New book shares glimpse into U2 fandom

Book takes fans inside last six U2 tours

It’s been nearly two decades since Dianne Ebertt Beeaff released her bestselling memoir, A Grand Madness: Ten Years on the Road with U2 (Hawkmoon Publications, 2000), featuring Beeaff’s fan’s-eye view of Ireland’s iconic rock sensation, U2, as they toured the world. On October 20th, Beeaff returns with an equally stunning follow-up, A Grand Madness: U2 Twenty Years After (Hawkmoon Publications), detailing the six tours that followed the release of her first book.

“From airport terminals to street corners, you can almost taste and touch everything here as Beeaff shadows the band, providing us a rich, nuanced commentary that has the knowledge of an Insider but the perspective of an Outsider,” writes Brian Boyd, music and entertainment contributor to The Irish Times and author of U2 Experience.

Spanning the distance from the band’s home in Dublin, Ireland to America’s Deep South, Beeaff’s sharply detailed and lyrical second memoir sources from her personal journals, and covers the Elevation, Vertigo, 360, Innocence, Joshua Tree, and Experience Tours. Her narrative voice, like her drive to document her journey, weaves together
details — both of the band and the current events that shaped her perspective on the road.

Like Bono’s lyrics, “multi-colored and yet full of shade and shadow,” Beeaff’s memoir envelops readers in the euphoria of fandom with the personal impact that U2’s music has had on her life. “ATYCLB flows as naturally as sunlight, making it easy to slip inside each song,” she writes of the band’s tenth studio album, All That You Can’t Leave Behind. “This is classic ‘big rock’ U2 cut back to basics. They still haven’t found what they’re looking for, but they’re getting closer.”

Brimming with insights into one of the most adored rock bands of our time, A Grand Madness: U2 Twenty Years After is rife with adventure, offering readers a rousing depiction of one fan’s experiences on the road. It is sure to capture the hearts of diehard U2 enthusiasts, as well as those with a penchant for the intrigue and adventure of a travel narrative.

Dianne Ebertt Beeaff is the author of five previous titles, most notably A Grand Madness: Ten Years on the Road with U2 (Hawkmoon Publications, 2000), which will be re-released in tandem with its sequel. Her writing has appeared in a variety of nonfiction publications, including Arizona Highways, Tucson Magazine, Vegetarian Times, and Horse and Horseman. In addition to her previous publications, Beeaff is also a poet and celebrated artist, working primarily in graphite and watercolor, and her artwork has been featured in both local and national galleries. A native of Kitchener, Ontario, Beeaff has lived in Arizona since the late 1960’s. She and her husband, Dan — whom she credits as her greatest cheerleader — are the parents of two children, Danielle and Dustin.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com