Now that was an "OMG!" moment.
It's not every day that U2's management calls your boss and requests your services.
The pressure was on. My introduction to U2 happened in 1992, when I went to the Oakland Coliseum to see Public Enemy. I didn't know that U2 were headlining — or even who they were — but to my surprise, their performance blew me away and opened my mind to contemporary rock music. And now they wanted me to host a global radio broadcast!
I was just trying to get in the zone all day. It's one thing to prepare and research, but wrangling your emotions when everything's going crazy around you is another thing entirely. And it was crazy in the Somerville Theatre!
The band was soundchecking clear up until doors. There were thousands of fans outside trying to get in. Police everywhere, satellite trucks, TV production — the works.
By the time I hit the stage, though, I was having fun. After getting the crowd all riled up, I announced, "Live from the Somerville Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts —" and a cameraman cut me off. The floor manager miscued me in front of 900 people!
Now, people trust that I'll keep things under control. They know that I'll be honest and truthful. That helps me stay solid. So when there are missed cues or mispronunciations or whatever, I'm able to find my way to the next moment without making a mistake and having U2 go, "Whoa! He just messed up!"
They didn't. It worked out. I started over, and no one was the wiser. Later, as the band prepared for the Q&A, I told the crowd about my experience at the Zoo TV Tour. I wove the band into my story, they fell into their seats, and we were off.
Afterward, I felt like I'd been hanging out with guys I'd known my entire life. They're genuine, good guys. It felt good that when they called me, I delivered. And it felt even better when, at the end of the night, the band handed me a well-poured Guinness.