He looks like Bono. He sounds like Bono.

A U2 fan thinks she is asking the real Bono for an autograph but unknown to her it's Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera.
Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera, right, is interviewed by Mike Landa of KNX 1070 radio.
Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera, right, poses for photos with fans in the parking lot at Anaheim Stadium.
Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera, left, opens his arms to greet U2 fan Samantha Ornelas, 7, of Anaheim.
Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera, center, is escorted by security at Anaheim Stadium as U2 fans clamor to meet with the man they think is the legendary Bono.
Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera, center, is escorted by security at Anaheim Stadium as U2 fans clamor to meet with the man they think is the legendary Bono.
Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera, top, the throngs of fans who think he's the real Bono.
A fan raises her arms in excitement after seeing who she thinks is Bono but instead it's Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera.
Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera, left, signs his name to a fan's arm.
Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera hugs a fan.
A U2 fan, right, pleads with Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera to sign her photo of the real Bono.
Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera, right, poses for a photo with fans.
Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera, right, is mobbed by fans in the parking lot at Anaheim Stadium.
Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera, center, is escorted by security at Anaheim Stadium as U2 fans clamor to shake hands with the man they think is the legendary Bono.
U2 fans reach over security personal to shake hands with who they think is Bono but is actually Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera.
A U2 fan holds up a sign for Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera.
Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera, left, signs a shirt for Karina Bombicino of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera mimics the pose of the real Bono.
Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera bears a striking resemblance to the U2 star.
U2 fans wave as Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera walks by in the parking lot at Anaheim Stadiium.
Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera, walks the parking lot at Anaheim Stadium.
A U2 fan screams with excitement when she sees who she thinks is Bono but is actually Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera.
Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera, left, walks the parking lot at Anaheim Stadium as fans scream with excitement thinking it's the real Bono.
Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera bears a striking resemblance to the U2 star.
Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera, right, kisses an event security woman as throngs of fans, who think he's the real Bono, mob him in the parking lot at Anaheim Stadium.

By Peter Larsen | plarsen@scng.com | Orange County Register

June 21, 2011 at 12:19 p.m.

As U2 played its sound check inside Angels Stadium of Anaheim on Friday afternoon we walked with lead singer Bono past the early bird fans lined up outside. And, predictably, he got mobbed.

But here’s the thing: It wasn’t really Bono at all, not that any of the hundreds of people who snapped Pavel Sfera’s photo will probably admit that to their Facebook friends, of course.

Sfera, who grew up in Hawthorne and lives in San Diego now, is a fulltime Bono impersonator, performing with U2 tribute bands in Southern California, Las Vegas and Europe. And he’s a dead ringer for the Irish singer, something he’d been told since he was a teenager, years before he decided to make his living as a Bono doppelganger.

We’ll have a full story on Sfera’s unusual career in the Register later this week, but for now, take a look at the slide show and video of his encounters with fans before the U2 show on Friday.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7787 or plarsen@ocregister.com