sdbreuer

I was totally bummed tonight that I had to let go of my GA tickets for tonight (I'm already recovering from reconstructive surgery on two shoulders, and then the week before the show I got major muscle tears in BOTH legs!). There's really no such thing as a bad U2 show in my 30 years (! -- OMG, I feel so old -- !) of seeing them, but I've heard rumors that tonight was particularly special. Best wishes to all who went. Whether they played your favorite song or not and wherever you were in the arena, I hope you took in the whole spectacle and all the passion! Psychologists have studied extensively what kinds of things people can do to be happiest in the long run. When they buy fancy cars or houses or somesuch, they inevitably and very quickly adjust to take such things as the norm, and cease to be made happier by them than they were by less fancy and expensive things. Experiences, though -- travel, meeting people and a particular and unrepeatable set of sights, sounds, and other feelings -- those pleasures are among the few that don't diminish wish time, and more often grow from value even from a spectacular start. So treasure this night, and may you have many even more spectacular and memorable! Sarah Dylan Breuer

The two GA tickets I had posted about here have been claimed -- to those of you still hunting, best wishes for you to get in! One important postscript: I just talked to a Ticketmaster agent who implied that there still are GA tickets dropping. Keep trying TM as well as these boards -- it can't hurt your chances, and it might help! Sarah Dylan Breuer

I have two GA tickets for Boston 7/11. I'm disabled, so if you just want one ticket, then I'd need you to be what venues call my "mobility companion," which pretty much boils down to: a) helping out a bit in line (sometimes venues have separate GA lines for able-bodied and disabled people, so if they split the lines, I'd ask you to keep in touch with the front of the able-bodied line to preserve good will); and bully prevention -- making sure that nobody shoves or kicks me and/or my cane and stuff in hopes that once I'm down, I'll leave and they can take my space (believe it or not, this happened twice on the 360 Tour). I'd be selling the ticket for face value, of course, and would provide gear and goodies to make the line comfortable. But I really would be relying on you -- certainly to show up, but also to discourage bullies and help me get the little bit of extra space and time I need to stand up toward or at the front for a full, fabulous GA experience! Let me know what you think.

I have a spare GA for 7/11, and I would NEVER sell a ticket for more than face value (plus your share of Ticketmaster fees, etc.). When I go to U2 shows, I camp out to try to get in front. I'm disabled, and need the person who goes with me to share camping duties and be what venues call my "mobility companion," which mostly involves talking with any fan-run GA line for able-bodied people and telling security if someone tries to shove me down or kick out my cane and/or other stuff that helps me stand. Believe it or not, this happened a couple times on the 360 Tour, so I really do feel I need someone on bully-prevention duty -- if someone knocks me down, security doesn't see me (plus it generally hurts like hell). It's easy stuff to do, but it makes the difference between my having full access to the venue or not. Contact me with details (e.g., are you local?) if you still need a ticket and you're willing to help me out in line and getting to our spot on the floor.

I have two GA tickets, and since my usual U2 concert companion had to bow out for 7/11, one or both are available for sale at face value. I am disabled, so if you go want one ticket, you'd be what venues call my "mobility companion." That pretty much boils down to camping out with me for the front, communicating with any fan-run early GA line for able-bodied people if the venue sets up a different line for those who need disabled-access to the floor, and telling security if someone tries to shove or kick me and/or my cane and other equipment thinking that they can then take my place (believe it or not, this happened twice on the 360 Tour). If I can't find a reliable "mobility companion," I'll be selling both GA tickets as a set for face value. I live in Boston, so it's not a problem for me to meet the buyer of the pair and get you in.

Hello from a fellow Californian, now living in Boston! I have two GA tickets for 7/11 Boston -- I'd only sell them for face value, of course. I want to go, but I'm disabled, and if I go, the person who goes with me needs to provide minimal help (mostly just camping out in line with me and standing by to tell security if anyone tries to kick out the equipment that lets me stand up -- which, unfortunately, happened twice on the 360 Tour). My usual U2 pal has had to bow out for this show, so I will either need to go with someone else willing to help with bully prevention, or I'll need to sell both tickets. If you find one GA ticket and are looking for another, I'm your gal! I'm hoping to sell my second ticket to what venues call a "mobility companion" -- someone who is willing to wait in line with me, go for the front (I generally try to get in between Bono and Edge or in front of Edge) when they let us in, and do a little bully prevention if necessary. In return, I'll provide gear, food, snacks, and local know-how to make camping out for the front comfy and fun -- plus a car to stash stuff you want in line but can't take into the venue. I'll even drive home folks who can help me go GA. Usually, I get close enough to tell what time of day each band member shaved. Also let me know if you need two GA tickets. If I can't find that "mobility companion" in the next couple of days, I will sell the pair (face value) and meet you at the venue to make sure you get in. Safe travels and best wishes! Sarah Dylan Breuer

I have a pair of GA tickets for 7/11. I'm disabled, and my usual "mobility assistant" (friend who helps me get in place and ward off bullies) had to back out, so the pair *might* be available -- for face value plus the Ticketmaster fees and tax, of course. Advice about where to stay, eat, etc. comes free! [MOD EDIT: No emails. please use the PMs. Thanks] if you want to talk further. If I can't go to the show, I'd love to see my tickets go to some fabulous fans! Best, Sarah Dylan Breuer

I have two GA tickets for 7/11. If you're willing to camp out with me in line (and I'm disabled, so this might mean a little running back and forth to the line for able-bodied folks, if the venue separates them), and help me ward off any bullies (sometimes people actually kick out my mobility equipment out from under me because they think they'll get a better spot on the floor), I'd sell one ticket; if you are not interested in camping out early enough to get up front and stay with me to help out as needed, I might be willing to sell the pair.

I have two GA tickets for 7/11 -- one of which I was planning to use myself, and one for a friend/mobility assistant (I'm disabled). I'd be happy to help y'all out with my second ticket if you can help me with my getting the full GA experience that I had when I was able-bodied. Basically, here's what I'd like, if you can do it: 1) Face value for the one ticket plus half the fees I paid to get the pair of tickets. 2) I'd need at least one adult in the family to serve as my "mobility companion," as I'm disabled. Basically, that job involves camping out with me in whatever line the venue puts me in (usually, the venue insists on a separate GA line for disabled people for legal reasons) and making sure that people toward the front of the GA line for able-bodied fans understand the situation. Since I first started going to U2 shows (which was during the Unforgettable Fire tour), I've camped out as long as it took to get up close. In olden days, it was to get floor seats; nowadays, it's to get the best spot I can on the floor. I can still camp out as long as is needed and I can still stand for a show, but now that I'm disabled, I move slowly and use adaptive equipment (sometimes just a cane, sometimes a frame to help me stand). It's all VERY easy to handle, and actually I can set it up myself as long as I have a little space to do it, which the venue generally sees that I get. Your family could also help me out by raising awareness and preventing bullying in the line and venue. Most U2 fans are cool, but a very few see any system in which disabled people wait in a separate line and enter the venue either by a different path or on golf carts as "cheating." A very few have taken it upon themselves to make sure I don't get a spot they think they deserve more than me by yelling, harassing, or even violently kicking or pushing me or my adaptive equipment so I fall. If my spare GA ticket goes to you instead of to someone I already know personally, I really need to know that you'd stand up for me if necessary so I can stand up for the show! In return, I'd contribute gear, food, beverages, and such to make it comfortable and fun for whomever waits in line with me, and you'd have an extra person (a local resident with a car at that!) to hold your spot. You could also store any gear you want to have in line but not in the venue in my car during the show. I'd even be happy to drive your family home after the show if you wish (and if y'all can fit in a Honda Civic with the driver's seat taken). If this sounds like a good arrangement, send me a private message. I need to line up a "mobility assistant" for my second ticket ASAP, so I look forward to hearing from you!

Rhi, I highly recommend the Red Zone for families with kids. I doubt very much that anyone would give any lip, let alone actually threaten a disabled youngster. I can't afford the Red Zone, or I'd consider it -- though I'd personally hate to abandon GA solely because a few self-appointed "line police" decided on their own to bully disabled people out. I think the fans who want to be surrounded by all kinds of people having just as glorious an experience as they are need to reclaim the space as community space, space for celebration. If I ever saw anyone harassing you, I'd ask you whether things were OK, and would speak up to venue security and to people giving you trouble -- they'd know that at least one other person there saw it and doesn't think it's acceptable. I'd also take a cell phone picture or video to show security if necessary to get the harasser kicked out. And if I ever saw anyone harassing your son ... well, some horrible person would have to kick his way through the white-haired lady with the cane to get within shouting distance of him again. We can look after one another. I just think that a lot of people feel paralyzed when the Man with the Sharpie Marker says, "this is the system, and if you don't like it, I'll have you removed from the line," and we need to be willing to value people over the mighty marker, and say something like, "Actually, we were thinking that this is abuse, and if you want to keep on doing that sort of thing, we'll have to ask you to leave -- with help from security if necessary." Heck, the whole "fan with a marker" system evolved from the community, so there's no reason the community couldn't take an additional step and have a group of volunteers on site who were willing to identify themselves with their u2.com email address and pass any complaints of discrimination or harassment on to security. Just thinking aloud about ways we might actually help people "stay safe tonight" as well as raise awareness.

Thanks, Max. I'll try starting a thread closer to the show dates to raise awareness, and to see whether fellow Zootopians who are camping out for GA are willing to: a) educate any self-appointed line organizers acting in a discriminatory way, and/or alert security if they see abuse happening. The hypocrisy of anyone, let alone a self-appointed 'superfan,' yelling at and knocking down a disabled fan so the 'superfan' can be two feet closer to Bono for a singalong of "we get to carry each other, carry each other" is astonishing -- it would be hilarious if it weren't painful and dangerous. We ought to be able to agree, I think, that U2 concerts, of all places, should be places where we help one another, not discriminate against each other. There is often a huge gap, though, between thinking "that's wrong" and actually speaking up to the abuser and/or venue security when it happens in front of you. I hope that's a gap people are willing to bridge. I have 2 GAs for one show so far. I'd love to feel that a critical mass of Zootopians were united in support of disabled fans -- and any other groups that have been targeted for abuse -- to the extent that I could choose a companion for the show who's a friend and a U2 fan more than a bodyguard. Thank you again, Max, and other supportive fans. Let's make the I+E Tour a discrimination-free zone where we can all celebrate the music!

Some Boston tickets are popping up for over $9,000 each! Insane.

After a lot of calling Fanfare and Ticketmaster, I was able to get 2 GAs for the second night in the presale, but couldn't get anything for the first night in the public sale, even while using the Ticketmaster app and going online immediately when the sale started. I do hope the band doesn't go with some arrangement of alternating setlists that would make Night 2 a show entirely of "classic hits" without any deep cuts or rarely performed songs. Think they'll ever do "Acrobat" in an actual set? And how about some of their wide-eyed, innocent numbers such as "Gloria" that haven't seen the stage in years? I also harbor fantasies of Edge doing a solo acoustic rendition (perhaps with Larry providing xylophone tones at the right moments) of "Electrical Storm." If only I could be a setlist consultant for a night. Heck, I'd throw in backing vocals and some guitar for free!

The problem with trying to handle the situation by reporting it to the police is that, in my experience, it's next to impossible to make an audible cell phone call from GA. None of the folks with the markers have ever tried to knock me over until the gates have opened and I'm trying to make my way to or stand in a spot on the floor. And I do tell them that they have no authority over disability accommodations, though I generally put it politely but firmly. (It is unwise to swear at someone when that person is threatening you and you don't want a fight -- especially if that person is able-bodied and you're not!) I'm grateful for the vast majority of the people who come around with markers, who work hard to make U2 concerts considerably less chaotic than many others. My impression is that it's just a few people who, perhaps under the influence of Sharpie marker fumes, decide that they should take it upon themselves to harass disabled people. But maybe a lot more people have had this experience than I'd thought. In any case, since I would guess that most if not all of the concertgoers controlling the lines and marking others' hands are U2.com members -- and since harassing and/or physically tripping fellow U2.com members because they are disabled is, arguably, an abuse of the U2.com-obtained ticket and therefore of U2.com membership -- I'd like to hear whether U2.com and the heroic mods of this forum can do anything to help. At the very least, people who are repeatedly identified as abusive and discriminatory shouldn't be put in charge of the lines again. Among other things, concert venue are required to provide disability accommodations, and if the fan-run system of managing the lines interferes with the venue's ability to comply with the law, then the fan-based system could be in danger of getting shut down altogether by the venue. Better, I think, to fix the few abuses of the system then to see it fall apart OR to injure fans. So, any ideas, mods?

I've done well at U2 shows since the Unforgettable Fire tour as a disabled person -- until recently. I'm sorry to say that my problems on the 360 Tour as a disabled person were with U2 "fans," not with the band or the venue. Tour venues make accommodations for people with disabilities for a reason, and we generally have to spend at least a dozen or so hours on the phone with the venue to make sure they're in place and find out what they are. My spouse can't tolerate loud noises of any kind, so I always have a mobility assistant come with me if there isn't a friend in the city who can help me get around. This works well all the way around: we don't exceed ticket limits, some kind soul gets to take in a concert and I can see U2 in the style I've been seeing them for almost 30 years -- propped up against some solid object as close as I can get to the stage in GA, no matter how long I have to wait. GA requires standing for the concert, of course, but shouldn't have to require physical self-defense against the people who run or monitor the fan system for the GA line. Most of these people are fabulous and wonderfully helpful volunteers, as any of us tour veterans know, but a few on the 360 Tour (I have photos of repeat offenders, but have no idea where to send them) were verbally and physically abusive to disabled fans specifically because we were making use of legal accommodations for disability provided by the venue. The regular, winding, GA line that starts overnight is filled with sleeping bags, tents, coolers, and other objects difficult or impossible for people with some disabilities to do basic things such as get to a bathroom from their place in line. For that reason, the venues often set up arrangements for disabled people to line up safely, with access to the same basic services (such as going to the bathroom) that others take for granted, and in a place where mobility assistants (who are not needed to watch us sleep in line) can find us and reach us without having to explain to 1,000 people on the way that they're a designated mobility companion. I've been a U2 fan since 'Boy,' and I intend to keep going to U2 concerts for as long as my health allows in the way I've generally tried to do it -- propped up against a solid object if necessary, but camping out as long as necessary to get as close to the stage as I can. Sometimes I go to shows with friends who can camp out with me, but sometimes I have to pay to have someone assist me just for the times I need assistance. Most of the U2 "line mods" either come in with some familiarity of how things work for disabled fans at the venue or will listen when it's explained to them, in which case it all works out well. Others, however, yell, insult, or (in the case of one "line mod") even actually kicked out my cane from under me. He was angry that I'd been camping out in the disabled-accessible place the venue provided instead of at the non-accessible place (which wasn't adjacent to or within sight of the GA entrance or the designated accessible GA line) he and his friends had chosen for the "official" line, and when he didn't get me to leave the line by yelling at me or threatening me (and, needless to say, the officials at the venue weren't going to remove me from legal accommodations), he went for my cane once we were inside. I dislocated my shoulder when the cane was kicked out and got some nasty bruises from the fall. Since he harassed me in line and/or inside the GA venue more than once, I got pictures of him, but had no idea where to send them. Listmods, do you have any connection with these "line mods," so we can get some rules clear on this subject? I'd rather bring a friend and fan to help me with mobility; it's more fun for everyone than it would be if I had to bring the burliest guy I could find to protect my physically. And besides, the fan procedures at U2 lines are supposed to help honest fans, not make their wait in line and/or the show itself painful and frightening. There are some bands I know I can't see unless I'm with someone who can protect me from fights, but U2 wasn't one of them until this past tour. And there were three shows on the 360 Tour at which I needed such protection -- which the venue security can generally do in line, but can't do effectively inside if there's a "line mod" determined to block access and/or hurt a disabled person upon entry. Yes, it's bizarre that adults would do this kind of thing in the name of U2 fandom; I wouldn't have believed it if it hadn't happened more than once. Are these "line mods" self-appointed? Do they have any accountability if they abuse their position at a show? And is there any way to notify would-be "line mods," at the very least, that it's not acceptable to U2 and Zootopia to verbally harass or physically accost disabled people because they are making use of legal accommodations for their disability? I'd really like to be able to go to the I+E show (or, if I can get more tickets when they go on sale, shows) without feeling like I need a bodyguard if I'm disabled. If I wanted to watch people fight, I'd go to a cage match. Surely there's something that disabled people can do short of bringing a particularly burly and fierce mobility assistant and/or trying to get venue security to throw out the person or couple of people presenting themselves as Zootopia's own fan security. If there's anything listmods and/or U2.com can do to help in advance, that would be very welcome. Thanks!

I've done well at U2 shows since the Unforgettable Fire tour as a disabled person -- until recently. I'm sorry to say that my problems on the 360 Tour were with U2 "fans," not with the band or the venue. Tour venues make accommodations for people with disabilities for a reason, and we generally have to spend at least a dozen or so hours on the phone with the venue to make sure they're in place. My spouse can't tolerate loud noises of any kind, so I always have a mobility assistant come with me if there isn't a friend in the city who can help me get around. This works well all the way around: we don't exceed ticket limits, some kind soul gets to take in a concert and I can see U2 in the style I've been seeing them for almost 30 years -- propped up against some solid object as close as I can get to the stage, no matter how long I have to wait. As usual, I saw U2 at several venues on the 360 Tour. The venues were very helpful. So were most of the fabulous volunteers keeping order in the lines. But some of the "fans" policing the lines in some cities were hostile. The venues set up arrangements for disabled people to line up safely, without having to step over other fans' sleeping bags or around tents to get to a bathroom while waiting in line the night before and day of a show, and in an area in which my mobility assistant can find me. My helping companions are great, but I can't expect them to camp out with me for 24 hours before the show -- nor should I have to pay them to do so just so they can watch me sleep in line and go to the bathroom, since I only really need someone to help me get to a spot and stand there once the gates open. The problem is that a few U2 "fan police" -- unfortunately, a few people who mess things up for disabled people in multiple cities, since they follow the band around a lot -- won't cooperate with the venue's arrangements for the disabled. I wait as long as anyone in GA waits -- just in the area designated for disabled people. Sometimes I go to shows with friends who can camp out with me, but sometimes I have to pay to have someone assist me just for the times I need assistance. Most of the U2 "line mods" either come in with some familiarity of how things work for disabled fans at the venue or will listen when it's explained to them. Others, however, yell, insult, or (in the case of one "line mod") even actually kicked out my cane from under me. He was angry that I'd been camping out in the disabled-accessible place the venue provided instead of at the non-accessible place (which wasn't adjacent to or within sight of the GA entrance or the designated accessible GA line) he and his friends had chosen for the "official" line, and when he didn't get me to leave the line by yelling at me or threatening me (and, needless to say, the officials at the venue weren't going to remove me from legal accommodations), he went for my cane once we were inside. I dislocated my shoulder when the cane was kicked out and got some nasty bruises from the fall. Since he harassed me in line and/or inside the GA venue more than once, I got pictures of him, but had no idea where to send them. Listmods, do you have any connection with these "line mods," so we can get some rules clear on this subject? I'd rather bring a friend and fan to help me with mobility; it's more fun for everyone than it would be if I had to bring the burliest guy I could find to protect my physically. And besides, the fan procedures at U2 lines are supposed to help honest fans, not make their wait in line and/or the show itself painful and frightening. Are these people self-appointed? Do they have any accountability if they abuse their position at a show? And is there any way to notify volunteers, at the very least, that it's not acceptable to U2 and Zootopia to verbally harass or physically accost disabled people because they are making use of legal accommodations for their disability? I'd really like to be able to go to the I+E show (or, if I can get more tickets when they go on sale, shows) without feeling like I need a bodyguard if I'm disabled. Thanks!

I'm a Propaganda member who *has* been a paid member of U2.com since that system started. I received no presale code via email, and the one showing up on my account is an 'Innocence' code. It took me a day of calls to get through to Fanfare and they gave me another code. It isn't working now, and I can't get through to Fanfare again. This is really annoying.