Queue and U2 can have tickets

FOR Alison Kellam-Palmer of Beaconsfield, it was the sweetest thing.
After queuing outside Berwick Amcal Pharmacy for almost 26 hours, she had four prime tickets to Irish band U2’s second and final Melbourne concert in her hot little hands.
Like thousands of others, Alison had tried desperately the previous week to buy tickets to the first concert over the internet when sales opened at 9am on Monday.
She had given up hope by 9.30am and raced down to the pharmacy, the local Ticketmaster outlet, but by then the queue was too long and she was among the many to miss out.
Alison and husband Mark, a staunch U2 fan, decided to leave nothing to chance for the second concert, so she was in line at 8am on Sunday.
She was not the first. Others had camped outside the pharmacy on Saturday night… arriving 38 hours before the tickets were released.
New friendships were formed as up to 40 people assembled their deck chairs and sleeping bags to wait through the night.
“It’s been eight years since they’ve been out here and this might be the last chance we get to see them,” Alison said. “I wanted to make sure we didn’t miss out.”
Loraine Marshall of Narre Warren South went tag team with her children Greg and Jordan.
They set up camp at 9am on Sunday and the boys stayed in line while mum went to work at the Hunt Club estate in Cranbourne.
Lorraine was back on deck at 5pm and stayed with the boys all night.
She had to duck off in the morning to run her husband to his new job in Boronia and by the time she got back the boys were at the Ticketmaster counter.
“I just made it in time,” she said.
Most were well prepared for the overnight vigil.
A group of Doveton thirds footballers – Narre Warren trio Cam Bell, Daniel Bianco and Ross McColl and Shannon Henwood of Doveton – came equipped with a portable CD player. The music of choice? U2, of course.
A little less prepared, Phil Powl of Berwick arrived on a bike with only the clothes on his back.
He settled into the queue between Gaylene Howe of Pakenham and Tania Wright of Berwick and the girls soon had him fixed him up with a spare chair and sleeping bag.
He repaid the act of kindness by buying them breakfast at a nearby bakery.
Tania was to have been joined by a friend to keep her company, but it soon became apparent she was not needed.
“When she rang I told her not to bother, because I’d made some new friends,” Tania said.
Gaylene, who lined up with sons Brodie and Nik and their friend Nathan Page, said it was well worth the wait.
“I tried the internet last time and raced down here when that was jammed,” she explained.
“A few of us that missed out took down each other’s details and promised to ring if a second concert was announced. So we’re back here again and this time most of us got tickets.
“It’s the first time I’ve done anything like this, but it’s been great. We’ve met some nice people.
“It’s been a life experience and we haven’t been to the concert yet!”