U2 MANAGER TO GET SPECIAL AWARD FOR HIS CONTRIBUTION
TO POP MUSIC
Maeve Quigley And Deirdre O’donovon
PAUL McGuinness manager of U2 is expected to pick up a Lifetime Achievement
gong at tomorrow’s Meteor Ireland Music Awards.
And members of the award-winning band are expected to attend the show at the
Point Depot to present their “fifth member” with the accolade.
Mr McGuinness, who has managed the band since their humble beginnings in the
mid-1970s, has been instrumental in their meteoric rise to become the biggest
band in the world. The 50-year-old became the band’s manager in 1978 when he
first saw them play in the Dublin’s Project Arts Centre.
Mr McGuinness secured U2 their first major record deal with Island but his biggest
financial coup for the band was when he made a deal for them to retain the musical
rights to all their songs.
His business acumen, coupled with the band’s outstand-ing music, has made all
‘five’ U2 members millionaires.
It is rumoured that Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton will all attend
the Meteor bash at the Point to pay their respects to the man who helped them
conquer the world.
A source close to the band said: “Obviously if Paul is getting an award, all the guys
want to be there.
“It’s a great honour for anyone to receive such an award to recognise their
contribution to the Irish music industry.
“And the fact that it’s coming so hot on the heels of U2’s success at the Grammys is
just the icing on the cake.
“Let’s just hope that if Bono makes a speech it will be short and to the point.”
Friends of the band manager have booked out the whole of Dublin’s trendiest
nightclub, Spy, for a private post-awards party where U2 will no doubt join Paul
McGuinness in a bottle of champagne or two.
A host of big names are also arriving in Dublin today.
Chart-topper Enrique Iglesias is expected to fly in to Dublin today and it is rumoured
that his new love, tennis ace Anna Kournikova, will join him.
The 26-year-old star has demanded a lavish backstage area for himself at the Point
and wants it decked out with champagne and white lilies.
Enrique will be performing his number one smash Hero during the show and has
been tipped to scoop the gong for Best International Male.
Other performers for the night include Westlife, Six, Gabrielle, The Cranberries,
Lighthouse Family, Ronan Keating and Muse.
The event will be hosted by comedian Patrick Kielty, who will be joined on -stage by
numerous celebrity presenters including Adrian Dunbar, John Hurt, Craig Doyle,
Maria Doyle-Kennedy, Keith Duffy, Brendan O’Carroll and Brian Kennedy.
The show hopes to raise EUR100,000 for the Christina Noble Foundation and
EUR70,000 for the IRMA Trust.
Fans not lucky enough to have secured a ticket for the bash can watch it on RTE
Network 2 this Thursday at 9pm.
http://www.mirrorgroup.co.uk
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