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(03-27-2005) Reports From the Dress Rehearsal -- Interference.com*

Reports From the Dress Rehearsal

Several Interference.com members were lucky enough to get in to yesterday's Vertigo Tour dress rehearsal in Los Angeles. Below are reports from two of them. More updates as we get them!

From what our members have reported, not just contest winners were let in. A lucky few fans who were hanging out in front of the arena yesterday also got in. Congrats to all of you who got in to the dress rehearsal and for the rest of us who didn't, just one more day to go!

From Eliv8:

Now that was f****** brilliant! I didnt think I was going to get there in time. I had to work until 3:00. I was told it was going to start at 4:30 and I got there with minutes to spare. There was around 200 people waiting to get in. Met up with Pubcrawler and we waited around for about an hour or so. Then this guy came out and said we had 3 minutes to take our cell phones back to our cars, get back and we would be let in. I didnt think I would make it in time so I found a couple who were parked close and gave them my phone - Thanks Kevin & Kim. We all went in - contest winers to the right - Gate crashers to the left. We were all at the sides - Up to 300 people now. The floor was empty.
Total 500 people in the room. They played a song just before the band came on. I still have no idea what that was. Sure it was U2 though.

Thanks also to u2rulesmyworld for keeping me updated as I was driving up.

Hey - the price was right - The cheapest concert I have ever been too.

Almost as good as a Saturday afternoon at Old Traford ;-)

From BonoFox1:

Well it's 1 oclock in the morning and i just walked in my door...my throat hurts from yelling so much....

All week long I had been trying to win tickets to U2s dress rehersal..sthe local rediio staion was giving a pair of tickets every hour on the hour!! I live in Los Angeles.----I could not get tickets...I tried and tried and couldnt

Yesterday I saw Bono and Ali in the news at the Beverly Hills Saks launch!!....I missed that event due to work...

My friend and I decided to show up at the arena of the dress rehersal even though we did not have tickets because at least we might get a glimpse of the guys if we were lucky enough...

I worked this morning until mid day, then my friend and i headed out there...when we srrived we saw a crowd of about 50 people
a friend we know saw us and ran up and told us that Bono, Edge and Adam had came out two hours earlier for about 5 minutes to say hi to the crowd and sign autographs..(there were about 30 people at that time)

My firend and I looked at each other ""We missed Bono agaIn""

another friend told us that he had asked Bono if there was any chance of leting them in ..Bono reponded saying that it might be possible if the crowd was small, but not to take his word for it but he would see what he could do...
That news gave my friend and I a bit of hope...we waited about two hours as the crowd began to grow...to about 250 people...
My friend and I thought that maybe the crowd was too big and we would not be let in....

A U2 rep came out side and looked at the crowd as the crowd stood silent...(he seemed like he was calculating how many people were out ther and left as he talkled on the phone to whom i could swear was Bono on the other line..I thought that
cause he had his phone on speaker.. and it sounded like Bono
on the other end...

about 10 minutes later the guy comes back with a group of security gaurds and tells us that we would be let it....

you can only imagine how we felt!!!!!!!......................

we were organized into a line (or somewhat of a line and advised that we were going to be let into the rehersal but we could not bring in cell phones nor cameras...(lucky for us another friend had warned us earlier and i had taked my camera and cell back to the car)
and finally we were let in!!! stage is awesome and even theough the venue is much smaller than what U2 is used to play in (even though they did play this same venue in the JT Zoo days..they have outgrown it)

we were sent to sit at the right side of the stage while the contest winners sat accross from us in the arena...my friend and i calculated that there was about 600 people total.....

All us fans who didnt think we would be let in were still in shock!!
I mean how many chances in this world do you get to be one of the first to see a free U2 show before the tour????

We waited for about 20 minutes...The lights went off and all we here is Bonos voice "EVERYBODY, EVERYBODY,EVERYBODY, EVERYBODY"..All these beautiful lights go on and we can see Edges and Adams siluettes and we see Larry sit behind his kit as the intro to City of Blinding Lights booms....there is a chain like backdrop that comes down from the celing and then these beautiful imiges and colors appear...Its a city!!! conffetti explodes from both sides of the arena as Bono belts out COBL.....

after that they played ELECTRICO...., Then I lost track ( I was so excited)...songs random order...
Zoo Station
The Fly
AT Cat Dubh
Love Peace or else "ROCKED HARD CORE"..The stage is egg shaped (kind of like the Heart stage set from Elevation" So Bono
had the chance to go around teh whole stage ....this time Larry had a huge drum waiting for him at the tip-bottom of the stage..
as Larry accompanies the intro to the L-P or else..Larry bangs on that drum..*as we all freak out* Bono belt out a powerful song as he incorporated his dance moves (he actually danced a lot, played guitar, and the tamorbine throughout the show) but nearing the song Love Peace or else Larry goes back to his drum kit and Bono takes over the large drum at the end of the stage...

Bono drumming!!! AHHH!!!! and he did an excellent job at it as he cloed the song banging on this huge drum...he was in beat with the song the whole time!!!!
Love Peace or else is one of my ultimate favorite songs!!!

Sometimes you cant make it on your own was so touching I was crying when the song ended .....As Bono sang this song the chain curtains came down agian and there was this animated image of an older man walking...just walking....the image of course is a representaion of his father Bob.

Beautifuly sang as always

Yahweh
Streets
Pride
Still havent found
Miracle Drug
Elevation
All because of You
One
Walk On
*there might be a few more that I cant remember right now cause my brain isnt working well since it is now 2:20 in the morning...but I will post more tomorrow...
They did close with::
40

There were also some funny moments and a few techincal probs,
other than that I am so grateful to have been part of this!!!

It was a two hour show and we did wait afterward to see if we could see them (U2) and thank them for letting is be part of it
We waited 2 1/2 hours but we were too cold and hunbgry and tired we left....

I am going to the Monday opener so I know what to expect now...

WHAT A WONDERFUL DAY!!!!!

Bono wore a thin leather jacket *which he took off after a few songs and in the second set wore a black blazer* he had on a black t-shirt , shades black pants, and not so thick heeled shoes...

Edge wore a worn out white t-shirt and jeans, Adam looked "very professorial" in what looked like a black sweater and a white collared shirt sticking out, and black pants, he really did look like a teacher...Larry had on this beautifully tight grey short sleeved button up shirt and black pants

the back drops are beautiful the lighting amazing..during beautiful day the whole arena lit up like a rainbow.

During Zoo station Bono did his Fly dance like the Zoo tour opener...I yelled "THE FLY IS BACK!!!"

Bono danced around the egg shaped stage a lot as he goose-stepped around to The Fly

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