Following an impressive 15-5 mark, along with
an 8-0 mark en route to another Greater Boston League title, the
Highlanders delivered an impressive 66-48 first round win over Beverly
before succumbing to Andover in a 56-41 defeat in the Division 1 North
quarterfinal match. Also recording a milestone victory was veteran
coach Brian Harris, who posted his 300th career win in the Highlanders'
win over Beverly. Overall, Harris has delivered a 246-136 mark at
Somerville while boasting a 54-50 mark at Arlington Catholic.

"I
really didn't think about it (300th career win)," said Harris. "All I
knew was that we had two days to prepare for our game against Andover,
and we had to cram in a lot of information in one practice. If we had a
couple of more days to prepare, and study them, then who knows what
would've happened."

Top performances included sophomore
sensation Kelsey Garrity, who delivered a career high 25 points in an
overtime loss to Notre Dame of Hingham. Notre Dame of Hingham captured
the Division 2 Eastern Mass Championship and later vied for the state
title, which took place last weekend.

"In beginning of the year
we had hopes to make a statement for ourselves," said Garrity. "We have
always been the underdogs and never really hit our high standards. From
game one, all of us wanted to start out with a bang, but going down 0-2
right away just shocked us. Then we won our tournament and our
confidence flew back up."

Just when the season had appeared to
have turned the corner, the Highlanders continued to suffer roadblocks
along the way. During one game following the Christmas break, senior
Jill Liberatore suffered a season ending torn anterior cruciate
ligament in her knee while Jennie Vallesio sprained her ankle, forcing
her to miss the bulk of the regular season. As a result, the
Highlanders were searching for answers.

Despite the injuries,
the Highlanders overcame adversity and managed an impressive run,
including an 11 game winning streak to end the regular season,
including a season sweep of top ranked Lynn English.

"We hit
some rocks in the season losing our starting shooting guard to a freak
accident and our backup point guard to a really bad ankle injury in the
same game," said Garrity. "We really had no clue where that would take
us. We pulled it all together and won 11 straight. We just pulled our
selves together – we never put our heads down – we where there for each
other, worked hard in practice and didn't worry about the changes."

Finishing
the regular season on a high note, the Highlanders were seeded fifth
and cruised to a 66-48 win first round home win over Beverly.

"When
tournament time came coach Harris deserved his 300th win," said
Garrity. "I think that we were the perfect team to give him that win.
We had a lot of momentum going for us heading into the Andover game,
and we were hoping We felt really strong – when Andover came I really
thought we were going to shock Massachusetts, but it just wasn't meant
to be. We did everything we could do, but in the end we came up short.
I think from my 8 years of playing basketball that that game was the
moment I was waiting for."

While the Highlanders' season may
have fallen well short of a Division 1 state title, it's certainly been
a season to remember for both the players and the coaching staff.

"The
girls just kept working harder and harder every day in practice," said
Harris. "They kept working through the sicknesses and the injuries, and
did a fabulous job. They showed commitment to the team, and they left
it all out on the court."

With a whopping 12 seniors lost to the
cap and gown, the Highlanders will aim to regroup come next year when
they'll once again be favored to defend the Greater Boston League
title.

One key asset for the Highlanders' success over the
next two years will be Garrity, who averaged 18 points and six assists
per game while earning all-star status in the process and developing
into one of the league's top point guards.

Charting
subjects such as drug and alcohol use, bullying, and the roles of adult
family members in the lives of high schoolers, the survey shows that,
while Somerville's teens continue to be exposed to the requisite
dangers of their age group, they are generally less "at risk" than the
average Massachusetts teenager. Cory Mashburn, the Acting Director of
SCAP, was encouraged by the results. "We're lower than statewide
average in most categories," he said. "Since 2006, levels didn't go up.
That's a positive."

64% of Somerville high school students
reported having consumed alcohol, but only 37% had done so within 30
days of taking the survey. In each category, Somerville's numbers are
9% lower than the Massachusetts average and have decreased nearly 7%
since 2002. In terms of other substance abuse, 20.8% of high schoolers,
and 29% of 12th graders, have smoked marijuana, a slight rise since
2006 but nearly seven points lower than in 2002. "Hard" drug usage,
such as cocaine, oxycontin and heroin appear to have declined slightly,
while ecstasy showed a slight rise.

Though the numbers are
encouraging, the work of SCAP, and other community organizations
devoted to adolescent health, is far from finished and may be at risk
due to the declining economy. At a presentation of the results on March
5th, students repeatedly suggested more after-school programs, and
other projects that might engage adolescents in the community, as
antidotes to substance abuse and violence. "It starts with making sure
that the kids have something to do," said Mashburn. As the economy
contracts, however, such programs are being subjected to cuts. For
example, Teen Connection, a health clinic within Somerville High School
that is designed to provide teens and young adults with physical and
psychological assistance, has lost its funding and will close in June.
SCAP appears to be safe–at least for the time being–as it has been
guaranteed two federal grants that will provide funding for the next
two years.

Although drug and alcohol use largely decreased or
remained stable, not all the results were positive. A reminder of the
potential hardships of adolescence, the number of students who reported
having been bullied increased 6% since 2006, up to 24%, despite the
fact that fights on school grounds decreased by 2%. Bullying, said
Mashburn, has been known to lead to depression, weight loss and the
potential of self-inflicted harm.

Such issues of student
health and safety have recently been spotlighted by the two deaths of
Massachusetts teenagers in the last five months due to underage
drinking. "These kinds of incidents put more pressure on SCAP," said
Mashburn, "and it shows why we're needed."

The funding is set up to take care of the most
frequented bridges in the most need of repair across the Commonwealth
first, like the Longfellow Bridge of the Charles River, the Whittier
Bridge in Amesbury, the Route 9 Bridge of Lake Quinsigamond in
Shrewsbury and others. Then, the rest of the funding will be allocated
through a proposal system. Among the bridges in the running for the
priority list of ones in need of repair and restructuring is the Mystic
Valley Parkway Bridge over the Alewife Brook, which lies between
Somerville and Arlington. Last Wednesday, the DCR threw a proposal
dinner at the VNA conference room in which they gave a presentation
about the bridge.

This particular bridge currently is in need of
repair, and the DCR has decided that its rehabilitation should be
extensive. The bridge currently has two wider driving lanes and two
very narrow sidewalks. One of the ideas for the renovation is to widen
the bridge, enlarging both the driving lanes and the sidewalks with the
possibility of adding a shoulder, as well as making both safer and
easier to navigate.

According to Alan Moore of Somerville, one
of the topics which raised the most attention at this meeting was the
one to "widen the sidewalks for both pedestrian and bicycle usage and
adding shoulders for possible conversion to bike lanes in the future."
This comes in the wake of the Green Line Extension programs decision to
extend to the Mystic Valley Parkway (Route 16). The new Green Line T
stop, along with other factors, have most people believing that this
stretch of road will attract many other bikers and walkers in the
future.

Moore stated, "Many agreed that this Alewife Brook and
Mystic River area could eventually attract as many bicyclists and
pedestrians as the Esplanade in Boston." This proved to be a convincing
argument with listeners present from: "LivableStreets Alliance,
MassBike, Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership, Somerville
Bicycle Committee, WalkBoston, Mystic River Watershed Association,
Friends of the Mystic River and Medford Green Line Neighborhood
Alliance, Senator Pat Jehlen's office, the City of Somerville and
residents from Arlington, Somerville and Cambridge," according to Moore.

This
project will be part of the DCR's $900 million budget and will take
place between 2009 and 2011 if it is accepted as one of the priorities.
Because of the DCR's previous promises to improve the area's biking and
walking paths near the Alewife Brook and the Mystic River, this bridge
should be a shoe-in for a spot on the master list.

East Somerville Main Streets (ESMS)
held its second annual meeting at the neighborhood eatery amidst a
roomful of small business owners, residents and elected officials. The
positive energy that came from teamwork amongst the many volunteers
that comprise the group (ESMS Executive Director Carrie Dancy often
says she is the only paid staffer) was palpable amongst much applause
and shouts of a lot of good work done in East Somerville-the
"forgotten" part of the city-over the past two years.

Gatherers learned about revitalization efforts in East Somerville that spanned ESMS and city-wide initiatives.

"For
a long time, people thought about this area as a pass-through, and we
are now just starting to capitalize on all of our assets" said Mayor
Joseph Curtatone.

For example, the funding has come in to
rebuild the East Somerville Community School (a bout of applause
erupted here), Curtatone said. The owners of Stop & Shop in
Somerville have approached the city to build a hotel by Harris Park.
Over at Assembly Square, IKEA will finally have a home there and the
foundation is already in the ground, he said.

The Assembly Square project will be the greatest example of "smart" development in the region, Curtatone said.

Washington
Street will be repaved "one way or another," Curtatone said, before he
was drowned out by another round of applause. Additionally, 14 other
streets will be repaved this spring.

In essence, East Somerville will get the extra attention that it so deserves, he said.

Dorie
Clark, the ESMS vice president announced some exciting projects planned
for 2009. ESMS' main priority is to beautify the neighborhoods, she
said. Last fall, city officials held a gathering at Sullivan Square to
discuss ways to convert the sad, "no man's land" there to an inviting T
Station that residents want (more applause).

Enchanting murals
like the display along Mystic Avenue are planned for East Somerville.
ESMS is working with the Somerville Arts Council on a particular
project right now, which will soon be announced, Clark said. "We are a
neighborhood of many artists," she said.

ESMS has been looking
into guidelines to unify storefronts. For example, studies have shown
that erecting grates and bars on windows sends out a negative message
about the safety of a neighborhood, Clark said. "So we encourage all
businesses to take down the grates," she said, amidst another bout of
applause.

Clark stressed that many ESMS initiatives require
help from residents. Visit www.eastsomervillemainstreets.org to sign up
to volunteer. For example, ESMS will stage "outreach days," which
entails erecting a tent with information and inviting volunteers to
talk to people walking through the neighborhood about the neat stuff
going on in East Somerville.

A new ESMS committee-the "East
Somerville Cafe Recruitment Committee"-will commence working on getting
a Bloc 11 or Sherman Cafe-style cafe in their neighborhood, Clark said.
The committee is looking for others to join the effort.

Other ESMS efforts for 2009 including the following:

o A neighborhood cleanup on May 9, in conjunction with the city-wide clean-up

o To continue the International Movie Nights this September

o To continue the "Lights of Broadway" holiday contest

o The "First Tuesdays!" monthly neighborhood gathering, starting with a wine tasting at Sullivan Square Liquors on April 7

o Establish an East Somerville site during Somerville Open Studios at the Cross Street Senior Center

ESMS
will hold a fund raiser in November to pay for these initiatives, with
Jimmy Tingle serving as the headline performance, Clark said.

Ben
Grossman, who leads Green Marketing Solutions for the East
Somerville-based Grossman Marketing Group, delivered the keynote
address. He talked about how Max Grossman founded the company in
1910-fulfilling a dream to own a company when he was selling envelopes
out of a pushcart. His innovation to create a more secure pay envelope
that immigrants in Boston used to send money back home led to the
Massachusetts Envelope Company (which later became the Grossman
Marketing Group).

This same kind of entrepreneurship exists
amongst the students at the local colleges-such as MIT and Harvard-who
the city of Somerville should encourage and foster. Grossman suggested
a "student incubator" effort where local businesses would donate money
to start-ups based in the city.

"Our company is lucky to be
close to schools like Harvard and Tufts, but we want to encourage the
students to stay here," he said. "We want them to think of Somerville
rather than Route 128."

Grossman encourages people to contact him about this proposal via www.grossmanmarketing.com.

Entrepreneurship
is how the city can rise out of the recession, he continued. "So that
we can capture the potential," he said. "We are positioned to do so.
After all, business growth is critical to support the tax base and to
create new jobs."

For Somerville to grow, it's also important to
invest in teaching children in the public schools the importance of
technology and innovation, Grossman said.

Susan Fontano, the
ESMS president, was also quick to highlight that making East Somerville
a better place to live is up to the residents.

"We had a great
year, thanks to volunteers and residents," she said. "It's a great team
spirit, and Somerville, in general, is known for that."

SOMERVILLE
– Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone presented U2's lead singer, Bono, with an
official proclamation Wednesday on the occasion of U2's visit to
Somerville for a special mini-concert, one of only three nationwide, in
support of their new album, "No Line on the Horizon."

"The band
told us how much they enjoyed coming to Somerville, and we certainly
enjoyed their visit," said Curtatone. "I was extremely proud of our
city's people and of the Davis Square business community for helping to
make this a memorable and joyful event. A lot of people contributed to
making this a successful event, which wasn't easy with such short
notice. On the city side, our Police, DPW, Traffic and Parking, Fire
and Inspectional personnel put in a lot of extra work on this, but the
concert promoter covered the city's costs, which made it much easier to
put our best foot forward. Somerville is a great venue for events like
this, and Davis Square is continuing to enhancing its reputation as an
arts destination. Next up, we'll be hosting the seventh annual
Independent Film Festival of Boston, which begins on April 22nd.

The band U2, led by
singer and philanthropist Bono and guitarist The Edge, chose the
Somerville Theater as the venue to end their 3 Nights Live! Tour. The
tour was comprised of three concerts three nights in a row. The tour
began on Monday night with U2 playing in Hollywood, followed by Chicago
on Tuesday and finally Somerville on Wednesday night.

No tickets were available for purchase to the show. The event was strictly for special invite and radio contest winners.

Rumors
that U2 would be playing at the Somerville Theater abounded for a week
prior to the event. But with increasing media presence around the Davis
Square area on Tuesday, there was little doubt about who was coming
Somerville's way.

People started arriving in the Davis Square
area in the early afternoon. They gathered behind the Somerville
Theater where metal blockades kept them at bay from the band's vehicles
and equipment. Those gathered behind the blockades at around 4:30pm got
a very special treat when Bono and other members of U2 came outside the
theater to greet fans. The band was greeted with loud cheers and a
barrage of papers to be autographed and hands to be shaken. Bono and
others willingly obliged many seeking autographs, endorsing the notion
that this concert series was indeed about maintaining intimacy with the
fans.

After their warm greeting from Somerville residents, the
band retreated into the Somerville Theater for a sound check. There
were further rumors that the band would make a second public appearance
behind the theater before they left to get dinner. Many loyal fans and
interested pedestrians stayed behind the Somerville Theater, inspired
by the hope for this second appearance.

One young fan
explained she and her friend's plan if they were to see U2 behind the
theater: "My friend Tina is going to take the picture while we all get
the autographs," she said with much optimism. Unfortunately this plan
would never be executed. U2 did not make a second public appearance,
much to the disappointment of the eager crowds.

But for those
in the crowds listening intently, there was a pleasant surprise – U2
could be heard playing songs from within the theater. No one could
distinguish exactly what songs were being played but Bono's distinct
voice was bellowing. For those lucky enough to hear some of the
rehearsal music, it was an excellent treat.

At the front
entrance of the Somerville Theater an unexpected sight could be seen.
Seemingly random people from off the street were being allowed into the
building in spite of a large police presence. As it turns out, the
Somerville Theater, while still unaware it would be hosting a U2
concert, sold online movie tickets for the same night.

"The
theater is honoring all movie tickets purchased for tonight. They're
still going to be showing the movies," explained one police officer.

At
7:30pm a caravan of coach buses escorted by four police motorcycles
entered the Davis Square area. On these buses were the hundreds of
people who had won tickets to the Concert or received special
invitations. For organizational purposes, ticket holders met at the
Museum of Science and were given special wristbands. They were then
transported to Davis Square where they waited in front of the Theater
until the doors opened at 8pm.

Lauren Mattison, a Boston
local, had won her tickets on radio station WZLX by answering an
obscure U2 trivia question. Mattison considers herself a die-hard U2
fan. "This is my 17th U2 concert," She said. "It will be the most
intimate concert I've been to but not the best seats I've ever had. I
once was sitting in the front row."

Mattison was just one of hundreds of excited and eager fans ready to see a smaller U2 concert.

Arriving
in a well-guarded police van, special invite guests included Somerville
Mayor, Joe Curtatone and many Somerville Aldermen including Jack
Connolly, Thomas Taylor, Bob Trane,Sean O'Donovan, Rebekah Gewirtz,
Walter Pero and Maryann Heuston.

Hundreds of U2 fans and curious
bystanders gathered all along Holland Ave and watched as the lucky few
who had tickets entered the Somerville Theater.

Everyone
seemed in good spirits and ready to have fun, even if they couldn't get
into the concert. Mix 98.5 had a tent set up in order to broadcast the
concert so everyone in the Square could hear it. Street musicians
played throughout the night, some covering U2 songs, others singing
original tunes. There were even three unicyclists roving the area
throughout the night. The scene, at times, was a little reminiscent of
a carnival.

One woman carried a sign through the crowd that
read, "Bono, we lost our jobs today, buy us a drink." When asked about
the sign, the woman responded, "I lost my job today at a particular
newspaper in Boston. All we want is for Bono to buy us a drink." That
may have been a little too much to ask, but the woman did receive some
understanding laughs.

The action and fun in Davis Square last
night was a welcome sight. Even though most people did not get to see
the concert or to see the band, the spirit of the event was contagious.
There was much laughter and discussion amongst the crowds, who stayed
well into the night. There was also a sense of great pride that such a
world-renowned band would end their three date tour in Somerville.

While
the challenges have changed, our responsibility remains the same – and
that is to protect our children in every way that we can.

Let's
take a look at some of those safety challenges. The prevalence of the
Internet and other new modes of communication means that one bad choice
made by our kids now could have a lasting impact on them. Look no
further than the recent "sexting" cases that have arisen during the
course of the last few months as examples. In one case, a13-year-old
girl took a partially-nude photo of herself with her cell phone camera
and then forwarded that photo onto a boyfriend via text message. What
was a bad choice to begin with was compounded when that image was
forwarded on to many other kids throughout her school. She has now lost
all control of her image, can never fully recover it, and will never
know when it could reappear.

The anonymity of the Internet also
presents serious dangers to our kids. Our office has seen numerous
cases in which children have willingly provided personal information
about themselves to strangers over the Internet. Even more ominously,
some have even made arrangements to meet those strangers in person.
These seemingly innocent mistakes by our children could have
potentially lifelong and oftentimes tragic consequences.

A
recent survey conducted by Emerson Hospital illustrates the troubling
predicament we as parents face. The study, which surveyed 8,000 middle
and high school students, revealed that more than 24% of high school
students reported having given information about themselves over the
Internet to someone with whom they had never met (19.5% of eighth
graders had done so). According to the same survey, 14.8% of high
school students reported having met someone in person with whom they
had initially contacted online (13.6% of eighth graders and 12.8% of
sixth graders reported doing so).

There is no doubt that, as
these technologies become more prevalent, a growing number of our kids
are engaging in this kind of risky behavior at younger and younger ages.

So, what can parents do? Here are some recommendations.

Educate yourself

While
keeping up with technological trends may seem daunting to even the most
technologically savvy among us, it is absolutely vital that parents
know what our kids are doing, who they are talking to, and how they are
communicating. Websites such as NetSmartz.org and Wiredsafety.org have
important information to help parents educate themselves about the
latest safety trends. We at the Middlesex District Attorney's Office
also offer trainings to parents, teachers and student in communities
throughout the county on Internet Safety. If you would like to schedule
a training in your community, please contact our office at 781-897-6800.

Talk to your kids

Keeping
an open line of communication with your children is a fundamental tenet
that never goes out of style. With the explosion of the Internet and
other technologies, it is more important now than ever that you are
engaged and communicating with your children about these issues. You
must constantly be asking questions. Find out what they are doing
online. Ask them whom they are talking to. Ask them to spend some time
and walk you through their social networking site of choice. Make sure
that they know not to provide any personal information to someone who
they don't know. Explain to them the dangers of sending any images of
themselves out over the Internet or via text message. Keeping a strong
line of communication open now can go a long way in preventing your
child from making mistakes in the future.

Set Limits

We
are our children's parents before we are their friends. That means that
we must be willing to set strict ground rules for our children's cell
phone and Internet use. Among the strategies that we recommend is
placing the family computer in an open room, like the living room,
rather than allowing unsupervised access to a computer in your child's
bedroom. If your children use laptops, the same rules still apply.
Explain to them that a condition of using a computer is that you will
be periodically checking their browsing history and MySpace or Facebook
pages. If you believe your child needs a cell phone, consider giving
them a phone without camera capabilities or set a condition that you
will be reviewing their photos periodically. Engage age-appropriate
parental controls on your home computer, such as logging and filtering.
While your child may not always like these rules, remind them that this
isn't about punishing them, it's about protecting them because we love
them.

There is no greater priority for any of us as parents
than keeping our kids safe. The challenges will continue to evolve, but
by continuing to be engaged and proactive in dealing with these issues,
we can all better protect our children in the Internet Age.

Gerry Leone is the District Attorney of Middlesex County.

But the city lost the
lawsuit it filed against the MBTA – which alleged that the MBTA did not
have the right to bypass Somerville's zoning laws – and the voices of
local residents seemed to carry little weight in the face of the
billboards' potential to generate $10 million in revenue over ten years
– nearly as much as that generated by the MBTA's other 183 existing
billboards combined.

Nevertheless, many feel that whatever financial incentives the billboards possess are outweighed by aesthetic concerns.

"I
think it's disgusting," Robert Doherty, a member of Somerville's Fire
Department for 35 years, said of the billboards' appearance. "I know
that the MBTA is desperate for money," he explained, "but I don't think
they should deliberately mar the landscape of Boston in one direction,
and Somerville in the other direction. It's an insult to both cities."

The
legal battle over the billboards dates back to 2006, when Alderman Bill
White overheard a discussion about the billboards at an unrelated
government hearing. The cities of Somerville and Medford jointly sued,
contending that erecting the billboards did not constitute an
"essential government function" of the MBTA. State agencies can only
disregard local zoning laws when they can demonstrate that such an
"essential function" is at stake.

"We took it as far as we
could," Tom Champion, Director of the City's Executive Office of
Communications, said of the legal battle. "We are very sensitive to the
fact that the MBTA needs to raise revenue however it can," he
explained, "but we think it should work within local zoning
regulations."

The Boston Herald reports that both the MBTA and
the T Rider's Union consider the billboards a way of producing revenue
without burdening the T's customers. But ,with the MBTA facing a
deficit of $162 million next year, it is not clear how much of an
impact the billboards will have on the MBTA's financial situation.

For Doherty, the legal and financial issues involved are less important than the message the billboards send.

Noting
that the anniversary on March 3rd of Somerville's incorporation as a
city nearly exactly coincided with the beginning of construction, he
called the billboards "a heck of a birthday present to Somerville from
the MBTA."

I've seen U2 twice before,
so I'm good. I would love to get the coveted ducats for the kids, but
I'm afraid they will have to be among the thousands of fans that will
be standing outside. Now, the radio stations at this point (I am
writing this on Sunday) still have not officially divulged the "secret
location." Okay, now here's where I make a few more enemies. What's the
big deal? Look at yourselves! Some of you are willing to take out a
second or third mortgage in order to get tickets. I know Bono is a very
nice man who does a lot for good causes, but he's still only a man. You
would think that the messiah himself is coming to the Somerville
Theatre.

Of course it's a big deal to many people, and that's
great! I just think that it's not fair that true fans can't buy tickets
(although that may change). Right now, the only way you can win is to
listen to several radio stations that are giving them away through call
in contests. Oh you can bet that some of the station mucky mucks will
be in the audience. I dropped a couple of hints around the city and in
some of my former radio station circles.

The Somerville Theatre
has had many famous stars on it's stage. Tallulah Bankhead, Busby
Berkeley and Francis X Bushman to name a few. I never played at the
Theatre, but I did work as the marquee changer one summer. I put up a
slightly offensive message once to amuse my friends! Other notables
that have graced the grand stage of the Somerville Theatre are Joan
Baez and Bruce Springsteen (okay, The Jonas Brothers too).

Nothing
would please me more than to come through with tickets to this big
shindig, but I can only do so much. Over the years I have been
approached by many friends and acquaintances for various concert
tickets. I stopped working at Kiss 108 in 1998 and every year since,
someone still calls me for tickets to their annual Jingle Ball and the
Kiss Concert. I am too proud to ask for tickets for myself, never mind
for casual friends and "barely knowns."

The only time I actually
asked a higher up for tickets to a concert was when I was working at
Oldies 103 and I heard that Paul McCartney was coming to the garden. I
was fortunate enough to get very decent tickets and watched the concert
with tears in my eyes. Thanks Gregg! People have traded me some great
items for certain concert tickets in the past. I have gotten some
signed baseballs and other great sports memorabilia. I am still waiting
for a case of O'Douls from a guy who I got Janet Jackson tickets for
years ago. Hey, he offered, I came through, he reneged. "And he still
hasn't brought what I'm looking for."

I dropped hints with a
few of my hooked up friends in the business, but let's face it, it
doesn't look good. I told my kids that the next time U2 plays at a
venue that gives everyone a fair shot at tickets, their mom or me will
get them tickets. I don't want to be one of those people who ask for
tickets. I had to remind my kids of all the great concerts they already
attended – Neil Diamond, Keane, Alice Cooper, Coldplay, Ringo Starr,
Edgar Winter, The Police and even Britney Spears!

We live so
close to Davis Square that we will probably be able to hear Sunday,
Bloody Sunday on freaking Wednesday. There will no doubt the diehard
fans in sleeping bags sprawled out up and down Holland and Elm Streets.
These poor souls will be under the delusion that there will be some
last minute tickets sold around show time. For their sake I hope there
are.

One thing that I haven't even thought of is, what if they
don't even play at the Somerville Theatre at all? For a top secret
location, an awful lot of people have found out. It reminds me of an
episode of The Andy Griffith Show when Barney Fife leaked out that an
armored car full of gold bullion was coming through Mayberry. It got so
crazy that they had to change their plans. Watch U2 end up playing at
The Regent Theatre in Arlington (they are owned by the same company).

I
hope the famed Irish quartet does play in Davis Square, because I would
have something in common with them – I played at Johnny D's, Redbones
and The Surrey Room behind the Rosebud!

I still sometimes
mispronounce the lead singers name and that really riles my son. I call
him Bo-no, as in Sonny Bo-no. Then he corrects me and says "it's Bono,
say it Dad – Bono!" Oh, like mono? Sorry Joe.

My favorite
saying when there is so much hub- bub about a band is that "I wouldn't
pay that much to see them if they were playing in my living room." That
would be a real bummer, because I would actually have to do a lot of
cleaning before the "one named wonder" and his mates entered my
cluttered house.

I'm sorry, but if you want to see me act like
these U2 enthusiasts, then announce that Elvis, Frank Sinatra or John
Lennon is somehow magically coming to the Somerville Theatre – then I
would pull a Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible and lower myself from the
ceiling. I can dream…I might even do that if Elvis Costello, David
Bowie or Michelle Pfeiffer showed up on the Somerville Theatre stage as
well.

Here is my prediction – because of all the publicity
surrounding the Davis Square U2 concert location, I believe it will be
moved. But just in case they do play at The Somerville Theatre, you can
park in my yard on Hall Ave for 10 bucks! And if you want a new friend
forever, get me 4 tickets to the concert, wherever it is! I certainly
hope it's 'a beautiful day' for all. Oh, and by the way, I am changing
my name to a one word moniker. From now on please call me Oldo. You can
email Jimmy direct at jimmydel@rcn.com.