by Jim Ryan, Contributor, Forbes Magazine

"I used to torture him. I really did," recalled U2 frontman Bono of his treatment of George H.W. Bush, only six days removed from the former President's death at the age of 94 on November 30.

He was referring of course to his antics during U2's early 90s Zoo TV tour, when he'd call the White House switchboard from the stage during each concert and ask to speak to the President, ultimately leaving him a message each night of the tour.

Bono went on to tell the story of a personal encounter he had with Bush in 2007, when the 41st President presented him with the Liberty Medal in Philadelphia, an opportunity he took to further harass the former Director of Central Intelligence. "I probably went a little far for the occasion," said Bono.

But Bush took the moment in stride.

"Grace and humor could get us out of a lot of trouble these days," said the singer in hindsight, looking back at the interaction.

It came at the end of an hour long conversation with Ariel Investments president and Economic Club of Chicago Chair, Mellody Hobson last Thursday at the Hilton Chicago. In conversation at the ECC dinner, Bono was asked what he's learned from a number of people and things including his fans, children, America and the former President.

For the third year in a row, Bono appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live in support of the (RED) Shopathon.

As co-founder of (RED) in the fight against AIDS, Bono shared a duet of the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" with Pharrell Williams and finished the show with an all-star singalong of "We're Going to Hell" with Jimmy, Kristen Bell, Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Brad Paisley, Zoe Saldana, and Chris Rock.

Bono also revealed in an interview with Kimmel that he will be writing a song with Lady Gaga for the winner of the (RED) fundraising contest.

Watch all of the video clips below.

U2 singer records Simon & Garfunkel track with Saint Sister and others for McVerry Trust

by Ed Power, The Irish Times

Bono took time out from preparing for U2's 3Arena show last Friday to contribute to a charity cover of Simon & Garfunkel's Homeward Bound that is now storming the Irish charts.

The Street Lights version of the 1966 single, in aid of the Peter McVerry Trust, Simon Community Ireland and Focus Ireland, was released at 9am today. By lunchtime it had soared to number two on iTunes.

Alongside the U2 singer it features Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody, Conor O'Brien of Villagers, Cathy Davey, Saint Sister and David Geraghty of Bell X1, with arrangements by Colm Mac Con Iomaire, formerly of The Frames, and backing vocals by the High Hopes Choir (whose members are former homeless people). The song was assembled at Camden Studios in Dublin by the producer the arranger Cian Boylan.

Bono delivered his line from his home in Dalkey, several hours before he took to the stage for the third of U2's four homecoming gigs.

"Musicians love Simon & Garfunkel,' says the Other Voices music producer Aoife Woodlock, who co-ordinated the project. "Gary Lightbody was one of the first people to say yes. He was on tour, so he did it remotely. Every one else did it in Dublin."

Opening Act(s): None

Setlist:

1. The Blackout
2. Lights of Home
3. I Will Follow
4. Gloria - Gloria (Van Morrison) - Gloria (Patti Smith)
5. Beautiful Day
6. Dirty Day
7. Zoo Station
8. The Fly
9. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
10. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
Intermission (Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me)
11. Elevation
12. Vertigo - The Jean Genie
13. Even Better Than the Real Thing (Fish Out of Water Mix)
14. Hall of Mirrors - So Long, Farewell - Acrobat
15. You're the Best Thing About Me (Acoustic)
16. Summer of Love (Acoustic)
17. Pride (In the Name of Love)
18. Get Out of Your Own Way
19. New Year's Day
20. Ode to Joy - City of Blinding Lights
Encore(s):
21. Women of the World - One - Invisible
22. Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way
23. 13 (There Is a Light) - The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)

Remarks:

U2 returned as promised to Berlin, Germany, to make up for the unfinished concert that took place on September 1, when Bono lost his voice 5 songs into the set. This concert marked the conclusion of the Experience + Innocence tour and also was an historic occasion for being the first time U2 opened and closed a leg of a tour in the same city (Berlin). Bono thanked the crowd after "Beautiful Day" saying: "Last time we stood here I could not sing that song, and you sang it for us. Thank you. Thank you for coming back." This final concert of the tour was also captured on film for a future video release as many cameras were in the arena tonight. When MacPhisto (Bono's alter ego) took the mic, he said right before "Acrobat": "MacPhisto is disappearing for a while. Remember Berlin, whenever you see a journalist being crushed or children being separated from their parents, whenever the lost or the lonely are washed up on borders that are closed, you'll find me. Where you see those many names, remember this, there's just one face attached to it -- it's my face." Spotted at the show was Brian Eno, long regarded as the 5th member of U2, especially during the production of "Achtung Baby" when they recorded in Berlin's own Hansa Ton Studios. The Experience + Innocence tour was remarkable for not including a single song from the Joshua Tree album, the first time this has ever occurred on any tour since the album's release in 1987. There were 40 total different songs performed on this tour, of which 14 were played at every concert, and featured songs from every U2 album except 2010's "No Line on the Horizon". The only song not performed or excerpted on the tour from U2's Experience + Innocence album was "The Little Things That Give You Away" (though it was performed in 2017 during U2's Joshua Tree 2017 tour 16 times). At the end of the concert, Bono said to the fans in Berlin: "We've been on the road for quite some time, just going on 40 years, and these last four years have been really something very special for us. We're going away now."