Longstanding rock band U2 have unleashed a documentary short for their new track “Yours Eternally,” which appears on their surprise EP, Days of Ash. What makes this song extra special is that it features Ed Sheeran and Ukrainian musician and soldier Taras Topolia.
The video, directed by Ukrainian cinematographer and filmmaker Ilya Mikhaylus, arrived on the fourth anniversary of the Russia and Ukraine conflict. So, in keeping up with U2 tradition, it’s a political clip and message.
U2 also say the video is part of a full documentary that will arrive at the end of 2026.
U2 released their new EP, Days of Ash, on Feb. 18, featuring five songs and one poem. The band called it “an immediate response to current events and inspired by the many extraordinary and courageous people fighting on the frontlines of freedom.”
U2 Keep Making Statements With New EP
U2 aren’t just a band. They’re the kind of thing that sneaks into your life whether you’re ready or not. You can catch them on the radio, in a bar, on a festival lineup and somewhere in the middle of it all there’s this pulse you didn’t know you needed. Bono’s voice cracks and soars in the same breath, Edge’s guitar keeps circling back like it knows more than you do and Larry and Adam hold it all steady without ever announcing themselves.
Sure, they’ve had hits so ubiquitous it’s easy to roll your eyes. But strip it down to the way a single note hangs in the air, or a lyric hits harder than it should, and it’s still remarkable. That’s why they feel legendary, not because of sales numbers or awards, though they’ve got plenty, but because they’ve earned the right to make the world wait in its seats while they figure out what comes next.
It’s really special that this band continues to churn out new music and create their anthemic songs. There aren’t many bands with that kind of longevity. What do you think of U2’s new EP? Reach out to the station and let them know.
Anne Erickson started her radio career shortly after graduating from Michigan State University and has worked on-air in Detroit, Flint, Toledo, Lansing and beyond. As someone who absolutely loves rock, metal and alt music, she instantly fell in love with radio and hasn’t looked back. When she’s not working, Anne makes her own music with her band, Upon Wings, and she also loves cheering on her favorite Detroit and Michigan sports teams, especially Lions and MSU football. Anne is also an award-winning journalist, and her byline has run in a variety of national publications. You can also hear her weekends on WRIF.
Irish rock band U2 released a six-track EP on Wednesday, and its opening song is a tribute to Renee Good, the Minnesota woman who was fatally shot by a federal agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.
U2 describes the EP, Days of Ash, as an immediate response to current events and features a track, called American Obituary, that calls for peace.
“Renee Good, born to die free. American mother of three. Seventh day, January. A bullet for each child, you see,” frontman Bono sings. “The colour of her eye. 930 Minneapolis. To desecrate domestic bliss. Three bullets blast, three babies kissed. Renee, the domestic terrorist?”
ICE shooting: Anger boils over with nationwide protests in US after killing of Renee Good
“America will rise against the people of the lie,” the chorus says.
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“I am not mad at you, Lord,” the song continues. “You’re the reason I was there. Could you stop a heart from breaking, by having it not care? Could you stop a bullet in mid-air?”
Bono said American Obituary is “a song of fury” but “more than that a song of grief.”
“Not just for Renee but for the death of an America that at the very least would have had an inquiry into her killing … for her family as well as the credibility of law enforcement and the critical role they play in keeping the peace, keeping the citizenry safe,” he said in a special 40th anniversary edition of the band’s magazine, Propaganda.
Bono said he knows that Good’s family “have been praying for the ICE officer who took Renee’s life, while also praying for his family.”
“That’s the kind of people they are and Renee was the very best of us … better than the best of us,” he added.
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“Renee didn’t just believe in kindness; she lived it, fully and fiercely,” Becca Good, her partner, said in a statement released with the project. “She believed every person deserved the same compassion, care and dignity regardless of who they were.”
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Good’s parents and siblings said they hope the song encourages reflection and unity.
“It’s an incredible honor to have the talent and impact of U2 spreading the message of peace in Renee’s name,” the statement read. “We certainly feel the urgency of the country’s situation reflected in the band’s powerful call for change and coming together.”
Antonio Romanucci, a lawyer representing Good’s family in a civil case connected to her death, said the tribute reflects a broader message.
“This deeply moving tribute to Renee’s life and legacy eloquently captures what so many people are feeling right now, and U2’s epic ability to advocate for peace in the world is unmatched. We believe this call to action by the band will move all who hear it,” he said in a statement.
Minneapolis ICE shooting: DHS Noem doubles down on defence of officer who killed Renee Good
The band said they were inspired by the people “fighting on the front lines of freedom” and the project marks U2’s first major release of new songs since 2017’s Songs of Experience.
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“These songs were impatient to be out in the world,” Bono said. “They are songs of defiance and dismay, of lamentation. Songs of celebration will follow, we’re working on those now.”
U2 follows in the footsteps of other musical artists, like Bruce Springsteen, who have condemned the killing of Good and called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to “get the f–k out of Minneapolis.”
During his introduction of the song, Springsteen said: “I wrote this song as an ode to American possibility. It was about a both beautiful but flawed country that we are, and the country that we could be. Right now, we are living through incredibly critical times. The United States — the ideals and the values for which it stood for the past 250 years — is being tested as it’s never been in modern times.”
Springsteen then turned his attention to recent news, adding: “If you believe in the power of the law and that no one stands above it, if you stand against heavily armed masked federal troops invading an American city, using Gestapo tactics against our fellow citizens, if you believe you don’t deserve to be murdered for exercising your American right to protest, send a message to this president as the mayor of that city has said, ICE should get the f–k out of Minneapolis.”
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Springsteen was referring to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who said during a press conference: “I have a message for ICE. Get the f–k out of Minneapolis.”
“So this song is for you, and the memory of the mother of three and American citizen Renee Good,” Springsteen said before launching into The Promised Land.
Feb. 15 will always be known as the day when the Beatles got their first No. 1 album in the US, out of an astonishing total of 19. It’s also when U2 “went pop,” the band Chicago was formed, and young blues legend Gary Clark Jr. was born. These are just some of the most noteworthy events that happened on this day in rock history.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
The Beatles and U2 dominate today’s milestones and breakthrough hits category:
1964: The Beatles’ Meet the Beatles! album went to No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart, where it spent 11 weeks. The album was a slightly modified version of the With the Beatles UK release and sold 4 million copies in 1964 alone, only being dethroned on the US charts by another record from the boys from Liverpool, The Beatles’ Second Album.
1997: U2 reached the top spot on the UK singles chart with “Discotheque,” from their Pop album. It also topped the weekly charts in several other countries, including Norway, Finland, Canada, and Ireland.
Cultural Milestones
Today we celebrate the birth of a band and of a modern blues icon, while also remembering one of music’s all-time greats:
1965: Nat King Cole passed away in a hospital in Santa Monica, California. His legendary work helped bridge the gap between swing and rock ‘n’ roll, and he was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
1967: Musicians Walt Parazaider, Terry Kath, Danny Seraphine, James Pankow, Lee Loughnane, and Robert Lamm formed a band in Chicago, Illinois. It was initially called The Big Thing, was changed to Chicago Transit Authority the following year, and they finally settled on Chicago in 1969.
1984: Gary Clark Jr. was born in Austin, Texas. He started his professional career in 2011 and quickly became popular due to his unique take on blues, which includes elements of soul, rock, and even hip-hop.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Feb. 15 is also the anniversary of some special releases and recordings, including:
1954: Joe Turner recorded the rock ‘n’ roll classic “Shake, Rattle and Roll.” It was released as a single in April of that year, and was covered extensively since, most famously by Elvis and Bill Haley & His Comets.
1965: The Beatles released their “Eight Days A Week”/“I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party” single in the US. It was the last of seven Beatles singles to top the US Billboard Hot 100 over a one-year period, an amazing record that still holds to this day.
1974: Deep Purple released their eighth studio album, Burn, via Purple Records. It was their first with then-unknown singer David Coverdale as their frontman, and added funk influences to the band’s classic bluesy sound.
From the Beatles conquering the US to David Coverdale bursting onto the scene, Feb. 15 has had its share of important rock moments throughout the past decades. Come back tomorrow to discover what happened on that day in rock history.
On this day in rock history, The Rolling Stones appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, and Led Zeppelin performed for the first time under their legendary name. These are just some of the major rock-related events that happened on Oct. 25 over the years.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Two of the biggest names in rock celebrated major career milestones on this day:
1964: The Rolling Stones made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show shortly after arriving in New York City to start their second North American tour. They performed “Around And Around” and “Time Is On My Side,” taking a major step toward establishing themselves in the United States.
1968: Led Zeppelin performed for the first time under this name at the University of Surrey in Guildford, England. This concert followed their Scandinavian tour the previous month, where they played as “The New Yardbirds.” The Who’s drummer, Keith Moon, is said to have inspired the name Led Zeppelin, reportedly commenting that the group would go down like a lead balloon.
Cultural Milestones
While the music is obviously the main attraction, rock’s stories and characters are almost as interesting. Significant rock events on Oct. 25 included:
1944: Yes co-founder, singer, and songwriter, Jon Anderson, was born in Accrington, Lancashire, England. He formed the band in 1968 and created a unique style that blended multiple genres, including rock, blues, pop, and jazz.
1947: Glenn Tipton, lead guitarist for Judas Priest, was born in Blackheath, England. He joined the band in 1974 and is the second-longest serving member after bass player Ian Hill.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Oct. 25 witnessed some electric performances throughout the years, as well as the founding of one of the biggest and most influential heavy metal festivals in history:
1996: The inaugural Ozzfest took place at the Blockbuster Desert Sky Pavilion in Phoenix, Arizona. The event, founded by Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, was a success and launched the annual festival, which ran almost every year until 2018.
2009: U2 played in front of 97,014 people at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, as part of the band’s U2 360 Tour, which set a record for a US performance attendance for a single headline act. The show was live-streamed over the internet and was later released via Blu-ray and DVD.
From The Stones introducing themselves to the American public to Ozzy and his wife Sharon creating one of the biggest metal festivals ever, plenty of things happened on Oct. 25 in the rock world. Visit us again to discover more important events in rock music history.
U2 received the 2025 Woody Guthrie Prize at Tulsa’s historic Cain’s Ballroom. The award spotlights the band’s music-driven push for change and fairness across four decades.
Bono and The Edge sat down with musician and producer T-Bone Burnett to share stories and songs. They haven’t been in Cain’s Ballroom since their first U.S. tour back in 1981.
“It’s an award that honors Woody’s legacy, and it’s given to an artist that is carrying that legacy forward,” Cady Shaw, senior director of the Woody Guthrie Center, said per The Oklahoman.
U2 has sold more than 170 million albums worldwide. Their trophy case holds 22 GRAMMYs, while anthems like “One” and “Pride” have struck deep chords with listeners. Their lyrics often shine a light on struggles for fairness and basic rights.
Through groups like (RED) and The ONE Campaign, the band works to make real change. Their efforts caught Amnesty International’s eye, leading to their Ambassador of Conscience recognition.
The Oklahoma Irish Caucus praised the pick, “Music can be a bridge for people to transcend political differences to celebrate our shared humanity and acknowledge our desire for a better world,” they said in a press release.
Past winners make up a who’s who of activist musicians: Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez, Mavis Staples, John Mellencamp, Pete Seeger, and Tom Morello. Each used their platform to fight for those pushed to society’s edges, just as Guthrie did with his guitar and voice. You can read more about past winners on the Woody Guthrie Prize official website.
Hitchhiking can be dangerous for both the Good Samaritan driver and the person on the side of the road with their thumb out.
Just dig into the history of serial killers. Ted Bundy, Edmund Klemper, Donald Gaskins, Ivan Milat, and the still unknown Santa Rosa killer are just a few examples of murderers who preyed on people who just wanted a ride.
Those horrible stories overshadow the countless times when giving a stranger a ride turned out not only to be a kind gesture but a life-altering event in a good way. Here are three examples from the annals of rock history.
How Bono’s hitchhiker encounter saved U2
At 5:20 p.m. on July 13, 1985, U2 stepped on the stage at Wembley Stadium to perform at Live Aid. They were still a medium-sized band at the time — their Joshua Tree breakthrough was still two years in the future — so they knew a powerful performance in front of over a billion people would do wonders for their career.
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Every act had about 20 minutes, so U2 carefully chose three songs. They’d start with Sunday Bloody Sunday, move into Bad, and then finish with a rousing rendition of Pride (In the Name of Love), their biggest single to that point.
Things started well enough, but during Bad, Bono noticed a woman in the crowd named Melanie Hills. According to Bono, she seemed to be in some distress. (That’s disputed; it’s more likely that Bono was trying something for the cameras.)
As the band played, Bono jumped into the photographers’ pit, then into the audience, whereupon he pulled the woman onto the stage with him to engage in a very slow, intimate sort of dance.
He tried to get Hills’ sister, Elaine, then, but the security guards didn’t respond. A third woman, 15-year-old Kal Khalique, is pulled from the crowd for another slow dance.
It was a nice TV moment, but the slow dance act between Bono the women took so long (Bono also had a hard time getting back up on the stage) that U2 had to vamp on Bad for 12 long minutes. By the time the song wrapped up, their time was over. They never got to play Pride.
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The rest of the band was furious and there was a very big row backstage. It was bad. “We’ve blown it!,” they said. Bono, chastised and angry, flew back to Ireland alone to brood with his wife at his in-laws’ place in the countryside. He was sure his bandmates were so angry at him that U2 was finished. Maybe he’d just quit.
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But then fate intervened.
In the week following Live Aid, the general consensus became that U2’s set (along that of Queen) was the highlight of the Wembley portion of the concert. They hadn’t blown it. In fact, Bono’s effort to break down the barrier between band and fan was some kind of career-making moment.
Second, there’s a story that while Bono was driving to his in-laws, he picked up a hitchhiker who’d seen Live Aid and gushed about how much they loved U2’s performance. That was the validation Bono seemed to need. Within days, all was forgiven and patched up. U2 was saved.
Is the story about the hitchhiker true? I’ve heard it repeated a few times over the decades. There’s also the tale about a breakup in 1981 over the band’s inability to reconcile their religious beliefs with rock stardom. It is said that Bono went for a drive in the country, picked up a hitchhiker, and had a long conversation that made him realize there was a way to compromise.
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Which story is true? Both? Neither? Take your pick.
This hitchhiker story is definitely true. While walking through West Vancouver in 2011, Bono and his assistant were caught in the rain. Sticking out his thumb, a car driven by Edmonton Oilers center Gilbert Brule pulled over.
Bono and the assistant squeezed into the car with Brule’s girlfriend German shepherd and for the ride back to the hotel.
For his trouble, Brule and his girlfriend were given backstage passes to U2’s upcoming show at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.
The Irish hitchhiker who inspired the Foo Fighters
Kurt Cobain’s death devastated Dave Grohl. He was so distraught that he couldn’t pick up an instrument, let alone think about making music and performing anymore. He’d reconciled himself to the fact that his music career was over.
Escaping to Ireland, Dave was thinking about his future as he went for a drive in the countryside in the area of Ring of Kerry. Then, on the side of the road, was a young man who needed a ride. He was wearing a Kurt Cobain T-shirt. His name was Lorcan Dunne. When he climbed into the car, Dave had an epiphany. “[I]t was Kurt’s face looking back at me in the middle of nowhere.”
This Nirvana thing had been so big, so influential, that there was no way Dave would ever be able to outrun it for the rest of his life. It was at that moment he decided to get back to work. The result was the Foo Fighters.
Dunne’s cousin tells the story in the tweet below.
So my legend of a cousin Lorcan just realised he was kind of important to the creation of @foofighters@FooFightersUK He saw a video by Dave Grohl talking about why he got back to work after a visit to Ireland. Lorcan was out hitchhiking wearing his nirvana top when Dave stopped pic.twitter.com/nD7cUE0w8w
This final story isn’t quite as earthshattering as the previous two, but it’s still very cool.
In May 2012, an indie band called Here We Go Magic was on their way to yet another gig in Ohio when they noticed a tall, slight man, with a thin moustache begging for a ride next to the on-ramp to I-70. He was wearing a hat that read “Scum of the Earth” and holding a sign that read “To the End of Rte. 70,” which would mean somewhere in Utah.
At first, the band just drove on past, thinking it was another itinerant. But half a kilometre down the road, the band’s sound man said, “John Waters.” One of the band members said, “Yep. Definitely John Waters.”
The van took the next exit, circled around and found the man still there. It was indeed film director John Waters. He’d been hitching for a couple of hours and no one wanted to pick him up.
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What was a famous film director from Baltimore doing begging for rides on the side of an interstate? Hey, he need to get to Fort Cove, Utah, for some reason.
U2 isn’t done with the Sphere in Las Vegas just yet.
After opening up the remarkable venue with their incredibly successful residency, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band is returning in the form of V-U2, their new concert film.
Per the film’s trailer description on YouTube, “V-U2 does not just capture U2’s epic run at Sphere, it makes audiences feel like they are at the live shows themselves in a first-of-its-kind immersive experience that is only possible at Sphere.”
V-U2 is directed by The Edge and his wife, Morleigh Steinberg. In the trailer below, The Edge says, “After all these years, I get to see a U2 show.”
V-U2 opens at the Sphere on September 5. Tickets for screenings go on sale on August 23. Full details can be found at TheSphere.com.
Estimated Revenue From U2’s Sphere Residency
Per Ultimate Classic Rock, the revenue for the 40-show residency is estimated to be $256 million. The outlet also noted 661,456 tickets were sold for the residency. Additionally, tickets were going for upwards of three times their face value on the secondary market. Needless to say, U2’s Sphere residency was a massive success.
As previously reported, the venue cost $2.3 billion to build. In December 2023, The Hollywood Reporternoted the 17 shows U2 performed through Nov. 30 generated $30.7 million in revenue, which is an average of $1.8 million per show.
The only thing missing from U2’s Sphere residency was drummer Larry Mullen Jr. He told The Washington Postin November 2022 that he won’t be able to perform in 2023 due to needing surgery due to the wear and tear of drumming for decades.
At the time, the outlet wrote, ” … if the band plays live in 2023 it will probably be without him, as he needs surgery to continue playing.”
Mullen Jr. was present at the penultimate U2 Sphere residency show on March 2. Bono took a moment to acknowledge the sidelined Mullen Jr. In fan-shot footage, Bono said, “The rumors that Larry will be playing with us tonight are not true, sadly. But he is here with us!” Mullen Jr. was then shown in a crowd on the Sphere’s screens, which led to loud ovation from fans.
U2’s official X (formerly Twitter) account shared a brief statement from Mullen Jr. He wrote, “What an incredible night at Sphere. So grateful to Bono, Edge and Adam, and, of course, Bram [van den Berg], for an amazing job. Very emotional night for me, personally – Larry Mullen Jr.”
Erica Banas is a news blogger who’s been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she’s ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C’mon now!) She’s also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights
A one-of-a-kind cinematic experience is headed for an exclusive stay at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The V-U2 Immersive Concert Film, directed by Morleigh Steinberg and The Edge, showcases the history-making and future-defining U2:UV concert that played to over 700,000 fans over 40 sold-out shows.
V-U2 is the first film ever to be shot entirely with Big Sky, the groundbreaking ultra-high-resolution camera system developed by Sphere Entertainment. V-U2 does not just capture U2’s epic run at the Las Vegas Sphere, it allows audiences to feel like they are at the live shows.
The V-U2 Immersive Concert Film is a Sphere Experience, as Big Sky cameras captured the band at extraordinary scale, sharpness, and clarity. V-U2 employs Sphere’s immersive technologies, including the 160,000 square foot display plane, crystal-clear sound to every seat, and the haptic seats which vibrate so that guests can ‘feel’ the experience.
All of these technologies are leveraged for the V-U2 Immersive Concert Film in order to reinforce the feeling of actually ‘being there’. The performance of ‘U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere’ was the world’s biggest rock band opening the world’s most state-of-the-art venue. Their residency quickly became a pop culture moment and a must-see for music lovers everywhere.
V-U2 will open at Sphere on Thursday, September 5, 2024. Fans who subscribe to the bands fan page have first access to pre-sale tickets from Thursday, August 22 at 10:00AM PT through Friday, August 23 at 9:00AM PT via Ticketmaster. Tickets start at $100 and will reflect all-in pricing. This means the ticket price listed is the full out-of-pocket price inclusive of taxes and fees.
On a windy evening in Las Vegas, U2 were finally reunited in the same arena for the first time in five years — sort of. Drummer Larry Mullen Jr. attended Friday night’s penultimate U2 show at the Sphere in Las Vegas, where he watched from a box seat in the audience.
Mullen, who has been recovering from neck surgery and other ailments, has been sitting out U2’s landmark Sphere performances. On Thursday, Bono, guitarist The Edge and bassist Adam Clayton were once again joined by Krezip drummer Bram van den Berg — who has been filling in for Mullen during the Sphere shows.
“Not since October 1978 have we played shows without Larry Mullen Jr., and it’s only right I start by introducing the man who saved the day when Larry Mullen could not make it,” Bono said in introducing his bandmates. “His name is already legend around here to people who can pronounce it. The flying while sitting-in Dutchman, Bram van den Berg on drums.”
Saturday is the final night for U2 at the Sphere, where it originally planned to play 25 shows but extended to 40. (Phish is next up, with four nights at the Sphere in April.)
Press reports had previously hinted that Mullen was making his way to Las Vegas, which sparked rumors that he might hit the stage at the Sphere for the final two shows. This would have marked the first time Mullen performed in concert with his band mates since 2019. (The drummer has continued to record with U2, however, and played on last year’s single “Atomic City”).
They were right that Mullen would be there, but didn’t perform. At Friday’s U2 show, Bono introduced Mullen in the stands: “The rumors that Larry will be playing with us tonight are not true sadly. But he is here with us!”
As the crowd started chanting “Larry,” Bono continued: “That is the man who pinned the note on the notice board at Mount Temple Comprehensive School all those years ago. And we are very grateful that he did and that he’s here with us tonight. We wish him a speedy, speedy, speedy recovery. We love you, Larry Mullen Jr. “
Bono then launched into the final song — which technically is part of the “encore,” but the band passed on the theatrics of leaving the stage and coming back.
“We play this game every fucking night, and pretend that we’re doing an encore,” Bono said. “It’s not an encore. It’s on the setlist. There is a thing called the Internet. It’s a beautiful night Larry, and this is ‘Beautiful Day.’” (Later, Bono would tweak the lyrics to add, “Larry Mullen, you’re beautiful!”)
Later, on social media, Mullen returned the thanks. “What an incredible night at the Sphere,” he said on U2’s account. “So grateful to Bono, Edge and Adam and of course Bram for an amazing job. Very emotional night for me personally.”
It was a fitting, special way to wrap up what has been a fitting, special experience for U2 and its fans. Coming off 2023’s “Songs of Surrender,” Bono and the Edge’s stripped-down reworking of U2 classics, the band has been in a bit of an introspective, celebratory mood for some time now. That also included last year’s Emmy-nominated Disney+ special “Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman.” Now, “U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere” has been similarly unique in finding a new way to celebrate the band, its catalog and its longevity.
On Thursday night, Bono, the Edge, Clayton and van den Berg were spotted at the U2 Experience’s “Zoo Station” activation at the Venetian hotel, where they met with fans and explored the pop-up. (They also took photos inside the exhibit, including the one above.)
Much has been written about the jaw-dropping visuals inside the Sphere, and much of the imagery — including a deconstruction of the Las Vegas skyline — lives up to the hype. And even though the U2 shows are over, that impressive staging will live on via a concert film that was being shot on Friday (as well as other recent nights) and is expected to eventually play inside the Sphere.
“We are filming tonight,” Bono told the crowd. “This is the show that people will see after we all go home. In the future people will watch us, watching you… Give the future a wave.”
The enthusiastic crowd — which included several U2 family members (like Bono’s wife Alison Hewson), rocker Lenny Kravitz and other notables — obliged.
U2 found what they were looking for in a duet partner Wednesday night at Sphere in Las Vegas, as Lady Gaga joined the group for duets on one of her songs, “Shallow,” and two of theirs, “All I Want Is You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”
Bono introduced his fellow leather-jacketed guest as “the most audacious, vivacious woman in any room she’s ever in. Would you welcome to our turntable, the divine — the divinyl! — Lady Gaga.”
He wasn’t done praising her divinity. “Take it to the Elvis chapel!” exulted Bono in a breakdown in the middle of “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” — further telling his duet partner, “You are the vestal virgin of Las Vegas!”
U2 & Lady Gaga – I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For (Live at Sphere Las Vegas) pic.twitter.com/D7K6qJclkX
Their joint take on “All I Want Is You” segued without any pause into Bono riffing on “Shallow,” with the singer slowly moving into the tune pointing at Gaga as if he wanted to make sure she remained on stage for it, suggesting the possibility that the band might have pulled it out on her as a surprise. Either way, she was more than ready for it.
Gaga was returning to what until recently were her own stomping grounds in Nevada. Earlier this month, on Oct. 5, she wrapped up an extension of her long-running “Jazz & Piano” show at Dolby Live in Park MGM.
Since leaving Las Vegas, Gaga seems to be doing her own tour right now — of the world’s most popular rock bands. It was only Oct. 19 that she was on the other side of the country, joining the Rolling Stones for a performance of “Sweet Sounds of Heaven,” the song she sings alongside Mick Jagger on the band’s new “Hackney Diamonds” album. That duet took place during a surprise 25-minute show at the 500-capacity Racket club in Chelsea.
Not long before Gaga hit the stage in Las Vegas, the Stones’ YouTube account posted her performance of “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” with the band in New York, in full.
Gaga’s guest appearance at Sphere wasn’t her first time at the altar with U2, as it were. She performed “Ordinary Love” with Bono and company at a show at Madison Square Garden in 2015.
U2 has not had prominent guests on stage in the band’s own Vegas residency until now. There’s plenty of time to bring more out. The band recently announced an extension that will add 11 shows in January and February of 2024, bringing the total number of concerts at the new venue to 36, for now. The newly added shows are set for Jan. 26, 27 and 31 and Feb. 2, 3, 7, 9, 10, 15, 17 and 18.
Vegas has a history of over the top attractions delighting and engaging the millions of tourists. From stars like Elvis and Celine to the Chihuly ceiling to the the highest roller coaster in the world, the city constantly thinks of ways of engaging the daily throng of visitors. The latest, The Sphere, is the VERY expensive world’s largest spherical structure and concert venue. The $2 billion globe is kicking it off with U2 in residence. Every night is an incredible visual as the sphere is also a giant screen with a variety of innovative imagines.
But hot on the heels on the Sphere is Cannabition, a state of the art cannabis immersive experience opening next to Planet 13. With 90% of the country open to some form of legal cannabis, this should turn out to be a key attraction – like Kentucky and their bourbon! The 12,000 square-foot cannabis immersive experience has engaged creators to make the experience incredible with or without a little extra (wink wink).
But the founders aren’t stopping there.
The immersive experience just made a significant partnership announcement. Cannabition is welcoming legendary founding figure of outlaw country, Mr. Willie Nelson and his celebrated brand, Willie’s Reserve. The teams are putting their heads together to assure guests a “stoned-cold good time!”
Nelson, an icon of music and marijuana, has spent 7 decades changing the way people look at cannabis and has been a champion of legalization.
His team shared, “with our new partnership in Cannabition, Willie’s Reserve is looking ahead with anticipation for a chance to bring Willie Nelson’s dream for legal weed to a new immersive experience in legendary Las Vegas. Now that’s entertainment!”
Vegas in 2022, had 38.8 million visitors. Sin City ranks fifth worldwide in terms of worldwide tourism-related, and first in the US. In 2015, 84% of visitors to came from within the US.
Managing Partner Pamela Hart, states “From inception to buildout our partners, sponsors, and creative teams are launching an over the top Vegas immersive experience and a must add to everyone’s visit”.
Also joining the Cannabition team is LP Exotics. Founded by Marianna Arakelyan, who comes from the healthcare industry, Marianna has been at the forefront of pioneering life-enhancing programs across the Western United States.
Managing Parnter Andrew Laub shares, “Marianna Arakelyan has taken her expertise and passion to create opulent, tailor-made products to delight consumers. The company and Arakelyan’s innovative and meticulous approach will be another asset to delight for the visitors.”
Michael Stratton, the general manager, brings a wealth of entertainment and hospitality knowledge. Most recently, Michael was the General Manager and Director of A&R for the iconic indie record label Bong Load Records, where he managed specialty releases by artists like The Killers, Beck, Elliott Smith and James Blunt, among others. He is also major label recording artist himself, a 35-year Las Vegas resident and has lifetime of music industry and operations experience.
Board Member Alex Brough believes Vegas will be home to the premier cannabis attraction and will add to the list of unique opportunities for tourists like Meow Wolf, the Mob Museum, and the extraordinary culinary scene.
The Las Vegas Sphere opened this weekend with a concert from legendary Irish rock band U2. The $2.3 billion venue features dazzling visual displays inside and out. Anthony Mason takes a look at the state-of-the-art venue.
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LAS VEGAS (AP) — It looked like a typical U2 outdoor concert: Two helicopters zoomed through the starlit sky before producing spotlights over a Las Vegas desert and frontman Bono, who kneeled to the ground while singing the band’s 2004 hit “Vertigo.”
This scene may seem customary, but the visuals were created by floor-to-ceiling graphics inside the immersive Sphere. It was one of the several impressive moments during U2’s “UV Achtung Baby” residency launch show at the high-tech, globe-shaped venue, which opened for the first time Friday night.
The legendary rock band, which has won 22 Grammys, performed for two hours inside the massive, state-of-the-art spherical venue with crystal-clear audio. Throughout the night, there were a plethora of attractive visuals — including kaleidoscope images, a burning flag and Las Vegas’ skyline, taking the more than 18,000 attendees on U2’s epic musical journey.
“What a fancy pad,” said Bono, who was accompanied onstage with guitarists The Edge and Adam Clayton along with drummer Bram van den Berg. He then stared at the high-resolution LED screen that projected a larger version of himself along with a few praying hands and bells.
Bono then paid homage to the late Elvis Presley, who was a Las Vegas entertainment staple. The band has rocked in the city as far back as 1987 when they filmed the music video for “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” on the Strip during a tour in 1987.
“Look at all this stuff. … Elvis has definitely not left this building,” he continued. “It’s an Elvis chapel. It’s an Elvis cathedral. Tonight, the entry into this cathedral is a password: flirtation.”
U2 made their presence felt at the $2.3 billion Sphere, which stands 366-feet (111 meters) high and 516-feet (157 meters) wide. With superb visual effects, the band’s 25-show residency opened with a splash performing a slew of hits including “Mysterious Ways,” “Zoo Station,” “All I Want is You,” “Desire” and new single “Atomic City.”
On many occasions, the U2 band members were so large on screen that it felt like Bono intimately sang to the audience on one side while The Edge strummed his guitar to others on a different side.
The crowd included many entertainers and athletes: Oprah, LeBron James, Matt Damon, Andre Agassi, Ava DuVernay, Josh Duhamel, Jason Bateman, Jon Hamm, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Oscar de la Hoya, Henrik Lundqvist, Flava Flav, Diplo, Dakota Fanning, Orlando Bloom and Mario Lopez.
After wrapping up The Beatles’ jam “Love Me Do,” Bono recognized Paul McCartney, who was in attendance, saying “Macca is in the house tonight.” He acknowledged Sphere owner James Dolan’s efforts for spearheading a venue that’s pushing forward the live concert audio landscape with 160,000 high-quality speakers and 260 million video pixels.
The Sphere is the brainchild of Dolan, the executive chair of Madison Square Garden and owner of the New York Knicks and Rangers. He sketched the first drawing of the venue on notebook paper.
“I’m thinking the that the Sphere may have come into existence because of Jim Dolan trying to solve the problem that The Beatles started when they played Shea Stadium,” Bono said. “Nobody could hear you. You couldn’t hear yourselves. Well, the Sphere’s here. … Can you hear us?”
The U2 frontman pointed into the crowd and shouted out Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Jimmy Iovine. At one point he became emotional when he dedicated a song to the late Jimmy Buffett’s family, who were also in attendance.
Afterward Bono spoke about performing onstage for the first time without drummer Larry Mullen Jr., who is recovering from back surgery. He acknowledged Dutch drummer Bram van den Berg’s birthday and him filling in for Mullen.
“I would like to introduce you to the only man who could stand, well, sit in his shoes,” said Bono, who walked toward Berg as some in the crowd began to sing “Happy Birthday.” He handed the microphone to Berg, who offered a few words.
“Let there be no mistake, there is only one Larry Mullen Jr,” Berg said.
As U2 wrapped up the show, a bright light shined from the ceiling and the massive screen began to fill with images of birds, insects and reptiles above a lake. The band closed its first Sphere concert with “Beautiful Day,” which won three Grammys in 2001.
By JONATHAN LANDRUM JR., The Associated Press. Published: Last updated:
It looked like a typical U2 outdoor concert: Two helicopters zoomed through the starlit sky before producing spotlights over a Las Vegas desert and frontman Bono, who kneeled to the ground while singing the band’s 2004 hit “Vertigo”.
This scene may seem customary, but the visuals were created by floor-to-ceiling graphics inside the immersive Sphere. It was one of the several impressive moments during U2’s “UV Achtung Baby” residency launch show at the high-tech, globe-shaped venue, which opened for the first time Friday night.
The legendary rock band, which has won 22 Grammys, performed for two hours inside the massive, state-of-the-art spherical venue with crystal-clear audio. Throughout the night, there were a plethora of attractive visuals — including kaleidoscope images, a burning flag and Las Vegas’ skyline, taking the more than 18,000 attendees on U2’s epic musical journey.
“What a fancy pad,” said Bono, who was accompanied onstage with guitarists The Edge and Adam Clayton along with drummer Bram van den Berg. He then stared at the high-resolution LED screen that projected a larger version of himself along with a few praying hands and bells.
Bono then paid homage to the late Elvis Presley, who was a Las Vegas entertainment staple. The band has rocked in the city as far back as 1987 when they filmed the music video for “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” on the Strip during a tour in 1987.
“Look at all this stuff. … Elvis has definitely not left this building,” he continued. “It’s an Elvis chapel. It’s an Elvis cathedral. Tonight, the entry into this cathedral is a password: flirtation.”
U2 made their presence felt at the $2.3 billion Sphere, which stands 366-feet (111 meters) high and 516-feet (157 meters) wide. With superb visual effects, the band’s 25-show residency opened with a splash performing a slew of hits including “Mysterious Ways”, “Zoo Station”, “All I Want is You”, “Desire” and new single “Atomic City”.
On many occasions, the U2 band members were so large on screen that it felt like Bono intimately sang to the audience on one side while The Edge strummed his guitar to others on a different side.
The crowd included many entertainers and athletes: Oprah, LeBron James, Matt Damon, Andre Agassi, Ava DuVernay, Josh Duhamel, Jason Bateman, Jon Hamm, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Oscar de la Hoya, Henrik Lundqvist, Flava Flav, Diplo, Dakota Fanning, Orlando Bloom and Mario Lopez.
After wrapping up The Beatles’ jam “Love Me Do”, Bono recognized Paul McCartney, who was in attendance, saying “Macca is in the house tonight.” He acknowledged Sphere owner James Dolan’s efforts for spearheading a venue that’s pushing forward the live concert audio landscape with 160,000 high-quality speakers and 260 million video pixels.
The Sphere is the brainchild of Dolan, the executive chair of Madison Square Garden and owner of the New York Knicks and Rangers. He sketched the first drawing of the venue on notebook paper.
“I’m thinking that the Sphere may have come into existence because of Jim Dolan trying to solve the problem that The Beatles started when they played Shea Stadium,” Bono said. “Nobody could hear you. You couldn’t hear yourselves. Well, the Sphere’s here. … Can you hear us?”
The U2 frontman pointed into the crowd and shouted out Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Jimmy Iovine. At one point he became emotional when he dedicated a song to the late Jimmy Buffett’s family, who were also in attendance.
Afterward Bono spoke about performing onstage for the first time without drummer Larry Mullen Jr., who is recovering from back surgery. He acknowledged Dutch drummer Bram van den Berg’s birthday and him filling in for Mullen.
“I would like to introduce you to the only man who could stand, well, sit in his shoes,” said Bono, who walked toward Berg as some in the crowd began to sing “Happy Birthday.” He handed the microphone to Berg, who offered a few words.
“Let there be no mistake, there is only one Larry Mullen Jr,” Berg said.
As U2 wrapped up the show, a bright light shined from the ceiling and the massive screen began to fill with images of birds, insects and reptiles above a lake. The band closed its first Sphere concert with “Beautiful Day”, which won three Grammys in 2001.
Multi-instrumentalist and electronic producer Magic Pills has released a deep house spin on U2’s 2013 track, “Ordinary Love.”
Almost 10 years have passed since the original’s release as part of the iconic soundtrack of Nelson Mandela’s biographical drama, Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, so Magic Pills reimagined it with dance elements to honor the anniversary.
He takes the rock song to new heights, replacing the original guitar melody with a more brisk, driving rhythm and funky riffs. The upbeat, deep house result reflects the song’s emotive message.
“In the case of U2, it was very important to save the energy that Bono invested in lyrics, but at the same time I wanted to make it deeper,” Magic Pills said in a statement. “Listening to the chorus, where Bono sings, ‘We can’t deal with ordinary love,’ and being an idealist, I thought that even the most ordinary love can be surpassed if desired.”
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Listen to Magic Pills’ remix of “Ordinary Love” below.
President Biden welcomed the 2022 Kennedy Center honorees at the White House on Sunday as he highlighted the importance of protecting democracy.
This year’s Kennedy Center honorees are George Clooney, Amy Grant, Gladys Knight, composer Tania Leon, and U2. The Kennedy Center Honors will be broadcast on CBS on Dec. 28 at 8 p.m. ET. The Kennedy Center honors a select group of people every year for their artistic influences on American culture.
Mr. Biden called the reception a “fitting way to cap the week” that included first lady Jill Biden unveiling the White House holiday decorations that had the theme of “We the People.”
“U2 has spoken and sung about the unspeakable costs of hate and anger and division,” Mr. Biden said. “The pain, the suffering, the denial of freedom, the senseless loss of life and the inhumanity we inflict on one another as nations, as people, and in our own lives. All flowing from division, that for all of us, its physical manifestations lie first and foremost in our hearts.”
Mr. Biden, noting his love of Irish poets, called U2 “four sons of Ireland, poets in their own right” whose music “has changed the world.”
“We would do well to remember today at a moment when there’s too much hate, too much anger, too much division here in America, and quite frankly, around the world,” Mr. Biden said. “We have to remember today, as their song goes: ‘We are one but we’re not the same. We get to carry each other.’”
President Joe Biden stands on stage with 2022 Kennedy Center Honorees Amy Grant, Bono and The Edge, and Gladys Knight during the Kennedy Center honorees reception at the White House in Washington, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022.
Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP
Mr. Biden also highlighted Clooney’s on-camera work and off-screen charity endeavors, from helping 9/11 victims’ families to supporting a gun control campaign led by the survivors of the Parkland school shooting.
“He is unrelenting and undaunted,” Biden said. “That is character in real life. And that is George Clooney.”
Biden hailed Grant’s voice as “a true gift from God that she shares with everyone,” thanked León for ‘breathing new sounds into the soul of the nation,” and said he has all of Knight’s songs on his iPhone.
“We’re going to get on that midnight train,” Biden said of Knight. “Because I speak for all Americans when I say we we’d rather live in your world than be without you in ours.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her husband, Paul Pelosi, attended the ceremony at the Kennedy Center. Paul Pelosi, who is recovering after being allegedly assaulted in October by a hammer-wielding intruder, wore a black hat. According to the pool, Mr. Biden pumped a fist in the air when he saw Paul Pelosi.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and husband Paul Pelosi attend the 45th Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on December 4, 2022.
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
The 61-year-old Clooney has television credits going back into the late 1970s but became a household name with the role of Doug Ross on the television show “ER.”
From there he starred in movies such as “Three Kings,” “Ocean’s Eleven” (and “Twelve” and “Thirteen”), “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” and his most recent film, “Ticket to Paradise.” He also has extensive directing and producing credits including “Good Night, and Good Luck.” He and his wife, humanitarian rights lawyer Amal Clooney, created the Clooney Foundation for Justice, and he’s produced telethons to raise money for various causes.
Knight, 78, said in a statement that she was “humbled beyond words” at receiving the Kennedy honor. The Georgia-born Knight began singing gospel music at the age of 4 and went on to a career that has spanned decades.
Knight and family members started a band that would later be known as Gladys Knight & The Pips and produced their first album in 1960 when Knight was just 16. Since then she’s recorded dozens of albums with such classic hits as “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and “Midnight Train to Georgia.” Along the way she’s acted in television shows and movies. When Knight and the band were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Mariah Carey described Knight as “a textbook you learn from.”
U2′s strong connection to America goes back decades. They performed in Washington during their first trip to America in 1980. In a statement the band — made up of Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. — said they originally came to America with big dreams “fueled in part by the commonly held belief at home that America smiles on Ireland.”
“And it turned out to be true, yet again,” read the statement. “It has been a four-decade love affair with the country and its people, its artists, and culture.”
U2 has sold 170 million albums and been honored with 22 Grammys. The band’s epic singles include “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” “Pride (In the Name of Love)” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” Lead singer Bono has also become known for his philanthropic work to eradicate poverty and to raise awareness about AIDS.
Grant is well known for crossover pop hits like “Baby, Baby,” “Every Heartbeat” and “That’s What Love is For.” She’s sold more than 30 million albums, including her 1991 record “Heart in Motion,” which introduced her to a larger pop audience.
León said during an interview when the honorees were announced that she wasn’t expecting “anything spectacular” when the Kennedy Center initially reached out to her. After all, she’s worked with the Kennedy Center numerous times over the years going back to 1980, when she was commissioned to compose music for a play.
But the 79-year-old Pulitzer Prize winner said she was stunned to learn that this time the ceremony was going to be for her.
León left Cuba as a refugee in 1967 and eventually settled in New York City. She’s a founding member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem and instituted the Brooklyn Philharmonic Community Concert Series.
In this episode of “Person to Person with Norah O’Donnell,” O’Donnell travels to Dublin to talk to U2 frontman Bono about his new book “Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story.” Bono opens up about how the Irish rock band stayed together for decades, his relationship with his father, and going to therapy. Ali Hewson, Bono’s wife of 40 years, also sits down with O’Donnell for a rare interview about their relationship.
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In more than four decades as U2’s frontman, Bono has been leading one of the world’s biggest rock bands across the world’s biggest stages. But this stage (if you can call it that), in the schoolyard at Mount Temple Comprehensive in North Dublin, would be their first.
Mounting the stage with “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell, Bono recalled, “Yeah, I mean, most people were looking the other way, if they had ears. But wow, did it feel good to be here!”
U2 frontman Bono, with CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell, on the North Dublin school stage where he and his bandmates first performed.
CBS News
It was 1978. The boys who weren’t quite yet on their way to superstardom – Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr., and Adam Clayton – were called The Hype. The name didn’t stick, but Bono already had the vague sense they might live up to it.
O’Donnell asked, “Do you remember that feeling of being on stage here?”
“I remember this feeling of, ‘I can do this,’” he said. “It’s the thing. It’s when you find the thing.”
Born Paul David Hewson, he was dubbed Bono by his childhood best friend, and he found “the thing” early on.
Early days for The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr., Bono and Adam Clayton.
Patrick Brocklebank/U2
It wasn’t obvious, even to his high school music teacher. “I remember one moment where he says, ‘I’m going to get you people who can play an instrument to write a piece of music,’” Bono said.
“But you didn’t know how to play an instrument?”
“No, so I was in a different part of the class. But I remember that feeling, you know, because I knew I could do this. I know I don’t know how to play an instrument, sir! But I have these melodies in my head, and I have words and I have things I want to say.”
U2 formed after 14-year-old Larry Mullen Jr. posted an ad on a school bulletin board: “Drummer seeks musicians to form band.”
Knopf
“How casually our destiny arrives,” Bono writes in his new memoir, “Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story,” published this Tuesday by Knopf.
The idea of how the band started was “preposterous,” he said, “but there was magic, you know, that’s all we had. And of course, there was a desperation to make something of our lives.”
“In those early days of the band, did any of you have an idea of superstardom?”
“That would be me!” he laughed. “It’s so embarrassing! Trying to break it down sometimes when I look at the absurdity of my life …. We own some kind of feeling. We own our own tone. So, there’s something there.”
With that tone – that singular sound – U2 rose to the height of success – the only band in history with #1 albums on the Billboard 200 in four consecutive decades, starting in the 1980s with “The Joshua Tree.”
U2 performs “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” from “The Joshua Tree”:
They’ve sold an estimated 170 million albums and won 22 Grammys – more than any other band.
It was a long way from Cedarwood Road, where Bono grew up. While we visited with the family that lives in his childhood home (“It’s never our place, it’s always, ‘Was that Bono’s house?’” laughed Mrs. Ryan), a crowd gathered outside to see the local boy who made good.
Bono pays a visit to his old neighborhood, at Cedarwood Road in Dublin.
CBS News
As part of our tour of Bono’s Dublin, we stopped for a pint at Finnegan’s of Dalkey for a rare interview with Bono’s wife of 40 years, Ali Hewson.
O’Donnell asked, “So, you call him Bono? Not Paul?”
“Pretty much – I call him a lot things!” Ali laughed.
“And Paul is not one of them!” Bono added.
Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson.
CBS News
They started dating the same week U2 became a band, and she’s inspired some of their biggest hits.
Blue-eyed boy meets a brown-eyed girl Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing You can sew it up, but you still see the tear Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing Baby’s got blue skies up ahead And in this I’m a rain cloud Oh this is a stormy kind of love Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing
When asked what she thought reading “Surrender,” Ali replied, “I was very nervous about what was going to go in that book. But I think he’s an incredible writer. It just seems to be anything he turns his hand to, he can do, which is very annoying most of the time!”
O’Donnell asked, “Which one of you first saw what U2 might become?”
“I don’t think either of us really saw it,” Ali said. “I mean, there was a huge amount of confidence when you’re a teenager, I suppose.”
“Front is another word for that,” Bono said. “Frontman. Yeah. Probably more front than substance … and faith.”
Faith not only in himself, and not only his band.
“You talk about faith a lot; are you religious?” O’Donnell asked.
“I don’t know. I’m like a stray dog. I go to a Catholic church. I’d be in a synagogue. If somebody said right now here, ‘Would you give your life to Jesus?’ I’d be, ‘Me!’ And I’m not one of those that turns over the picture of the pope before they do anything funky. I take God with me wherever I’m going. And so, God has seen me in a bit of a state, I’m sure.”
Singer and activist Bono.
CBS News
Early on, U2’s involvement in a Christian group led to questioning whether they could be a band and be believers. Bono said, “What purpose can music – what’s the purpose? The world is, you know, in flames. What are we doing here? At that moment Edge started work on a song called ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday.’ And that’s what unlocked it for him. And that kind of unlocked it for us, because we realized that our songs can speak into a situation and perhaps be useful.”
And the battle’s just begun There’s many lost, but tell me who has won? The trenches dug within our hearts And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart Sunday, Bloody Sunday Sunday, Bloody Sunday How long, how long must we sing this song? How long? How long?
“Sunday Bloody Sunday” was a condemnation of the bloodshed in Ireland at the time. And, Bono said, although it was tested, they didn’t lose their faith. “It’s not like, ‘Oh, we’ve grown up out of that, that was a bit mad.’ It was a bit mad. But actually, the scriptures, the sacred texts are still very important to me and very important to the band.”
Which might explain his decades’ long fight against poverty, his meetings with popes and presidents, lobbying heads of state around the world, much of it through the work of his organization, One. “Our motivation is very much justice,” he said. “We cancelled $130 billion worth of debt. An extra 54 million children went to school. That’s a big thing in my life. Particularly with fighting AIDS, that, for me, outside of my family, our music, is the thing that I’m most proud of in my life, even as a tiny part, a catalyst.”
Whether it’s music, or politics or activism, for Bono the frontman it comes down to the same thing: “In anything, I was always looking for the top line melody.”
“Describe what you mean when you say top line melodies?” asked O’Donnell.
“It’s the thing in the room that rises above the noise and the chatter,” he said. “That’s my job. I’m a songwriter. I’m looking for the clear thought in most things that I do. But the best stories win. The best melodies are the ones that you hear around the corner and you go, ‘What’s that?’ Top line melody.”
O’Donnell said, “I mean, we got to end there, I mean that – “
“For f***’s sake.”
“For f***’s sake. That’s so good. Don’t use me saying that!”
