No Line On The Horizon and 21st Century Breakdowns Makes For Endless Perspectives and 22nd Century Revolutions
RJ
“Rock on!” I was standing on the coffee table in the living room, while my dad and his band practiced downstairs. I gave the rock finger gesture toward my friends Estelle-Desiree and Ramona Isabella. E.D. was a younger than me, and Rabella (as we called her) was a year younger than E.D. I looked around, strumming my air guitar while my dad’s voice floated up the stairs.
“Gloria, you better not be doing what I think you’re doing!” he yelled. I looked to E.D. and shrugged. And then fell. Hard.
“Ow!” I landed on the carpeted flooring with a thud. And then I saw the blood. Turns out my hand had gone through the glass coffee table when I fell. I bit back tears as I yelled for my dad. My mom, RJ would kill me. This had already happened four times in the past year, and now would mean I couldn’t play air rock star anymore. Oh well. Anyways, my dad and his buddies Tre Cool (Ramona Isabella’s dad) and Mike Dirnt (Estelle-Desiree’s dad) had come upstairs. When my dad saw my hand, he just sighed, and said, “C’mon. To the car.” I followed him to our garage, which housed our two cars and my Chevy mustang. It’d been a gift from my parents for my fifteenth birthday (which was when I got my temp license.)
We arrived at the hospital about 15 fifteen minutes later. My dad stopped the car, and I got out. He waved me in.
“Go in. They’ll want to hear it from you.” I walked into the waiting room, and checked in.
“My name is Gloria Armstrong; my birthday is August 22nd, 1995. I’ve cut my arm, is it possible I could get looked at?” I paused, letting the recepetnist write everything down. She looked up after she was done, nodding curtly.
“Just a minute, Miss Armstrong.” She said. I was being checked out within twenty minutes. Yep, I’d done some damage. Again. A sprain, as well as some minor cuts. Billie Joe was not going to be happy. Anyways, the doctors put my arm in a sling, and let me go. I got outside to the car, and as soon as E.D. saw me, she said jokingly to Rabella, “10 bucks.” I glared at them. They had bet on whether I’d dome damage. My dad just sighed. He said, “I got a call from our manager. They want us to perform in New York, with U2. Would you guys be interested in helping? I’ve heard U2’s members kids have their own band and will perform as well.” I nodded, and so did the others. Within a month my hand had healed. In two, we were at the airport. I kept asking questions, without seeing I was annoying everyone.
“What is U2 like? Do they have good music? Will they like us? Did they know you? Are we gonna…” E.D. finally slapped her hand over my mouth. After our flight, we headed to our hotel to rest. Tomorrow night would be the concert.
The next day, we met U2. Bono, the lead singer, had a daughter named Sophia. She preferred to be called Bonoita, after her father. Her friends also played in her band that covered U2. I told them E.D., Rabella and I covered Green Day’s stuff. We would switch songs, first Green Day then U2. The finally we would all sing together.
First we started by playing American Idiot. Billie Joe and I had mics, while Rabella and Tre were on the drums. Mike and E.D. were playing their guitars.
The crowd went wild. After that, Bono and the rest of U2 along with Sophia and the other kids began to play Seconds.
After that, we stepped up again to play Green Day’s “Viva la Gloria (Little Girl).”
After our second song, Sophia and her friends sang “Get on Your Boots” as a solo for them, with no help from Bono, The Edge, or the rest of U2.
Now it was our turn for a solo. E.D., Rabella, and I played “East Jesus Nowhere.” From 21st Century Breakdown.
U2’s solo was next. Bono started singing “Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own.”
I would sing the next song without Rabella and E.D. backing me up. Instead Tre and Mike would. It was time for Homecoming.
All members of U2, along with Sophia would sing in the next song. It was Sunday Bloody Sunday.
Green Day played Boulevard of Broken Dreams while E.D., Rabella and I took a break.
Now Bonoita and her friends rested while U2 played “Two Hearts Beat As One”
My dad switched out with us as “Wake Me Up When September Ends.” started. Our dads would come out again for the finale.
Sophia and her friends began Gloria, from 1981’s October.
I stepped to the front again as Rabella yelled to the crowd that we were now playing Holiday. The crowd sang in time as we played.
I revved the crowd as Sophia came out for their final solo song. That was Elevation.
We bowed and then our fathers came to stand beside us as started the final song. Billie Joe and I started singing, along with Bono and Sophia, “The Saints Are Coming”.
After that song, we all bowed. Bono lifted his daughter onto his shoulders, and Billie Joe put me on top of his shoulders. We smiled, Sophia and I, at each other and the crowd. We knew that we’d be friends forever. So would our fathers and their bands. E.D. was smiling and blushing at the Edge, for he was motioning to her beanie. She’d taken to wearing it for our shows and when we practiced. She said it helped her focus, and get in the mood to play guitar like a true hero. So, I thought she’d just about died when he walked over toward her, and lifted her onto his shoulders like Bono and Billie Joe had. Oh well, we were young women. What did you expect? Still, it’s nice to know that there was a group of people that would always know how we worked, along with the fundamentals of great music in our life.
“Gloria, you better not be doing what I think you’re doing!” he yelled. I looked to E.D. and shrugged. And then fell. Hard.
“Ow!” I landed on the carpeted flooring with a thud. And then I saw the blood. Turns out my hand had gone through the glass coffee table when I fell. I bit back tears as I yelled for my dad. My mom, RJ would kill me. This had already happened four times in the past year, and now would mean I couldn’t play air rock star anymore. Oh well. Anyways, my dad and his buddies Tre Cool (Ramona Isabella’s dad) and Mike Dirnt (Estelle-Desiree’s dad) had come upstairs. When my dad saw my hand, he just sighed, and said, “C’mon. To the car.” I followed him to our garage, which housed our two cars and my Chevy mustang. It’d been a gift from my parents for my fifteenth birthday (which was when I got my temp license.)
We arrived at the hospital about 15 fifteen minutes later. My dad stopped the car, and I got out. He waved me in.
“Go in. They’ll want to hear it from you.” I walked into the waiting room, and checked in.
“My name is Gloria Armstrong; my birthday is August 22nd, 1995. I’ve cut my arm, is it possible I could get looked at?” I paused, letting the recepetnist write everything down. She looked up after she was done, nodding curtly.
“Just a minute, Miss Armstrong.” She said. I was being checked out within twenty minutes. Yep, I’d done some damage. Again. A sprain, as well as some minor cuts. Billie Joe was not going to be happy. Anyways, the doctors put my arm in a sling, and let me go. I got outside to the car, and as soon as E.D. saw me, she said jokingly to Rabella, “10 bucks.” I glared at them. They had bet on whether I’d dome damage. My dad just sighed. He said, “I got a call from our manager. They want us to perform in New York, with U2. Would you guys be interested in helping? I’ve heard U2’s members kids have their own band and will perform as well.” I nodded, and so did the others. Within a month my hand had healed. In two, we were at the airport. I kept asking questions, without seeing I was annoying everyone.
“What is U2 like? Do they have good music? Will they like us? Did they know you? Are we gonna…” E.D. finally slapped her hand over my mouth. After our flight, we headed to our hotel to rest. Tomorrow night would be the concert.
The next day, we met U2. Bono, the lead singer, had a daughter named Sophia. She preferred to be called Bonoita, after her father. Her friends also played in her band that covered U2. I told them E.D., Rabella and I covered Green Day’s stuff. We would switch songs, first Green Day then U2. The finally we would all sing together.
First we started by playing American Idiot. Billie Joe and I had mics, while Rabella and Tre were on the drums. Mike and E.D. were playing their guitars.
The crowd went wild. After that, Bono and the rest of U2 along with Sophia and the other kids began to play Seconds.
After that, we stepped up again to play Green Day’s “Viva la Gloria (Little Girl).”
After our second song, Sophia and her friends sang “Get on Your Boots” as a solo for them, with no help from Bono, The Edge, or the rest of U2.
Now it was our turn for a solo. E.D., Rabella, and I played “East Jesus Nowhere.” From 21st Century Breakdown.
U2’s solo was next. Bono started singing “Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own.”
I would sing the next song without Rabella and E.D. backing me up. Instead Tre and Mike would. It was time for Homecoming.
All members of U2, along with Sophia would sing in the next song. It was Sunday Bloody Sunday.
Green Day played Boulevard of Broken Dreams while E.D., Rabella and I took a break.
Now Bonoita and her friends rested while U2 played “Two Hearts Beat As One”
My dad switched out with us as “Wake Me Up When September Ends.” started. Our dads would come out again for the finale.
Sophia and her friends began Gloria, from 1981’s October.
I stepped to the front again as Rabella yelled to the crowd that we were now playing Holiday. The crowd sang in time as we played.
I revved the crowd as Sophia came out for their final solo song. That was Elevation.
We bowed and then our fathers came to stand beside us as started the final song. Billie Joe and I started singing, along with Bono and Sophia, “The Saints Are Coming”.
After that song, we all bowed. Bono lifted his daughter onto his shoulders, and Billie Joe put me on top of his shoulders. We smiled, Sophia and I, at each other and the crowd. We knew that we’d be friends forever. So would our fathers and their bands. E.D. was smiling and blushing at the Edge, for he was motioning to her beanie. She’d taken to wearing it for our shows and when we practiced. She said it helped her focus, and get in the mood to play guitar like a true hero. So, I thought she’d just about died when he walked over toward her, and lifted her onto his shoulders like Bono and Billie Joe had. Oh well, we were young women. What did you expect? Still, it’s nice to know that there was a group of people that would always know how we worked, along with the fundamentals of great music in our life.
♠ ♠ ♠
* don't own Green Day or songs mentioned *