From The NYC Files: The Time I Went To The Movies With U2!

There were so many great benefits to going to NYU, Modern Philosophers.

I got to live in Greenwich Village and have the greatest city in the world as my campus.  When I walked out my door, Washington Square Park was right there waiting for me.  NYC never sleeps, and NYU students rarely slept, either.  There was always something to do and fun to be had.

Among the perks of being a student in the Film Program at NYU was having famous alumni filmmakers come speak to us.  They’d often bring us sneak peaks of their latest projects, or screen a classic for us and then answer questions about it afterwards.

We also got lots of passes to movie premieres.  During my days at NYU, U2 was probably the most popular band in the world.  I had seen them on their Joshua Tree tour, and they rocked Madison Square Garden that night.  We listened to that CD quite often in our dorm room, and the boys from Ireland were beloved on campus.

They were so popular that a feature film was made about them and the Joshua Tree tour.  Rattle and Hum was directed by Phil Joanou and promised to show U2 in all its glory on the giant screen.  I could not wait to see it and buy the soundtrack.

Because I was an NYU Film Student, I didn’t have to wait in line like the common people to buy a ticket to see this epic.  I got a free pass to the premiere, and I used that valuable ticket to get a date with the girl I was crushing on at the time.

Here’s a fun piece of Modern Philosopher trivia: the girl who was my date to the Rattle and Hum premiere was the roommate of the girl who would grow up to be my ex-wife. Interesting, don’t you think?

I’m almost certain that we were joined on this adventure by my roommate Don and his date.  Hopefully, he reads this post and can verify that fact for me.

The premiere was at some fancy theater in midtown.  I don’t remember the details of that because I was so obsessed with having gotten the girl I liked to go out with me.  This was a very big deal at that point in my life.  Talking to members of the opposite sex was still a major problem.

What I do remember is that just as the lights dimmed, Bono, The Edge, Larry and Adam crept into the theater to take their seats.

How cool was that?  U2 was there.  In the same movie theater.  Watching the same movie I was watching!  It was like I’d gone to the movies with U2 to see a movie about U2.  I was geeking out to an extreme.

It turned out to be a pretty good flick, too.  Some of the clips from that film are still extremely popular on YouTube.  The song “All I Want Is You”, which played over the closing credits, is one of my favorite U2 songs, and reminds me so much of The Girl Who Owns My Heart that I often tear up when I hear it.

Clearly, things didn’t work out with my date since I ended up marrying her roommate, but I don’t blame U2 for that at all.  For one magical night, the boys and I hung out together (albeit from a distance), I got to rock in my seat as they rocked so hard on the big screen, and I got to share the moment with a girl I really liked.

All in all, it was a good night.  I’d love to do it again any time U2 is in Maine and wants to catch a flick.  Heck, I’ll even spring for the tickets this time…