The Student Newspaper of Cathedral Catholic High School

Dons Press

The Student Newspaper of Cathedral Catholic High School

Dons Press

The Student Newspaper of Cathedral Catholic High School

Dons Press

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CC junior jams with Green Day (Video)

On September 2, about 17,000 concert-goers converged upon Cricket Wireless Amphitheater in Chula Vista to watch popular punk, alt-rock band Green Day take the stage. Later that night, they would also look on as one of Cathedral’s own juniors, Shaker Kattoula, got to play guitar with the band.

Shaker, who plays guitar, sings, and writes songs for his own punk rock band, has been a fan of Green Day since junior high. At the concert, Shaker, along with his father, girlfriend, brother, and a few friends, stood in the general admission pit.

The band had played twenty-five songs when, near the end of the set, lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong posed a question to the crowd: ”Is there a singer and guitarist in the audience who would like to join the band on stage?”

“I mentioned to some people around me that I play guitar. So they got hyped up and tried to get Billie Joe’s attention. They tried to lift me up and point at me,” Shaker said. “Eventually, Billie Joe came over and said, ‘Do you play guitar?’ Then, he pulled me up on stage.”

The song that Shaker played with the band was “Longview,” Green Day’s first major-label hit. Shaker played lead guitar.

“I couldn’t really think,” he said of the experience. “I couldn’t really comprehend the fact that I was up there. I thought it was a dream or something.”

When the song ended, Shaker didn’t simply leave the stage. Armstrong had one more surprise in store. Shaker said, “He said he had a gift for me. Then, he took off the straps of the guitar and handed the guitar to me. I hugged him.”

Security directed the overwhelmed Shaker backstage where he left his newly acquired treasure with the band’s manager, Pat Magnarella, for safe-keeping for the remainder of the night. He was presented with tickets to an after-party where the guitar would later be returned to him. He then returned to the pit where he watched the rest of the concert.

Of his reaction to the experience of playing in front of nearly 20,000 Green Day fans, Shaker said, “I just kind of lived in the moment. I wasn’t that nervous; I had fun with it.”

He said his family and friends shared the same response: “They were just as excited as I was. They still can’t get it into their heads that it actually happened.”

Shaker has his own band that is made up of himself, his brother, and a friend. They are hoping to set up some shows within the next few months. The band is currently unnamed.

As for the plan for his newly acquired memento, Shaker is going to frame the guitar and hang it in his room.

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget that moment,” he said. “It was probably the best day of my life … so far”

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CC junior jams with Green Day (Video)