I4 U2 3D

I once spent $5 for a ticket to a U2 concert.

That was back in December of 1987. The band was filming its concert movie, Rattle and Hum , near the end of "The Joshua Tree" tour. They were playing two shows on consecutive nights at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. It was a few days before Christmas, and Bono and the gang just wanted a packed house, so the tickets were offered at that reduced rate.

$5 for a ticket to see U2 live.

I mention that because last Friday night I paid $16 to see a U2 concert movie. But you know what? It was worth it. If you have one o' them IMAX theaters in your hometown, and they're showing this film, and you think that U2 is the greatest band to have come along in the past quarter-century (as I do), then you have to see this movie. I've seen U2 in concert five times, but I've never had as good a seat as I had for this show.

The 3-D effect, to paraphrase Emmitt Smith, "blowed my mind". The concert footage was taken from shows in Argentina and Brazil, I believe, stadium shows, and some of the scenes are surreal. When the camera is positioned right behind a few of the gals on their boyfriends' shoulders, you feel as if you are there. You want to throw something at the girl so that she'll get down so you can see (I think that's how I got in trouble with the lady seated five rows in front of me, but that's a different story).

Sure, there were a few songs I could have done without ("Bullet the Blue Sky", "The Fly") and a few that I wished they had played ("All Because of You", "Running To Stand Still"), but all in all it was an amazing show. And it didn't take me an hour to get out of the parking lot afterward.

Well worth seeing.

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I'm in New York City this week, and not in my hometown of Phoenix, and that has me bummed. You just cannot imagine what Phoenix must be like this week. Annually, the most happening week of the year is the FBR (formerly Phoenix) Open. Fellow native Tempean Rick Neuheisel once told me that the party at the Bird's Nest in Scottsdale on the Saturday night of the open is the best night in town all year long. It's all cougars and future cougars and cheetahs (cougars who carry on multiple dalliances....my own blossary term there). Anyway, it's a jungle out there.

And that is taking place this weekend.

Now, you pair the FBR Open with the Super Bowl, with a Snoop Dogg party and a Victoria's Secret party and a hip-hop block party being hosted by Dan Majerle (Thunder Dan is apparently pretty fly) that will have '90s rappers Digital Underground, Tone-Loc and Young MC (what, was Naughty By Nature busy?) and it's gonna be crazy. I mean, this is the town where "You're with me, Leather" all began.

All I can say is that ESPN on-air personalities should carry a photo of Deadspin contributor A.J. Daulerio with them at all times, and be careful whom they text-message (and only do so from the privacy of a men's room stall).

And, as a public service, here are ten places I'd hit if I were in the Valley of the Sun this week:

Dos Gringos, Tempe (near ASU campus)
The Library, Tempe (near ASU campus)
Sugar Daddy's, Scottsdale
Martini Ranch, Scottsdale
Maloney's, Scottsdale
Sapporo, Scottsdale
Greasewood Flats, Cave Creek
Postino Wine Bar, Phoenix
The bars at D.C. Ranch, north Scottsdale
My parents' house (bottomless tray of lasagna, and it's within walking distance of Leinart's crib)
The Pink Taco, Scottsdale

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Also, two great Mexican restaurants, if you are out there: Frank & Lupe's in downtown Scottsdale is the quintessential madre-y-padre Mexican restaurant, while Los Dos Molinos in south Phoenix had dangerously yummy margaritas.

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Help me out here. I had the SC on mute last night and they were showing highlighst of the Mavericks-Grizzlies game. But there was one play, a loose ball play, in which a Mav player seemed to mug and perhaps even perform three martial arts moves on a Griz, with no other player in the vicinity, and the ref let it slide. The Griz was so apoplectic that he walked over to the ref with his arms outstretched as if to say, "I know there's favoritism in this league, but the last time I checked Michael Jordan does not play for the Mavericks."

What was that all about? Did someone else see this?

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Thought while watching ESPN's coverage of Supe Bowl XLII yesterday: How much Sean Salisbury is too much Sean Salisbury (and this coming from someone whom Salisbury has never shown his cell phone photos to)?

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My buddy Moe Cavanagh and her parents had me over for dinner last night. Great time, as always. Moe is married to actor Tom Cavanagh, who is in Canada right now filming. He reports that it was 39 below zero in Calgary yesterday. So, probably no Super Bowl in Calgary any time soon.

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My favorite part of the "State of the Union" address was when they'd pan over to the Bush twins, and Lauren was wearing that look that said, "I could be at Bungalow 8 right now."