Brian Boyd, The Irish Times

BONO, AFTER a few impatient months spent recuperating from back surgery, has resumed tour duties - and is also back bending politicians' ears and arguing the case of Africa's poor and the continuing scourge of HIV and Aids on the continent.

In Russia this week for a U2 show, the now 50-year-old singer took the time to meet the Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev. Bono wasn't talking rock riffs with the music-loving leader: he was making the case for Russia to write off the money owed to it by poverty-stricken African countries, and explaining how 40 US cents a day could eliminate the transfer of HIV from mother to child by 2015.

Bono's humanitarian and advocacy work on behalf of the African continent has seen him nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize and awarded a knighthood in the British honours list. "Believe me, I know how absurd it is to have a rock star talk about the World Health Organisation or debt relief or HIV/Aids in Africa," he has said of his time strolling the corridors of power in his leather jacket and sunglasses.

Opening Act(s): OneRepublic

Setlist:

Return Of The Stingray Guitar, Beautiful Day - Rain, New Year's Day, Get On Your Boots, Magnificent, Mysterious Ways, Elevation, Until The End Of The World, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Every Breaking Wave, In A Little While, Miss Sarajevo, City Of Blinding Lights, Vertigo - Rock Me Amadeus, I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (Remix) - Discotheque, Sunday Bloody Sunday, MLK, Walk On - You'll Never Walk Alone. Encore(s): One, Amazing Grace - Where The Streets Have No Name, Ultra Violet (Light My Way), With Or Without You, Moment Of Surrender.

Remarks:

For the second time on the tour, "Every Breaking Wave" is performed live. Also, Bono announces during the concert that an attendance record for this stadium was broken at this show.

Well I like to not do the traditional posts that you will find on every site everywhere. I like to include what other musicians out there are doing as well..but this being a U2 fan site...obviously I must make it U2 based. So here you go. Another artist remade recently Pride (In the name of love). I am not a country fan. I went through the line dancing country phase of course. I do like this artist though. Dierks Bently. If you are a country fan I am sure you have heard of him. So here is the track...enjoy.

Hope everyone is doing well.
angela

For the first time in a decade, U2 failed to win a Grammy. What went wrong? Let's face it, NLOTH was not U2's greatest moment. I confess that I hardly ever listen to it because it...hurts. Yes, Bono's lyrics are still searching for the answer to the ultimate meaning of it all. But, in the past his lyrics have had a sense of hope and the music would carry you along to a higher plane. I think the lyrics and the music lack the ethereal quality of their previous albums. When I first heard the album, my first thought was that Bono needs Prozac. The songs Unknown Caller and Fez come across as self indulgent poetry. Now that I have pissed you off, dear readers, we will move on to my opinion about the rest of the Grammys.

Brian Eno won an award for his collaboration with David Byrne. They won in the category of "recording package." I'm not sure what that is, but kudoz to them.

U2 lost big time to Green Day. I was really looking forward to their performance, but instead I got a glee club performance. Green Day on Broadway? I thought they were way too cool for such a thing! Speaking of Broadway, will Spiderman ever see the light of day?

I was disappointed with the Michael Jackson tribute. I think it could have been so much more--longer for one. I was expecting hip hop and rocks brightest performing Jackson's greatest hits-not Celine Dion and Carrie Underwood. Slash was in the house so why not let him rock out to Thriller or Beat It?

I now understand Lady Gaga. She is the love child of Ziggy Stardust and Elton John. Yes, I realize that both Bowie and John are male, just go with it.

So that you don't think I am a total arse, I enjoyed Pink's trapeze performance. It was graceful and elegant.

Finally, Dave Mathews (I am a fan) demonstrated that his dancing is worse than all of the members of U2 put together. What started out as a nice love song quickly turned into a hoe down.

*dusts off cobwebs*

Awfully sorry it's been so long since I've written here. Life's been pretty busy the past few months. I will make an effort to try to post a bit more often...honestly.