It’s been a long time for Australian fans of U2 who have been waiting to see the Irish preachers since February 1998. Back then, Larry Mullen’s band was shopping around the world with their PopMart supermarket trolley and managed to make it Down Under. Probably they didn’t have too much fun with us, as they didn’t stop here during their consequent tours. Until now, of course.

Vertigo tour was originally planned to come to Oz in late 2005 but was rescheduled for March and April 2006, since the group added more dates to the U.S. leg. And we thought American dollar was getting weaker! Tickets down here were almost impossible to get and even die hard fans were forced to get ripped off on eBay or consider less attractive venues instead (let’s be honest and specify that one could only purchase tickets for not-so-hot Adelaide).

And then, there came a two week notice and the dates were cancelled. Bugger! A short message on a U2.com offered just enough explanation for everybody to understand; the shows were cancelled “due to the illness of an immediate family member of one of the band”.

Yet within a week Bono made a trip to Sydney with his family (showing them kids our ZOO and maybe a TV, too) and said he hoped the band would make the tour by the end of the year. So did we. And the band delivered. Brisbane gig kicked off on 07 November, followed by three Sydney dates (10, 11 and 13 November) with one Adelaide and two more Melbourne concerts still to come.

Having nothing better to do, Bono also performed duet of Kids with our showgirl Kylie Minogue on 12 November, the only day off for a band while in Sydney. It was widely expected that Kylie would return the favour the next day, thought I was wondering what song would she sing along with Bono… Or would they dare to give us Locomotion? Kylie didn’t show up though, but Bono made few references to her (”last night, I’ve got to sing with Kylie, tonight, we’re all yours”) and included snippets of Spinning Around and I Should Be So Lucky. I couldn’t stop thinking he was spoofing the poor sheila.

U2 also indulged Sydney audience with The Saints Are Coming that was officially released as a CD single just a week ago, only to rocket to Australian No 1 straight away. Looks like there’s nothing better on the charts than a 30-year-old tune. However, they haven’t introduced upcoming Window in The Skies that is due to appear on U218 singles compilation album being released next week. We’ll need to pay again to see that one live.

Almost at the end of encore, just before the usual good-bye-and-run-for-a-cab song Kite, the band attempted to play Party Girl, 25-years-old piece that they last played well over a year ago and since then they again managed to forget how it goes. Fellas delivered a bit of a chaotic performance so Bono eventually summoned his boys (”excuse us for a second”) to get it right, however to little help. Audience enjoyed that bit tremendously (see it on YouTube here). Before a troubled finish, Bono added another snippet of I Should Be So Lucky, showed us how he advanced in learning the Kylie dance style and finally asked his fellows to stop trying and end it up.

And after Kite, that was it. I was one of the lucky ones who were flown to the City by a free local Shinkansen and I really don’t know what happened to the rest of cockroaches.

Just before nation landed at the parties across the City, we got a text from Bono thanking us for helping Africa… Thanking to whoever signed up for Make Poverty History campaign to have their name on a big screen behind the stage.

They’re smart, these Irish. Good on them, Oz can’t wait to see them again.

Two emails made my day yesterday.

First one was sent from SkyEurope and included this advertisment (among others):

FLIGHTS FOR FREE to Eastern Europe.

Don’t miss your chance and book your flight now:
100.000 flights for GBP/EUR 0!*

Hurry sale ends on Sunday!

Travel period: 1 December 2006 - 28 February 2007.

100.000 free flights. Excuse me? Oh I see, their banner on the main page says free seats. Very clever. Still doesn’t make much sense to me. Let me apply elementary maths here: 100.000 seats in 90 days means approximately 1111 seats a day. Looking at their fleet, it means 7-8 airplanes full of passengers flying for free (taxes and charges excluded) every day.

As I’m quite a curious guy sometimes, I searched for all flights in that period to Poprad/Tatras and Bratislava (from London), two of the cities included in this offer still displayed on the main page. Guess what. I haven’t found a single one for free. Check it for yourself if you want. Perhaps I’m mistaken and they meant Sunday in modified time dimension. I’m not surprised though, it’s just a part of their misleading advertising.

What I like here is the way they treat their customers. Sending them a crappy leaflet. With huge Send this special offer to your friend link. Viral marketing in action. Will I send it to my friends? They can bet I will. Along with this article.

A second email was sent from Air France & KLM informing me about new EU-legislation for hand baggage at all airports in the EU. Hilarious, really. Excerpt from the regulation:

If your purchase (in duty free) occurred in an airport located outside the European Union, and you are transferring to a European Union country, you will not be authorized to carry your purchases onto your next flight. They will be taken away from you.

How funny is that? I know, it’s not their fault. At least they send some useful information. SkyEurope sends only insulting spam.

First November Tuesday is the best day for a foreigner to come to know Aussies. Ladies wear beautiful and elegant dresses, often with flower motifs, and their heads are decorated with the latest fashion hats. Gentlemen, as much as they can, put on their best suits. While tie is a must in Melbourne, Sydney does just fine with slightly exposed hairy chests.

At 11 am, everybody’s queueing to bet on their favourite horse, or, more often, a horse that happens to have a right name, number or any other attribute appealing to a particular punter. No exceptions, no excuses.

By two o’clock, all pubs in the whole country are packed with ladies and gentlemen in their above mentioned outfits, minus the ones who are already too off their faces to attend.

At three o’clock, the race that stops a nation starts. A bit over hundred thousand lucky ones are starring at the race in the Flemington Racecourse, the rest of us are starring at the TV sets instead. There is absolutely nothing else happening in Australia at the time.

It’s all over in just over three minutes.

The rest of scenario is easy to guess. Most people who went to pubs for their extended lunch will never make it back to work. Shopping centres are deserted, stock exchange vacated. You can’t make it to a bar even in the town where’s soda sold out.

Celebrations don’t end until late. Too late, for some, too. The favourite pick-up line can’t be simplier: who did you go for? I wonder about the statistics… How many kids are born in first weeks of August?

And Wednesday? Record-breaking number of sickies doesn’t surprise anybody. Few wretched mongrels only made it to the flower beds. Morning hurts. And it takes three more painful days to reach weekend.

Ouch! I guess we should make MPs to enact a Melbourne Cup Day week-long national holiday to recover. Yes, I’ll speak to my member… As soon as he recovers…

Listening to jazz is like eating olives. You may not like your very first bite, but the more you try the more you appreciate and relish it. I guess it must have something to do with the trumpet and the saxophone. Or maybe I’m totally wrong and it’s only because of that strong flavour and even stronger aftertaste. How many times did you walk out of the bar still being caught in the atmospehere for hours until you switched on your nut-box or until you dived into someone’s arms?