EBAY U2 PHOTO AUCTION TO BENEFIT AFRICAN WELL FUND

Source: African Well Fund, April 12, 2006

The African Well Fund is excited to announce a benefit photo auction entitled PHOTOS4 // BBW4. Beginning April 17th, U2 fans will have the opportunity to bid on U2 concert photos donated by some very talented U2 fan photographers. The auction runs through April 24th and all proceeds will be donated to the 4th Annual Build a Well for Bono's Birthday fundraising drive.

The participating photographers are well known in the U2 fan community for their outstanding work. Ten photographers have donated over 90 photos for the auction. The prints available include concert shots from ZooTV through Vertigo. The prints range in size from 4 x 6 to 20 x 30. Beginning 9:00 a.m. EST on April 17th all photos available for bid may be viewed on African Well Fund's MissionFish auction page. Visit our website for the direct link. The auction ends on Monday April 24th at 9:00 a.m. EST.

All the participating photographers donated the prints for the auction, enabling 100% of the winning auction bids to go directly to the Bono Birthday Well Fundraising drive. This year marks the 4th time that African Well Fund has asked the U2 fan community to donate in honor of Bono's Birthday. Donations from the previous 3 fundraisers totaled more than $50,000 and were used to fund water projects in Uganda, Ethiopia and Angola. This year the funds raised will be used for a project in Zimbabwe. Donations may be made by visiting our website HERE. 

The African Well Fund is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization that was founded in 2002 by a group of U2 fans. Since that time, AWF has raised more than $145,000, which has been used to fund more than 40 clean water projects in sub-Saharan Africa. All donations to the African Well Fund go directly to Africare, one of the leading private, non-profit, charitable organizations assisting Africa. The African Well Fund was founded to focus on one achievable goal: providing access to clean water to everyone in Africa. The African Well Fund believes that access to water is not merely a basic human need but a basic human right.

Ali Hewson in Vanity Fair

Source: @U2, April 12, 2006

Vanity Fair magazine is launching a "Green Issue," designed to focus on reporting on the pressing environmental issues of the day (and most assuredly the celebrities that are vocal about them). The inaugural issue hit newstands this week, and includes a spread of environmental activists, including a photo and the following description of Ali Hewson: "Ali Hewson, the driving force behind Edun Apparel (which she started last year with her husband, Bono, and New York designer Rogan Gregory), for bridging the worlds of fashion, environmentalism, and human rights by using organic products, paying workers a fair wage, and making sure workers are treated humanely." Pick it up on newsstands today.

Bono to speak at Michigan club's dinner

Source: AP, April 5, 2006

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) Bono, the lead singer of U2, has agreed to speak at the annual dinner of The Economic Club of Grand Rapids, the organization's executive director said.

Lorna Schultz confirmed Wednesday that the Irish rock band's frontman had accepted the club's invitation to the dinner, which will be held May 4 at the DeVos Place convention center.

"We're thrilled that he's accepted our invitation and we look forward to him on May 4," she said. The dinner will be open only to club members and their guests.

Schultz said her organization was still working with Bono's representatives on a topic for his speech.

Bono is among 191 nominees, including politicians and peacemakers, for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. The singer was proposed for his fight against world poverty.

Past speakers for the annual dinner include F.W. DeKlerk, former president of South Africa, and John Major, former prime minister of Great Britain.

Rock Star Bono Says Berlusconi 'Exploited' Him in Election Ad

Bloomberg, April 02, 2006

Rock star Bono wrote an open letter to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi saying he felt "exploited" by his inclusion in an electoral booklet boasting of Italy's aid to poorer countries.

The leader of the band U2, an active campaigner for the cancellation of debt in the world's poorest countries, featured in a book entitled The True Italian story: Behind the scenes of the Berlusconi government, published by Berlusconi's Forza Italia party and distributed to about 10 million households ahead of April 9-10 national elections.

"Mr. Berlusconi, regardless of how flattered I may feel to be included in your brochure, I also feel a bit exploited," Bono wrote in a letter published today on the front-page of Corriere della Sera, Italy's biggest-selling newspaper. "Tragically, in the past years under this government, Italy has become the last among the 22 richest nations in terms of spending toward aid to the Third World."

On page 79 of the 160-page booklet, under the heading "Rock and Politics," there is a picture of Bono on the telephone sporting a cowboy hat accompanied by a caption saying: "The singer is grateful to the premier for the government's actions to promote the poorest countries."

This isn't the first time Bono has expressed skepticism about Berlusconi's commitment to debt cancellation. In a December question-and-answer session with students at a U.S. university, Bono quipped how he had "some difficulty meeting with Berlusconi." Putting on a playful Italian accent, he added, "They don't like me."

© Bloomberg, 2006.

I'm a Beckett Fan, Says Rocker Bono

Source: Press Association, March 29, 2006

U2 frontman Bono has revealed he is a fan of Samuel Beckett, as he kicked off a series of events marking the centenary of the Irish playwright's birth.

At the international launch of the Beckett Centenary Festival in Dublin Castle, Bono said he had read many of the renowned writer's plays.

"I've read most of his works, I'm a fan. I don't know what he's on about half the time but I have enjoyed not knowing," he laughed.

"He blew my mind, that is all I can say. He shrank language, minimalist, all that stuff. It is great that he's Irish."

Bono, who was wearing his trademark shades, revealed that he gave the playwright a copy of U2's album The Unforgettable Fire in 1985.

But he joked that the writer might never have found time to listen to it.

"I gave it to him, I'm not sure he ever listened to it, but that is my connection. I am very proud he had a copy of The Unforgettable Fire," he said.

The singer said the works of the playwright were not as important to people as they should be.

"He was always kept apart as something aloof, something you didn't understand, something you had to take too, too, too seriously," he said. "And in fact Beckett was having a laugh a lot of the time."

Events held as part of the festival will include the staging of Beckett's plays, poetry and prose readings, film screenings, television and radio productions, a touring exhibit in public libraries and visual arts exhibitions.

© Press Association, 2006.

Looks Like November

Source: U2.com, March 14, 2006

Bono has told Australian TV that U2 will be back in the country in November to reschedule postponed shows. There’s no specific dates yet but the band are hoping to make an announcement very soon.

Speaking to ABC’s ‘Enough Rope’ on Monday evening, Bono said that he didn’t want to leave Australia without confirming that the band are aiming to get back on the road later in the year. Last week the March and April dates were postponed because of the illness of a family member of one of the band.

‘I can't really get into details why,’ Bono told presenter Andrew Denton. ‘There was a lot of distress and angst and (the) good news is ... I can announce tonight we are coming back, looks like November and that's a great relief for me.’

Bono said it was hard to describe how bad the band felt about postponing the dates – something U2 have only ever done once before - and praised fans for their generous reaction to the sudden news.

'Our music does come out of (a) very tight community,' he said. 'So if one of us is going through it we're all going through it.'

He promised that the rescheduled shows would be something special. ‘It will be the only time, you know, we get a chance to play these songs for a long time, it will be extraordinary.’

Catch a clip of Bono's TV interview here. 

Bono's Sydney Sojourn

Source: Sydney Morning Herald, Christine Sams, March 12, 2006

It was Bono's lazy Sydney afternoon.

The rock superstar took advantage of one of the city's most exclusive harbourside homes to play dad with a brood of children, although the balcony wasn't an ideal playground.

Dressed in his trademark sunglasses at 1 p.m., he spent a quiet day yesterday relaxing with his family.

Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson, have rented the luxurious harbourside mansion Altona for a family holiday.

And having enjoyed the delights of the harbour last week, the singer spent much of his time indoors yesterday, still taking stock of the shock postponement of U2's Australian tour.

Bono had arrived in Sydney for a short break ahead of concert performances scheduled for New Zealand, Australia and then Japan.

But the sudden postponement of the tour last week has left the U2 camp reeling -- let alone the tens of thousands of fans who had bought tickets.

It is believed the decision was taken because the band's guitarist, the Edge, has a seriously ill child.

U2 is yet to confirm speculation about which band member was unable to complete the tour. The two Sydney shows, scheduled for March 31 and April 1, may go ahead later in the year.

Bono and Ali enjoyed the luxury of Altona with their sons Elijah, 6, and John, 4. His daughters Eve, 14, and Jordan, 16, are also believed to be in Australia.

The family were visited by friends with young children. Bono's children played near the pool and boathouse, even jumping on a trampoline, as their mother kept a watchful eye.

Although the singer was relaxing, he is expected to explain some of the personal reasons behind the U2 postponement when he gives an interview to ABC presenter Andrew Denton tomorrow night.

An ABC spokeswoman confirmed the interview was due to be recorded this weekend, but without a studio audience.

At this stage, the band plans to honour the Vertigo tour commitment, but management has remained tight-lipped about timing.

Late yesterday, Bono and his Australian promoter Michael Coppel emerged from Altona before Mr. Coppel announced the future of the Vertigo tour would be revealed on Tuesday.

Fair Trading Minister Diane Beamer advised U2 ticketholders: "Hang on to your tickets. However, if you do want your money back, then, in the first instance, you should go back to the seller."

A spokesman for eBay, Daniel Feiler, said fans who bought their tickets on the auction site should also go back to the seller for a refund.

The site also has buyer consumer protection policies that cover items valued up to $1,500.

The promoters have contacted the major airlines to waive fees for fans who made non-refundable airline and accommodation bookings. Qantas and Virgin Blue passengers who want to transfer fares should contact the airlines by tomorrow.

When the tickets went on sale the shows were an instant sell-out.

But many fans were still coming to grips with the postponement yesterday, with web site messages expressing concern for the Edge and his family.

Bono is expected to remain in Sydney for at least the next few days.

Despite his role as a political lobbyist -- away from his rockstar duties -- he is yet to arrange a meeting with Prime Minister John Howard.

©Sydney Morning Herald, 2006.

U2 pull tour

Dates postponed due to illness of 'an immediate family member'

Source: NME.com

U2 have postponed their upcoming Australasian tour due to the illness of "an immediate family member".

The sold-out shows - the band's first visit to Australia and New Zealand since their Popmart Tour in 1998 - were to begin in Auckland on March 17, but fans have now been asked to "stay tuned for more information". Shows in Japan and Hawaii have also been put on hold.

As previously reported on NME.COM, over 120,000 tickets to the band's Vertigo 06 tour were snapped up in just under six hours when the first dates of the tour were announced last December.

In a joint statement from promoters TNA International and Michael Coppel Presents today (March 9), TNA President Arthur Fogel said it was not an easy choice to make for the recent Grammy Award winners.

"Any fan of U2 will realise that this decision has not been taken lightly," the statement reads. "(It was) unavoidable due to the illness of an immediate family member of one of the band. We will announce further details as soon as we have them."

The shows affected are:

Auckland Ericcson Stadium (March 17-18)

Brisbane Queensland Sports & Athletics Centre (21)

Melbourne Telstra Dome (24 & 25)

Adelaide AAMI Stadium (28)

Sydney Telstra Stadium (31 & April 1)

Yokohama Nissan Stadium (4)

Honolulu Aloha Stadium (8)

Music Rising T-Shirts Available at U2.com

Source: U2.com

A new Music Rising T-shirt is now available in the U2.Com Shop. Each sale will raise funds to replace instruments lost by musicians on the Gulf Coast after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

It's the same T-shirt that Edge was wearing when the band played at the Grammy Awards last month and it's been produced to boost the fund-raising for the Music Rising charity which Edge launched late last year.

The idea behind Music Rising is simple explains Edge: 'To put instruments back into the hands of musicians and try to give them the first step toward regenerating the music scene that surrounds New Orleans and the whole Gulf Coast.'

Check out the very cool T-shirt here. 

Presidents, Poets and Pop Stars

Source: U2.com, February 27, 2006

Two special awards ceremonies happened Sunday, ahead of the show in Santiago. Chilean President Ricardo Lagos told Bono he should learn to play the ‘charango’ on awarding him the ‘Pablo Neruda Artistic and Cultural Merit Medal’ while later in the day President-elect Michelle Bachelet presented the band with Amnesty International's ‘Ambassadors of Conscience’ award. Edge took up the challenge and played the charango in the show.

When Bono received the Pablo Neruda Medal from President Ricardo Lagos at La Moneda presidential palace yesterday afternoon, he also gave him a gift of a traditional Andean instrument known as the ‘charango’.

‘When we were talking before, Bono told me that one must study throughout one's life,’ said the President. ‘So for his next concert here, I hope he's learned how to play the charango.’

Edge of course is a quick learner: a few hours later and he was playing the same charango onstage in front of 80,000 Chileans as the band performed an acoustic version of Mothers of the Disappeared, a song they wrote for the ‘disappeared’ victims of torture under the regime of the dictator Augusto Pinochet.

The arts medal, which followed a citation by the Minister for Culture Jose Weinstein, is named after late Chilean Nobel Prize laureate Pablo Neruda, someone Bono has long been an admirer of.

‘He moved me very much,’ said Bono, who described him as a ‘complex poet’ who taught him that the rhyme for poverty is not charity but justice.

It was ‘extraordinary’, he added, ‘to be back in Chile after eight years and see how much it has changed.’ Later that night, onstage, he picked up the theme, eight years to the month since the band were last in the country, remarking that ‘the world can see that Chile is on a journey towards greater equality.’

Just before the show and another President, this time President-elect, Michelle Bachelet, the country’s first women leader, was backstage at the Estadio Nacional to present Amnesty International's ‘Ambassadors of Conscience’ award to the band and Paul McGuinness.

‘You are a reminder to all of us that the world is not changed only by politicians and governments,’ said the President Elect, who was herself a political prisoner in the 1970s. ‘The world is changed by all of us.'

Amnesty said it was recognition for a band who have for so long been using their music and celebrity to champion human rights causes.

Responding to the award, Edge pointed out that the band remain selective about their charity work but ‘have been behind Amnesty International for 25 years.’ Today, he said, they were seeing ‘a miracle of change in your country’, human rights is now on the agenda and ‘Amnesty has been part of the revolution in Chile.’

And there was another step to take, added Bono: ‘There are still people in this country that are silent and they are sick with their secrets...And I would just say to them, this is the moment, the beginning of the new Chile to set yourself free from those secrets and come forward.’

The show itself was incredibly moving, summing up the way that Chile has embraced the band. When the opening chords of Mothers of the Disappeared broke into the night air, the response was spine-tingling.

‘In the wind we hear their laughter

In the rain we see their tears.

Hear their heartbeat,

we hear their heartbeat.’

Paul McGuinness, who has seen more U2 shows than anyone, called it ‘one of the very best - the band were on top form and the crowd outstanding.’

Bono visited the Chilean Embassy in Dublin a while back in a precursor to this Award ceremony. If you are a U2.Com Subscriber you can check out this archived news story, along with thousands of others, here.  More on the Amnesty Award here.

Johansson: 'Bono is Everlasting Coolness'

Contact Music, February 27, 2006

Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson has hailed U2 rocker Bono as a genius for coming up with the idea for the new Red campaign, which will raise money for causes in Africa.

The Lost in Translation actress and face of the innovative charity label insists she was blown away with the idea, and couldn't believe her luck when he asked her to take part in the Global Fund.

She says, "I met Bono a few years ago. I had a friend who was working for him, and when U2 came to play in New York, I asked if I could get tickets.

"I met him at the after-show dinner, and he was hilarious -- and very mischievous.

"I was surprised at how available he was after seeing him so God-like on stage. After doing this amazing show, he came and talked to us about all the things he was doing, in particular the Global Fund.

"So when he called me and asked me to do this shoot, it sounded too good to be true.

"The whole project is unbelievable: when he told me about the (dedicated Red) American Express card, I thought, 'How did he manage to make that happen?'

"He is a symbol of everlasting coolness."

© Contact Music, 2006.

Amnesty International Award for U2

Press Association, February 26, 2006

Irish rock legends U2 have added another award to their collection as they were named Amnesty International Ambassadors of Conscience for 2005 at a ceremony in Chile.

The iconic band, fronted by debt relief campaigner Bono, were given the honour by Chilean President-elect Michelle Bachelet in the National Stadium in Santiago de Chile.

U2 chose the venue in a poignant reminder of those killed following a coup led by General Augusto Pinochet in 1973 as the stadium was turned into a place of detention, torture and death.

Irene Khan, Amnesty International's secretary general, said U2's efforts to highlight human rights abuses had been unwavering.

"Their leadership in linking music to the struggle for human rights and human dignity worldwide has been ground-breaking and unwavering," she said.

"They have inspired and empowered millions with their music and by speaking out on behalf of the poor, the powerless and the oppressed."

The Ambassador of Conscience Award, inspired by a poem written for Amnesty by Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney, aims to promote the work of Amnesty by association with the life, work and example of its Ambassadors.

Other previous winners include the first president of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel, and former Irish President and U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson.

U2 were also praised for their efforts to promote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which has featured prominently at all U2 concerts on their current Vertigo World Tour.

© Press Association, 2006.

Carnival!

Source: U2.com, February 24, 2006

Edge, Larry and Bono showed up for Carnival, celebrated by millions of Brazilians in Salvador yesterday.

Edge was first on the scene, arriving during a performance from Ivete Sangalo, the biggest selling recording artist in the country. Bono was hard on his heels, greeted by the Culture Minister of Brazil, Gilberto Gil, and his wife Flora.

Ivete was singing a track called Vertigo, and seeing as Bono happened to know the words, he joined in…to the unrestrained delight of the huge crowds.

When Larry arrived, the reception was also massive. 'The Brazilians are very generous,' he said. 'They sure know how to throw a good party.'

As the band watched the party a number of trucks passed by from which local artists performed U2 songs in celebration of the special guests.

At one stage the mic was thrown to Bono who performed an impromptu version of Bob Marley's No Woman No Cry. A delighted crowd broke into loud chants of ‘U2, U2, U2’.

Carnival is a traditional period of partying that begins today and ends on Ash Wednesday next week.

End poverty, respect rights, Bono urges Brazil fans

Source: Reuters, Angus MacSwan, February 21, 2006

SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) - Irish rock group U2 gave a lesson in human rights and urged Brazilians to help end poverty in their country in a spectacular concert on Monday night at a Sao Paulo soccer stadium.

About 70,000 fans packed the Morumbi Stadium for the eagerly awaited show and the band delivered with a two-hour performance that mixed hard-edged rock with high emotion.

In a sequence of songs, lead singer Bono brought a political message to the crowd of mostly middle-class and wealthy Brazilians.

During "Miss Sarajevo," a song inspired by the Balkan Wars of the 1990s, clauses of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights were scrolled down in Portuguese on the huge digital screen behind the band.

They then launched into "Pride," their tribute to Martin Luther King, the slain U.S. civil rights champion of the 1960s.

Bono told the crowd: "Martin Luther King didn't just have an American dream, but an Irish dream, a Latin American dream ... sing for Peru, for Chile, for Argentina, for Brazil."

The screen then lit up with a display of the flags of all Latin American nations.

At the show's pre-encore climax with the song "One," an appeal for peace, Bono spoke over the music saying: "I love Brazil, I love Carnival, because everyone crams together -- rich and poor, young and old, left and right. But to beat poverty, all of us have to work together, to act together."

Brazil suffers from a range of human rights problems from police brutality to sexual exploitation and has one of the biggest gaps between rich and poor in the world.

President Luiz Inacio Lula, a former factory worker whose grassroots support lies with the poor, has launched programs to wipe out poverty and hunger and has promised social reform in the country of 185 million people.

How much the message of peace and brotherhood got through was open to question. Mention of Argentina brought boos from the crowd. Some also jeered when pictures of Lula and U.S. President George W. Bush appeared on the screen.

Bono ended the show with the appeal: "Pobreza Zero" (Zero Poverty), and thanked Lula for his hospitality.

The singer, a high-profile social activist who has met frequently with world leaders to plead the case of disadvantaged nations, had flown to the capital Brasilia on Sunday to talk to Lula. He praised him then as a hero for his social stands.

Bono will donate a guitar for auction to benefit Lula's Zero Hunger campaign, which aims to give all Brazilians three meals a day, the government's Agencia Brasil agency said on Monday.

U2 will play a second show at Morumbi on Tuesday night before taking the "Vertigo" tour to Santiago, Chile, on February 26 and Buenos Aires on March 1 and 2.

Bono to donate guitar to Brazil hunger programme

Source: Ireland Online,  February 20, 2006

Rock star and activist Bono will donate one of his guitars to Brazil’s Zero Hunger campaign, Agencia Brasil, the government’s official news agency said today.

The guitar will be donated to the government after Bono’s February 20-21 concerts in Sao Paulo’s huge Morumbi soccer stadium. It will then be auctioned to collect funds for the programme aimed at ensuring that all Brazilians will have three meals a day by the end of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s term on December 31.

The presidential press office said it did not know when nor how the auction will take place.

In March 2005, American Lenny Kravitz donated one of the guitars used in his first Latin American tour. Its subsequent auction brought in £75,800 (€110,000).

The idea to donate a guitar emerged yesterday when Bono, on tour with U2, met with Silva at the Granja do Torto presidential resort, 20 miles from downtown Brasilia.

During that meeting, Silva talked about his government’s efforts to reduce hunger and develop renewable energy sources.

Silva’s government seeks to expand Brazil’s use of a biodiesel fuel based on sunflower, soybeans and seeds of tropical fruits.

© Thomas Crosbie Media, 2006.

U2 singer Bono meets with Brazil's President Lula

Source: Reuters, February 19, 2006

U2 back in Mexico after bodyguard beating

Source: Reuters February 15, 2006

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Irish rockers U2 perform at one of the world's most famous soccer stadiums on Wednesday on their first tour of Mexico since a rumpus eight years ago over the beating of one of their bodyguards.

Thousands of fans lined up outside the capital's Azteca Stadium, the only venue to have hosted the soccer World Cup final twice, before the concert.

Basking in glory after winning five Grammy awards last week, U2 will get a warm welcome at the concerts on Wednesday and Thursday.

"I don't know if they're here for the money or if they have forgiven us but the most important thing is that they are here. It doesn't matter why," said fan Fernando Sanchez, 40, outside the stadium.

U2's last tour of Mexico, in 1998, ended badly when a security guard working with the band was beaten with a pistol and hospitalized in an scuffle with the entourage of the son of then-President Ernesto Zedillo.

While Zedillo met the band in his residence and reputedly apologized, and although U2 frontman Bono says he held no grudge against the country, Mexico was noticeably absent from the band's North American tour in 2001.

The Azteca holds some 100,000 people for soccer games but its capacity has been cut to around 70,000 for the U2 gigs.

A fudged investigation into the death in Mexico of a friend of lead singer Bono, British singer Kirsty MacColl, added to speculation that U2 deliberately snubbed the country.

MacColl died in 2000 after being hit by a boat belonging to a Mexican supermarket magnate while swimming.

An employee of boat's owner was given a prison sentence, commuted to a fine, for manslaughter but MacColl's relatives want the businessman to be prosecuted.

At U2's weekend concert in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey, Bono dedicated the song "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" to MacColl, prompting President Vicente Fox's spokesman to say that the government was following the case.

Despite the long stage absence, Bono is a frequent visitor to Mexico and has described its beach resorts as his "refuge."

He is friends with Mexican actor Jaime Camil -- who appears in a 2005 film about a desperate attempt to bring U2 to play Mexico -- and with actress Salma Hayek, who participates in Bono's "One" campaign against global poverty and AIDS.

Hayek and Bono were photographed arm-in-arm outside the band's Mexico City hotel on Monday.

© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.

More From Grammy Night

Source: U2.com, February 10, 2006

Backstage news and cool shots from Grammy night. When Edge came offstage after his fret-blistering performance in the Hurricane Katrina tribute at the end of the show Grammy Night ’06 was still young!

'A big, big night for our band.'

Source: U2.com, February 8, 2006

What a night at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles as U2 take Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Rock Album, sweeping the board in all five categories in which they are nominated.

A year after the band won three awards for Vertigo, the first single from How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, tonight the album itself and the next two singles stole the show.

City of Blinding Lights won Best Rock Song while Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own took Best Vocal Rock Performance.

'I don't know what to say,' said Bono, on one of several trips to the stage. 'This is really a big, big night for our band.'

Edge said it was 'amazing' to be accepting the best rock album award. 'It means a hell of a lot to us. An even more precious gift than the awards is the gift that you've all afforded us to continue to make our music.'

The awards mean U2 have now won twenty-one Grammys but this was the first time since 1988 and The Joshua Tree that they have won Album of the Year.

'If you think this is gonna go to our head - too late,' Bono joked, after accepting the award for Song of the Year for Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own, which he dedicated to his late father Bob Hewson.

'How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb is an odd title for album,' he mused. 'We accept that. Actually I was talking about my father Bob. He was the atomic bomb in question. I wanna thank my father Bob for giving me the voice and a bit of attitude to use it ...'

Other winners included Maria Carey, Kanye West and John Legend who won three awards each, while Chemical Brothers also bagged a couple.

Adam took the opportunity to thank the producers of 'Bomb' and it was appropriate that Steve Lillywhite could join them on stage. Steve also went home with a prize - Producer (nonclassical) of the Year for his work on 'Bomb' and Jason Mraz's 'Mr. A-Z'

The 48th Annual Grammys are on tonight and U2 are nominated for 5 awards! The show starts at 8pm on CBS, make sure you check it out and cheer the boys on!