Diehard U2 fans brave cold for shot at 'The Pit'

They were just hours away from showtime.

But for the hundreds of diehard U2 fans lined up outside BC Place Stadium Wednesday afternoon -- hoping for a coveted spot in 'The Pit' -- it wasn't Bono that was on their minds.

"It's cold!" Leanna Baird, 26, grimaced through clenched teeth as she wrapped her arms around boyfriend Clay Duchene, 33.

The general admission ticket holders from Lloydminster, Alta., had been in line since 7:45 a.m.

Further down the line that wrapped in snake-like fashion from the Plaza of Nations and along False Creek, couple Josh Gotfried, 22, and Emily Miljkovic, 21, of Corvalis, Oregon, snuggled under a blanket while watching "The Office" on a laptop.

Their neighbours found other ways to pass the time.

They sipped on coffee, chomped on Twizzlers, and slurped on Pad Thai noodles and pizza.

They hunkered over sudoku puzzles and crossword puzzles, and lost themselves in celebrity gossip magazines, such as OK! and In Touch.

They dozed in foldable chairs.

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Strangers Jenni Denny, from Seattle, and Zoe Falk, from Winnipeg, engaged in a spirited card game.

"Now, I've got four new friends," Falk said of her neighbours.

Jenna Will of Victoria used a black felt marker to put the finishing touches on a yellow poster that read: "I have driven 5000 kms ONLY to be with you."

She and her sister had driven in from Pasadena, Calif., where her sister saw U2 in concert there, as well.

"There's a lot of people here," she said. "Crazy."

Karen Shannon, 40, and Colleen Gilroy, 38, didn't think it was so crazy that they and their husbands left their Portland, Oregon, homes at 4 a.m. Wednesday morning for Vancouver.

In fact, their children, "thought it was pretty cool," Gilroy said.

But didn't some of these folks in line have to work?

"My boss knows, I told her straight up," said Hina Mahmood, 26, of Vancouver. "She said, 'Enjoy.'"

Ditto for Krista Reynolds, 27, of Kelowna. Her boss recently went to see U2 in California.

Reynolds said she was hoping to get close enough to climb onstage.

Her boyfriend, Joshua Evans, 35, said he couldn't wait to see the "masters" at work.

"It's basically a religious experience," he said. "Not that I'm going there to find God."

If anyone had reason to be a bit concerned, it was the guy at the front of the line: Joe Ahorro, 31, of Edmonton.

The political science student is in the midst of writing his doctoral dissertation on "democratic reform and political parties."

His advisor doesn't know where he is.

But Ahorro, who showed up outside BC Place Tuesday morning at 8:30 a.m., couldn't resist another U2 jaunt -- his 15th this year.

Ahorro said he looks forward most to the spontaneous moments -- a new lyric, a new song, "even the screwups."

He said he also enjoys the tailgating atmosphere of being in line with other fans.

"It's a hobby," he said.

Then he corrected himself.

"It's a passion."

But his mother still doesn't understand.

Come back to ctvbc.ca for a review of the concert from CTV British Columbia's Jon Woodward.