Pete The Chop

Even though U2 topped Forbes’ recently released list of top-earning music acts of last year, the band’s insurance firm isn’t quite so lucky.

Bono (and U2) performs at Croke Park

Insurance broker Robertson Taylor incurred a bill of $17 million in the wake of the back injury Bono sustained during tour rehearsals, according to The Sun.

Bono required emergency surgery, and the band had to subsequently table their US summer tour and cancel their first-ever headlining appearance at the Glastonbury festival.

Along with Bono’s pain and suffering, and the band losing millions in tour revenue, the insurance company also took a hit.

Bono is currently focusing on his recovery and the band’s tour is being rescheduled for 2011.

Who is your favorite member of U2: Bono or The Edge? Who has a cooler name?

—Amy Sciarretto

Tags: News & Rumors, Tour News by spun2u
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U2 are reworking two of their classic songs in collaboration with Dave Hollister, a member of the American R&B group Blackstreet.

Hollister revealed his involvement with the Dublin band by posting on his Twitter page: “In the studio working with U2! Man I’m excited! Bono baby!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Apparently, the two tracks being reworked are ‘All I Want Is You’, from the 1988 album “Rattle and Hum”, and ‘Grace,’ from 2000’s “All That You Can’t Leave Behind.”

U2 will be returning to their tour next month following Bono’s back surgery. The rock star has declared he’s now “fighting fit” after undergoing the procedure.

- IrishCentral.com

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(RTTNews) – U2 frontman Bono and his private equity firm Elevation Partners have reportedly purchased a large stake in social networking giant Facebook. Last November, the firm bought 2.5 million shares in the company and have now added an additional five million shares, says blog TechCrunch.com.

To date, Bono and his crew have invested a whopping $210 million dollars in Facebook. The large purchase comes on the heels of a disastrous investment in failing mobile device maker Palm Inc. last year.

Bono’s big investment in Facebook is not the only business news surrounding the band this week. They were also collectively named number seven on Forbes Magazine’s list of the 100 Most Powerful Celebrities. The list considers each celebrity’s overall standing including income, tv ratings, radio rankings and Internet presence.

by RTT Staff Writer

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Another year, another Glastonbury — and another fresh round of what-ifs and maybes for the festival rumour mill.

This year the most-whispered tale involves two of the 2010 festival’s headliners – or, rather, one of the headliners and a band who were supposed to be topping the bill on the Pyramid Stage.

Saturday’s headliners Muse had hinted they were planning something special for their headline slot. On Friday, BBC 6 Music reported that the band might be joined by U2′s guitarist the Edge for their slot.

U2, of course, were supposed to be headlining the festival on Friday night but had to pull out after Bono underwent surgery, leading them to pull a series of dates on their world tour.

Festival organiser Michael Eavis had been asked by the station if the rumours were true, and did not deny the story – though he did not confirm it either.

Whether Matt Bellamy and company are joined by the veteran guitar great, only a time machine or patience will tell. Stay tuned.

- Spinner

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Australia’s Triple M Radio is reporting that U2 will bring the 360 Tour down under this December.

Says the report:

Sources have revealed that U2 will bring their 360° tour to Australia in December. The Music Network said the band will officially confirm the news we’ve all been waiting for when they announce new dates of their cancelled US tour.

We’re still hoping for some news about when those postponed (not cancelled) dates will be re-announced, but our contacts are not saying anything at the moment. Consider the above a rumor until there’s some official confirmation.

Via U2tours.com

Tags: News & Rumors, Tour News by spun2u
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Irish rockers U2 could lose £100million after pulling out of 17 shows of their US tour.

Bono could cost U2 £100 million.

The lead singer of U2 has been told by doctors to rest for two months following emergency back surgery and will now miss out on the start of the group’s US leg of their 360 Degree tour.

Bono was said to be “heartbroken” after pulling out of 17 US dates and Glastonbury festival in the UK, and now the problem may hit his bank balance too.

A source told The Sun newspaper: “Bono and the band are covered by insurance but the cost of overheads and missed revenue could easily reach £100 million by the time he’s fit enough to perform again.”

Paul McGuinness, the manager of the Irish group – made up of Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. – said: “If we play or not, touring still costs us £500,000 a day.”

Earlier this month bassist Adam Clayton admitted he and his band mates would have been happy to put on a simpler tour, but Bono had other plans.

He said: “It was Bono’s vision. He’s that kind of performer. I think the rest of us would be happy to stand on an old beer crate but he’s the person working the stage.”

New tour dates are expected to be released later this week.

- ContactMusic

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Bono may be stuck in a moment that he’d like to get out of, but he can take heart. ESPN struck a deal with his band U2 to use their music exclusively for their World Cup coverage.

Along with using the Irish supergroup’s music, the South African Soweto Gospel Choir also recorded versions of some U2 songs for the network to use, and ESPN took footage from the band’s 2009 concert at the Rose Bowl for some of their ads.

So even though they’ll be away from our shores for a few months, they’ll be inescapable here and all over the world.

- BUZZ BRADY,Irishcentral.com Showbiz Writer

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Bono and U2 on stage

The festival spokesperson for Britain’s most famous music festival, Glastonbury, has said that the Irish legends U2 are likely to play in 2011.

A spokesperson for the festival said “They’ve never played here before and we’re very disappointed they can’t perform…but they could well be back next year.”

U2 were to play the headline slot on June 25 until Bono, the front man, was rushed to hospital for emergency back surgery due to a disease which could have left him paralyzed.

The British band, Gorillaz, fronted by Damon Albarn, has agreed to replace U2 as the headline act on June 25 while Muse and Stevie Wonder are also set to play the headline slots at the sold out festival.

- IrishCentral.com

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Damon Albarn has spoken about Gorillaz being drafted in to replace U2 as headliners at this year’s Glastonbury.

Earlier today (May 26) the band were confirmed to headline the Pyramid Stage on June 25 following the news that original headliners U2 have been forced to pull out following a back injury sustained by frontman Bono.

Speaking of the change in line-up, Albarn paid tribute to the Irish band. “It’s a terrible thing for U2,” he said. “Glastonbury is magical. Gorillaz will come to life on that stage, but we wish Bono all the best.”

Gorillaz co-founder Jamie Hewlett said that, after the band’s recent performance at Coachella festival, he is confident of delivering a successful show.

“I wasn’t sure how Gorillaz would work in a festival environment, but Coachella was amazing,” he said. “I think Glastonbury will be an unbelievable experience for us.”

The festival headline appearance will be Damon Albarn’s second in as many years, following Blur’s show on the same stage in 2009.

- NME

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Following news of Bono’s recuperation period from surgery, Glastonbury Festival have confirmed that the band won’t be able to perform their headline slot next month. Bono and Michael Eavis of Glastonbury spoke by phone this morning.

Said Bono: ‘I’m heartbroken. We really wanted to be there to do something really special – we even wrote a song especially for the Festival.’

Said Michael Eavis: ‘It was obvious from our telephone conversation that U2 are hugely disappointed. Clearly, they were looking forward to playing the Pyramid Stage as much as we were looking forward to watching them. At this point, we have no comment to make about possible replacements for U2′s Friday night slot. Instead, we would simply like to send Bono our very best wishes for a full and speedy recovery.’

- U2.com

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(Reuters) – U2 lead singer Bono has undergone emergency surgery on his back in a Munich hospital after being injured while preparing for the next leg of the band’s world tour, a spokesperson said Friday.

Bono Live

The 50-year-old from Ireland had been preparing for the North American leg of the “360 Degree” world tour which is due to kick off in Salt Lake City on June 3.

“Bono has today undergone emergency back surgery for an injury sustained during tour preparation training,” his spokesperson said.

“He was admitted to a specialist neuro surgery unit in a Munich hospital.

“Bono will spend the next few days there, before returning home to recuperate. Once his condition has been assessed further, a statement will be made regarding the impact on forthcoming tour dates.”

After North America, the tour was scheduled to travel to Turin in Italy on August 6. It was not immediately clear how badly the injury would disrupt the group’s tour.

The tour earned around $109 million in 2009, according to music journal Billboard, making it the world’s most lucrative, and the publication also predicted it would end up being the highest-grossing tour in history.

By some measures the band, with hits like “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Where the Streets Have No Name,” is the world’s most successful. They have sold more than 150 million records, according to unofficial estimates.

- Reuters

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SAITAMA, JAPAN - Bono of U2 performs during MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2008 at Saitama Super Arena on May 31, 2008 in Saitama, Japan. - Tiscali.News

More images in the Bono gallery >>

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NEW YORK, May 28 /PRNewswire/ — WHO: U2’s The Edge to host with special performance by Aaron Neville and appearances by Les Paul, Tiki Barber, Christy Turlington, Petra Nemcova, Joan Jett, “Cry-Baby” Broadway star James Snyder, Earl Slick, Jody Porter of Fountains of Wayne, writer May Pang, Donna Karan, legendary producer and Music Rising co-founder Bob Ezrin and many more. Jim Kerr will emcee the auction.Lisa Loeb will be hosting the Auction Network show live from the red carpet.

WHAT: U2’s The Edge, will host the star-studded Icons of Music II Auction at Hard Rock Cafe New York to benefit Music Rising, a campaign founded in 2005 to support musicians, students and parishioners of the Gulf Coast Region affected by the hurricanes.

Music Rising has since aided over 2,700 professional musicians and nearly 50,000 students and parishioners and will soon launch Phase III of the campaign. The event will be conducted by world renowned Julien’s Auctions (http://www.juliensauctions.com).

The exclusive event will include a performance by legendary musician Aaron Neville and a star-studded red carpet. Auction Network, the first 24/7, multimedia network solely dedicated to auctions, will conduct a live webcast in real-time streaming video of The Icons of Music Auction II hosted by Lisa Loeb.

For more information about how to register to bid, etc. please visit http://www.juliensauctions.com or call (310) 816-1818. For tickets, visit http://www.ticketmaster.com.

WHERE: Hard Rock Cafe New York 1501 Broadway New York, NY 10036 WHEN: 5:30 PM Media Check-In 6:00 PM Red Carpet 6:30 PM Performance 7:00 PM Auction About Music Rising Music Rising, a campaign launched in 2005 to replace musical instruments lost or destroyed by hurricanes in the Gulf Region.

It has since launched a second phase dedicated to the aid of schools and churches. Music Rising was formed by U2’s The Edge, legendary producer Bob Ezrin, Gibson Guitar Chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz. Partners of the campaign represent the most diverse partnership in the entertainment industry and include MusiCares, Guitar Center, Musician’s Friend, Live Nation, Kennedy/Marshall, Ticketmaster, Hard Rock International, VH-1, MTV, Real Networks, ABC News Now, The NFL, Rolling Stone, Mr. Hollands Opus, Juliens Auctions, ACT and the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund.

Music Rising is the recipient of the prestigious 2005 HALO Award for Cause Marketing and the 2006 Billboard Humanitarian Award, the 2008 PRISM Award and has been recognized around the world by various media organizations. Music Rising is administered by the Gibson Foundation. For more information go to http://www.musicrising.org and http://www.gibsonfoundation.org.

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Irish rockers U2’s longtime manager PAUL MCGUINESS narrowly escaped paralysis recently after he was involved in a horrific horse riding accident.

The music mogul, who also manages the careers of singer PJ Harvey and New York rockers The Rapture, had to be taken to hospital after being thrown from a horse while riding near his estate in County Wicklow, Ireland.
A source tells Ireland’s Sunday World newspaper, “It was a pretty bad fall and Paul broke his collarbone. He was rushed to hospital and was in absolute agony.

“He’s still getting over it and knows he has had a lucky escape.”

- Contact Music

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