For my 35th birthday, I received an envelope with three pieces of paper. One was a receipt. The other two were printed tickets to the U2 360° concert. That’s right, U2.

Now, to fully understand the magnitude of this gift, it should be explained why I have been a fan of U2 for approximately 16 years. It began with my uncle Michael, my father’s youngest brother. Michael taught me how to make paper airplanes. He taught me how to write my first computer program:10 Print "Hello" And with a beautiful shiny black vinyl record, he played for me my very first U2 song: Sunday Bloody Sunday.

There were two primary reasons for my initial infatuation with U2. First, my uncle Michael liked them and that meant they were instantly cool because my uncle Michael was the embodiment of all things cool. Secondly, they were Irish, and when you come from a father whose family prides themselves on being 100% Irish, that means a great deal. I’ve been a devoted fan ever since.

And so, after sixteen years of hoping someday I would get to see U2 in person, I finally did.