Bono suffered a reversal of fortune during the week; he only had to be saved himself... from some rain, which you'd think he'd be used to.

According to the New York Post: "The U2 frontman was spotted on the side of the road thumbing a ride in Canada after he and his assistant took a walk in West Vancouver Tuesday and got stranded in a downpour. Luckily, NHL star Gilbert Brule and his girlfriend, Kelsey Nichols, happened by on their way to a local dog park. 'I didn't want to stop,' Nichols told the Edmonton Journal, 'but G yelled, 'That's Bono!' The rocker and his pal jumped in the back seat of the Edmonton Oiler's truck, sharing it with his German shepherd."

Apparently Bono was so grateful, he gave Brule and his gerralfriend autographed passes to U2's show in Edmonton the following night. On Brule's, he wrote "My hero Gilbert." And, with no double entendre's intended, he scrawled "Thanks for the ride" on Nichols' pass.

It didn't end there; the almighty one went on to compliment the assembled Canadian massive at the Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium, saying "I like ice hockey because people who play ice hockey are the kind of people who pick up hitchhikers." Not that he's into generalising or anything.

That tale reminds me of the time I got free passes to see U2's PopMart tour in San Francisco (Oakland, really) waaaaaay back in 1997. Myself and seven other students were staying in a studio apartment (I slept in a broom cupboard) in Tenderloin (if you've ever been, you'll know the area, and not to go there) living off Top Ramen noodles and slivers of Blondie's Pizza we managed to purchase thanks to our cobbled tips. One of my flatmates, Niall, landed himself a job in a jeans store, and who swaggered in on day only Liam Gallagher. Nodding towards his bodyguard, Liam declared "Whoever can get a pair of jeans to fit this fat bastid can come to me gig toniiiiiiightah."

Niall, being the only person in the shop who had a bog who Gallagher was, was quick to find those billowy jeans. Niall, being a fair sort and not at all loving the power, made all his flatmates gather outside Nordstrom Shopping Centre, at the junction of Powell and Market (I believe it's now called Westfield Shopping Centre), whereupon he conducted a raffle. I won (lucky number 7). As it turned out, that meant I had the honour of paying for everything that night, the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit to you) tickets to the stadium, the booze, the nibbles...

So, without even a chance to change from my grubby Haagen Daaz uniform, which stank of sour milk, we were off to Oakland Stadium, on a whim and a promise of free passes left at the entrance... by Liam Gallagher... what are the chances of them being there, seriously...

Weeeell, they were. Thank you, Liam. It was a pleasure for a broke student to unexpectedly see U2 on a balmy summer's evening in 1997. We also enjoyed Oasis' set, of course, although it was kind of hard to hear anything given the audience didn't have a notion who you were, nor gave a skitter to find out.

An enduring memory was you trying to sing Wonderwall while various mulleted couples shouted: "WHO ARE THEY, HONEY? HE LOOKS ANGRY. DOESN'T HE LOOK ANGRY?" "I DUNNO, I THINK THEY'RE BRIDDISH." "MMMHHHMMM, I WANT NACHOS, D'YOU WANNA GET SOME NACHOS?! LET'S GET SOME NACHOS."

I was going to end things with a cheesy don't look back in anger type reference, but sure you can't see a thing from under that fringe of yours. And, in hindsight, you could've signed the tickets like Bono did, that's why he's a global superstar... *ducks*