Under a bloodred sky

Here is the link for my story on U2 in Moscow. Sorry, it's in Swedish, but still there are some pictures that might be of interest...

http://bit.ly/ai0DvT

Hoodie

See me at front row? At the end of the clip. Wearing a light grey "hoodie" right in front of Gary.

Pictures from front row

Feel free to look at selected delights from the 360-tour published here. Don't hesitate to comment here in my blog.

Singing in the rain

Remembering the rain in Moscow...

Blue mosk

This post will be in swedish.

sitter just nu på Istanbul int. airport och väntar på att få veta var jag ska checka in. har varit här sedan 1030 eftersom shuttle buss inte avgår precis när man så önskar. så det blir totalt 5 h på flygplatsen. tyvärr bodde vi på ett hotell långt från centrum så det fanns inte tid att åka dit idag. däremot spenderade vi hela dagen i centrum igår med trevligt sällskap. såg bland annat den blå mosken samt bosporen och sultan mausoleum. det är en riktigt fin stad men ganska dyr och väldigt stor till ytan. tänkte mig äta ngt riktigt traditionell turkiskt igår men magen strejkade totalt. synd men antar man kan få tag i genuin turkisk mat hemma i malmö. fick bli mcd för andra gången den dagen.

generellt hatr det varit ett enormt kladd med hotellet här. ett riktigt lyxhotell där allt i princip gått fel. det liknar lite fawlty towers. en lång historia att göra kort:

eur 76 per natt i standard dubbelrum. helt ok och det vi bokade. vid incheckningen fick vi veta att det finns ett specialerbjudande om att uppgradera till ett superior rum. för endast eur 6 per natt. då skulle rummet vara mkt lyxigare och precis allt i minibar ingår samt att omfattande frukostbuffe ingår. lät tokigt billigt så det gjorde vi utan tvekan. mannen i receptionen talade bra engelska och allt kändes bra. rummet var extremt fint och vi behövde inte köpa något till köandet eftersom minibar hade allt. toppen...för bra för att vara sant. nästa kväll efter konserten hade de fyllt på minibar med en massa nytt. förnämligt verkligen. bad receptionen kolla vad vi skulle betala i tl eftersm vi ville bli kvitt denna valuta. det var då chocken kom. inte 6 eur per natt extra...60 eur. herregud!!!! både jag och min vän var helt stumma. ingen tvekan om att mannen sagt 6 eur. checkade genast ut och bytte till ett standard rum nästa dag. tömde minibar helt, på precis allt och tog med oss till nya rummet. natten efter vår sightseeing checkade vi in på nytt rum och fann en dubbelsäng. fick byta till ett twin room och fick då en lyxsvit. frågade flera gånger om pris så vi inte åkte på en chock igen. visst vi fick ett betydligt finare rum med fri minibar och frukost (som vi bara utnyttjade en av två morgnar) för 600 kr per person. inte så lyckat. you win some and lose some.

har inte ätit något alls idag. det är verkligen rent absurt dyrt på flygplatsen. whoper meal kostar över 100 sek. går bara inte köpa. istället äter jag saker från vår dyra minibar. vad sägs om pringles eller brownies? sen har jag en massa sprit som jag kan skölja ned allt med. som tillbehör har man även kondomer från minibar. huuu, ska bli skönt att komma hem.

några korta ord om konserten i måndags, det kommer mer utförlig redogörelse senare.

snow patrols allra sista spelning med U2. öppnade med en läskigt känslomässig Open your eyes och hade en hyllning till U2:s crew, med alla medlemmarna på scen och Rocco som sjöng duett med Gary i Chasing cars. här har jag svårt att se ett enda torrt öga faktiskt. vilken hyllning till världens bästa crew. "these things will never change for us at all" delen är sååå vansinnigt vacker.

Så U2...till en början tillsynes standard setlist. givetvis pride för att tillmötesgå en publik som inte hört denna låt tidigare. en publik som i allt väsentligt inte kunde sjunga med i låtarna utan mest skrek efter Bono. sen började det hända saker. en under eftermiddagen repad mothers of the disapeared fick front row att totalt explodera. tårar, leenden och ofattba lycka. det var en alldeles obegripligt vacker version och låten har inte spelats på väldigt länge. viktigast var väl gästartisten som sjöng en trditionell och för turkarna väldigt välkänd sång. nu var det vår tur att stå där stumma utan att kunna sjunga med. det var uppenbart att hela arenan kände till låten och gästen var uppenbart väldigt känd. en öronbedövande allsång. one var speciell och amazing grace bättre än någonsin. här står hårstråna rakt ut och tårarna sprutar. detta lever jag för. alla pengar, all ansträngning..alla vedermödor är som borta av denna stund på ca 1 min. skakade bara på huvudet när streets börjat, det är inte klokt vad denne man kan beröra. därefter valde man ultra violet och en synnerligen fin version av wowy. moment of surrender ger precis den där underbart fina molltonen som ingen annan vågar ge som avslutning. en makalös spelning som blev mer känslomässig och stark än vi vågat hoppas på.

fick faktiskt tillfälle at skaka hand med Bonos hjälpreda AJ. uppenbarligen känner han igen mig. han kom med en setlist till mig och han fick min mailadress. hoppas han hör av sig. kan ju bli riktigt intressant om U2 ska avsluta sin 360 turne i Europa 2011.

Nu...final boarding call for passengers bound for Riga.

Sista kvällen med gänget

Så, då är vi allra längst fram på edges sida. inte det mest perfekta läget men godkänt. med nr 41 på handen får man verkligen vara nöjd och inte minst med tanke på hur allt kring insläppet sköts här. fast jag måste säga att köandet varit lugnt värre. avgränsade fållor, god tillgång till toa och trevlig stämning. riktigt nöjd och bra eftersom detta är sista kvällen med U2 och snow patrol inte minst.

imorgon är det dags för riktig sightseeing och äkta turkisk mat med två kvinnor i sällskap.

skickar ev ett twitterinlägg i natt gällande spelningen. soundchecken lät makalöst lovande med mercy och mothers of the disappeared. nu verkar det som att regnet ska falla över istanbul ikväll. törs man hoppas på amazing grace i detta religiösa land som f.ö. är mitt uppe i ramadan.

Turkish delight

this posting will be in swedish only.

kolla in hur jag slappar på min luftmadrass medan folk kliver över mig så gruset ryker i ögonen på mig.

dagen började inte direkt bra. Gick upp redan 0430 för att duscha. mörkt ute givetvis. receptionen hjälpte oss att ringa en taxi. hela området kring arenan verkade vara avspärrat och vi blev ständigt hindrade och ombedda att visa papper på att vi tillhör crew. vi fick helt enkelt vända tillbaka till hotellet igen. mannen i receptionen kunde inte förstå vad vi fått för problem förutom men att vi var knäppa som åkte dit så tidigt. det är inte så lätt att förklara att vi vill hitta andra fans som köar. man skakade mest på huvudet och tyckte att det var bra knäppt att åka till stadion så tidigt utan tillsynes giltig förklaring. vi hade lite tur att U2 local crew bor på samma fina hotell som vi. en kille engagerade sig mkt och ringde vakten på arenan som lovade kolla om det bildats kö ännu. inget svar. vi beslutade oss för att lägga ytterligare 200 kr på taxi igen. eftersom det ljusnat vågade vi promenera runt arenan. vi fick gå ett halvt varv runt arenan innan vi hittade kön och fick nummer 41. allt tydde på att det skulle bli ren kaos i köandet. inga vakter eller stängsel. hade en mkt trevlig förmiddag med holländare och brasilianskan som jag aldrig minns vad hon heter. kl 13 förflyttande man den stackars kön från den steniga platsen till en grusplan med kravallstaket. vi befinner oss fortfarande här och fram till kl 17 då det är insläpp. verkar onekligen ganska genomtänkt me hoppas att när portatrna öppnas så går dett lugnt till (haha, dream on) hoppas på ett smidigt insläpp trots alla trapporna vi måste kuta nedför. det kan bli riktigt farligt men inte så farligt som i aten. vädret hart varit nästan ideaiskt att köa i. gissar 25 grader och en hel del moln samt några regnstänk. är i vanlig ordning ganska stressad gällande insläppet.kan gå precis hur som helst. försöker höra av mig efter konserten. antar det finns många restauranger öppna då eftersom ramadan pågår som bäst. over and out.

Akropoli

first a couple of short notes on yesterday's show here in Athens. the crew did just about every major mistake that they possibly could. created anxiety in the line in every possible way, were very unprepapared for the fact that ppl would push and shove to get in on the arena. there was no knowledge at all regarding crowd control and we had a couple of very bad injuries because of the crew's inabilities combined with the mentality of the ppl in this country. got front rail and on adam's side. first support act really sucked, played out of tune and bad. snow patrol was performing better than ever opening with "open your eyes". U2 delivered a standard setlist to a crowd that was absolutely going crazy for the band. amazing grace was more beautiful than ever and i just can't believe how well it drifts over into streets. after show, L and i had to meet up as i was in inner circle whilw she was by the catwalk. we tried to agree on a meeting point before show but imposible as we did not know the area at all and inside stadium is pointless as they chase us out immediately. we end up trying to reach each other on phone and try meeting at various gates for almost 1 hr. while looking for L, I met up with a very nice friend and her brother. took cab to halandri square and found open restaurant. got 2 small souvlakis and dry bred. incredibly good. came back to hotel 3 am.

the rest will be in swedish

lördag 4 sept

sightseeing. åt frukost hotell vid 10. stekhett ute redan. gick in mot stan men fick ta trolley till tunnelbanan. först besök i området syntagma. enormt mkt folk ute. vidare till akropoli. köpte biljett för 12 eur som gällde till alla sevärdheterna. jävlar vilken vacker utsikt och det är så mäktigt att tänka sig allt som hänt just här. enormt men ärligt talat ett alldeles för stort område för att förstå och uppskatta. det blir bara för mycket viktigt att ta in på en o samma gång. gick o gick så kläderna dröp av svett i den 35-gradiga värmen. vi gick i nästan 5 timmar. så fint där var och sevärdheterna tog liksom aldrig slut. nu har man dessutom fått lite färg i nyllet och en bonnabränna på armarna har man begåvats med därtill. lyckligtvis kostar en halv liter vatten under 5 kr så vatten häller man i sig helt okontrollerat vilket är ett måste. tillbaka hela vägen till hotellet. dusch och vila sen ut i Halandri igen. fast bestämd att äta typiskt grekiskt så hamnade vi på en liten taverna och jag valde souvlaki. tänkte mig grillspett men fick en gyros. enormt god men inte vad jag önskade när jag beställde. ville ha ngt som är väldigt typiskt grekiskt och fick ngt som man kan få tag i hur lätt som helst hemma. dock var stämningen så väldigt grekisk. pappa hade älskat denna dag. med utflykt till demokratins vagga och all lärskap som började just i aten. han är verkligen med mig här.

gick sväng ensam i det grekiska nattlivet. inget slår den sammetssvarta natten med cikador och tända ljus på borden. om pappa varit här skulle han rökt sin cigarr och smuttat på en Metaxa.

jag är så ofattbart trött nu att jag måste sova. somnar mellan varje mening jag skriver. orkar inte korra detta. publicerar istället så får ni betrakta det som en levande sammanfattning av dagen utan att språket vill bli som jag eg kräver.

imorgon reser vi till Istanbul. welterusten.

Opa Opa

slept in our very nice hotel last night. taxi from hotel at 0530. started lining up at 06 and got number 24. all familliar faces are here. it's pretty cold that time of morning even here. orion is high in the sky just before dawn and that is an impossible thing in september in sweden.

now almost 11 and sun is high in the sky and we have absolutely no shade to hide under. this is going to be a nightmare. met one swedish girl who is here by herself. met her before in helsinki.

we're like 500 m from the stadium and if they'll make us run that distance, people will pass out for sure. how i long for rain and winter, sooo far away now.

here are really people from all over the world and the media is here to catch up on that.

then we have the difficult issue, how much to drink. it's inevitable. if i have to leave my spot to get to the toilet inside the stadium I'm not sure I'll get back again. it's like the mentality of ppl here that makes me worried about that. ok now for the baloons. white and blue are hand out and the audience is supposed to wave them when the band enters the stage.

it's soon 1 pm and sun is really tough on us now. this would be so nice if we were at the beach but this is pure torture. there is not a lot to report on now than the heat. that's all there is really.

OMOH

we started lining up outside the stadium at 06.30. got number 5. the whole U2-family is here and all set. unfortunately there are two gates for ga tickets so there will be one hell of a run. by now, about 1.30 pm there are about 150 ppl in our line. we will start to form a line as soon as they are letting ppl into the plaza near the stadium then. the area is now closed and only we who have been lining up are here. we have absolutely no info on how things are organized, pretty much like we expected. anything can happen actually. there has been one big and important turning point though, the military police OMOH giving us the official ok to stay near the stadium and allowing us to line up. the other big concern is the fact that there are no toilets here and taking a trip out to the bushes will surely get you arrested as there are thousands of police and military around. so this is actually a major issue for many of us. we're not sure we can leave our spots once we're in the pit. may be very difficult to get back then. this whole thing is so difficult and nerve wrecking. i find it difficult to understand we're actually doing this, still I know it's worth it all, a thousand times.

and suddenly very disturbing things happened. everything turned black...like a war zone. I'll write a complete story on this once I get home. probably one of the worst things that could happen actually happened. the Russian army exercised its power and enjoyed every minute of it.

Who'd have thought 20 years ago?

I did not intend to post anything today as it has been a quite relaxed day. still, the most frustrating thing here is of course the immense language barrier. all those typical answers you need when visiting a new city are so far beyond reach. tourist center to be found where? wep key to free wifi? NO! is breakfast included in the hotel price? how do I get to the red square from this metro station? what is the name of this *$@%**^ station? it is really a nightmare. I'd go crazy if I had to stay longer without someone who masters russian and english. basically you are shut out of the society and system and ppl are very non service minded and don't want any contact at all. a few very short and perhaps cryptic notes from today:

no hot water in the hotel this moring

rain water from roof in reception

got stopped by police to show passport and papers. he didn't bother after all as he couldn't communicate with us

had an extremely bad sandwich with ham and cheese for twice the price as a hamburger at McDonalds.

angry old woman at post office was very kind to me and actually spoke a little english

spent most of the day near the red square

visiting an extremely luxurious galleria, much like you'd expect in London or Paris

went to the st basil's cathedral and was amazed by the beautiful icons inside

crazy repeat of a song about Moscow outside hotel

actually the subway is very clean and beautiful with monuments and sculptures

when I was a little boy, going to Russia seemed like a complete impossibility but here I am 2010

shoplift alarm went off when in grocery store. we were searched by guards but the left very soon because we're speaking only english, swedish and dutch

dinner in city centre at McDonalds. so busy I had to stand up and eat. finally I got french fries with my big mac, a guy at the counter understood what I was asking for, good thing. i just can't eat another burger now, i'm turning into one soon. super size me

back home in the rain and finish packing for tomorrow's queue

I'll just watch sex and the city in russian for 5 mins and listen to the rain before it's lights out. waking up at 6 am and off to the queue

From Russia with love

This posting will be in swedish only.

Idag har vi haft en orienteringsdag i 10 milj staden. Det finns så väldigt mkt att säga om Moskva att jag knappt vet vart jag ska börja. först och främst är det som en dålig skräckfilm att inte kunna göra sig förstådd på ngt sätt. vi har på en hel dag inte sagt ett ljud till ngn och inte förstått ett ord av vad folk säger. tex är det bra nära omöjligt att fråga någon något. ingen vill eller kan tala engelska. att förstå hur tunnelbanesystemet fungerar, med zoner etc är ett rent helvete. alla namn på skyltar är på kyrylliska. ingen att fråga och ingen kan svara. nivån av service är gravt undermålig. man måste be om ursäkt för att få beställa eller handla. de gäspar och tittar bort. äter så makalöst dålig mat eftersom jag inte törs äta ngt främmande just nu. inte hellerkan jag beställa. det är kort sagt ett mkt ogästvänligt ställe om man inte kan ryska. i frågor som att tex registrera sin ankomst till hotellet vill man gärna förstå eftersom det är grovt olagligt att inte göra det. behöver man bära med alla papper? ska man lämna tillbaka reg. bevis när man lämnar ryssland? man kan inte få ut ett ord av personalen. polisen kan stoppa oss när som och begära papper men vad behöver vi med oss? tanterna i restaurangen är direkt ohövliga. städpersonalen är de enda som verkar lite sympatiska, de ler lite i korridorerna faktiskt.

den enda fördelen är att det mot allt man hört är ganska billigt här. bigmac kostar 71 rub = ca 15 kr. enda chansen är att handla i affärer där man själv tar varor och sedan betalar. man har fickorna fulla av skitiga sedlar och småmynt, känner sig hela tiden äcklig om händerna. vattnet går inte att dricka och de måste ha vakter i affärerna pga rånrisken. alla stirrar på oss, vi klär oss inte som ryssarna och fattar inget. finns inga färgade här så jag antar att alla i Moskva vet vem jag är nu. allt är dubbat på tv. min säng knakar och smäller så jag tror hela hotellet ska vakna.

när man fått kläm på tunnelbanesystemet är det riktigt jävla bra. avgår varannan minut. man kan åka över hela Moskva för 26 rub = ca 2,50 kr. man ska bara fatta namnen på stationerna. upptäckte att jag har stor nytta av den lilla kroatiska jag faktiskt kan. nyckel, kära och goddag heter samma. man har faktiskt ganska tråkigt här, man står liksom utanför allt. lätt förstå hur det då är att komma till sverige och inte behärska spåket. man skulle gärna söka sig till "de sina" om de bara funnits här. snacka om att stå utanför.

har hämtat våra U2-biljetter idag på minsta och svettigaste kontoret man kan tänka sig. varit några h i centrum bland otroligt mäktiga sevärdheter såsom Kreml och röda torget. givetvis har vi varit vid arenan, vilken är rent enorm, för att kolla läget. blir nog insläpp i flera köer vilket är ren katastrof.

längtar så efter ryggbiff, knäckebröd och sallad. så trött på formfranska, cola och vatten. magen fungerar inget vidare. stan är täckt med U2-planscher. börjat vänja mig vid hotellrummet som luktar uggla. på torsdagkväll ska jag prova ngt typiskt ryskt till middag.

de ryska kvinnorna bekräftar nog alla fördommar man kan ha med sin delvis smaklösa stil, ja nästan på gränsen till lösaktig. skyhöga klackar som de inte kan gå i och tajta kläder som ser makalöst billiga ut samt översminkade.

just nu vräker regnet ner utanför de smutsiga fönstren och L snarkar i sin säng efter att ha gäspat oavbrutet i flera timmar. kollar på dubbad paris hilton bff på mtv. Inte mkt man kan göra eftersom området här inte är vidare säkert på kvällen. män som stirrar märkligt på en i varje gatuhörn.

det är onekligen enormt att vara här, ngt man tänkt på länge. känner historians vingslag. vilken pompös stad och vilken annorlunda kultur. jag rekommenderar er verkligen att fara hit men då med guide och bättre hotell. jaja man får inte glömma syftet med denna resa och stadion ligger faktiskt bara 5 min härifrån med apostlahästarna.

Rain, I don't mind

We went to the queue immediately after the first show to check out the situation. it turned out to be 10 ppl before me so I got number 11. we decided to leave the queue to get some proper sleep in the hotel. we just wouldn't survive another night camping out. we were more or less starving as we hadn't eaten anything for quite a while so on the way back we had to find something to eat. every place was full of ppl so there was only one thing to do, go to sleep hungry. it was fantastic to get into a proper bed. slept from 01-5.30 and got back out on the street to meet Åsa. returned to queue at 6.15 and aparently missed the roll call. we were crossed out from the list.damn! luckily it was simona who was in charge of the list and she put us back on the list. beautiful. got my airbed ready and got some rest. went to Alepa to get food. chocolate, bread and Coke, the most healthy breakfast. just like yesterday we were moved to the section closer to the arena about 3pm. had a really nice time with ppl of all nationalities. the queue was a bit nervous as the sound check end on the arena. pontus and jess were first in leading the way. we were actually running. got in on Adam's side and almost in front of Bono. luckily I'm not right in front of him as the mic gets in the way. Razorlight did a fairly ok show tonite but there's only one song that gets me going and I don't know the name of it. thank god we're having Snow patrol for the rest of the shows.

U2 put on the most spectacular show tonite. we were treated with new songs, could the title be "Every breaking wave" maybe? also because of the rain Bono was singing the full version of Rain instead of Amazing grace. it fit perfectly into Streets but would have appreciated Amazing more. there was a little bit too much focus on the rain in the setlist. we had "Singing in the rain" as well at the end of the show as a sing along. petite russian girl was invited to the stage and that hasn't happened so far this tour as far as I know. Wowy was a bit different and I was really hoping for an end verse but no. the audience in Helsinki really showed its love for U2 and it paid off. the rain started again just after wowy and Bono was soaking wet as he started off Moment. beautiful. this is by far the best show on this tour and may even be the all time high.

all the members of the band promised the audience to come back to Finland soon again. we'll be there for sure.

Broken beehive in Helsinki

After a very long night of almost no sleep because of the cold weather it's been an awfully long day with rain and shine plus the nervousness of not getting any good spots by the front rail. there has all day been a feeling of the guards actually not understanding nor respecting our idea of lining up. we've been in touch with the guards several times today trying to explain how they can help us and themselves out by using our system. basically it's all about letting ppl into the stadium in a fair way. the guards have to use their authoroty and let ppl in by their numbers. we have been struggling all day with explaining the numbering system to ppl who arrive to the queue and making sure everything is done in a fair way. the girl who was in charge has really done a marvelous job, been enthusiastic and really witty but still it didn't work out right. she got a pretty good spot between Adam and Bono but actually she deserves an even better. the guards opened 6 turnstiles at the same time after promising to let us in fair by the numbers. they really let us down today. I'm just to he left of front row on the Edge's side. could have been a lot better than this but this is what you get sometimes even if you put a lot of effort into it.

tonite it's Razorlight who will give U2 lift-off. I must say I have a hard time appreciating their music. maybe one or two songs are ok but they never got the audience going like snow patrol can. cool thing is that the base player said "tack, jag kan tyvärr inte säga så mycket på finska".

now all of the U2-crew is on stage doing sound checks. there seems to be some kind of problem, they have taken down the "beehive" and are now repairing it just minutes before U2 go on stage.

it's gonna be a really cold night again so I'm glad I have my hoodie. I doubt I'm going to camp out tonite concidering the result of today's queuing. we werw spoilt rotten by the procedures in Horsens.

I'm longing for food now and a Coke. haven't actually eaten anything today. very soon showtime.

By the way, I believe I was on the radio today.

http://svenska.yle.fi/huvudstadsregionen

So, bring on Helsinki 1.

Casiopeia in Helsinki

First, let me start off with the fact that I am having the time of my life tonite. There are some swedish teen girls guarding the line, running the number system and doing the roll calls. They have been here for 2 days camping out. I got into really nice conversations with them about politics, studies and small things in everyday life. it's a thrill to discuss politics with younger ppl who see things with brand new eyes. their opinions are very good and they tend to analyse things in a good way. They are quite interested in all my U2-experiences and I was more or less cross examined by them. guess I'm the god now with my over 40 U2-shows. it's interesting to hear how they have this hugh crush on Bono. a bot hard for me to understand but hey, I guess that is kind of normal.

I have number 23 today. The last roll call for tonight was at 1am and now it's time to sleep til 06am when there is another roll call. there will be roll calls every 3 hrs.

also I've met a lot of ppl from other tours. simona is here and the two swedish guys that were robbed in Dublin 2005. of course Pontus amd Irina are here. we've had a wonderful gathering in the park outside the arena, with a beautiful setting sun and life was so good.

I'm so cold and tired now. the police won't let us use the tents, only airbeds and blankets. also they closed the toilets for the night. we convinced one of the guards to let us use a toilet and got an ok.

I've had 2 McD burgers at 3 pm and then a sandwich for dinner. stomach is not ok at all but for the moment calm. god Im dreaming of a nice steak and fries now. good thing is that we have many stores and restaurants all around us where the prices aren't too bad at all.

been talking to the security on entering the arena by numbers like we did in Horsens. he has promised us that's going to happen but I trust no one.

can't sleep. it's now 2.30 and it's so damn cold that I'm shaking all over. despite all this hassle I'm enjoying myself. looks like I am the only one awake among the 50 people. I'm under a large birch and Casiopeia is watching over me from a clear sky above. beautiful to see the claw all illuminated against the starry night sky. a nice and quiet moment in a very tensed situation. this is what makes queuing so special and wonderful. all those die hards and me. feeling like a soldier trying to survive the cold. i truly wish i could share this unusual and odd moment with you in all it's desperation and devotion.

Leaving Malmö

Ok, last picture from Malmö. God, that bag is really heavy, about 16 kg actually. It's gonna be a real challenge to carry it from the central station to the hotel in Helsinki. Off to Copenhagen airport and soon airborn.

This is our moment, our time

Just like we've been struggeling for the past 24 hrs, we did end up upfront. had a really close call and things almost got fucked up when we were about to enter the pit. the guards decided to hold us by a new barrier and form three lines instead of one very well organized. hell no. we yelled at the guards, no fucking way. so we got in eventually by the numbers and as you can see, I'm in front row tonite as well and exact center line. actually not the very best spot for taking pictures as Bono's mic will be in the way all the time and also the big video cams. still it's the best spot in the house by far and it actually pays off to be lining up with such great guards and great girls organizing it all. they did one hell of a good job. we've had quite a bit of rain last night and today...I'm fed up with it. I'm totally sure Snow patrol will put on a splendid show. especially now that the skies seem to clear up over Horsens. so far today I've been eating 3 slices of toast, 2 slices of ham and about 3dl of water. if there is a slightest spark of energy left after the show I'll try going to the afterparty and get a nice big Coke and something propper to eat. actually I don't regret camping out while still paying for a hotel. I'm fine right now, I'm sincerely happy, this is what turns me on. one day, all this will be gone and I'm taking my chances.

Horsens 2 in the rain

Still tired since yesterday's lack of sleep. went back to the hotel to get a shower. a really good move actually. got some food at Netto and back again to the line. as we know that the queueing system is working it pays off to go thru all this. after all I had a good night's sleep in the thunderstorm. I've been releaved from my command as head of giving out queue numbers. it's soon 2.30 and security has given us ok to form the line by numbers. the same procedure as yesterday. got into a fight with a french guy who just couldn't explain why he was in the queue. he was apparently guarding bags for a couple of friends and we took him for a queue jumper. he was so angry with me. as usual the head of security held a very amusing speech about the rules. and again with number 4 on my hand I guess I'll be allright tonight. dallad has been rehearsing Ultra violet all day so I really hope we get that one tonite. we're right now in the stalls in front of the arena waiting to be let in.they scanned all tix and probably will do the security check soon. i have to go because the rain is coming down really bad now. i really feel that tonight's show is going to be just great. bono is like on fire. amazing grace was the best ever and tonite it might be just as good. let's hope for it. and oh mr Hewson...can we have end verse of wowy? it was so close last night and he was absolutely amazed by the crowd singing in wowy. bring on horsens 2...in the pouring rain.

The Gothenburg syndrome

This has got to be the most beautiful entering the arena. even better than Gothenburg. after a damn cold night the queuing was so relaxed and beautiful. ppl respecting queue numbers and really strict rules. the danish guys handling the queuing did a brilliant job communicating with the head of security all the time. we were walking on a line like school kids to the very gate after a very nice speech from the head of security.

had to wait for 1 hour outside the gates but there was no pushing and everyone was so calm because we were told that any pushing would stop the entire process.

thank god the numbering system worked all the time and they opened our gate first. with number 8 on my hand there was no way this could go wrong. and yes, I'm on the front rail just one step to the left of Bono's mic. it was actually a walk in the park and I have a beautiful video of it all. I was asked to be the one keeping law and order tomorrow in the line and now that I know I can trust the guards to totally cooperate with us it will be worth not sleeping for another night. actually everyone is smiling tonite, ppl up front are the ones who deserve it. I'll make sure it's gonna be that way tomorrow as well. soon Snow patrol, damn have I missed them. I'm dedicating chasing cars to someone tonight. have only eaten 1 sandwich today and I have to get somethig to eat by midnight or I'm out. will post a short review tonight. probably will not be able to sleep and I'm in desperate need of a shower and clean cloths. so tomorrow, the Gothenburg syndrome part to, now even better. Keep this frequency clear.

The chaingang

We're walking like schoolkids on a line from the muddy field. number 8 in the queue feels good. this could work out just fine....or not. i have a gothenburg flashback here...love it.

Morning in the mud

what an extremely uncomfortable night. couldnt sleep at all. allthough I had both airbed, tent and lots of clothes I was freezing like crazy. luckily no rain. not many people arrived during the night. I feel a little disappointed paying for the hotel and not using it. still the quality of the hotel is not very good so sleeping in the muddy field is ok. i am sure we'll camp out tonight again. so far ive met a lot of friends, familiar faces from 2009 and even 2005. right now the sun is shining from a clear blue sky and it feels so good but i am sure it will be one of those hot days and getting sweaty at the concert and then back to sleep in the tent again. it's actually a pitty we cant be at the hotel but i must admit that it's very nice to chat with all those great and nice people that share a common interest. so far the queuing is very relaxed but i'm sure the beer will take it's toll on the Danish people. no people from Sweden yet and there are like 5o ppl lining up now. i have number 8 for the Sunday show and number 4 for the second. strangely enough we have numbers for the second show allreday. i wonder if that is going to work out at all. right now i don't feel like queuing tonight but ppl are so nice that i'm sure I'll forget about the efforts and camp out.

we have to get back to the hotel soon to get tickets and leave stuff. so bring on Horsens 1. so tired...and not even halfway through this whole Danish thing.

we're told that the guards will pick us up and guide us to the arena on a nice line and queue jumpers will be thrown out from the queue.

soon it's time to get some morgenmad.

Camping out

it has been a very long day but truly great. came to the hotel at 4 pm and met the actually drunk owner. the place is terrible. damp and smelly. also far away from the arena. we cannot walk the distance so bringing the car is our only option. no good at all. we just had a burger at mcdonalds and now the tents are ready. it is very surprising that there are only 8 ppl in line and there will not be more tonight. we could be at our smelly hotel and sleep in beds but here we are on a field watching the light check that is a truly beautiful sight. it is actually so annoying that we're paying for a hotel and still we're not using it. this is so odd and so nice. i'm among friends and I'm having a good time. goodnight from a freezing U2-fan in Horsens.

Equipment

This is what I bought, 4 tents and 6 blankets. That way we have a few options when it comes to camping out. From what I've heard, the nights get pretty cold out there so we'd better be prepared. The equipment I got was actually pretty cheap but it always hurts to ditch things. I didn't plan to buy this at all but after those scarry stories of almost freezing to death outside the arenas of Germany I just had to. I can return the stuff and get money back if we decide not to use it. Bring on Horsens...

Twitter live feeds

I have now published my Twitter live feed on this blog. It lets me text short updates to the top right part of this blog from my cell phone. That will be a lot cheaper than sending MMS to blogger, that is what I have to do to make full blog postings with or without pictures. Just to give you an idea, I'll pay Eur 0,5-1,00 per MMS in most countries so I'd rather stay in touch with my blog using text messages for say Eur 0,15 - 0,40 each. I tried this Twitter thing in my previous blog for the tour 2009 and it worked out just fine. So, keep an eye on the right column of this blog for live feeds.

The price of love

I'm seriously starting to worry about the show in Moscow. Daily reports on people abandoning Moscow and even dying from the severe air pollution. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Sweden advices people going to Moscow to stay away. There are so many questions arising now. Will U2 cancel the show? We'll have to get a flight from Helsinki back to Copenhagen if U2 decide to cancel the show last minute. We're losing a lot of money too. I'd appreciate a decision from U2 principal management soon. Even more disturbing would be if they re-schedule the Moscow show for a later date. Visas, hotel booking, flights, everything has to be changed then and no money back what so ever. We'll just miss out on Moscow then and I know it's the price of love, it's not cheap.

Shrinking my 2do list

Today, I've really got some necessary things done and they are all part of my to do list for the tour.

Bought 2 pairs of sneakers to be able to compare them, deciding what pair to keep in order to avoid aching feet standing up on the pavements in the extreme heat. I think I have allready made up my mind but let's not get hasty here. I have a 30 days return policy.

Looked for a small camera bag for my Casio HS-15. All bags are so designed and therefore expensive so I was about to give up. I just happened to walk past the store Tiger and they had a very small back pack, not at all intended for cameras but perfect. Price: Eur 2 and most cam cases Eur 20.

Ordered an extra battery for my Casio HS-15 in case I will not be able to get back to the hotels to reload the battery. Price: Eur 16 and in most stores about Eur 60. Also, a good trade off, just in case the guards decide to take my cam, I can offer them to take the battery and I have another one for backup. How devious, allthough I'm alost 100% there will be no problems bringing a small cam.

Look, a BroBizz

A little handy device to make crossing the bridge between Malmö and Copenhagen a lot easier and also cheaper. Let's see if it works on the other bridge in Denmark too, the Storebæltsbroen. All I have to do is place it in the front car window and drive through the toll station. I truly appreciate the kindness from a certain person who let me borrow this little BroBizz.

Bouncing Istanbul ticket

I sent off one ticket for Istanbul to my friend in Stockholm. Unfortunately she is so darn busy at work, she didn't have the time to pick it up at the post office. Accordingly, the envelope was sent back to me and I'm resending it in the next few days hoping she will find the time to pick it up this time.

16 survival kits

These are more or less our survival kits (I guess a desperate man would say the same looking at the images of the packages) for long and weary hours in line outside the arenas. Those air beds are pretty good actually and quite disposable as the price is approximately Eur 2.00. The man at the store really stared at me, a customer paying for 16 air beds and especially at the end of the summer. Well, he didn't say anything. God, they are quite heavy and I had to carry them on the bus and all the way from the bus stop to my apartment. Anyway, here they are, ready to be inflated and used on the seas, ehh sorry, streets of Europe. I'm sure you'll see them in use on many photos in this blog.

Amazing Grace

This is what the band rehearsed Wednesday evening. Of course there may be a lot of changes to the setlist during the tour but I'm very pleased to see that they seem to keep With or without you and Moment of surrender as the final songs. To be honest, the biggest surprise is that they play Amazing grace before Streets, and this is Europe. Amazing!

01. Space Oddity / New Intro
02. Beautiful Day
03. Magnificent
04. Get On Your Boots
05. Mysterious Ways
06. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
07. The Flowering Rose Of Glastonbury (new songl title unknown)
08. Elevation
09. In A Little While
10. Spaceship / Miss Sarajevo
11. Until The End Of The World
12. The Unforgettable Fire
13. City Of Blinding Light
14. Vertigo
15. Discotheque (snippet) / I'll Go Crazy If I Do not Go Crazy Tonight (Remix)
16. Sunday Bloody Sunday
17. MLK
18. Walk On / You'll Never Walk Alone
19. Desmond Tutu Intro / One
20. Amazing Grace / Where the Streets Have No Name
21. Spaceship Intro / Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
22. With Or Without You
23. Moment Of Surrender

A bargain

It's a pleassure to see how the same kind of air beds that we brought on tour 2009 are up for sale again and it's a real bargain now, Eur 1.50 each. I cannot say that they are very comfortable but they are ok. There is also a bit of a hassle inflating them. I guess I will buy 7 of those for myself and 9 for Lia.

Sad news from Zagreb

Got an email today, one of my friends from Croatia cannot make it to the shows in Athens and Istanbul. She simply cannot get off work. This means I'm trying to help her out by selling her tickets for Istanbul and Athens. That won't be a problem I guess, what bothers me is that she will not be joining us. But, we'll meet in Horsens for sure.

Turkish delight

 
This is what they look like, really nice tickets and I like that Biletix has printed "Snow Patrol" on the tickets as well. Also, notice that they changed the "doors open" to 17:30.

Istanbul at McDonalds

At 6:45 pm yesterday, I was standing in a queue (rehearsing for the endless hours of queueing in Europe soon) at McDonalds in Helsingborg when I got a call from my friend. She got quite an interesting envelope today in her mailbox, from Biletix, containing 4 GA's for Istanbul. I suppose I'll have them in my hand next week. Feels so good to finally have the tickets here. One step closer to Istanbul.

Biletix dispatch?

Aparently, the Turkish tickets haven't been dispatched yet. The Biletix site says the tickets till be dispatched from 1 July. I sure hope the dispatch starts soon.

Event Tickets

	Transaction Time	Event	Delivery Type	Status
	29 October Thursday, 15:06	INTERNATIONAL COURIER CHARGE	Courier	Not Printed
	29 October Thursday, 15:04	U2 360 TOUR presented by BlackBerry	Courier	Delivery Info (UPS)

Almost there

Picked up my visa today. Let me tell you, it’s a real beauty. Moscow, almost there.

Tatjana

I got an e-mail today from Tatjana at the travel agency stating that I may pick up the passport at the office on July 7, after 2 pm. I suppose this means she has spoken to the consulate and got a more or less reliable response about my visa. Another step closer to Moscow.

Yes, ANDREAS

Of course there was no problem getting a new and correct insurance certificate. It was done in a minute. This time I checked the data thoroughly. All clear!

I stopped by the travel agency to hand in my passport, application form, insurance proof and hotel voucher (visa support letter) from the hotel in Moscow. The woman at the travel agent said that it would cost Eur 100. That’s good, Eur 40 cheaper than I was told before and I could pick up my passport in about one week. She also mentioned that she would call the consulate tomorrow and then send me an e-mail telling me the exact date I could pick up the passport. I was a little surprised that she didn’t give me a receipt or some kind of evidence that I had left my passport with them. Well, I’ll just have to trust them and hope for a granted visa from the consulate.

A photograph of me

Great, it turns out that I have some passport photos that were taken about two years ago. I haven’t changed since then so I’m using one of those photos when applying for my visa, allthough the photos shall not be older than 1 year. I’m sure it will be allright. Good thing that those passport photos were paid by my employer for a business trip to Belarus. Forgot that I had them and now I don’t have to pay Eur 8 or even Eur 10 to get new ones. One step closer to Moscow.

ADREAS who?

I can’t stand the heat. Summer has really hit us hard now. Moving 10 metres makes me all sweaty. I keep telling myself this is practice for queueing in Athens and Istanbul. Took the bus to the local office of  my insurance company. What a nice surprise. I was the only customer at the time and got splendid help immediately. The girl knew exactly what kind of paper that was required to get a visa for Russia and it was of course in English. She asked me to carefully check the details printed on the paper. Seemed ok so she signed it and I was another step closer to Moscow. On my way back home I checked the paper again. I was told the consulate is very strict when applying for a visa so the information has to be 100% correct. DAMN, my first name was actually spelled wrong. How-da-hell could I miss that when going over the information at the desk? I will not take a chance and have my application refused by the consulate because of ”ADREAS” instead of ”ANDREAS”. Well, back to the insurance company tomorrow to get a correct certificate.

Insurance

I need a document that proves I have an insurance that is valid in Russia to enclose with my visa application. It has to be in English and I only have a document in Swedish. I called my insurance company today to get some information and the woman I spoke to seemed quite unsure on how to get that piece of paper in English. She told me to visit their local office in Malmö to get a certificate.

Closer to Moscow

I guess I’ll have to deal with that visa for Russia soon. Since the news about Bono’s back surgery, I think most fans have been a bit careful with booking flights and hotels. The same goes for me. I’m the kind of person who wants to have everything set and ready to go as soon as possible. Gives me peace of mind. Still there are obvious disadvantages in booking things too soon and unable to cancel.

There are Russian consulates in Stockholm, Gothenburg and also in Copenhagen. First problem is that I cannot apply for a visa sending the forms, certificates and my passport to the consulate. The documents have to be presented to the consulate by me personally. Travelling from Malmö to Stockholm or Gothenburg is quite an expensive mission. Copenhagen will cost me about Eur 10 one way from Malmö. I’ll have to leave the documents there, go home, wait for about 10 days and then go back to pick it up. I think the consulate fee for the tourist visa is about Eur 50. So, it should all add up to about Eur 100.

I spoke to a travel agency here in Malmö. They charge Eur 140 for a visa and I think that is the best option for me. A bit more expensive but still ok. Also, I believe that it’s more likely to be granted a visa if the documents are handled by the agent. The news on Bono recovering makes me more confident, so I’m off to get a passport photo for the application form.

Hotel voucher

So, we finally got the visa support letter, also called a hotel voucher from our hotel in Moscow. It's bascially an invitation from the hotel that is required to get a tourist visa. This is a very important key in our efforts to get a visa.

Oh happy day

So, the support acts are now all set for 2010. Horsens will be treated with two splendid Snow Patrol gigs and Helsinki gets two gigs with Razorlight. To be honest, I don't know much about Razorlight, but I have some time to catch up on their songs. This means I'll get to see Snow Patrol 5 times during the 2010 tour, a true joy. Something happened to me during the Snow Patrol gigs in 2009, something that most definitely could be filed as highly unlikely, turning from a pure dislike of their music to an avid fan. Wonderful things happen under the claw.

White as snow

What great news today. U2 has asked Snow Patrol to be the support act at the gigs I'll attend, Moscow, Athens and Istanbul. As for the gigs in Denmark and Finland, we'll just have to wait and se who'll have the honour to give U2 lift-off. But for God's sake, Snow Patrol again, oh happy day!

That's all folks

I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd wished for additional gigs in Europe 2010. That's not going to happen. So, let's forget about Dublin and Tel Aviv.

EUROPE SHOWS ANNOUNCED FOR 2010
09 February 2010
In case you're wondering, all of U2's 2010 European shows are now announced.

The tour will visit Russia, Turkey, Greece and Finland among others places, as per www.u2.com/tours http://www.u2.com/tours.

But U2 Tour Promoter Arthur Fogel has urged fans to be aware. 'Fans should always check U2.com first, it's the most reliable on any dates. Recent rumours, like Dublin and Tel Aviv (Israel), are unfounded.'