Pics of Diamond's On-Stage Stunt

[discothequeLP]

i've heard about diamond's little "rendezvous" with Bono and i know there are some pics of it. can anyone share?

 

[neutral]

http://members.aol.com/diamondbruno9/index2.html

 

[U2Kitten]

Yay Diamond!

 

[clementine_rose]

He is huge! Is he some kind of body builder?

 

[discothequeLP]

cool! what date was this? did he get "escorted out" or something afterwards?

 

[Keocmb]

 

[riderka]

I'm very sorry, but who's that Diamond?

 

[starsgoblue]

A guy who got several broken ribs from storming through security...luckily Bono was cool and called them off.

Not suggested for my fellow PLEBAns---don't want any of you hurt.

 

[Sicy]

Yes, lets all applaud diamond for trampling over U2 fans and ramming his way on stage, against security and without Bono inviting him. I am sure Bono was just thrilled.

 

[greety]

during which concert was this? and when?

 

[Bonochick]

Bono handled it all in a very nice way.

 

[starsgoblue]

Yes, Bonochick...Bono really handled a potentially bad situation in a really calm, resourceful way.

 

[faithingrace]

Looks and sounds like diamond should be Bono's security!

 

[BonoFox1]

I've seen this guy Diamond in person...HE IS HUGE!!.....


but then, I'm pretty much Bono-esc in height my self...

 

[riderka]

Thanks for info. I wish I was so high and get on the stage! lol

 

[verte76]

Yeah, Bono handled that very well.

 

[greety]

so, does anybody know when this happened, which concert?

 

[verte76]

Could it have been Phoenix as Diamond is from Arizona?

 

[starsgoblue]

so, does anybody know when this happened, which concert?

I think it was Boston

 

[navonod]

so, does anybody know when this happened, which concert?

Boston #4 in 2001

Remove the 2 from index2.html in the link to get to the page where Diamond explains all.

(I'd post the link, but I don't have 15 posts yet.)

 

[diamond]

Yes, lets all applaud diamond for trampling over U2 fans and ramming his way on stage, against security and without Bono inviting him. I am sure Bono was just thrilled.

Just stumbled onto this.
I would like to add a few thoughts now that 4 years have passed, knowing what I know now and would also like to set the record straight as some of the comments are not accurate.


First off when I had my impulsive moment and was airborne leaping onto the catwalk I realized that I was wrong and probably in big trouble for doing so. I had about 3 beers in me..I had only one plausible move at that point and that was to get to Bono as quickly as possible. I was hoping a quick embrace and and leap back into the crowd by an anonymous fan would play well for the crowd. I've been attending U2 shows since the War tour and seen it done several times. I was hoping it would only look symbolic and be done with it..

I didn't trample over anybody to getting onto the catwalk or onto the main stage. This is erroneous information.

True, I wasn't invited intailly.
I was taken down hard by security. Against Bono's wishes they removed me. All I could was plead at that time.
Bono seeing me in distress told security to back off 4-5 times and threw his guitar to a roadie and then invited me on stage to be with him at center mic.

Please don't misconstrue the next statements, Im only humbled by what Bono did for a over exuberant fan that night- that over exuberant fan being me.
If Bono doesnt like a fan they're usually dimisses the fan abruptly.
I don't think Bono loves me or that I'm his favorite fan but what he did in the next few minutes was symbolic for the crowd in attendance that night. I'm only humbled to be that symbol.

He checked me over to see if I was injured.
He invited me to stay with him
He had me shake his hand.
He ask me if I could lift him up in the air
He changed the lyrics of the song aroung calling me "Big guy made of Steel.
He told me to take a lap for him on the catwalk.
He reminded security to not hurt me.

Instead of me telling the story thru my eyes here is how the press reported it that night:
Boston Globe

Boston, MA
June 09, 2001
Fleet Center


U2 leaves many memories behind at the FleetCenter
Boston Globe, 06/11/2001

by Jim Sullivan

And so it ended, four nights of U2mania in the American city that first adopted
the Dublin rockers so long ago. The band was playing ''Walk On,'' its final
encore at the sold-out FleetCenter Saturday, when a large, muscular guy leapt
up onto the heart-shaped catwalk and sprinted to the stage before a security
man tackled him. The man reached out plaintively, theatrically, to singer Bono,
who spied him, rushed over, and angrily wrestled the security man off the fan.
Bono and the fan hugged. The fan picked the fireplug-built Bono up, twirled
him around, set him down. The fan went off, backstage. The band finished up.
The crowd was delirious.....it made for...good drama and what U2 is all about.

Boston Herald: :
Moments later, a male fan managed to scramble from inside the heart-shaped floor area onto the stage itself and went running for the main stage. A security guard tackled him, but Bono stopped singing, pulled off his guitar, pulled the guard back and invited the fan back onstage. The man then hoisted the singer in the air and twirled him around.

Bono may claim Boston has spoiled U2 this week, but fans would argue that it was the other way around


Boston Phoenix

scuffling with a security guard who seemed to be trying to keep
some guy in the crowd from getting access to the stage just to challenge
himself. Of course, the brief altercation, which ended with the guy from
the crowd taking a victory lap around the stage, could easily have been
scripted. Either way, it had the desired impact: it made this Saturday
night seem special, and, for a second, we all felt that if he coulda, he
woulda lifted each and every one of us up there on stage with him to
share in the glory that is U2.


Some random fans views:

Almost all the way through the song, this big guy started running onto the stage. Bono didn't see him right away (it was so loud in there that it was impossible to hear it). Adam got out of the way as security just about tackled the guy. This happened right in front of me. It was alarming. I mean, Bono's so tiny. Security was being rough. Bono saw them. In a moment, he had left his mike and was over to the right of the stage. I have never seen a human being move so fast. The bad kept playing without the vocalist as the drama unfolded over on Adam's side of the stage.

Bono pushed away one of the security guards who was coming up from the pit to help the others restrain the guy. Another one of the security guys who was on stage got shoved. Bono raised a fist at the last guy and the word f*** came flying out in the middle of several others. His face was all red. He looked *pissed* off. So it's true. The man has a hot temper. I still had film but I didn't take pictures even if I could have gotten some great ones. I was just sooo shocked that it was happening. It was scary.

Security backed off since the boss was gonna beat them to death if they didn't. The guy and Bono went center stage as the Fleet Center again reached another summit of noise (the place was noisy the whole time). Bono hugged the guy. He held his arm up. Bono looked like a little leprechaun next to the guy. Then, the weirdest thing happened. Even weirder than the whole fight thing. The guy picked Bono up and swung him around. It was SOOOOO surreal. I don't know. It was surreal, surreal stuff. Then, Bono pointed out to the heart ramps. The guy started taking a slow lap around it as our favorite singer finished up on "Walk On". Leave it behind... Just leave it all behind... It felt right. It felt like the end. Geez, I wish I could hug him.

One more:

lastly kudos to the man who made it to the stage - I was so close myelf to actually doing that myself - who would have thought Bono would have screamed to the security team "get the fuck off him" while shaking a fist at them with one hand and pulling the man up with the other. I was right there to help that man up and maybe I should have followed him....I was even tempted to toss my hat right up to Adam in hopes he'd sign. It was just so damn hard to be so close to them and not actually meet them - hard and wrong?? Becuase I kept my cool - someone else who did not got up on stage. Bono was extremely pissed at how they were treating an Avid fan since 1983 who had just been interviewed for televison only earlier that night(and not by Kurt LOder from MTV who I stood next to several times during interviews outdoors in that line). Anyway Bono - is truly a class act - he even stood up against comments or a poor joke made by a Boston Globe reporter regarding Africans who are dying from AIds!!!!!!!!A true piece of heart and soul act since day one of their days of bringing their songs and messages to our hearts and homes - Can't wait to see them again!!!!!!!!




So for the record this post isn't about me only the incredible human being Bono is and posted for accuracy's sake. U2 security occassionally give me an eye but know that I will never pull a stunt like that again. And Bono give's me a mild nod of recognition but i dont think Im his favorite fan maybe just one he tolerated one night

Lastly one of the most moving things was 6 months later when Bono saw my kids and I in Phx and enteracted with them thru out the night and at the end of the show pulled them up during Walk On, kneeling down and playing his guitar fror them.

As reported by a fan that I do not know.

"Those two kids in the end ... who got to strum Bono's gutiar. The little girl knew right were bono was and sung along. ...."



So the story ended well.
Thanks for reading.

diamond

 

[mikal]

awesome, diamond! that's a kickass story!

 

[BonoFox1]

Hey Thanks Diamond for sharing your story!!..It is awesome that
Bono recognizes you! and Yeah I dont blame security because you never know what peoples intentions are and I would hate to see/know anything bad happen to Bono...
again thank you for the story!

 

[diamond]

Thanks BonoFox, mikal and others

My only fear is that if a real whack job will leap on stage and being that Bono is so sweet and trusting get next to him.

I'm only lucky things turned out the way they did that night,(thanks to Bono)and wouldn't encourage over exuberant fans to do what I did.

Remember, because of my stunt I don't think I'm Bono's favorite fan, he only recognizes me from a far, and I'm forunate to have cute kids.


What I've taken from all this is to be less judgemental of ppl who I find in distress no matter how they got there, and to always be generous with my compassion now matter how inconvenient.

Love you guys,


db9

 

[ladora]

That's awesome! You're one cool guy!

 

[Niamh_Saoirse]

David, you rule man!

 

[Lisa71]

Cool story. It's nice that he pulled your kids up. I'm sure they'll remember that the rest of their lives.

 

[kellyahern]

Cool story. It's nice that he pulled your kids up. I'm sure they'll remember that the rest of their lives.

I've seen that picture of the kids before, but didn't know that they were your kids

 

[u2bonogirl]

Yes, lets all applaud diamond for trampling over U2 fans and ramming his way on stage, against security and without Bono inviting him. I am sure Bono was just thrilled.

Bono CHOOSES who he wants up there with him

 

[MsGiggles]

Bono CHOOSES who he wants up there with him

At what point did Bono "choose" to invite this person?? After he broke through security (per previous posts) or when he picked Bono up like a rag doll???