Pioneer on the Internet – Sean Gursky

From Me To U2
It’s old news now, but U2 is coming to Edmonton in June 2010!

The Monday after we returned from Las Vegas I saw rumors about an upcoming announcement and was thrilled to see a planned stop at Commonwealth Stadium. The U2.com pre-sale started less than 36 hours after the concert was announced and I was back in the same uncomfortable and stressed situation of vying for tickets. Would I play the odds and expect a second show to be added? Or should I play it safe and get seats?

The second tour date never happened, but from my understanding Live Nation stopped the roll out of a second show due to slow ticket sales. Hours after the public sale tickets were still available, and even the following day seats were available in the upper balconies. AC/DC sold out Commonwealth in the summer within minutes, and since this show did not get that same treatment Edmonton will only be enjoying one show. It’s easy to get hung up on the show that got away, but the important item here is that U2 is coming and I can stay within my area code to see them perform.

I ended up buying two seated tickets (closer to the center of the stadium to fully appreciate the stage from the front) and two general admission tickets. I often say that the April 10, 2001 performance I saw of U2 in Calgary was a life changing experience, and I think being on the floor for that was a strong reason why the night was so memorable. To get an optimum spot on the floor you have to wait in line. In 2001 I was in line for eight hours, and that is the norm for most lineups, especially if you would like a chance at the ‘inner circle’. I am still not sure which way I am leaning, we have already seen the show from the seats and a floor performance would give us more appreciation for the frenzy; but at the cost of sitting and waiting all day.

I came across this time lapse video of the “Claw” as it was constructed, performed on and torn down the other day and it immediately brought my excitement level back up for the show. Now to just get through the next eight months.

Nose Bleed Count
The count is now up to nine. There have been a few close calls but were just drips compared to the river of blood that is needed to count for this. The humidifier has been brought out of hibernation as I try and battle the dry climate.

In a city of lights, gambling and open alcohol you can describe Las Vegas in many ways but the one word I have to sum up our trip is: awesome. The weather, the sights, the shopping, the entertainment…everything about the city (or rather the Strip) was great. Before we had even left we were planning our return trip and what we would do again or differently. The city may be fabricated but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a great place to spend some time.

The fact you can do something until 11PM and still be able to go somewhere, see something and continue your night is wonderful. We are so used to things closing down at a certain hour in Edmonton that it took a bit to remind ourselves of where we are and what it means to keep on going. There is no need to go to bed before midnight because you can always see and do more.

We did what people usually do in Vegas. We walked the strip, saw shows, gambled and went to a buffet. We stayed at the Venetian and during the check in I pulled the $20 trick to get a room upgrade. Bribing is not something I am familiar with but when I read that site I realized this was something I could try, and if it failed, I was only out $20. I did what the site recommended, put the money between my drivers license and credit card and asked if there were any complimentary room upgrades available.

The clerk was gladly checking but when she saw the $20 she smiled a big smile and worked a little harder for us. Because I don’t know what view our standard suit had before I don’t know if I ended up with a room upgrade or not but we ended up with a 37th floor view in the Palazzo tower overlooking the Treasure Island and had a view of Fashion Show Mall and north. It was a pretty incredible view and I will definitely try the $20 trick again when we return.

After surviving England’s public transit for two weeks we weren’t concerned about the Las Vegas bus system. The Deuce (Ride the Deuce!) was an effective way of getting around the Strip, except during busy hours or when the bus was full…which was often. There were times I thought it would have been faster to get out and walk then taking the bus, but when going from MGM Grand to Fremont Street having the bus was kind of nice.

On Wednesday and Thursday Jenna and I attacked the Outlet malls. Our first experience was at the Las Vegas Premium Outlets and we loved it. We had to change from the Deuce to another bus to get there but the brief moments of ‘are we going the right way’ were worth it when we arrived. This area is what South Common should have been: walking distance to everything, no need for a vehicle and a great selection of products. We spent hours walking around, slowly accumulating more bags.

On Thursday we went to the Las Vegas Outlet Center on the south end of Las Vegas Boulevard and walked the whole mall, buying as we went and spending a whole afternoon spending. We decided that both Outlet locations could be hit up in the same day assuming you start at the superior north Premium Outlets location and then ended the day at the Outlet Center.

We also saw a few shows while we were there. Courtesy of Tix 4 Tonight we were able to get a bit off the retail value of the shows we went to. We started off by seeing the Cirque du Soleil show “KA” and were floored. We left their MGM theater feeling amazing. Everything about the performance was inspiring and mesmerizing. Even the parts that weren’t interesting to me were still really well done. The stage was one of the biggest features to this performance, it added so much to the show that I often wondered how they were doing something or how it was possible. Seeing “KA” was the highlight of the trip, and that’s saying a lot because Blue Man Group and U2 were also in the mix.

After being unable to buy tickets for “Love” for several days we decided on “Blue Man Group”, which leads me to…

I Blue Myself
Jenna and I were in our seats at the Blue Man Group theater when a person from the show came up to me and asked if I would like to be a crowd participant in tonights performance. I didn’t need much more convincing and I was taken to a back office and briefed on what would happen and how I would be involved. They changed my shoes in exchange for black ones and I returned to my seat not knowing when the men with blue gloves would come for me.

The show was more humorous then I expected but the use of music and the pantomime was great. Every time the Blue Men stepped into the audience I was expecting them to come over to my section and pluck me out. Around the 3/4 mark of the show it finally happened and I was lead on stage and put into a white jumpsuit with the aid of the Blue Men. I am not sure how it happened but around this time I ended up with blue in my hair and on my face, Arrested Development references immediately ran through my head. I put on a helmet and was lead off stage.

Not to spoil anything for those who haven’t seen the show but my involvement on stage had paint, a pulley, white canvas and a 40 pound block of Jello. A Google search on this gag can elaborate more but when people ask if actual audience members were used the answer is definitely yes.

U2 360 Tour
I love U2. They are the soundtrack to my life and their shows are like nothing I have ever seen before. With only Toronto and Vancouver dates on their second leg of the 360 Tour we set out to Vegas to see them perform in the smallest venue on the North American tour. Leading up to the Rose Bowl concert being filmed the last week of shows have had a fairly standard setlist while the guys got everything sorted out, and it did not disappoint, even if it was flawed with a few grievances.

Like mentioning the stage at “KA” you have to talk about the “Claw” U2 used on this tour. I knew it was big, but I had no idea it would be that massive. The “Claw” legs went right to the edge of the field and took up Sam Boyd Stadium. As the show went on I found myself staring at the “Claw” and taking the whole sight in.

The new material from “No Line On the Horizon” sounded great live. Songs I was unsure about on the album came to life on stage. The techno remix of “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight” was surprisingly good, superior to the album version, and reminded me of the U2 I knew on their 1997 PopMart tour. Prior to “No Line On The Horizon” Bono announced they were going to rock for a bit, and they did..for all of two songs.

Going from “Horizon” into “Elevation” got the crowd into it, but then all momentum of this rock train came to a halt when “In a Little While” was played. It’s a good song, a surprise from “All That You Can’t Leave Behind”, and it fit with the ‘rocket ship taking off in ‘Elevation’ and lyrically ended with ‘In A Little While’ but it ruined a great flow. Following that was “Unknown Caller” and I felt the energy get sucked right out the stadium. It may have been the encouraged sign along on the chorus to embarrassing lyrics but I got the impression that this song was not well received.

I try not to complain too much about setlists, I know that U2 will never play “Exit” or jump into a 40 foot lemon and come out rocking “Discotheque” but at least understand the flow of your songs and how not to put the brakes on a fun moment. Fortunately Bono and Edge made their way to the rotating arms of the stage and rocked “Until The End of the World” super hard. It may have been the strobe light from the stage or the arms slowly approaching each other but this song was a definite highlight.

The laser suit Bono wore during “Ultarviolet” was excellent. I am so happy this song is in rotation on this tour, it was a standout performance against all other songs I have seen live. The snippet of “In God’s Country” and the complete “Unforgettable Fire” were other stand outs. Compared to the past tours I felt the intimacy was gone, but going from an arena of 18,000 to a stadium of 42,000 can do that. To their credit U2 still tried to play to all sides of the stage, however the front audience got the majority of the face time (and rightly so). It was a fantastic show and I am eagerly awaiting their June 2010 performance when I can finally stay within my area code to see them perform.

That was our trip to Vegas. We accumulated over 4,800KM’s in distance on this trip and are looking forward to returning and seeing more of the things we missed this time around. Feel free to see the rest of the photos in the Gallery here.

Tube Steak Challenge
I had a single hot dog in Vegas…but it was really big. I don’t know if this means I can count it as a single hot dog or two? Here is a photo of the hot dog and my hand as a reference. Part of me thinks it should count as one, but due to the size of the dog I can also see how it could count as two.

Drinks are larger in Vegas and you don’t say “it’s really like the size of three drinks”, you say it’s one and move on. Further to this, Jenna was unable to finish her hot dog so was that 1.5 or a solid 2? Thoughts?

Nose Bleed Count
At the beginning of October I began a new challenge: to see how many times a year I get a nose bleed. It started off with several nose bleeds in September but I wanted to know the exact count so October began and immediately I had a nose bleed. Suddenly an odd thing happened and I was retaining my blood for two weeks…then I went the dessert and averaged a bleed a day bringing my count up to six. I even had the dreaded, and impressive, ‘double barrel’ where each nostril was bleeding, this has only happened to me one other time in recent memory.

Upon returning from Vegas I received another nose bleed so as October comes to a close my Nose Bleed Count is at an unhealthy seven. Will my Nose Bleed Challenge out pace the Tube Steak Challenge?

Where has the time gone? It feels like we just unpacked our bags following our England/France trip and are now packing up again for Las Vegas. There was a month between arrival and departure times but since jet setting life isn’t one we are familiar with it feels like a quick turn around.

We are heading to Vegas for a few days to shop, see the sights, drink in public and end the trip with U2. We are going into the trip mostly unprepared. We have a few things we would like to see but are just going to see what happens and make it up as we go.

We will spend all of our time on or around the Strip. We figured there wouldn’t be enough time to see Hoover Dam, Mead Lake or the Grand Canyon, so those excursions will have to wait for our return trip; but first we have to survive our first trip there…

Time for an update on a few things occupying my time.

The seagurs domain is still in ‘redemption period’. A few weeks ago I began the process of trying to reclaim it, but the account information did not match the domain registration so I had to provide government issued identification for Dad and myself. Since I had been waiting over a week for a response from 1and1, and the ‘redemption period’ was about to expire I decided I had enough with 1and1 and would just forget it and wait it out.

1and1 canceled my previous hosting on March 16, so I am nearing the time where I can buy the domain back. I have read that the ‘redemption period’ time varies so I have been checking GoDaddy for the purchase of my domain several times a day to no avail.

The Las Vegas U2 tickets have been purchased, and my excitement level about the show has increased dramatically. I have seen plenty of photos from Sam Boyd Stadium and it looks like such a cozy and tight arena that no seat will be a bad spot. However, my mission to get a lower level seat close to the stage was successful but there were many who were not so fortunate.

There was plenty of ticket drama surrounding this event as Ticketmaster wasn’t responsible for the fan presale. A smaller site for the venue handled everything and things like presale codes being counted as used when they weren’t, the site buckling under the pressure of presale purchases and a confusing delivery method of the tickets lead to a lot of confusion and grief.

The ticket cost was a bit much for my taste but U2 in Las Vegas sounds like a once in a lifetime experience and after seeing the sights in and around Vegas seeing U2 will be a perfect ending to a trip in Nevada. I am in the process of comparing flights and hotels. I am searching Hotwire, Travelocity, Expedia, WestJet, Air Canada, Yapta and Farecast for the best deals, trends and will hopefully have the flight booked first and then I can focus on hotels and all of the fun stuff to do while in Sin City.

It’s playoff time for the Canucks, and without getting ahead of myself, I am hoping the team can escape the first round and make a solid effort in the second. I am sure their highs and lows will be documented thoroughly here. With that said, I have decided to grow a ‘beard’ in honor of this playoff run.

I use the term ‘beard’ loosely as I have the patchiest, sorriest excuse for a beard that people may confuse me as a double in the “Don’t Be a Tosser” commercials.

In two months the U2 360 tour kicks off and so begins my ritual of following their set lists, listening to fan recordings, reading individual concert reviews and counting down the date until my chance to see them live. Except, I don’t feel the same way about this as I have before. What is going on?

Don’t get me wrong, I love U2 and have had two amazing experiences at their concerts before, but for some reason I am not ready for my habitual U2 binge.

This year we are planning on going to Las Vegas to see them perform. A Vegas trip alone should be worth excitement, but I see several hoops to jump through in order to buy tickets and feel like I am going through the motions. Is the increase in ticket costs* off putting? Is an outdoor show going to change my enjoyment? What is so different than before?

* I realize that General Admission tickets are still the cheapest offered on this tour but I will not subject Jenna to hours waiting in line and standing through the show for the chance we could have an okay view.

I enjoy their most recent album and expect the new material to sound great live but I just cannot get as excited as I usually am for the possibility of seeing U2 perform. To make matters worse there isn’t even the possibility of having a good opening act as it has been confirmed that the last dates on the tour are getting Black Eyed Peas.

This could all be psychological and I am downplaying all of my usual excitement prior to the upcoming presale week. Or it could be that the show is over half a year away and it is difficult to be excited over something so far in the future. I guess time will tell.

I think there is a pretty evident parallel here. When I worked nights I was getting less sleep and more active on seagurs. I am now back on a regular sleep schedule and my posting frequency drops!

A team of parka clad researchers are heading to the North Pole to investigate this relation further.

I have not been up to much in the last week. The long weekend saw a staff party, some long sleeps and I caught up on a few movies.

The first movie was Redacted, and it caught my attention by seeing a trailer a few weeks back. The movie showed great promise and looked like it would be right up my ally. Unfortunately I found it slow, focused on an event in the oversea war I had not heard of and failed to deliver an story pacing.

I tried to redeem my lackluster movie weekend with a movie Dad lent me called Rescue Dawn. Because this movie was from Dad’s personal collection I expected it to not be an intelligent movie with an intricate plot but be simple and have a few explosions.

Unfortunately there were no explosions and the movie was dull. Because it starred Christian Bale my expectations were set higher but was sorely disappointed. The story could have been good but it failed to maintain the tension and urgency of escaping from the Vietnamese POW camp.

I have to make up for these two shows with Lions for Lambs or perhaps go for a reliable choice that will not let me down.

Season three of Lost was released on DVD this week and there has been a little bit of promotional items released online. The biggest is a new orientation film. Some wild things happen and the DHARMA rabbit hole goes a little deeper.

The season four trailer is also edited in a fast and exciting style that we have all come to know, love and hate from ABC. Fifty-five days until the season starts and this is fueling my excitement.

YouTube IconSeason 4 Trailer (0:35) | The Orchid Orientation Preview (2:02)

Unfortunately we may not receive the eight episodes we expected, but two less. DarkUFO had an update on this situation, read below:

There is a natural break in the story at the end of episode 6. But there are 8 episodes in the can, and those last two start a new arc and don’t really stand alone. So…….some PTB at ABC don’t want to show those last two. At all — until fall or NEXT Feb. when/if there are more episodes to go with them. But other powers in the Disney pack are strongly pushing for all 8 episodes this Feb, because they are so desperate for original content to be aired. But right now, there is nothing to follow # 8, not planned, not written, nuttin’. link

Everything you know is wrong!

Sleep comes like a drug
In God’s Country
Sad eyes, crooked crosses
In God’s Country

It has no relevance, but at 3:30AM this morning the chorus to In God’s Country from U2 crept into my head and has not been able to leave.

I keep repeating it, looking for significance or a reason why that was the first song I thought of in that hallway. Whatever history existed behind those words are now replaced with my own.

And now a family separated years ago is slowly returning to each other on the other side and I miss them both.

After listening to half of U2″s discography, I had to complete the trend by listening to the 1991-2004 time line. It was in the 90″s that I turned into a U2 fan. I became interested in their music late in the decade, and my passion slowly grew until 2001 when it exploded after seeing them live in Calgary.

Because I am a 90″s fan I find that I can relate more to the music from this era, and can remember where I was when I first heard certain songs. There were a few less records released in this time, and perhaps that is why I find there are no “soft-spots’ like there was in the first decade. To me, it was a string of great records after another.

The decade started with Achtung Baby. The band members wanted to go in different musical directions and lead to a lot of conflict while recording this record. Whatever they did, it worked. This stands as the best U2 record in my opinion.

What makes this record so great is that this was meant to be listened to front-to-back, a musical journey that very few artists can do well. The heart ache and intimate lyrics, paired up with raw and new guitar sounds from The Edge put this record years ahead of its time. A lot of fan favorites come from this release, and for good reason. I cannot even pick a favorite, each song has such a deep personal connection to me it would be like picking your favorite child.

Their next record was meant to be an EP, and was recorded while they were touring Achtung Baby – interesting circumstances to record under, but it worked. If viewed on its own, Zooropa appears weird and out of context. Although, when seen as the middle child of Achtung Baby and Pop * its’ release is critical to the musical advancements of the band.

_{*I am excluding the Passengers side project in my U2 discography session. It was the same members performing, but just under a different name. Similar to The Network and Green Day or Chris Gaines and the two-stepping Garth Brooks. Since it was not a U2 release it should be removed from judgement, although it did follow an important step between Zooropa and Pop.}

At first I did not like Zooropa. It was too much of an experiment, but once it grew on me I find myself cranking the volume and having a good time. This is a feel good record with plenty of overlooked songs. Also, The Edge has a whole song to himself in Numb!

Fast forward a few years and this is where I became interested in U2 with the release of Pop, the final step in their alternative musical approach. This was a record I never really appreciated until it was several years old. Songs such as Please are still relevant in today’s society and helps maintain the moody and cynical theme. To me, Pop is one of their best records and is on par with their first three in that I forget how great it is, and how amazing the material is until I listen to it all the way through.

For the sake of being a completest, I also listened to Best Of 1980-1990 and Best Of 1990-2000 not that it offered much to the flow of their history. Although after listening to Achtung Baby, Zooropa and Pop, the 1980-1990 hits release almost acted as way to say to the fans “Thanks for sticking through our experiment, we will be bringing the rock back in our next record.”

For me, All That You Can’t Leave Behind was my turning point in being a U2 fan. It went from casual to fanatical and it was all because of this record and the Elevation Tour that followed it. This is a near perfect record with the first 10 of 11 tracks being absolutely stunning. This release is a brilliant return to musical form and is highlighted on tracks like Beautiful Day, When I Look At The World or New York. I actually forgot how much I loved this release until I listened to it today (which I went through twice).

To make the records-listened-to count eight from seven I also spun their USA-Target-only release of 7. It was a release that followed All That You Can’t Leave Behind. It contained a few remixes, b-sides and some outtakes from their last studio effort. It is mostly All That You Can’t Leave Behind – Part II, and was followed up by the 1990-2000 hits release. This was somewhat disappointing, not as much material to choose from (no amazing B-Sides CD like the 1980-1990 release had) but did what it was supposed to: increase sales and hype an inevitable U2 release.

And that brings us to the present. I had a lot of expectations for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and all were met. Although I went from enjoying this record to loving it after seeing them on the Vertigo Tour. It is interesting what hearing a song live can do for you. Atomic Bomb is about The Edge on a power trip in the studio, and I enjoyed every part of it. He wore the pants in the creative process of this and it shows.

There are some lyrics in the songs that seemed forced, but there was a lot going on in this record, and when you take a step back the lyrics no longer seem tacky. Some of the ideas for songs come from the bands arrival in New York a month after 9/11, the loss of a Father, political problems resulting in violence, the need for medical advancements as well as religion and faith. Fairly heavy subject matter that is put together in a really complete package.

What more can be said that I have not already said? U2 is my favorite band and hope they continue to put out material and tour for many more years. At the very least they have kept me entertained over the last few days as I listened to all of their material and realized why they are the best.

Yesterday I listened to the first decade of U2″s career. From Boy to Rattle and Hum, I covered it all. There was eight in all, from their studio records to the live EP’s of Wide Awake in America and Live Under a Blood Red Sky.

Early U2 is really their best, most consistent material. I am not one of those U2 fans that say “their best CD was Joshua Tree or “their new stuff is terrible”, I enjoy everything they put out and realize that each release has a place in musical history.

Achtung Baby is near the top for favorite records of all time, and their recent releases have made me fall in love with them all over again; but the 1980″s was their decade.

I haven’t listened to U2 chronologically in a long time and it offered an interesting perspective. The opening trio of Boy-October-War is unstoppable. I always forget how good those albums really are; I have favorites on them all and after each listen I remember a few more gems. If you want a taste of U2 in their young rebellious years, any of those three albums will suit your fancy.

Unfortunately I find there is a dark spot in their decade of perfection. In 1984 they went to Slane Castle in Ireland to record Unforgettable Fire, a very layered, reverse and different record. It just doesn’t do it for me.

This sort of “stop the car, do a 180 and drive in the opposite direction” thing is something U2 has been known to do often and to much success. Think of Zooropa as their 90″s equivalent to Unforgettable Fire or even Achtung Baby to Joshua Tree, which has been described as the sound of the band tearing down the Joshua Tree.

After such a brilliant start to the decade this is where their pace slows, but only for a moment. Although it is difficult to dislike a record when it has several epics such as A Sort of Homecoming, Pride and their best off the record: Bad.

The next major release raised the bar of music everywhere. The record is nearly half singles, which is a testament to the quality on there, but a b-side won my heart. Everyone loves Joshua Tree, but for me, Exit (the second last track) is U2 in their finest form from 1987.

The song has a slow vocal build, then leading to a frantic climax from The Edge and company. From there it returns to calm, focusing on the lyrics and a slow pulse given by Adam Clayton. Shortly after it builds to another blast of volume and intensity. For me, that is where the CD ends. I know, there is one more song after it, and it’s a great one too (Mothers of the Disappeared), but after I listen to Exit a few times I am spent and am done with the record.

Their last release in the decade was followed by one of my favorite U2 tours because it focused heavily on playing songs from Rattle and Hum. Being the ripe age of seven I never got to experience the Lovetown tour, but from what I have seen it was great. This was a release that was meant to be hated by the public and has a unique feel to it (like examining yourself in a mirror) where old songs are played live and new songs took shape. This was a band looking ahead while still playing with the past.

I have a lot of favorites on this release, but it ends on one of the best songs U2 has ever done: All I Want Is You. I could do a whole post dedicated to this song, but I will save you all by simply saying that this is one of the few songs to put me into tears from happiness and sadness. A song that contains this sort of emotional power deserves to end a musical decade that belonged to a few guys from the north side of Dublin.

With December nearing to a close I thought I’d reflect on 2005 A Year In Concerts. It has been a pretty succesful year with the chance to see a wide range of bands, and some that may never come back to Edmonton. There was also two trips to Vancouver for concerts, which is something I will be doing more of in the future (travelling to other cities). Without future adieu, here is how I spent my year:

• February: Tegan and Sara
• March: Velvet Revolver
• April: Death From Above 1979, U2
• May: Jakalope, Green Day
• July: Thornley, Matthew Good
• August: White Stripes (x2)
• September: Pearl Jam
• October: Arcade Fire, Matthew Good (x3)
• November: Bad Religion

I’ve seen Matthew Good perform sixteen times, and he always puts on a great show. DFA1979 was raw and powerful, Arcade Fire was a display of pure talent and Bad Religion flat out rocked. But this years best concert is between U2 and White Stripes.

U2 is a very spiritual experience, and one I feel honored to be a part of. While in Vancouver for the U2 concert Jenna and I were able to be extras in the City of Blinding Lights video shoot where I was subsequently bodychecked by Bono in the last take of the song.

The U2 concert was also a great finish to an amazing week in Vancouver but I think the best show has to go to Jack and Meg White. Jack White is one of my guitar idols and to see him perform live was a thing of glory. There is no setlist when they take the stage so it’s all done on a whim which creates a genuine feeling, unlike U2 which is very rehersed. From beginning to end, Jack’s hands are on fire as he rips through songs and the chemistry between him and Meg is simple and honest.

It’s a tough battle, U2 vs. White Stripes for but the duo from Detroit wins by a small margine. With that said, in 2006 if either band come near the Canadian border (or even northern USA) I’m going.