U2’s Blind Fan Adam Bevell Talks About Sharing the Stage with Bono
Adam Bevell, the blind, guitar-playing fan who joined U2 on stage for a rendition of their hit 'All I Want is You' on Saturday night in Nashville, says the experience was beyond his wildest dreams.
In an interview with CNN, Bevell reveals how the whole thing happened: "My brother-in-law made the sign for me, we borrowed a piece of paper and a marker from some fans. It was always my dream to get on stage. I held it up throughout the concert, and at the very end, he [Bono] finally called me up."
Bevell also explains how he came to be blind, "At age 14, I found out I had a rare eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa, and the doctors told me that I'd be blind by the time I got out of high school. I kind of beat those odds, but at about [age] 28 it got to the point where I had no usable vision anymore."
Luckily, he kept playing guitar, dreaming of a night just like this. So what did Bono first say to him? "I kind of started to drop my sign [because the show was over], and all of a sudden I heard Bono's voice, 'What do you want to play, man?' I thought, there's no way he's talking to me, there's no way!"
But, indeed, Bono was talking to Bevell: "My brother in law kinda leaned into me, 'he's talking to you.' So I yelled out 'All I Want is You,' the fans started yelling it as well. Bono said, 'Let's get this dude up here. Let's get him a guitar. Let's get him my guitar.' Before I knew it, I was on stage."
Bevell also reveals he chose that song because its he and his wife's song, and sums up the whole experience by saying, "I could not believe that this happened. I have dreamt it a million times, and it was better than I ever would have imagined."
Watch CNN's Interview With Blind U2 Fan Adam Bevell: