Coping with U2 Tour Withdrawal

Last week, I talked about a disease that some fans were suffering from called U2 FOMO. Thankfully, most of us are over our cases of that now; it’s kind of hard to be afraid of missing out when there isn’t much going on. But now, some of us are suffering from something even worse: U2 withdrawals. There’s been a lot of talk on the interwebs about withdrawals lately; if you participate in any number of Facebook groups, discussion boards or Twitter threads with your fellow U2 fans, you have probably seen your share of U2 withdrawal-inspired comments like these:

– “I wish it was 2 weeks ago and I was still in NYC! FML! F all our Ls!”
– “The North American tour is over – what am I going to do with my life NOW?”
– “The end of the tour makes it seem like U2 is dead! And that makes it seem like I’M dead!”

Yes, there’s a little hyperbole here. But admit it, you’ve seen some remarks that are pretty close, or maybe you made them yourself. If so, here are some ways you can cope:

– Find and listen to all the radio interviews the band has done during the tour. There’s no way you’ve heard all of them yet (I sure haven’t!).

– Check out the “Are You Talkin’ U2 to Me?” podcast interview with the band (they don’t actually come on until the end of the first hour, but listeners to that show already know that’s the drill). You’ll find out which ABC sitcom Bono actually watches, and which NBC sitcom he (surprisingly) doesn’t. You’ll hear Adam wax philosophical about Bob Marley, but even more entertainingly, you’ll hear him sing the praises of designer wrapping paper (oh, Adam). Edge is his usual classy self, and Larry actually talks more than any of them during many parts. Plus, there’s some exclusive Songs of Experience info at the end. It’s like a big swig of Dayquil to relieve you of the sniffles, an unfortunate by-product of U2 withdrawal.

– Make a scrapbook of your photos and mementos from your U2 IE Tour experience. You may not be able to channel your pent-up creativity into songwriting like our guys do, but surely you can print out some photos, buy some artsy 12×12 paper and wait for God to walk into the room. And when you’re done, you have a tangible item to show for it (I’m totally doing this one).

Try these out, and pretty soon your U2 withdrawals will be a thing of the past. In a little while, this hurt will hurt no more.