace each other, everyone savoring this special moment. As we were
leaving the stadium a bus carrying the Mothers was pulling out of the
parking lot, everyone stopped and respectfully applauded.
Tonight we tried to get some tour T-shirts. The selection was a little
smaller than in 97, but the black and blue shirts had the 98 dates on
them. Elena was already on line so I asked her to get me a large blue
one. The tags were cut off the shirts and I could only conclude they
thought we meant childs size large. I could barely get the shirt on, and
then it was skin tight. Maybe an extra large would be a bit roomer so I
acted like Hoodeni getting out of a straight jacket, removed the shirt,
handed it to Elena and asked for a size extra large. The sales people
didn't look amused as Elena tried to explain that we are Americans and
therefore need everything to be really big. I ended up with another green
shirt, but with the 97 date. Since the one I bought in Vegas was starting
to look worn out it made a good replacement, and I had no clean clothes
left, so I really need something to wear.
Friday 2/6/1998 - Buenos Aires - A red guitar on fire
We all overslept today, and we need to get to the stadium ASAP to get on
line, but first a shower. While we got ready we started coming up with
new POP merchandise names. The first one was POP Toilet Paper. Since the
bathrooms at the stadium are a scary sight Elena and Nico brought along
plenty of extra, just to be safe. We coined the slogan "POP for
Assholes." Just wait, it gets better. Before each show they were giving
out condoms, I was going through my stuff and pulled out something that
looked a little large for a rubber johnny. "These South Americans must be
hung like a horse!" Nico said, "That's not a condom, it's a maxi pad!"
Hmmm, POP Napkins, "POP for Periods." Ok, I'll stop now.
When we got to the stadium the queue was already long, luckily some
friends let us join them near the front. Tonight I brought my camera, and
four rolls of 3200 speed B&W film. Security was also really tight here so
the only place for it was down my shorts. Running across the pitch was
really uncomfortable, what I won't do to get good concert photos.
Christian, Martin, and I got to the front section quickly, and headed for
the b stage rail. Unfortunately a local radio station was giving out
special wrist bands to lucky fans who mail in a copy their field tickets.
They were allowed in early and staked out all the best spots, but we were
only about four rows back, a great spot. Darci soon joined us, Elena and
Nico headed for the other side of the b stage.
Our plan was to meet up with Raul from Peru before the show, but we never
found him. While hanging around the b stage, and meeting local fans and
others from around the world we bumped into Raul. After the show we were
telling him about the 36 hour bus ride, and the problems we had. We
quickly shut up when he said he took the bus all the way from Lima Peru to
see the show. His journey was three and a half days, that's 84 hours in a
bus! He said the bus company won an award for offering the longest bus
trip in South America. Raul deserves a medal for making that trip, all in
the name of love!
After last nights performance I couldn't even imagine what they could do
to top it, but somehow they always do. Tonight U2 were on fire, roaring
through every song. The set list was the same up till the end of I Still
Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. Bono sang Stand By Me while looking
up at the almost full moon, "When the land is dark, and the moon is the
only light we'll see." When Edge got to the b stage and put on his
acoustic guitar he looked over to Bono and asked "Staring or Desire?" Bono
smiled, and jumped into Desire. For only the second time this tour I was
able to hear it, amazing. After they finished Bono spotted someone near
the b stage with a harmonica, took it, motioned to Edge to continue
Desire, and played the full ending. Afterward he said it was off key, but
it sounded great!
When the Lemon opened the band was wearing Argentina national football
jersey's, and Bono was holding a ball with disco ball pieces attached.
Ihe roar from the crowd was almost deafening.
Bono dedicated One to the sons and daughters who died during Argentina's
military rule. Again they closed the show with Mothers of the
Disappeared, Bono mentioned how last night the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo
came out. It wasn't quite as emotional as last night, that moment only
comes once, but lingers forever. The audience caught on to "El Pueblo
Vencera" and I heard people singing it long after the lights came up.
Saturday 2/7/1998 - Buenos Aires - Come on Edge, play that beautiful music!
Well, this is it, my last POP Mart show. One last chance to celebrate,
one last chance to hear all the great tunes, and one last chance for them
to play Bad. While spending the day on line we concluded that this show
would include Bad, Miami, Mothers of the Disappeared, and 40, and it would
be the greatest show ever. We got two of the four, and it was definitely
the best show I've ever been to.
Without my camera weighing me down the run to the stage was a more
enjoyable, but again the railing was covered in people wearing wrist
bands. Who do these people think they are, Wirelings? We managed to get
close to center stage, only four rows back. Nico and Elena found a spot
along the rail, on the other side of the b stage while we squeezed our way
closer. I still couldn't get into the opening bands, and the funk music
continued while the crew got the stage ready. I was almost directly in
front of Dallas as he tested Edge's guitars, running through all the
effects, playing a few notes from each song. Through the monitors I could
make out Gone, Even Better Than The Real Thing, Last Night On Earth, and a
few others. Then I suddenly noticed a familiar sound, "Holy shit! He's
playing Bad!" The suspense was getting unbearable, not to mention the
fact that the crowd was slowly moving forward.
When the show started the crush was unreal! I could barely breath, and my
raincoat was blocking any breeze that might happen to wander by, but I had
a great view. The first few songs were amazing, especially Gone,
dedicated to Michael Hutchense, which ended with Bono singing "And they
will never tear us apart!" several times. By the time I Still Haven't
Found was starting I knew I needed to get out of there. If they were
going to play Bad it would be soon, and I wanted to be in a spot where I
could really enjoy it. I got about ten rows back, in a clear spot, as
Bono began to sing an Irish tune, "Dirty Old Town" Wow! I never thought
I'd get to hear this at a POP Mart show. It was so cool to hear, and to
sing along. As I Still Haven't Found neared the end Edge turned and
walked toward his effects rack, it was now or never. I screamed "Do it
Edge!!!" as he reached out and pressed a button. Slowly, barely audible
over the crowd at first, the beautiful music that could only be the
beginning of Bad came pouring out of the speakers. I screamed with every
ounce of energy I had. Finally, on my 19th, and final, POP Mart show I
was hearing my favorite U2 song played, and it was magic. Bono changed
around some of the lyrics, and combined the second and third verses
together, "If I could throw this lifeless life line to the wind, I'd led
your heart astray, to see you break, break away." He walked up and down
the catwalk, before making his way to center stage for the big finale,
with Edge's guitar soaring. "This desperation, dislocation, separation,
condemnation, revelation, in temptation, isolation, desolation. Let it
go! Go! Go! Go! GO!!!!!" I screamed every word, and the tears came. Bad
was as great as ever. Then Bono added part of Lou Reed's "Walk on the
Wild Side" with the crowd singing the "do do do do--do do do do" and a
little of All I Want Is You. By this point I was absolutely euphoric. As
Edge headed for the b stage Bono announced they were going to play a song
they wrote for Willy Nelson, Slow Dancing. I was so surprised, you could
have knocked me over with a feather. They did a great acoustic version as
Darci and I made our way to the center of the pitch. Again, the audience
cheered "Oh lay, oh lay, oh lay, The Edge, The Edge!" as Edge started
Sunday Bloody Sunday with the "Oh oh oh" part. Incredible! I just
celebrated for the rest of the concert, jumping up and down, screaming my
lungs out, twirling my shirt around, taking it all in, one last time. "We
Will Rock You" was added to Bullet, and during Discotheque Bono added
something that sounded really familiar, "The Fly! Yeah!" Two verses
worth. Could this show possibly get any better? The girl Bono pulled up
for Velvet Dress stayed with him for With or Without You as they sat on
the steps of the b stage. As he let her go to prepare for the big ending
he gave her a kiss, and there was some serious tongue action going on.
Once again the audience joined in for the ending, overpowering Bono's
voice.
I made my way back toward the main stage for the big finale. Mysterious
Ways had a long extended jam session before the ending. Bono took Edge's
hand and they tried to dance around, but ended up getting tangled up
together, it was hysterical. Bono dedicated One to Jose Luis Cabezas, a
journalist who was murdered a year ago. He told Willy to turn off all the
lights and for the audience to light up, it was beautiful. They closed
with another amazing performance of Mothers of the Disappeared, this time
Larry and Adam joined in during the second verse. The audience really
caught on to "El Pueblo Vencera," the perfect ending to the perfect show.
I couldn't ask for anything else.
This time I was so pumped I felt I could stay up for a few more days, so I
decided to join the gang at the band's hotel. We needed to stop at our
hotel for Nico's video camera, and my 35mm camera. Our cab driver was
insane! Being from New York City I'm used to drivers who have no regard
for the law, but this was like being in a James Bond movie. He took every
shortcut, sidewalk, horse path, anything that would get us back sooner,
while keeping the peddle to the floor. We weaved in and out of the eight
lanes of traffic, even went into the oncoming traffic, and forget about
signaling, or even looking. In our half hour ride he broke more traffic
laws than I've broken in my life, it was great!
We grabbed our stuff, plus one of the hotel blankets. I'm so glad we
brought that blanket, and wish we brought the rest. It was bitter cold
out and we all huddled together on the pavement as the long wait began.
The cold air quickly sucked the energy out of me and I was asleep when
Larry arrived. We grabbed the cameras and the blanket as everything else
got crushed by people frantically trying to get a spot along the fence for
an autograph. I snapped some photos and followed Larry to hear his
comments. One fan yelled out "Larry, you're the best drummer!" He
responded with, "I'm the only drummer." Another fan yelled "Larry,
where's Bono!" Geez, give Larry his moment in the sun. Happy Larry was
out tonight and spent time with everyone, he even signed Darci's Sao Paulo
ticket.
My juice was crushed, and our newspaper's trampled as we huddled together
again. More of the crew arrived, and then Adam, but he didn't stop, not a
word. Don't you realize we're freezing our asses off out here?
Finally The Edge arrived. He also made his way along the fence, signing
autographs, smiling for photos, and talking to the fans. Darci got Edge
to sign her ticket too, Nico handed Edge her tape recorder, and he
recorded an answering machine message. The man is so cool. I got some
spiffy shots of Edge, what a ham. Once again the fans screamed, "Edge,
where's Bono!"
There was only one person left, Bono Man himself. We couldn't leave yet,
even though the thought was going through my mind. I was asleep again
when everyone jumped up. I had heard that the paparazzi were bad in
Brazil, but this was my first experience of seeing them up close. All I
saw was Bono's Range Rover rocket through the hotel gate and down into the
parking garage. It was followed by four or five motorcycles, each with
two people on board. We knew Bono wouldn't come out now, and most people
headed for home. I was so furious, I wanted to smash there cameras, and
their bikes.
Sunday 2/8/1998 - Buenos Aires - Saying goodbye and flying home
After a little sleep we had to get up and check out. We had one last
chance to hand the banner off for the trip to the remaining cities, and
the rumor was that the band was leaving for Chile today. No time to
waste. The banner was rolled out in front of the hotel, and many people
signed it. It's amazing to see how many countries are represented on the
banner, world wide indeed. The crowd thickened as the crew began to
leave. The paparazzi were still waiting by the gate, determined to get
their photos.
This is when things got interesting. Four police motorcycles pulled in,
maybe they could do something. Unfortunately they just hung out by the
hotel. Nothing much happened for a while, then shortly before 3:00 the
bands security started to survey the scene. Jerry Miltzer said "Hola" to
the fans, and told us they would stop briefly. Ok, time to get set. At
3:00 the band came out, just like the opening of the show. Edge, then
Adam, Larry, and finally Bono. The crowd went nuts, and the band waved.
Bono even walked out toward the crowd and lied down on the grass. A group
of fans from Paraguay had made a banner and hung it from the wall. Larry
walked over, waved, and they tossed it down to him. Happy Larry was out
again today. As they got into their Range Rovers the cops started up
their bikes, and several support vehicles pulled out to make a convoy. I'd
never seen anything like this before, an amazing sight. The fans swarmed
around the gate to say one last goodbye, some even banging on the windows.
As the convoy raced away the paparazzi took off after them. We tried one
last time to get in touch with Susie Smith, but to no avail. The Wire
banner was going home with me, damn. It was just a few hours till we had
to leave. We said our goodbyes as Darci, Christian and I headed for the
airport, Elena and Nico for the bus station.
So this ends my year on the POP Mart tour. I was reminded that one year
ago today U2 held their press conference at the K-Mart in New York's East
Village. That was my first glimpse of U2 in almost five years, and it
began a year I never would have dreamed possible. The journey has taken
me more than 35,000 miles, across two continents, four countries, 19
shows, and hundreds of new friends. A year that changed my life forever.
For those heading to the remaining shows this year, I hope you have the
time of your life. I know I did.