Fredericksburg.com - BONO GIVES A NOD TO VRE, 'BURG

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At U2's show in Charlottesville, Bono left many wondering about his shout-out to the Virginia Railway Express.
BEN SELLERS/THE FREE LANCE-STAR

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BONO GIVES A NOD TO VRE, 'BURG
U2 singer Bono name-drops America's Most Historic City, commuter railway, at concert
Date published: 10/3/2009

BY KELLY HANNON

For reasons unknown, U2 lead singer Bono decided to whip up the crowd at Thursday's night concert in Charlottesville by naming a few Virginia locales--and a commuter railway.

"VRE! Fredericksburg! Union Station! Manassas!" Bono shouted a few songs in, according to Free Lance-Star reporter Jonas Beals, who attended the show.

Beals confirmed he heard the Virginia Railway Express shout-out correctly with people standing near him.

"What's VRE?" one bystander asked.

Bono did not mention Stafford or Spotsylvania counties.

Yesterday, VRE officials said they had no idea why Bono chose to single them out before a crowd of thousands at the University of Virginia's Scott Stadium.

If Bono and U2's entourage rode the train this week between Union Station and Fredericksburg--or rode the Manassas Line--they did it on their own.

"They did not ask for anything special," VRE spokesman Mark Roeber said.

The band would've had a day off Wednesday, after a Tuesday night show at FedEx Field in Maryland.

Roeber thinks Bono is probably a supporter of public transit generally.

Besides, VRE is having a good month. During September, trains on the Fredericksburg Line arrived on-time 95.2 percent of the time. That's the highest rate in VRE history.

Kelly Hannon: 540/374-5436
Email: khannon@freelancestar.com



Date published: 10/3/2009



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