Brook Flagg, "I Go There with You: The U2 Sites of Southern California, from Significant to Sacred" (Nine Criteria, 2025)

About this episode

Brook W. Flagg discusses the significance of Southern California sites in U2's history and their impact on fans.

U2 is a band from the north side of Dublin that became a global phenomenon-and while its four members have traveled the world over for almost fifty years, some of the most critical points on their journey have been in Southern California. The Joshua Tree is the best-known example of U2's artistic immersion in the Golden State, but the band began drawing inspiration from California's landscape as early as 1981 during their first arrival in the U.S. for the Boy tour. From deserts to beaches to urban streets, Southern California features dozens of sites that are both sacred and significant to U2 history. For the first time, these sites are documented and categorized in a single resource to inform and support the Southern California pilgrimages of U2 fans. I Go There With You (2026) provides the information U2 fans need before embarking on such a quest, whether individually or in groups. Each site has a story, and this book tells those stories-along with must-have details for trips that require extra planning and foresight. In addition to essential information on each site's place in U2 history, author Brook W. Flagg aims to inspire U2's most devoted followers with anecdotes and…

People in this episode

Guest: Brook W. Flagg

Topics covered

• U2
• Southern California
• music history
• pilgrimage
• cultural significance

Keywords

• U2
• Southern California
• music pilgrimage
• Brook W. Flagg
• cultural sites
• Joshua Tree
• music history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: U2

Books & works: I Go There with You, Boy

Places: Southern California, Dublin, Joshua Tree

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