Sad Eyed Lady
The Fly
I went to the first NY show on 10/24 at MSG with sign in hand. It read "ME + GUITAR = KNOCKIN' ON HEAVEN'S DOOR" Then I put the chords to the song under it and then "CHICKS CAN PLAY GUITAR, TOO!" They had previously brought people up to play but only guys. I had tried on my birthday in Chicago and I think (but am not sure) Bono was gonna bring me up but Edge started leaving the main stage to go to the tip of the heart so Bono followed him and then turned, shrugged his shoulders and said "sorry." All for the best, though!
Whenever anyone is brought up to play it has been from the tip of the heart and only during the acoustic set. For the first MSG show, Alice, Khelia and I were right at the tip. During "New Year's Day" I tried to make sure Bono read my sign.
When Bono and Edge came out to the tip for "Angel of Harlem" and the start of the acoustic set, I knew it was the right time. During the song I was pretty much in his face with the sign. I might not have been so forceful but there were a couple other people with similar signs and I wanted mine to be the one he noticed. Toward the end of Angel, when the crowd is singing "Angel, angel of Harlem" over and over, Bono leans down to me and starts asking me if I can really play. He said, "You promise me?" My friends, and everyone else around me, are telling him that I could play. I even made a motion as if I were taking an oath and said, "I swear!" Then he reaches out and takes my hand and signals for me to come onstage! His security guys and the guys in the crowd helped me up. I remember wanting to hug him right away but he was holding my sign so I put my arm around his shoulders instead.
Bono, with my sign in hand, holds it to the crowd and says, "In America, it pays to advertise. There's a young lady here who wants to play guitar. She has a sign. She knows the chords." Then he asked me again, but this time at eye level, if I could really play. I started showing him the chords - like air guitar. He said, "Alright. What's your name?" I told him and he said "what?" This happened like 3 times until I spelled my name for him. I even said, "You know, Ruuuuth - like Bruuuuce." He chuckled and said, "Ruth," into the mic. Then Dallas brings me out an acoustic - one of Edge's. He holds the strap to me like he would for Edge and asks me if I need a pic and then gives me one of Edge's blue ones. I thanked him. Then Bono and Edge and I talked - pretty much Bono directing us where to go. I'm sure throughout the whole time, Bono was saying things to me I don't rememeber. It's a bit of sensory overload (to borrow a term from Khelia), you know?
Then we start walking up one of the heart-cat-walks - the one on Adam's side. It's Edge, then me, then Bono. When we stop, Bono says, "Okay - start the song,"....to me, not Edge! I start and Edge is staring at MY hands to get the pace; THE EDGE is following MY lead - too cool! Bono goes back to the tip of the heart. When me and Edge have it down, he starts walking backwards up the catwalk and I follow him. Every so often he looks up and me and smiles and winks - those big, gorgeous green eyes! Bono started singing and all I remember was that he was making up lyrics - I didn't really process what he was saying, though. I remember wondering if he was coming up behind me or what - I couldn't really tell where he was. When Adam and Larry kicked in, I felt totally part of U2! It was awesome.
When Edge led me down to the stage, there is that steep incline you go down and he signaled for me to watch my step. Adam smiled at me and just seemed to be laughing the whole time. Edge assumed his usual spot onstage and I was between he and Adam. Bono, who had walked up the other heart-cat-walk to get to the stage, came center mic to sing the chorus. I just walked up right next to him to share the mic. It just felt very natural. He turned to the side and we sang together! Looking into those unbelievable blue eyes from just inches away was....I can't find a word for it, actually! As we all know, music is extremely soulful and powerful and when you're singing with someone - especially someone who feels the music that strongly and deeply - it's, uhm, exciting. I remember during one of the choruses, in between lines, Bono just moaned; you know, sang "ummmm" or whatever and I almost lost it! Whew!
Bono did the second verse and we did the chorus. At the end of that chorus, he stepped back and motioned for me to take the mic. He was telling me to sing a verse all on my own. I thought, "Pal, you don't know what you're in for!" The regular version of the song only has two verses but fortunately I had checked out lyrics from when Dylan would add a third verse live so I had memorized one of the options; "Mama, wipe the blood from my face/I'm so sick and tired of these wars/I got a lone black feeling I can't trace/I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door". I thought the first two lines were appropriate for what happened - especially in NY - so I sang them. Then it got to the third line and I didn't think it fit for the moment so I just changed it to, "New York City is the best place" and I saw Bono, to my right, lift up his arms and throw his head back with a huge smile on his face. The crowd exploded - sounded like the roar of the ocean - and everyone threw their arms in the air. Then I finished, "And I feel I'm knockin' on heaven's door," and when I stepped back, Bono put a huge kiss right on my lips! We finished the final chorus and when it was over, everyone was still going nuts. I just hugged him and hugged him some more. He took my hand and kissed it. I gave the guitar back, saying to Dallas, "I guess you need this back," and then hugged Bono more! Then he walked me to bow at the front and then he walked me over to the side and down under the stage. Others told me that the whole band was clapping for me.
His bodyguard, John (nicest guy in the world), was hugging me saying, "You did it! You made it up there! I'm so happy for you!" I heard Bono say, "Ruth from New York City," and everyone cheered again. I asked John if I should go back to my spot and he said, "Honey, you can go anywhere you want!" He started bringing me back to the tip but someone from the U2 staff/crew pulled me back to take photos. When he returned me to my spot and put me back in the crowd, he said, "You were the best to come up all tour!"
I don't have many photos yet and none that are really good but here is one. This one is courtesy of a great guy named Jeff. You can see us together and there is another angle of us that's hard to make out just to the left of the bigger one. When I get more, I'll post 'em up for you.
Whenever anyone is brought up to play it has been from the tip of the heart and only during the acoustic set. For the first MSG show, Alice, Khelia and I were right at the tip. During "New Year's Day" I tried to make sure Bono read my sign.
When Bono and Edge came out to the tip for "Angel of Harlem" and the start of the acoustic set, I knew it was the right time. During the song I was pretty much in his face with the sign. I might not have been so forceful but there were a couple other people with similar signs and I wanted mine to be the one he noticed. Toward the end of Angel, when the crowd is singing "Angel, angel of Harlem" over and over, Bono leans down to me and starts asking me if I can really play. He said, "You promise me?" My friends, and everyone else around me, are telling him that I could play. I even made a motion as if I were taking an oath and said, "I swear!" Then he reaches out and takes my hand and signals for me to come onstage! His security guys and the guys in the crowd helped me up. I remember wanting to hug him right away but he was holding my sign so I put my arm around his shoulders instead.
Bono, with my sign in hand, holds it to the crowd and says, "In America, it pays to advertise. There's a young lady here who wants to play guitar. She has a sign. She knows the chords." Then he asked me again, but this time at eye level, if I could really play. I started showing him the chords - like air guitar. He said, "Alright. What's your name?" I told him and he said "what?" This happened like 3 times until I spelled my name for him. I even said, "You know, Ruuuuth - like Bruuuuce." He chuckled and said, "Ruth," into the mic. Then Dallas brings me out an acoustic - one of Edge's. He holds the strap to me like he would for Edge and asks me if I need a pic and then gives me one of Edge's blue ones. I thanked him. Then Bono and Edge and I talked - pretty much Bono directing us where to go. I'm sure throughout the whole time, Bono was saying things to me I don't rememeber. It's a bit of sensory overload (to borrow a term from Khelia), you know?
Then we start walking up one of the heart-cat-walks - the one on Adam's side. It's Edge, then me, then Bono. When we stop, Bono says, "Okay - start the song,"....to me, not Edge! I start and Edge is staring at MY hands to get the pace; THE EDGE is following MY lead - too cool! Bono goes back to the tip of the heart. When me and Edge have it down, he starts walking backwards up the catwalk and I follow him. Every so often he looks up and me and smiles and winks - those big, gorgeous green eyes! Bono started singing and all I remember was that he was making up lyrics - I didn't really process what he was saying, though. I remember wondering if he was coming up behind me or what - I couldn't really tell where he was. When Adam and Larry kicked in, I felt totally part of U2! It was awesome.
When Edge led me down to the stage, there is that steep incline you go down and he signaled for me to watch my step. Adam smiled at me and just seemed to be laughing the whole time. Edge assumed his usual spot onstage and I was between he and Adam. Bono, who had walked up the other heart-cat-walk to get to the stage, came center mic to sing the chorus. I just walked up right next to him to share the mic. It just felt very natural. He turned to the side and we sang together! Looking into those unbelievable blue eyes from just inches away was....I can't find a word for it, actually! As we all know, music is extremely soulful and powerful and when you're singing with someone - especially someone who feels the music that strongly and deeply - it's, uhm, exciting. I remember during one of the choruses, in between lines, Bono just moaned; you know, sang "ummmm" or whatever and I almost lost it! Whew!
Bono did the second verse and we did the chorus. At the end of that chorus, he stepped back and motioned for me to take the mic. He was telling me to sing a verse all on my own. I thought, "Pal, you don't know what you're in for!" The regular version of the song only has two verses but fortunately I had checked out lyrics from when Dylan would add a third verse live so I had memorized one of the options; "Mama, wipe the blood from my face/I'm so sick and tired of these wars/I got a lone black feeling I can't trace/I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door". I thought the first two lines were appropriate for what happened - especially in NY - so I sang them. Then it got to the third line and I didn't think it fit for the moment so I just changed it to, "New York City is the best place" and I saw Bono, to my right, lift up his arms and throw his head back with a huge smile on his face. The crowd exploded - sounded like the roar of the ocean - and everyone threw their arms in the air. Then I finished, "And I feel I'm knockin' on heaven's door," and when I stepped back, Bono put a huge kiss right on my lips! We finished the final chorus and when it was over, everyone was still going nuts. I just hugged him and hugged him some more. He took my hand and kissed it. I gave the guitar back, saying to Dallas, "I guess you need this back," and then hugged Bono more! Then he walked me to bow at the front and then he walked me over to the side and down under the stage. Others told me that the whole band was clapping for me.
His bodyguard, John (nicest guy in the world), was hugging me saying, "You did it! You made it up there! I'm so happy for you!" I heard Bono say, "Ruth from New York City," and everyone cheered again. I asked John if I should go back to my spot and he said, "Honey, you can go anywhere you want!" He started bringing me back to the tip but someone from the U2 staff/crew pulled me back to take photos. When he returned me to my spot and put me back in the crowd, he said, "You were the best to come up all tour!"
I don't have many photos yet and none that are really good but here is one. This one is courtesy of a great guy named Jeff. You can see us together and there is another angle of us that's hard to make out just to the left of the bigger one. When I get more, I'll post 'em up for you.
