Day 1: to Long Island City
Incredibly, it’s been 12 years since I was last in the USA. Chicago and New York all the way back in 2005. It’s taken the relocation of my good friend John to draw me back, and I am very much looking forward to it. To top it off nicely, we have The War on Drugs in Central Park to warm up a Friday evening and to sweeten the deal even further; we’ll be treated to Interpol in some kind of former tennis stadium on Saturday. A sort of festival of our own.
Admittedly, I was not completely up for this concert. I could claim tiredness, Monday blues or whatever, but the fact is I just wasn’t feeling it. Having had no joy selling the tickets, the only option remaining was to force my head into the right space. By 8pm, I was rather looking forward to the show. One or two Guinness for me, a couple of hot whiskeys for Orla, in Brogan’s and we’re there. About 20:40 the place clears out leaving us and the bar staff. It’s our cue to head into the Olympia, having completely lost track of time.
By some twisted fortune we’ve ended up with two tickets to U2’s Joshua Tree tour in Croke Park, but in different sections of the stadium. Despite all attempts to swap them for two standing, or even just adjacent seats it seems we are doomed to sit, each alone, amongst the 82,000 odd fans. Not that I’m complaining, we’re part of the lucky ones who got our hands on tickets, and amidst the even luckier few who got a gift of tickets. So, you know, first world problems and all that. I had tried for weeks to remedy our situation, but had failed at all avenues. Then, hours out from the show kicking off we get somewhat sorted. Two tickets beside each other. Now all we had to do was sell two tickets to a U2 concert in Dublin. A fucking easy task one might think…….but they would be so surprisingly wrong it hurts.
Restless and rambling 
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