My friend Kate and I use U2 concerts as an excuse to travel and see new cities. But earlier this summer the band had scheduled a couple of nights here in Washington, D.C., so we decided to spend the days before the first concert taking part in the fan-run general admission line. Fans show up and run these for every show, and it’s a way to stand in line without really standing in line: You stop by and get a number, then leave and show up at check-ins twice a day to keep your place. The line is for the floor of the arena, which is general admission, and the only reason to do it is if you really want to stand in one particular spot. Or if you like lines. We were in it mostly for the fan community experience.
We showed up as the line was starting on Friday. Someone has to represent the line at all times, and, because Kate and I have extremely overactive senses of duty, we agreed to join another fan for the 2 to 5 a.m. shift on Saturday morning. (The concert was Sunday night, so we had plenty of time to recover.)
Here’s some of what we saw.
The concert, by the way, was excellent.
Art credit: drawn by me, Helen Fields