This isn’t dated, but judging from the description of “chin-length dirty blonde hair that was somewhat greasy,” we can assume this was the Vertigo tour. Apparently when our favorite drummer was in Boston last year, he made quite an impression on a waitress who posted this on bitterwaitress.com:

Early one evening I approached a new two-top and noticed that one of the guys looked familiar…he had chin-length dirty blonde hair that was somewhat greasy and chiseled features, but looked like he’d been on the business end of some hard living for quite some time. I said to the bartender, “The guy at table five looks familiar…he kind of looks like David Beckham’s older, drug-addicted brother.” It was only when I took his order and noticed his Irish brogue AND remembered that U2 was playing that night that I realized I was waiting on their drummer. I have to admit I was a little flustered but not as flustered as I’d be if I met Tom Waits or Bob Dylan. Anyway, he was very lovely, very quiet and polite and a decent tipper. People sitting at the tables right near him didn’t even realize who he was. The manager went over to him with a copy of the restaurant’s menu and very quietly said she’d comp his meal if he signed the menu. He smiled and said “That’s a tough deal to beat.” He left me $20, pretty generous considering if he’d been charged his bill would’ve been only about $25. He definitely looks older but you can still tell how H-O-T he was fifteen years ago. Oh, hilarious sidebar to the story: he came back in the very next day and had lunch and the bartender waited on him…she just happened to be wearing her brand new U2 t-shirt that she’d bought at their concert the night before. She felt like a dumbass but he smiled and said “Nice shirt.”

…for “Sexiest Vegetarian of 2006.” Yes, the fine folks at PETA have their annual poll of the sexiest vegetarians in the world.

Who’s Larry up against? Well, Sir Paul McCartney, Moby, Prince, Ziggy Marley, Alec Baldwin, Andre 3000 and - yes, “Weird” Al Yankovic. Also on the list - Kenny Loggins and Michael Bolton.

To add to the competition - let’s give Morrissey something else to be peeved about U2 (as he’s up against Larry too) - so, go cast your vote for Mr. Mullen today!

No, Larry’s not in Boston yet (as of 10 a.m. today), but Mexican newspaper El Universal has spotted both him and Bono vacationing in Alcapulco as guests of the Camil family this past week. The photo gallery can be found here.

Yes, that is a spiderman backpack Larry is carrying. (Great choice in superheroes, imho). Looks like he was spending quality family time there - nice to see

The photo captions are in Spanish - translation loosely says that Bono was visiting Guy LaLiberte, the creator of Cirque Du Soleil in Guadalajara, as well.

And for those in Boston…the weather folks are predicting 3 inches of snow for today and a Nor’Easter for tomorrow into Tuesday. You think Bono will integrate “let it snow” into the lyrics tonight?

@U2 was able to talk with TNA’s Craig Evans after the October 19 show in Washington DC about the tour officially continuing past Portland, Oregon, as well as about Larry’s armbands.

Evans was unable to confirm that the tour was continuing, however, he did say that an answer should be made “in short order.” It is anyone’s guess as to what the definition of “short” is.

He also said that Larry’s armbands were “a preventative measure” and that “Larry’s feeling great and is in fine form.” The armbands could be seen on both arms during the show. This photo was taken by Phil R. during Yahweh. More photos from Phil of the DC show will be available soon.

Thanks to U2Rob for getting one of the best photos yet of the “space-aged technology” that is currently found on the right arm of Larry Mullen. As Matt pointed out in this week’s OTR column, it has been quite noticeable that Larry’s taking one for the team and playing through whatever pain he’s in so that the show can go on. It’s not like this is anything new for Larry, though. He has been suffering from tendonitis since the early 80s, seeing the same specialist that Max Weinberg has seen. Larry uses ergonomic drumsticks, which is partially why it’s rare when he gives those out to members of the audience because they’re specially designed for him.

As the tour has progressed, the setlist’s transformation has made me stop and think - has the encore change to more acoustic, less drum-heavy songs been to help alleviate the amount of drumming Larry needs to do? The “softer-side” of the set has changed the mood completely of the show, and fans are debating if it’s a good change or not. Regardless of what the fans might think, the health of Larry takes priority and for that, the band needs to do whatever they can.

It was quite a surprise during the 10/4 Boston show when the band was getting ready for Original of the Species when Larry broke into 40 - a song not on the setlist, not on Bono’s monitor, and a song that the techs were not prepared for…let alone Bono, Edge and Adam. After the other three band members saw Larry’s signal from behind the drumkit, they all took their usual stage places for 40. Needless to say, there was some scurrying around the soundboard and lighting desk with that change too.

For more of U2Rob’s photos: http://flickr.com/photos/thephillyfly/51120203/in/set-1112067/

I love Justin Timberlake. As far as the induction goes, we’ve been defying gravity for a long time and you have to make certain you don’t upset people, but if I’m to be absolutely honest, I’d really have liked this, you know, maybe ten years down the line. It’s a great institution, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but as Karl Marx - no Groucho Marx - said, I’m not sure if I’m ready to accept institutionalization.