ELECTRIC BURMA

"Electric Burma" is a concert to celebrate the inspiring woman  Aung San Suu Kyi.On June 18, she will fly to Dublin where, for the first time in history, she will attend a concert in her honor outside Burma.

The concert will commence at 5 pm on June 18th, at the Bord Gais Energy Theater. Actors, musicians and dancers will travel to Dublin from across the globe to celebrate this inspiring woman. We want to share this moment in an intimate opera-house setting with the whole world.She will have received Amnesty International’s highest accolade, the Ambassador of Conscience Award.

 This concert is a celebration, but it is also an opportunity to echo Daw Suu’s message, which is also Amnesty International’s message, that human rights matter.

Bono is one of the stars present in the celebration together with: Damien Rice, Vanessa Redgrave,Bob Geldof, Riverdance,Angelique Kidjo and more acts.  

Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.ie

http://www.electricburma.com/

Aspiring young musicians get new rehearsal room

PIANO: Bill Whelan, composer and board member of Music Gereration tinkles the ivories with two Sligo students at the opening of the first rehearsal room in Sligo funded by Music Generation Sligo. Pictures by Brian Farrell

A fully equipped rehearsal room for aspiring young musicians has opened in Sligo town centre, thanks in part to the generosity of rock icons U2.
The facility is located at For—iges’ CRIB Youth Project and Health Cafe on Rockwood Parade in Sligo. It has been provided thanks to funding from U2 and the Ireland Funds – lead funders of Music Generation Sligo (MGS).Music Generation heavyweights including board member and composer/producer Bill Whelan and his colleague, Lyric FM presenter Ellen Cranitch travelled to Sligo for the official opening of one of five such rehearsal spaces planned for the county.
A similar facility has also just opened at the Coleman Centre, in Gurteen. Three others will open in Co. Sligo later this year.
Older children, including some with plans to form a band, as well as would be composers, will have access to state of the art facilities including a drum kit (with cymbals), acoustic, electric and bass guitars, guitar amp, and leads, digital piano, mic, stand and speakers at the CRIB.
“The positive benefits of playing and being part of music must not be under-estimated,” said Anne Marie Regan, For—iges’ Project leader in Sligo/Leitrim.
“Music forms a very important element of youth culture and whether it helps a young person through a tough time, or makes them feel part of something, it will build   confidence and make participants feel connected with their peers.”
The board members also visited Sandcastles Childcare Centre in Easkey, where dozens of tiny tots and their parents/guardians are availing of the Discovering Music programme.
“Music Generation’s donors – U2 and The Ireland Funds – and indeed the Board of Music Generation are delighted with the progress of Music Generation Sligo,” said Rosaleen Molly, National Director of Music Generation.
“The ambitious plans for the future of music education in the county are driven by Sligo Music Education Partnership’s commitment to quality and excellence.”
And Rosaleen also praised County Sligo VEC, Sligo County Council and other local partners for their pro-active investment in music education.
 ”We are thrilled to see how the programme is developing led by some of the county’s finest musicians under the superb direction of coordinator Jessica Fuller.
“Our shared vision is for every child and young person to have access to music education and undoubtedly, exciting times lie ahead for children and young people in County Sligo!”



http://sligoweekender.ie

Bono to appear on stage with Suu Kyi at concert

BONO will appear on stage with Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi when she attends a special concert in her honour in Dublin next month.

A theatrical celebration has been planned for Ms Suu Kyi in the Bord Gais Theatre in Dublin's docklands on June 18. Ms Suu Kyi will attend the event as part of a whistle-stop visit to Dublin.

While U2 will not appear as a band, Bono has not ruled out making a musical contribution on the evening, according to sources close to the group.

The singer campaigned for many years on behalf of Ms Suu Kyi (66) and prominently featured her 15 years of house arrest in Burma during the band's performances.

The visit is being organised by Amnesty International and Art for Amnesty founder Bill Shipsey has promised a "special event to mark the occasion".

Ms Suu Kyi will be presented with Amnesty International's most prestigious award -- Ambassador of Conscience -- at the concert.

http://www.independent.ie

When Bono Meets the Queen

Bono made a room full of celebrities cheer when he praised the Queen for speaking in Irish during her trip to the Republic last year.

The U2 singer, Joan Collins and Sir Paul McCartney paid tribute to the Queen as she attended a Diamond Jubilee celebration of the arts at the Royal Academy of Arts in central London.

Addressing the Queen, Bono said: “I wanted to take this opportunity to acknowledge the extraordinary magic that you made on your trip to Ireland last year.”

He joked: “And the Queen spoke Gaelic. I can't even speak Gaelic.”

The Queen also met choirmaster Gareth Malone, singer Jamie Cullum and his wife Sophie Dahl, and Sir Jonathan Ive — who was knighted at Buckingham Palace yesterday.





http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

U2 won the Billboard Music Award for Top Touring Artist 

http://www.billboard.com

Steve Jobs honored by presidents & celebrities in Webby Award tribute

Late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was memorialized by a number of notable people, including President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton and U2's Bono, on Monday in a tribute video at the 16th Annual Webby Awards.

Actors Justin Long , John Hodgman introduced the tribute during the awards show and Richard Dreyfuss honoured Steve  with an enigmatic speech prior to the video. The award show then played a short video in honor of Jobs that featured politicians, entertainers and even young students.

Rock musician Bono, who was a personal friend of Jobs, thanked him for "saving lives" with the RED campaign. The U2 singer spoke out in defense of Jobs' philanthropic efforts last year, citing his "invaluable" contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS.




Other people who honored Steve Jobs were President Barack Obama, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Filmmaker George Lucas ,Astronaut Buzz Aldrin scientist Vint Cerf, Seth Myers, Arianna Huffington, Sarah Silverman, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart also made appearances in the video.

http://www.appleinsider.com

"Bono approves of references to Bono"

A source at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre tells us the U2 front man caught “The Book of Mormon” there on Wednesday night and particularly enjoyed the tune, “I Am Africa.”  When Josh Gad, who plays Elder Arnold Cunningham sang the line, “Just like Bono, I am Africa!”, the rocker raised his hands over his head and enthusiastically clapped his appreciation.

The following night, revelers at the Lenox Lounge’s Thursday night House Party applauded Bono when he made a surprise appearance at the landmark Harlem club. The charismatic crooner belted out Cole Porter's "Night and Day" before heading over to the Great Night in Harlem benefit at the Apollo.  Although he said he might come back to the Lenox after the fundraiser, he ended up calling it an early night due to a Friday meeting in D.C. with President Obama. Tracy Jordan picked up the celebrity slack when he showed up later to hear Petawane perform with Fred McFarlane’s R&B revue.

http://www.nydailynews.com

U2 Tickets and Bono Guitar in Benefit

Sean Penn hosted   hosted a benefit for Haiti, which raised about $1.5 million on Friday night at the Cannes Film Festival.

The actor and activist hosted a starry affair attended by David Schwimmer, Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Diane Kruger, Jessica Chastain, Michelle Rodriguez, Ewan MacGregor, Gerald Butler and Penn's onetime gal pal Petra Nemcova, among others.

Two U2 VIP concert tickets  (I wonder when that will be???) and one of Bono's Gretsch guitars fetched 200,000 euros apiece, and three people shelled out $100,000 each to spend three days in Haiti with Penn.

http://www.people.com

Bono talks curbing hunger with NBC

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Singer Bono talks about the goal of lifting 50 million people out of poverty over the next decade. Bono also comments on the recent release of the Facebook IPO and how he's slated to become the richest musician because of it.

At the Global Food Summit in D.C. today, NBC's Andrea Mitchell interview U2 frontman Bono about efforts to curb hunger in Africa.
An excerpt:
You know, no one wants to see those extended bellies. No one wants to see children -- emaciated children. Hunger is a ridiculous thing. And we know what to do in order to fix it.  There's, you know, these whole new approaches to agriculture to increase productivity, etc. Etc.
But what's key about today's announcement is that the president of the United States is supporting African ideas on how to fix their problem. There are country-owned, country-devised plans in 30 African countries. And that's what it will take to get to that 50 million people taken out of -- out of hunger over the next decade.
So it's -- that's what's different.  It's partnership, it's not the old paternalism.  These are sort of horizontal relationships, not vertical ones.

Below is the entire transcript of the interview:

Bono addresses global leaders on hunger, agriculture and transparency at pre-G8 symposium

Directly from the ONE blog( By Malaka Gharib)

Amid a flurry of public officials, business and NGO leaders and African heads of state at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs‘ Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security, ONE had one of it’s own represented: our cofounder Bono.

Bono just finished up a speech which covered everything from global agriculture to foreign aid to transparency in the mining industry. In the context of the day’s events, his remarks were a call to action to everyone in the room, urging us to work together to help lift 50 million people out of poverty.

“The conversation has changed,” he said. “Aid is smarter. It’s finally dawning on most of us that the continent that contains the most poverty also contains the most wealth… Imagine a place bursting at the seams with gold, copper, oil… undeveloped arable land. Not to mention the human resources.”

Bono praised President Obama’s new alliance to promote agricultural growth in Africa, which was announced earlier today. “If the words of his speech are turned into bold action in partnership with the developing world and the private sector, then today was a real moment,” he said.

He did not shy away from acknowledging the harsh economic realities that many governments face today, bringing up the EU’s 0.7 percent ODA target, which is currently under threat. He also said that international development, like music, can be subject to the whims of fashion. “Hunger was boring, even unsexy, in some quarters,” he said. “But it’s not boring if you live in the Sahel right now.”

It was an inspiring speech overall, but I think he summed it up best with this quote: “The moment we’re all working for is when we make aid history.” We couldn’t agree more.

http://one.org/blog

The Resource Miracle by Bono

Bono's message to the G8, printed on the road for the ONE campaign: "Africa is an opportunity. Invest in it." 

In the new edition of Time Magazine Bono calls on the leaders of the G8, meeting in Camp David,  to ensure that a resource boom in developing regions like Africa benefits the many, not the few.

'In many ways, Africa is to this century what North America was to the 19th. It has 60% of the world's undeveloped arable land and vast reserves of coal, oil and minerals, together with enormous renewable-energy resources.

Sub-Saharan Africa is also home to 400 million of the world's poorest people. These resources should be theirs. Get the development of them right and the forthcoming financial resources--invested well--can transform the lives of countless numbers of people.'

Complete article here.

Bono will speak today  at the Chicago Council`s 3rd Annual Symposium on Global Agirculture and Food Security. He will be talking on behalf of the ONE Campaign. The even can be followed live on line, here.



http://www.time.com//http://www.thechicagocouncil.org/http://www.livestream.com/thechicagocouncil

Bono at Jazz Foundation of America Concert

Bono performed Thursday night at the Jazz Foundation of America's (JFA) annual concert and gala at the famous Apollo Theater in New York City. He sang "Angel Of Harlem" and -- much like on the first leg of the 360 tour in 2009 -- added in a bit of Michael Jackson's hit, "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough."

@Apollotheater

www.u2fanlife.com//

Bono : Wide Awake in America

It seems that Bono will stay in US for a while. He will make two public appearance during this week.
First he will participate in the Jazz Foundation of America´s (JFA) annual concert and gala at the Apollo Theatre (May17th) The gala concert is for the benefit of the Jazz Musicians Emergency Fund.
On Friday 18th, Bono will speak in Washington DC at the Chicago Council`s 3rd Annual Symposium on Global Agirculture and Food Security. He will be talking on behalf of the ONE Campaign about  the food security and private sector investment in African agriculture. Both President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton will speak in the Symposium. 


He also showed up at his daughter`s,Jordan, graduation at Columbia University.

'U2 1978-1981'

Paul McGuinness was at the Little Museum in Dublin yesterday night, launching an exhibition of rare photos from the earliest days of U2.

The photographs were taken by Dubliner Patrick Brocklebank, who worked as a graphic artist and photographer in the 1970s.

 'Because I was always in town,' recalls Brocklebank, 'And because we were the same age, I’d often see U2 around the place. The show records the energy and ambition of a local band that would later conquer the world.'

At the opening, Paul remembered being introduced to the band by Bill Graham of Hot Press. 'U2 tricked Bill into coming to one of their early rehearsals. They played him a few of their 'own songs' but Bill made them stop and said: 'hang on, all these songs you're playing are by the Ramones'.

'U2 said 'Okay, you're right, but we're going to write some great songs' and that's what they have been doing ever since.'

Paul recalled the music press and pirate radio stations of the late 1970s and reminisced about early  shows at Dandelion Market and the Project Arts Centre, when, on one occasion, a gang known as the 'Black Catholics' showed up.

'The Black Catholics were dedicated to breaking up other people's gigs. I gained an early and completely undeserved reputation for physical violence by taking one of them out into the street beside the Project.'

Also joining Patrick Brocklebank at the launch were luminaries from the Irish music scene and friends of the band including Gavin Friday, Niall Stokes,  John Stephenson - who ran the Project Arts Centre - and Dave Fanning.Bono was an absentee from the opening as he celebrated his 52nd birthday in the US with his family, including daughter Jordan Hewson -- who was celebrating her 23rd birthday yesterday.

"They sounded pretty raw. Off stage Bono was a bit loose with his tongue, The Edge seemed like an academic, Adam was a lad around town, but one with a purpose, and Larry was just a schoolboy," he said.

Indeed, the young Larry Mullen doesn't appear in some of the photographs because he was busy with schoolwork, with his place taken in the shots by Guggi, then a member of rival band The Virgin Prunes.

"Looking back it wasn't so much U2's music that impressed me. It was U2 as people," said Guggi.

Limited edition prints from the exhibition are on sale at www.littlemuseum.ie.

U2: 1978-81 will run at the Little Museum of Dublin until September 2nd. More here.

Top Pic: @Gpaul1972

UPDATE:  Pics of the opening of the exhibition here.  http://www.independent.ie/

www.u2.com/http://www.independent.ie/http://www.littlemuseum.ie./

Happy Birthday!!!

Today our fave rocker/singer/ lyricist/ guitarist/musician/poet/essayist/activist/pacifist/ and so on and so forth is 52. May he have the best of birthdays together with the ones he loves!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BONO!!! 

“Celebrity is currency, so I wanted to use mine effectively.” Bono

Glen Hansard & Bono perform The Auld Triangle at The Living Room in NYC

Youtube user "threesunrises"

Glen Hansard played an intimate acoustic show at the Living Room in New York City on May 8, 2012 and was joined by surprise guest, Bono, to perform The Auld Triangle.


Read an interesting interview to Glen  posted on CBS Music blog called "The power of the 'poetic arc': How U2's Bono helped Glen Hansard win an Oscar" posted by Brad Frenette.


http://music.cbc.ca

Bono at Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting-Omaha 2012 -

Bono and I had a chance to catch up on his work with RED and my recent trip to Zambia and Ethiopia.
Bill Gates posted in his Facebook:

"I attended the 2012 Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting in Omaha. Often called Woodstock for Capitalists, 

this year’s meeting drew 35,000 investors and their families, who came to learn from Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger and participate in an institution unique in the world of business. But it’s not all business. Learn more about my trip http://b-gat.es/JR3aid. (May 2012)"

Adam and "Walk in my Shoes" Campaign.

The Paul Stafford Foundation Lunch took place at La Stampa Hotel recently and The Dining Room was packed to capacity for this now annual event. The Paul Stafford Foundation was established in 2007 to raise awareness and address the serious issue of suicide in Ireland. This year’s lunch was in aid of  Walk in my Shoes, a campaign led by U2’s Adam Clayton which helps raise the much needed funds for young people with mental health issues or those suffering with depression.

http://socialdublin.blogspot.it

"U2: 1978-81" at Dublin Little Museum

.

U2 manager Paul McGuinness will open U2: 1978-81 at the Little Museum this Thursday, May 10th(the exhibit will remain open until September 2nd.) The exhibition, which is sponsored by Jagermeister, features 32 rare early photographs of U2. It’s the first time that the collection has ever been exhibited, and the show is the subject of massive international interest.

U2: 1978-1981 reveals the early U2 as a tight but restless unit – future icons but also teenagers mucking around. The photographs were taken by Dubliner Patrick Brocklebank, who worked as a graphic artist and photographer in the 1970s. “Because I was always in town,” recalls Brocklebank, “and because we were the same age, I’d often see U2 around the place. The show records the energy and ambition of a local band that would later conquer the world.”



Mucking around in Trinity College or gigging in the Project, these images reveal the relentless surge of a band on the rise. Pots, guns and paintings are used as props, and Bono proves himself a serial scene-stealer. “Paul [Bono] couldn’t play guitar,” recalls Brocklebank, “and he wasn’t much of a singer, but he had that certain something: the swagger and stage presence that would later make U2 a household name.”
The Irish times shows a slideshow of some of the pics in the exhibition, here:
U2 1978 - 1981
http://www.littlemuseum.ie/ http://www.irishtimes.com

 "A Freak Like Me Needs Company" from Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark has been nominated for "Favorite Song" in Broadway.com's annual Audience Choice Awards. The musical has three other nominations:  Jennifer Damiano (Favorite Actress In A Musical), Patrick Page (Favorite Funny Performance) and Reeve Carney (Favorite Breakthrough Performance). The awards are voted on entirely by the general public. Voting is open until 11:59 p.m EDT on May 9.

 http://www.broadway.com

'Toast To Freedom' an exclusive commemorative song dedicated to human rights activism around the world and performed by nearly 50 artists, is released today by Amnesty International. 

Written by music veterans Carl Carlton and Larry Campbell, performers include Levon Helm, Kris Kristofferson, Carly Simon, Angelique Kidjo, Ewan McGregor, Donald Fagen, Warren Haynes, Keb Mo, Eric Burdon, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, Rosanne Cash and the Blind Boys of Alabama.

'Amnesty should have their very own song to sing in happy times and in struggling times.' says Carlton. 'To celebrate both small and monumental victories, to comfort loss and overcome pain.' 

The track, released to coincide with World Press Freedom Day,  is available for purchase online worldwide and proceeds will benefit Amnesty International. Read more about how the song came together here.

 'Toast To Freedom' was inspired by Carlton, a longtime supporter of Amnesty International, who  teamed up with entrepreneur Jochen Wilms  and Art for Amnesty founder Bill Shipsey, longtime collaborator with U2 in their work with Amnesty International. 

The basic tracks were recorded at the legendary Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, N.Y,  and following Helms death on April 19, Wilms said: 'Levon was one great soul. I am so grateful we got to work with him, his outstanding band and team in his barn in Woodstock. He was an inspiration and our muse. The song “Toast To Freedom” is dedicated to Amnesty International but in a certain way is now a 'Toast To Levon' and a celebration for him as well: Truth, heart and soul were always part of Levon’s DNA and are the essential basis of Amnesty International and our project. We will miss him and love him forever.'

Visit the Toast To Freedom website. Buy the song from iTunes.

http://www.u2.com

Celebrity Doodles to Raise Money for Birthday AWF Project

As part of its 10th Annual Build a Well for Bono's Birthday Fundraiser, the African Well Fund is auctioning drawings by celebrities including George Clooney, Elvis Costello and Anton Corbijn to raise money to fund a water, sanitation and hygiene project in Burkina Faso that will be implemented by African Well Fund partner Africare and aims to create a healthy environment for 257 schoolchildren. The auction will run May 5-12 on eBay.

"Bono has inspired so many people to care about Africa and its people, not just U2 fans like us, but also his many famous friends and fans," said Abbey Fisher, doodle project coordinator. "We wanted to do something special to honor Bono and celebrate the 10th Annual Build a Well for Bono's Birthday fundraiser, so our board president, Rob Trigalet, had a great idea for us to ask Bono's celebrity friends and fans to draw a doodle, either of Bono or of an image reflecting his work throughout the African continent. We have gotten a great response, and I am thrilled with the doodles we've received so far from celebrities like George Clooney, Elvis Costello and Anton Corbijn. It shows us that people really want to help those who go without clean water and sanitation on a daily basis, and it's a great opportunity to reach new supporters for our lifesaving projects."


From World Water Day, March 22nd, through Bono's birthday, May 10th, AWF is inviting U2 fans and others who are inspired by Bono's tireless activism on behalf of Africa to make a donation through the organization's website in honor of his 52nd birthday. AWF is also raising funds by selling limited-edition prints through its website and T-shirts through its Zazzle store. All donors are invited to add their names and birthday wishes to a card on the African Well Fund website that will be sent to Bono in care of Principle Management.

For more information on the Burkina Faso project, click here.

Donations from the nine previous Build a Well for Bono's Birthday fundraisers have totaled more than $213,000 and have been used to fund clean water and sanitation projects implemented by AWF partner Africare to benefit more than 56,000 people in Angola, Benin, Liberia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

http://www.africanwellfund.org

Every Mother Counts (Vol 2)

An unreleased  acoustic version of "Original Of The Species" is now available on the compilation CD

 Every Mother Counts 2012 at Starbucks coffee shop locations in Canada and the United States. The disc supports Christy Turlington Burns' organization, Every Mother Counts. it can be bought at a Starbucks, or you can order it through Starbucks' website.

Spiderman: Tunr Off the Dark in the run for Two Tony Awards

Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark received two nominations for the American Theatre Wing's annual Tony Awards. The nominations were for George Tsypin (Best Scenic Design Of A Musical) and for Eiko Ishioka (Best Costume Design Of A Musical).  Tony Awards are on June 10 and will be broadcast on CBS.

www.atu2.com//http://www.tonyawards.com