In 1995, I decided the best way to express my U2 fandom was to make a website for other fans. On October 23 of that year, I sat in my bedroom and published my "mostly U2" web page.

Within five years, the band had contacted me, I was interviewed live on Australian radio, we had a volunteer staff of fans working on the site, and were named "Best U2 Fan Site" by NME. 

By our 10th birthday, we were hosting live events around the country where fans could hear U2's new album before its release, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum asked us to co-host an international fan celebration on-site in Cleveland.

For our 20th birthday, half of U2 showed up and performed for a couple hundred fans at our packed party in New York City.

On our 25th birthday, I posted a note on atu2.com announcing that it was "time to say goodbye." 

In between all of that are countless stories of struggles, successes, and surprises -- stories that deserve to be told. None of us was happy with the way things ended in 2020, especially me. With Off The Record (Vol. 25) - The Untold History of atu2.com, I get the chance to write the site's final chapter and explore how a bedroom hobby became an indispensable part of the U2 fan experience.

Thanks for joining me on this journey. 

- Matt McGee