First, of all THANK YOU SHANNON for being my u2 fanatic buddy for one of the craziest days of my life!! I dont know if I would have made it during the 19hrs of pure hell to get to one of the most incredible high points in my life if you hadn’t been right there side by side waiting with me! We made it and no one will ever be able to take that day away from us! Congrats buddy!
OK enough with the melodramatics! Onto the photo description:
So, after what could best be described as my worst GA line experience where I felt just about every range of emotion I was capable of during one hellish night on the sidewalks of NY City….....I get on stage, the security guy asks me to wait one person deep in front of Edge. While waiting and trying to think of what to say to these four guys who I actually created a business around...I see Bono tilt his head and make direct eye contact with me. No wait...he's not looking at me, he's looking at my brand new, just out of the wrapper that day blue Bulgari's from the elevation tour Realizing this, and while still waiting for Edge's signature, I start pointing my index finger at my sunglasses and then to his in a sort of 'let's swap' gesture. Just as I’m finishing and realizing Bono and I just had this 'moment' The Edge is now asking me something to the effect of "And to whom am I making this out to? OR at least I think that's what he asked me?? He could have been asking me to recite the setlist to my last U2 show for all I know. I was so tired, light headed, excited, elated, elevated, dazed and confused at that point I was lucky I could have enough coordination to twist myself as you see in the photo! BTW that is not me trying to snap my fingers and do a tango! That is me having an out of body experience hoping I don’t drop Bono's ACTUAL sunglasses! Now THAT would have been a true photo op!! And classic Pat for anyone who really knows me.
As I was saying....I gave Edge my name and then told him I met him in Toronto last year and that I was the guy who him owns u2mart.com and gave him a business card. After a polite I really don’t remember you type of nod I then went into the fastest pitch of my life....any film producer would have been proud of me....Let me explain....
While in line I decided to use this once in a lifetime opportunity as a chance to pitch a new u2themed site idea I’ve had in addition to u2mart. This site idea is with charity at its core so after practicing my pitch I wrote it on the back of a new business card and handed to him. Before I did that I said "Edge, I own this (insert web address) which I would like to build to generate revenue for MusicRising and other charities" to which Edge replied something unintelligible and within a split second I was onto Bono. Remember this was all happening so very fast after being up for 30+ hrs...
Then, I'm in front of Bono. Wait a sec, I’m in front of F&*^%ing Bono!!! I have admired this man for 20+ years, seen his image practically every day of those 20+yrs, dreamt of this moment for at least 5 since I created u2mart and all I can say when I am in front of him is.................I own u2mart.com ...as in Popmart!? Well it didn’t happen exactly like that but for Shannon's sake I enjoy how he retells the story even if there is a little ahem....dramatic license!!
Basically I don’t remember the exact first words we exchanged however I did say hello this I do know...then I said I own the site u2mart.com..Have you ever visited my site? It was then he said Well I don’t know, what's the name of the site again? That's when I said the above mentioned Shannon quote! But only because he had a puzzled look on his face. Then Bono said to Larry and myself " Well, I think I know where our next DVD is going! Just when I started to move onto Larry that's when the sunglass swap of ALL TIME took place!!!
At this point, mind you I’m about 70 seconds into walking on stage at this point ....(which I know is longer than you have been reading this!)
Bono, not ever one to miss a photo op and seize the moment, stands up, leans over and takes his Armani sunglasses off and hands them to me!! Me, pat, some schmo with a u2 website, not his bodyguard or staff, but me!! At this point I take my bulgari's off and hand them to the B-man. Then I turn around in some sort of chiropractor’s worst nightmare twist of the back, lean back for a photo of a lifetime and THAT''s when the crowd goes into a collective "Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww" FLASH the camera goes off, I give Bono his shades back, shake hands and off the stage security rushes me......or so they thought and tried! I wasn’t about to leave this moment and not get a chance to say hello and thank you to Larry and Adam!! So, and you can see this on a camcorder I handed to a friend in line, I literally waved off the security after he started applying some pressure on my waist. It's hilarious and I will share the whole thing when I get it burned to dvd.
Anyway, Larry and Adam unfortunately did get the short end of my visit as I only got to shake hands and thank Larry. But not before Bono got one last comment in....and it was a crack....ON ME!!! LOL. Seems he heard me when I told Adam I would see them in New Zealand and ....and..............and? OMIFKGD I cant remember the word "Australia" Bono noticed this brain freeze and quipped something like 'HeHe..you might want to remember the country before you leave" or something to that effect. I will never know for sure! But wait.....I wasnt done yet. I then thanked Adam and mentioned I went to 35 Vertigo shows which resulted in Adam's eyes bulging out and extended a firm hand and a congratulatory smile to me!!
Then security was finally able to whisk me off the stage just before the cane was about to be used.....or was it the billy club! :0
Afterwards Shannon met me down one floor below and took note of my shocked school girl who just saw Nsync in concert look on my face he so eloquently spoke above! After a photo down stairs where I was so emotionally and physically wired and spent I couldn’t even hold the signed book in the photo you can see on my flickr.com/photos/u2mart .
Finally, we headed down the the six blocks to Flannerys where I needed an emergency pint o Guinness to cure my sudden case of Oh My GOD!!! Tourette’s syndrome! It took 3.
And so it ended.
Thank you again to Headache in a suitcase Shannon and also DCDenise! We OWE YOU BIG!!
And to those new friends I made in line.....why do I have a sudden craving for DUFF beer??
flickr.com/photos/u2mart/
Thank you all for reading this. Apologies for my long-windedness!!
)
Pat
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