Green Day invited a 13 year old boy named Ian onstage to play guitar at their show in San Diego, and he rocked! Ian's dad Shane reached out to me after he gear us talking about his son on-air. He told me all about his son's backstory and his experience on stage with Green Day. Read his letter below.
xox Producer Anna
Hey producer Anna!
Thanks for sharing this video!! This is my son Ian. Ian has an awesome backstory. When he was 9 he came rushing into the room with his iPad and showed his mom and I a video of Green Day pulling a kid on stage to play guitar with them. He asked me “Dad, can I do that?” My answer to him, as always, is “You can do anything you set your heart to as long as you have the desire, a plan, and tenacity to see things through.” I also told him he would probably need to learn to play guitar! LOL! Very shortly there after he began guitar lessons by request.
A good friend and colleague, who works at Disney in Florida, said that the idea of him taking this journey to learn guitar and pursue a dream to play with Green Day would make an awesome story, so he began shooting a documentary about it. This led us to this past weekend. We did everything we could to give Ian the best possible chances. We got to the show very early and got a great place in line. By total luck they let our line in before anyone else. Ian sprinted to the rail at the stage and found two sets of very tall parents willing to let him in front of them. Ian told everyone about his dream and they all agreed to help draw attention when the time came.
When Billie Joe asked for someone who played guitar we all went crazy. Billie noticed and came over. He asked Ian if he really played guitar and then said “OK, get your ass up here kid!” Ian then played guitar on the song Knowledge by Operation Ivy. The band and the crowd had a great time, and Ian is living on cloud 9!!! At the end the crowd chanted his name before Billie Joe said “You get to keep the guitar!” They autographed it and gave it to my son. It was a total dream come true and a moment that shows if you pursue your dreams, great things can happen!
You can also check out his website to find out more about his movie:
If this might be a story you would be interested in sharing please feel free to contact me. Regardless, thank you for sharing this video!!! It tickles my son to no end that so many people have seen it and are sharing the story.
All the best!
Shane Pase, PhD