Oh you guys!!!! You are bringing tears to my eyes! Thank you!!!!!
Kelly I can't believe Brady woke you up! I hope you weren't mad! LOL! Did he actually stay for the whole thing, or did he have to leave early to set up for the 279 show? I'm still an Edge girl btw, but Bono....well I love him more than words can ever describe!!
Wow, it's been a long time since I've been in Pleba....I don't post that much anywhere lately other than my journal, but it's great to be a full fledged Pleba girl again!
And speaking of Pleba, I couldn't have come up with a story more dramatic and exciting if I had written it in my Stories for Pleba Girls series!!
I still don't believe it happened. I will now endeavor to write out the story again....(you might want to get a coffee, it's longish!!)
OK. For those of you who don't know me, I have been a U2 fan since my first U2 show, Joshua Tree in October 1987 in Toronto. I went to that show knowing about 2 songs, but came out of there a manic convert. Anyone who knows me knows how much I adore U2, so believe me, I REALLY appreciated what happened with Bono...he and Edge were the loves of my life all through high school and well....still are 18 years later.
I am currently a part time belly dancer in Toronto U2 tribute band Elevation (Brady is Elevation's Bono, thus Kelly's comments). I have been dancing with Elevation for I think 3 years now, and man...that costume is the best $650 I ever spent!!!!! (I left half of the costume off...didn't want things to get too cumbersome).
Anyway, we arrived in the GA line at about 7am. My ex-husband the Edge clone and I (who are still great friends) spent the day with friends from our local Toronto fan club, including Ali Envy (of the Bono phone calls fame), Arun (of Hamilton guitar playing fame), and drumkeeran.
The day passed really quickly, and about 6:15 I changed into my costume. "Here goes nothing" I thought (because I had tried this same thing on the Monday to no avail and honestly what are the chances??? Well, 1 in 18,000!!!).
As usual, we did not get into the ellipse. We did however get on the rail this time, in a great spot on Edge's side. I was next to some of our other friends and had Arun behind me. Later he would remind me that in Hamilton I had brought a sign hoping to be pulled up, but he beat me to it. Apparently we are now even! LOL!
So there we were and I saw two of my friends who had made it into ellipse AGAIN!!!! This was the third of three times!!! I couldn't believe how lucky they were. I began to feel very sorry for myself, thinking myself the UNLUCKIEST U2 fan around (at least on this tour). Then I began to feel ashamed for such thoughts when I had such a great spot, and there is so much suffering in the world.
I arranged my sign on the rail, still folded and watched as Dallas began to make his trip around the oval. As he came up to me he had eye contact and flipped me a pick!
I was delighted, I have never had a pick or anything like that before. I guess it was a good omen!
The show began and it was obvious that this was a hyped up crowd and that Bono was in a fabulous mood. I could feel in the air what a good show this was going to be. When LAPOE started, Bono made his way along our side of the stage. I meekly held my sign up a few more inches, just below my chin. He seemed to see it from far away, and then carried on with what he was doing. Eventually he got right opposite me and I proferred the sign. He read it again and looked right at my eyes. Then he did a kind of belly dancingish sway...I didn't have a clue what to do, so I shimmied my shoulders a bit and smiled. He moved on. I then felt that at least if I didn't ever get pulled up, I had Bono's attention for a brief moment.
According to Steve, during Streets Adam came by and smiled at my sign...but somehow I only saw Adam smiling at us in general. Anyway, the concert progressed and I began to feel very nervous...wondering if there was a vague possibility that they might do MW, especially since they didn't do Zoo Station. Why would they make such a drastic change to a regular on the setlist?
Well the part that followed had all the epic drama of a Russian play or a ballet or something! Talk about theatrical!!!
Suddenly I heard the familiar bassline of WOWY, my favourite U2 song of all time. OH NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I had seen a girl in the ellipse with a sign that said "Bono it's my birthday dance with me!" or something like this, and another sign behind us saying that there was a couple about to be married (or just married and for Bono to dance with her). WOWY is a classic song for such things, and NOT for bellydancing!!! There was no way that Bono would bring up two women on one night.
I turned to Arun and sighed "I'm screwed". He told me that it wasn't over yet and to be more optimistic. I waited and noticed that Bono spent most of his time on the main stage and didn't seem to be seeking out a girl to pull up. Suddenly, towards the end of the song he said "where's the bellydancer?"
Did I hear that correctly? I looked at Steve who looked back at me in amazement. I had heard correctly. Bono began to wander around the oval and before I knew it he was asking over and over "where is the belly dancer? Where is she? She is so pretty!" (or something about me being pretty, I nearly fainted!!!!!) He was searching everywhere on the WRONG SIDE OF THE STAGE!!!!!
I jumped up and down and waved my sign and screamed "Here I am! I'm here!!! Booooonooooooo!!!!" All of my friends were also yelling and waving the sign. Even the security guard was yelling at Bono! He was standing mere feet away, but completely oblivious to us.
Then a horrible thing happened. Bono gave up and walked back to the main stage. My stomach was sinking and I was ready to cry. I have wanted to be pulled up on stage for 18 YEARS. WOWY is the ULTIMATE song for me to be pulled up to, and Bono remembered me from earlier in the concert and even though they weren't doing MW, he wanted to dance with ME. I was dying. My one and only chance had slipped through my fingers. There is no feeling more horrifying than knowing you came *this* close to fulfilling your ultimate fantasy, only to have it snatched away.
I began thinking of a new sign I could do about trying again on Friday.
Unenthusiastically and in a state of shock, I watched them do ABOY, and I held up my sign over and over again to see if he would see it. It seemed like he did, but he didn't come over. Then they did Yaweh from the middle of the tip and I thought for SURE he would come over and wave at me or something. Edge gave me the most GORGEOUS smile when he saw the sign, and even Adam craned his head over to look at me as I was waving madly. Bono paid NO attention. Arun patted my shoulders in consolation, but kept telling me not to give up.
Then suddenly....a miracle. It is actually making me wonder a bit about my faith in God!! I am not even sure exactly how it happened, ie if the band went back on the main stage first, or if they started the song from the tip, but they began Bad, my OTHER all time favourite. It was kind of odd, it seemed like it was thrown on at the last minute, but I wasn't complaining. Maybe this was my 2nd chance?
Suddenly Bono was walking in front of me. Then he crouched down in front of me and said something like "We didn't play your tune tonight, I hope you don't mind...." I said something like "I'll dance to ANYTHING!!!"
Then Bono began to sing Bad to ME. He sang the entire first verse while looking into my eyes, and caressing my fingers in his. He even opened his mouth in that way he does when he's about to bite your hand, but didn't. Apparently the whole hand holding thing was right up on the big screens. I missed this because I was rather preoccupied.
He then got up and walked along, singing the next part of the song. I was on cloud nine. I couldn't believe he had done that for me. But then something even MORE miraculous. He came BACK!!!!
I think he said something like "where's my bellydancer" again, and then he reached out his hand and suddenly the security guards were hoisting me through the air. It was kind of a messy landing on the stge, but I dusted myself off and Bono was grinning from ear to ear, his eyes locked on mine. (Honestly, they were. They never left mine, I'm not making this up to be dramatic!)
He began to lead me down the aisle, so I thought I'd do a little gentle bellydancing to the tune I knew so well. He looked very pleased. Apparently Bono said things to me while I was doing this (I need a bootleg of this show!!!!!).
Then to put the lid on it he took me in his arms and was holding me tightly to the echo of Edge's guitar. It was like being on Live Aid. I could not believe it. In fact the entire time this was happening, I wasn't nervous at all...it was just like a dream and I kept thinking "Is this really happening? I can't believe this!"
After the slow dance I did a ballet curtsy to him. It's always the thing to do in classical ballet....to bow to your partner. I thought it would be a poetic gesture. He immediately bowed back. Then I did a different type of curtsy and he kissed my hand and got on one knee. When it was time for me to go, I blew him a kiss, and then I was back in the audience feeling completely stunned.
The security guard immediately gave me water and told me to breathe deeply. I assured him I was A-OK!!
When the show ended I walked as if in a cloud. Crowds of people came up asking me for pictures and to talk into cell phones, and to wave at people across the arena! It was like being a celebrity! And I had done nothing to deserve this acclaim other than to be the luckiest girl alive!!!!!
A guy from Universal Music gave me his card, he has done some major concert shooting and was ready to send me some (according to Steve who looked in his expensive digital camera) some REALLY good professional shots. Not only that but two separate people told me they had videod the whole thing and asked for my email to send it to me.
I am absolutely DYING for a bootleg of this concert so I can hear everything for myself. If anyone gets a copy would they mind sending it to me? I can be reached at
juf2m@hotmail.com. Same thing if anyone gets any pictures, I would really treasure having them.
Someone did very kindly email me with some more details as to what Bono said/did while I was in my cloud:
"In the middle of WOWY, Bono started walking out to the middle of the cat walk and as he was doing so, said " Where's the girl who dressed up ? I want to dance with the girl who dressed up" and then he did a suggestive belly dancer sashay so as to signal to the crowd and security what he meant by dressed up. Of course he was in the middle of ellipse and couldn't find his special dancer, as you well know.
My heart sank for you when he aborted his search and went back to sing the rest of WOWY solo. Your memories of Edge viewing the sign and yourself and then smiling are totally accurate. Later, during YAHWEH, after Bono caught glimpse of your sign, he said "Ah, there is my friend." He then kneeled down and started to say "Ah, so pretty" and kissed your hand.
When he came by at the start of BAD, he saw you again and said "We didn't play your tune tonight" and then he seemed to ponder whether a belly dance could work with BAD. Deciding it could, he motioned for them to bring you up and as soon as you worked your magic, he said "Yeah this works"
He also muttered "watch out be careful" at one point when he thought you might slip. It was all very sweet to witness first hand."
PHEW!!!! I think that about covers it. Thanks for letting me share my story with you guys...it really was the most amazing thing to ever happen to me. And I know it's a cliche, but REALLY if it could happen to me it could happen to anyone. NEVER GIVE UP!!!
) you totally deserve it..
you look fantastic up there! a natural!!! i can't believe it!! i am so happy for you. 
. But they are happy tears! 
I'm so so happy for you!
