Bono has said that U2 are “delighted and humbled” to be headlining at next year’s Glastonbury Festival over its 40th anniversary weekend.

The band will lead the line-up at the Somerset show on Friday 25 June.

“Everyone in the band is very excited about it,” Bono told the BBC at the launch of an anti-Aids/HIV campaign.

It will be U2’s first festival gig for more than 25 years and will see them make a flying visit to the UK in the middle of a North American tour.

Asked if he would use the festival to promote the campaign, Bono said: “I think it will just be about the music on that day, and that spirit that seems to take over everybody in that sacred ground.”

He added: “We’ll certainly be well-rehearsed, we’ll be coming straight from the tour.”

Red laces

Bono was in central London on Monday to launch the “Lace Up. Save Lives” campaign – a partnership between Nike and the (RED) brand, which was co-founded by the U2 frontman.

He was joined at the launch, just ahead of World Aids Day, by Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and several other international football stars.

The campaign encourages people to buy red laces to help fund AIDS medication and education programmes in Africa.

Next year’s Glastonbury takes place from 25-27 June – during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

No other headliners have yet been confirmed. David Bowie has denied that he will join U2 on the bill, but it is rumoured that stadium rockers Muse could appear.

Tickets for the event sold out shortly after they went on sale last month.

By Tim Masters
Entertainment correspondent, BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8387265.stm

Bono reached out to Sarah Palin when she was running for Vice President and briefed her on his worldwide agenda, Palin has revealed.

The call came at the height of the presidential campaign in 2008, when Palin was under fire for her lack of international experience.

In her new book, “Going Rogue,” the former Vice Presidential candidate says Bono was one of several leading personalities she spoke and met with when she became a national figure.

Others included actor Warren Beatty, singer Hank Williams Jr., former football coach Mike Ditka and actor Robert Duvall.

Some might say U2 have been creating noise pollution for years.

And now the Dublin supergroup have been fined €36,000 after they breached noise levels during their Croke Park concerts in July.

ROLLING STONES frontman MICK JAGGER made a surprise appearance on stage with U2 on Friday (30Oct09) during the second night of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concerts in New York City.

The first show on Thursday night (29Oct09) saw acts including Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Jeff Beck, Sting and James Taylor take to the stage at Madison Square Garden.

Friday’s (30Oct09) show opened with Jerry Lee Lewis singing Great Balls of Fire, and went on to host a number of big name collaborations including Jeff Beck with Sting and U2 with the Black Eyed Peas.
The night built up to a climatic finale with Jagger, Fergie and Will.i.am all joining U2 to sing Rolling Stones hit Gimme Shelter, as Jagger entertained the crowd with his trademark dance moves.

Jagger stayed on stage to help U2 perform Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of, before the Irish rockers closed the show with their hit Beautiful Day.

Earlier in the night, heavy metal rockers Metallica took the stage with Lou Reed for two songs, before Ozzy Osbourne joined them to belt out Iron Man and Paranoid.

Aretha Franklin also performed a number of her hits, teaming up with Annie Lennox to sing Chain of Fools.

- ContactMusic