Customer Reviews

A Grand Madness, Ten Years on the Road with U2

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This book is absolute trash! It will make you embarrassed to be a U2 fan. The author, apparently dealing with a midlife crisis by stalking the band, can't write. On most pages, her insights are obsessive and often insipid. She whines, she laments, she fawns over Bono, she invites us into her ho-hum life without a flame or even a spark of creativity. The pages, filled with diary entries dating bak to The Joshua Tree tour, are a drawn out stream of babble that had me skimming after the first chapter. How did this thing get published?

This book was awful. The author can write, I'll give her that, but where is the sense of humor? The emotion? All we get is: got on the plane, got the rental car, checked into the hotel, went to the venue, the band arrived, went inside, found our seats, here's the setlist. Sure, she does go into detail about the shows, but I never got the feeling that she was THERE. My opinion is that she doesn't want to appear to be a freaky fanatic so she stops short of getting really invested in the feeling. I was expecting something more personal. How about her family? What do they think? What about her non-U2 fan friends? She never once says she missed her family while on the road, nor does she bring any real emotion to her experiences. What about her fellow fans/travelers? Who are they (other than Sue, Sharon, etc.)? What's it like being around people you barely know for days on end, all because you share a common love of a band's music? I could have used less of a travel guide and more of a personal and emotional view of following a band you love.

Let me start off by saying that I have nothing against Dianne beeaff. But I do find it difficult to enjoy a book about U2 fandom if it lacks the passion and calenture that embodies U2's music: evocotive, captivating, almost intangible gifts to the ears and hearts of those that it has touched. Mrs. Beeaff did an excellent job in record keeping, accounting for the precise moments of her encounters with other fans and even band members and chronicling the sights and sounds at the numerous concerts she's attended over a ten year period. But...what lacks I can't completely put into words. Carter Alan's accounts in U2: OUTSIDE IS AMERICA were extremely vivid, so clear that I could picture what was happening around him, I could fully imagine and experience the emotion the fans around him were experiencing as he chronicled each concert, each fan meeting. Alan's description of the music itself was ardent in depiction and faithful to U2's true sound...he could do so as a lover of music and as a FAN of U2...Beeaff could not. Primm Jal de la Parra did an outstanding job researching and collecting material for the U2LIVE: A CONCERT DOCUMENTARY book. De la Parra also offered authoritive, insightful discussion into U2's studio work, live performances and U2's history, something which was lacking in Beeaff's AGM. B.P. Fallon and Bill Flanigan's works were just as insightful and enjoyable to read. Eamon Dunphy's THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE was rich in history but lacked the connection between fan and performer. It was clear Beeaff didn't do her homework as was evidenced by her lack of background in U2's work. As U2 fans we admire and are enthusiastic about those we admire as Beeaff had stated. But we also dig into the backgrounds of the people, places and times surrounding U2 and their timeless music. We contemplate the lyrics, however simple of complex they may be. We wonder about their meaning and research the events that could have sparked those lyrics, be they personal to the composer, or economic, social or political commentaries of the world around them. We dig into their musical roots: The Ramones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Joy Division, Bob Marley, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, The Boomtown Rats, Thin Lizzy, Van Morrison, and even Abba for God's sake (just to name a few). We also peek into what was culturally going on at the time of these musical giants...connections and references to these artists were made by all authors except Beeaff which is an important aspect not to be left out, not by a true fan. This book lacks the comprehension needed to faithfully be a book from a fan's point of view FOR fans. At least this is one fan's opinion.

Where to begin? Well, in short, the author seems a bit out of touch with reality & I honestly have a really hard time believing many of her stories. The silliest one being that she & her groupie friends had given some flowers to one of the band's road crew to pass along. A month or so later, her friend just happens to run into Bono & asks if he got them. "Those were from you"? he says. With all the things bands go through on the road, city after city turning into a blur, not to mention the loads of flowers they receive, this little tale just doesn't seem likely.

The reports of the band's wardrobe for each show get old *very* quickly, as did what the author and her friends ate for dinner each night and where they ate it! She mentions over and over again that her favorite song is "Bad" and each performance the Edge gives is "the best one she's ever seen!"

Sorry, but this book really isn't worth the money.

I've enjoyed U2's music for many years though I've only been able to see them in concert a couple of times. This book captures all the excitement of a U2 show. The unique diary-style writing makes you feel like you're traveling with the author, sharing experiences and adventures. The descriptions of both the concerts and the places she visits are vivid and detailed. There are also some nice philosophical touches that show just how much this successful band has effected the writer's life and work. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in U2 or contemporary music and culture.

A Grand Madness : Ten Years on the Road With U2 is an excellent book. The journey begins in 1987 with the Joshua Tree Tour and continues right up to the recent POPMart Tour of 1997. Dianne Ebertt Beeaff (the author) shares her experiences as a U2 fan on tour, covering thirty-eight concerts in twenty cities. The book is written strictly from a fan's point of view and gives the reader a front-row-seat insight into what it's like to be a fan.

I really enjoyed this book! The author's style is quite enjoyable! Anyone who has traveled around to see a band can relate to her experiences. At times I felt as though I was right there with her! A refreshing change from the typical "I'm with the band" type books! Most of us will never have those kind of experiences and therefore find Dianne's easily relatable! Thanks again for sharing your experiences, brings back memories of my own!

I really liked this book. Its a rare treat for both U2 fans and fans in general. Along with great photos and moving personal impressions and memories, its well written and shows the band strictly from a fan's point of view, something which i have never before in any u2 book but one i could identify with. The authour shows a lot of knowledge and understanding of u2's music both recorded and live. She also covers with impressive detail her meetings ( times and places) were she has come acroos the band on tour and off. I like the layout and its a must for any U2 fan

I purchased this book with high hopes that it would provide some insight into why someone would follow a band through many years and tours and what impact it would have on that person's personal life. Obviously the music and persona of U2 has had that impact upon Ms. Ebertt Beeaff's life, but this book is a curious recitation of endless versions of the same thing. "I went. I saw this set and they sang this." There must have been different responses to the concerts in different countries and cities, but there is no hint of that in this book. This book is curiously flat in affect and just drones on. The spirit that drives one to love U2 enough to commit to a major disruption in the author's adult life is never answered or explained. It was very disappointing. There were some enticing tidbits of encounters with the bandmembers, but they are few and far between. I finished the book, curiously dissatisfied. Still wondering. . .why?

What can I say? There's some great stuff written about U2. "A Grand Madness" is definitely one of them. And it's different. When I first read it I was in my second year of fandom - when the one thing I still hadn't experienced was seeing my favourite band in concert.
"A Grand Madness" took me on a journey ... not quite like witnessing U2 life, but the closest to this adventure I could get. And it wasn't only about the concerts. I felt like Dianne Beeaffs "life on the road" experiences could have been mine; they seemed to express my own engagement, my own dedication to this wonderful band, my own feelings about the music and the people behind, all the feelings that only a fan can have.
Now that I finally *have* seen U2 on tour (and found some great new friends along the way) I feel even more related to this extraordinary book than before. Because this is the best thing a fan can experience. A Grand Madness indeed.