Like a lot of bands, I Was Totally Destroying It doubles as an occasional tribute band. But IWTDI's tribute-band alter ego is loads cooler than most. They call themselves I Was Totally Destroying U2, and they've got their target subject down perfectly -- especially frontman John Booker's conjuring of Bono's histrionics.

"I put on that stupid leather jacket and the shades, and it helps get the character going," Booker says. "I have a blast with it, and the whole thing is a lot of fun. It also helps fund I Was Totally Destroying It, which we need. We just had a crazy tour. A window got smashed out in the van."

The next I Was Totally Destroying U2 show is scheduled for Jan. 2 at Raleigh's Tir Na Nog. In the meantime, you really should catch IWTDI's original-band incarnation because the group's new album is fantastic. A fine place would be tonight at Duke Coffeehouse, as part of Durham's Troika Music Festival. See the story in Friday's paper; and for some audiovisual content, check their bit from the 2008 edition of Eight Great Local Acts or their recent Studio B performance.

Supposedly, Thursday's attendance at the NC State Fair was 108,929 -- trumpeted as "a new record for Food Lion Hunger Relief Day." Maybe Anoop Desai (who performed that evening) was a bigger draw than anyone thought. But I drove by the fairgrounds at midday with no trouble at all; barely even had to slow down, in fact.

So what I want to know is this: How is it possible that yesterday's six-figure crowd apparently caused nary a traffic ripple, when a crowd of fewer than 60,000 for the Oct. 3 U2 show resulted in the mother of all traffic jams?

So U2 apparently isn't the only band from elsewhere that digs North Carolina barbecue. Check out this excerpt from a recent tour-diary entry by the Nashville rock band The Ettes:

It is dark, and we shall soon arrive in North Carolina for a brief
night's rest. We come to western N.C. whenever we can, to chill, stare
at mountains and eat barbecue. What is important for you to know is
while there is indeed a difference between Memphis, St. Louis and
Carolina barbecue, Carolina is the best. Growing up we would say,
"God's favorite color is Carolina blue!" referring both to the Tarheels
of Chapel Hill, as well as the actual clear blue skies surrounding the
Blue Ridge Mountains.

U2's Saturday night concert wasn't just an epic show, it also involved one of the most epic traffic jams in local history. I can tell you that it was incredibly chaotic and poorly organized, among the worst pre-concert set-ups I've ever experienced. After sitting in traffic for an hour, I was finally waved into a parking lot that was already full; I essentially had to improvise a parking place of my own and hope I didn't get towed (I didn't, thankfully).

But I was lucky compared to some folks, who didn't even make it into the show. See some of the horror stories here.

Ariel Dorfman, the novelist who has taught at Duke for 25 years now, got a shout-out Saturday during the big U2 show in Raleigh.

Near the end of the show, Bono, the mega-band's singer, dedicated the evening to Dorfman, according to this report. 

In 1998, Bono and playwright Harold Pinter contributed to Deadline, a fictional film set to two of Dorfman's poems.

Back when he was the most controversial member of the U.S. Senate, Jesse A. Helms was also half of the oddest couple in American life. The late senator from North Carolina and U2 frontman Bono formed an unlikely political alliance late in the senator's career, to fight AIDS in Africa. Bono and Helms met for dinner before U2 played Chalotte in 2005; And this past Saturday, his widow Dot Helms dropped in on Bono before the band's show at Carter-Finley Stadium. Helms' former chief of staff Jimmy Broughton sends along this picture and report:

She was delighted to see him as Bono and Sen. Helms developed a strong and genuine friendship. Bono walked into the room backstage and greeted Mrs. Helms warmly and said that it was because of "Jesse" that more than 3 million children are alive and on anti-retroviral drugs today in Africa. He's said that before and it's quite genuine. Bono then talked about being in Washington, D.C., last week and seeing some of the Senator's colleagues. Mrs. Helms thanked Bono for his gracious comments when her husband died and also wanted to make sure senators were still helping as "Jesse did." Bono said he's been impressed with some of the new senators and continues to work with those who served with Sen. Helms. He mentioned Vice President Biden and how much he and Sen. Helms worked together to start the process on global AIDS relief. Mrs. Helms commented on how much Biden and the Senator liked each other -- classmates, did not have to always agree to be friends, etc. It was a great meeting and Mrs. Helms really enjoyed it.

U2 blew into town with its 360 Tour Saturday night. Click through to see how it went; and also to check out some pretty danged amazing photographs of the whole thing.

Looking for something to do tonight, on U2 Eve? You could do lots worse than checking out "It Might Get Loud," the very fine movie starring U2's The Edge paired with two intriguing counterparts. See the review here.

It's been more than 26 years since U2 darkened a stage around these parts. But that long-ago show, on a rainy April afternoon at UNC-Chapel Hill's Kenan Stadium, remains a powerful memory for those who saw it. By way of previewing U2's Saturday show in Raleigh, we compiled some remembrances of attendees here, with pictures from that 1983 show shot by N&O photographer Chris Seward. If you were at that show, feel free to share your memories in the comments section.

Also, check here for some spiel about the U2 conference happening in Durham before Saturday's show.