So I got to the cutting room later than I wanted because a meeting at work ran late. Band was already soundchecking, and I started to set up my laptop next to the stage. I'm their Willie Williams, so to speak. The cutting room is on a wireless system for their video, which normally has worked great... but during sound check it was going in and out. I told their a/v guy that maybe the WiFi needs to be reset, and he told me everything was fine it'll hook up once you leave it on for a while.
Anyhoo... Show starts, and not even half way through the first song and the video goes out. I'm going nuts trying to fix it, waving to the a/v guy who's on the balcony, texting with our own sound guy who's also there and failing to get the screen to work... all the whole Amp is texting me calling me an asshole for fucking up the screen. Good times, good times.
As the third song, I Will Follow, starts... Gabe, Mr GVox for the uninitiated, taps me on the shoulder and says "you're going to want to talk to this person" and points to a woman next to him.
She comes to me and says "hi, I work for U2, and Dallas Schoo is coming to the show tonight and wants to play Streets with the band. Do you think that would be okay with them?"
I tell her "I can't speak for the band, but I WILL speak for the band, and yes... that would be absolutely OK. Just let me tell them.". She says great and steps away.
I'm waiting in the side of the stage for the song to end, and I get tapped again on the shoulder. It's the same woman. She says " Dallas is here now, can you play Streets next? "
At this point I walk onto the stage and over to George, the drummer, and try to tell him. He can barely hear me and pretty much thinks I'm telling him something is wrong with my shoes.
I then get Mick's attention (guitar) and tell he leans in to me while playing so that he can hear me. He lights up and says absolutely.
I go back to side stage and Dallas is walking over. I shake his hand and start talking to him. He shows me the specs for the guitar for Streets. I tell him yes, not knowing what the fuck he was actually asking for cause I don't know shit about guitars.
The song ends and I walk back on stage to tell Tony, who looks over and sees Dallas. I walk back over to side stage as Tony is announcing a special guest, and announces Dallas. The crowd goes nuts and Dallas walks onstage. I start talking to Craig (bass) as Dallas takes Mick's guitar. As we're talking I hear the crowd go to another fucking level... Absolutely ape shit. I have no idea why. I turn around and Adam Clayton is walking past me. I then look out on the stage and see that The Edge is already on stage hugging Mick.
Ho-ly-Shit I lost it.
They so Streets,I'm hugging it out with Craig for the entire song, between trying to video the moment. Completely forgot about the broken sceen.
Song ends and they take pictures with UF in front of the crowd. Crowd starts chanting the loudest "one more song" I've ever heard.
Edge turns to Tony and says "Out of Control?". Of course he says yes... even though they already played it two songs earlier before Edge and Adam walked in.
Edge grabs Mick's explorer because that's what Edge uses for the song, but Mick had it tuned differently. So Adam's bass was out of tune. Craig and I switch out the bass to the right one and they go off into Out Of Control. And during the bridge of Out Of Control, Tony can say " on the bass, Adam Clayton..." and "...THIS IS THE EDGE!"... and it actually fucking was.
Adam and Edge left after Out Of Control, and UF played Electric Co. Then they had to stop the first set because it was too fucking emotional. Had to go downstairs to the green room and take it all in. And yes, during the break the guy reset the fucking WiFi so that the screens would work again.
I am still overwhelmed by the entire thing. Unfuckingreal.
In this rare instance, you get a pass
