Canadian woman moves in mysterious ways
Contest winner took stage with U2’s Bono in HBO special in Paris
Fans around the world watched U2’s HBO concert from Paris on Monday, three weeks after the show was postponed due to terrorist attacks.
The Irish superstars were joined by the members of Eagles of Death Metal, who survived one of the attacks at a Paris club. The California rockers were playing at the Bataclan when terrorists opened fire, killing 89 people including the band’s merchandise manager.
For Monday’s HBO concert special at Paris’ AccorHotels Arena, Eagles of Death Metal and U2 performed a cover of Patti Smith’s People Have the Power during the encore. Bono and his bandmates then left the stage and let their friends finish the show with I Love You All the Time.
Trish Weedon, who grew up in Beaverlodge, Alta., won tickets to the concert via U2’s fan club. She was also one of the unexpected stars of the night — as Bono pulled her up onstage to dance with him during Mysterious Ways.
Weedon, dressed in a ’50-style dress, rocked her four minutes like a seasoned pro — holding hands with the frontman, twirling around and dancing down a long catwalk as he serenaded her in front of 16,000 fans.
After he kissed her hand, Bono asked Weedon for her name and where she was from. “The world needs more Canada,” he replied. Bono then invited more contest winners (including Toronto’s Mark Baker) to the stage during Elevation.
We tracked down Weedon, who lives in London, England, a day after the HBO special. She was still over the moon even after only two hours of sleep:
Q What was it like to be onstage?
A For me, it was the best day of my life. He came right over, pointed right to me and said: ‘Come on up!’ This was my second time onstage (with the band) — so I was a bit more chill with it. I just had fun with it.
Q You also danced with Bono at one of U2’s recent shows in London. How did that happen?
AIt was the first London show and I waited in line all day. I kinda knew where Bono pulled people up, so I ended up there and all day, people were saying: ‘You have this look about you, Bono’s going to choose you.’ I was like: ‘No, no, don’t say that, then I’ll be very disappointed (if it doesn’t happen).’ This is something I’ve wanted since I was 17 when I first saw it happen at a U2 concert. I thought: ‘I want to be that girl someday!’ The song started, he walked over to me and pulled me up. I thought I could either freak out and cry or I could work it, so that’s what I did. I had the best time, I had so much fun. Everything else just sort of disappears. He looks you right in the eye and he slows you down. Bono has this aura about him — there can be complete chaos but you’re the only person in the room. Q What was the mood like in the crowd during the concert for HBO? A I have goosebumps thinking about it. When Eagles of Death Metal came out to sing People Have the Power, people were crying. The song, for fans, is so important. You could tell the band was so happy, so grateful to be there. People talk so much s--- about U2, but I think that was the most selfless thing I’ve ever seen. It was U2’s show, their HBO special, and they let Eagles of Death Metal close the show with their own song. It was incredible.