LONG Story about Chicago 10/15 about People Get Ready

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Louis

The Fly
Joined
Oct 6, 2000
Messages
35
Here?s my really long story of playing People Get Ready with U2 in Chicago on Monday. If ANYONE has any pic of me on stage, please email me at louischoi@hotmail.com. I will happily pay you for costs of reprints, shipping, etc. Links to pics are awesome too!:

To start things off, right before Garbage came on, my girlfriend and I came up with an idea to maybe get up on stage. We were going to make a sign that said: PICK ME ? PEOPLE GET READY. Then, just as she was about to start that, I said, hey why not just put the chords of the song. So that?s what we did. On a 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper, she wrote: C Am F ? PEOPLE GET READY. Then Garbage came on, and I folded the paper and put it in my pocket.

Then during New year?s day, Bono was standing right in front of us (inside the heart near the tip on stage left), and I put up the sign. He glanced at it, and read it, but didn?t acknowledge it any more than that, but we KNEW he had read it.

Then during Angel of Harlem, Bono and the Edge were at the tip, and Bono walked over to where I was, and read the sign again. This time, he made a face that said, ?No way, I don?t think so.? It was a really amusing face. So I put away my sign, but I knew at that point that I was going up on stage, because U2?s security guy came over and asked me if I could really play the guitar. I swore that I could, and he said something like ok, good luck. Anyways, near the end of the song, Bono came by again, and I just said, ?Please.? Again, he went away to the tip to finish the song. Then bono came over again, and beckoned to me to be pulled up. The security guy pulled me up. Now I was walking to the tip, with Bono?s hand around my shoulder.

When we got to the tip, Bono asked me if i could really play. I said, yup. I tried to prove it by showing him the picks that I carry around in my wallet, but the picks would fall out. Bono said, ?I don?t need your cash, you already gave me enough.? That?s when Dallas Schoo came by with Edge?s acoustic. He also handed me this really cool U2 pick. I strapped on the guitar, and showed Bono the chords to prove I could play it. All this time, angle of harlem was still on its outro, so that?s the rhythm I had in my head. Right after it ended, Bono told me to start. I accidentally started playing PGR to the rhythm of AOH! Bono and Edge looked at each other with a look of ?Oh no, Not again . . .? in a funny way. So I stopped, got the correct rhythm in my head, and started.

Once I got started, and Bono started singing, they motioned for me to follow them to the main stage. Bono was ahead, and I was walking next to the Edge, who was smiling and winked once. We all strutted to the stage left raised portion of the main stage. Bono was adlibbing the lyrics. The noise level from the main stage was really low. It almost sounded like i was playing in a small room.

The view from the stage was amazing. Everyone was standing and cheering, smiling, etc. I took it all in, and thought, so this is what it feels like to play in front of 20,000 people. . .

For the last verse, Bono sang: ?People get ready, Haven?t I seen you before, aren?t you the guitarist from the Smashing Pumpkins?? This got many people confused as to whether I really was James Iha or not!

Finally, to end the song, Larry came in with the drums. I picked up the head of the guitar towards the sky, and hit the strings hard to finish the song. Bono came and gave me a hug, I gave back the guitar, unfortunately, and he said thank you, to which i said, no thank YOU! I turned around to go back down the heart, and the applause was tremendous. I got back to the point of the heart where I was before, and the security guy helped me back over. He shook my hand, and said he was very impressed. (It is only three chords, though, nothing special.) The people around the tip of the heart all came by and shook my hand and stuff. They were yelping and going crazy! It was awesome.

P.S. Thanks to the ladies who let me and my girlfriend store our stuff in their car. We had locked the keys in the car earlier in the day! THANK YOU!
 
Originally posted by Louis:

When we got to the tip, Bono asked me if i could really play. I said, yup. I tried to prove it by showing him the picks that I carry around in my wallet, but the picks would fall out. Bono said, ?I don?t need your cash, you already gave me enough.?

LOL!!!


The view from the stage was amazing. Everyone was standing and cheering, smiling, etc. I took it all in, and thought, so this is what it feels like to play in front of 20,000 people. . .

WOW!! thanks for sharing your great story!! I know it'll stay with you forever! What a rush!! Congrats on getting asked to go onstage!

When you get your pics put them online so we can see
smile.gif


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Love is a temple
Love the higher law


Go baby! -->* www.u2takemehigher.com *<--Updated w/ new song!
 
I think I found your pic diev@smacdesign.com posted it on U2tours

3388-2.jpg


Now to read your story.



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Tha Prickly Comedian
 
Originally posted by Louis:
This time, he made a face that said, ?No way, I don?t think so.? It was a really amusing face.

That's the face he made to me about my request to dance w. Edge, but in my case, he MEANT it! LOL
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What an awesome story. Loved the bit about the wallet. Congrats!
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Congrats!!!!!! what a great story!!!!!

I don't know how you or that other guy who played on stage with them were able to function at all!?!?!?!?!?!? I would have passed flat out if it were me!!!


Nice job!
 
I think this tour makes a lot of heroes from the fans! A lot! In every show a new star borns! It's time to make our club. And ask Bono and the guys, its time to make with us something, if we are his friends now. Or just pay for our performance
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This tour is a highlight of my life...

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"I'm the BIGGEST U2 fan in the WORLD!" - LeMon
"I know..." - Bono
 
Anyway it's a fokin good story again! Hey Bono, I know you read this, cos you know too much about us nowadays, thank you!
 
My own opinion is, that if omebody is already there, just could't do nothing unitl Bono tell you something. Am I right DiamondBrother. U are just standing infront of 20thousand people and just staring out your head. You ont even think about, that its time to watch the members really close, or something like that. But Bono always tell you, and shows you what to do. Amazing.

Anyway my tribute band and myself will have our first big gig on Friday. Wish me luck. Ohh and I'll see on sunday, how Diamond teaches Bono how to fly high
smile.gif


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"I'm the BIGGEST U2 fan in the WORLD!" - LeMon
"I know..." - Bono
 
Originally posted by Mr_LeMon:
My own opinion is, that if omebody is already there, just could't do nothing unitl Bono tell you something. Am I right DiamondBrother. U are just standing infront of 20thousand people and just staring out your head. You ont even think about, that its time to watch the members really close, or something like that. But Bono always tell you, and shows you what to do. Amazing.

Anyway my tribute band and myself will have our first big gig on Friday. Wish me luck. Ohh and I'll see on sunday, how Diamond teaches Bono how to fly high
smile.gif



Sir LeMon-You are so FOKIN funny!
Yes on stage it is so easy to defer to Bono..
Bono being one of the most 'righteous' on our planet..
He puts a person at ease so quickly!

You have a great gig this weekend Bro. LeMon..and up there on stage even if you get a liitle nervous-say"no big thing here I sang w/Bono already" and then proceed to bring the house down...

Oakie Doke?

Your friend and fellow member of-P O S W B V H club

Diamond

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"...The big guy is made of STEEL." - Bono as we stood together on stage at Boston #4, June 9th, 2001.

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If curious click
links for
Boston 4 story
and photos..

http://www.arizonaautoweb.com/bono/

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

[This message has been edited by Diamond The U2 Patriot (edited 10-17-2001).]
 
Louis--you were great!! My friends and I were going nuts for you!!! I would have fainted on stage or something lame like that!

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Proud owner of Larry's Drumstick!

Still Elevated...
 
I can't believe another one of "us" got up on stage. You can see we're all old hats at hearing these stories. But congrats to you! What an incredible experience you got to have too! Actually I think you guys should write a book. Really. "U2 fans on Stage" or something like that.

So I'm wondering if the band is just looking out in the audience for interferencers now or what?
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ARE they spying on us??
 
Finally read the story, and that wallet part was definately hilarious, as well as you playing on AOH rhythm, lol I can only imagine their faces. Your sign was pretty slick, but I have a question. Did you know about Arun before you made it?

Oh well good job, I for sure do not have any coordination for any musical instrument so I'm proud of anyone that can hit a chord at least. Trust me I'm that bad.


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Tha Prickly Comedian
 
Originally posted by Louis:
Right after it ended, Bono told me to start. I accidentally started playing PGR to the rhythm of AOH! Bono and Edge looked at each other with a look of ?Oh no, Not again . . .? in a funny way. So I stopped, got the correct rhythm in my head, and started.

That's very cool that they let you begin the song!
 
Nice one louis...I wish I could have actually been cool enough to play properly. Did he dedicate a song to you as well?
 
mbi16: I knew about Arun going into it, so I didn't really think i had a chance to get up on stage, since they had already done that the previous night. The securty guard told me how nervous Arun had been.(he didn't refer to him by name, but said something like,"the other night, they got a guy up on stage, and he was a nervous wreck" or something to that effect. No offense, Arun! lol.

It was cool, cuz when i was up there, I wasn't nervous at all! How could I be, I was onstage with U2!!

Arun: During one verse, bono sang "we've got a substitute guitar player . . ." I don't remember how the rest of that verse went.

Oh yeah, i forgot to mention in the story that as I was playing, I realized that I had to end the song sometime, or else I'd be going on for an hour! Just when I was thinking that, Larry jumped in to end the song! It was awesome.
 
yeah louis bono sang a verse bout me as well

" people get ready we got a new guitar player pulling out chords from I dunno where"

but after that he asked my name and dedicated staring at the sun to me...just wanted to know if you got the same deal.
 
Arun: Nope, he didn't dedicate any song to me afterwards. He never asked me for my name. Actually, he might have, but I may have been too busy trying to play the guitar to understand what he was saying.
 
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