Timeline of U2

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This is a timeline of the history of rockband U2:

[edit] pre-1980

  • 13 March 1960: Adam Clayton is born in Chinnor, Oxfordshire.[1]
  • 10 May 1960: Paul Hewson (Bono) is born in Dublin.[2]
  • 8 August 1961: Dave Evans (The Edge) is born in East London.[3]
  • 31 October 1961: Larry Mullen, Jr. is born in Artane, Dublin.[4]
  • September 1974: Bono’s mother Iris Hewson dies of a brian tumour in Dublin four dies after collapsing at her father’s funeral.[5]
  • 25 September 1976: The band forms in Dublin after Mullen posts a notice on the Mount Temple Comprehensive School notice board in search of musicians for a new band. Mullen was on drums, Bono on lead vocals, The Edge and his older brother Dik on guitar, Adam Clayton, a friend of the Evans brothers on bass guitar, and initially Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin, two other friends of Mullen.[6] Martin did not return after the first practice, and McCormick left the group within a few weeks.
  • September 1976: The group settle on the name "Feedback", because it was one of the few technical terms they knew.[7]
  • late 1976: The band play their first performance in the school gym.[8]
  • 17 March 1978: On Saint Patrick's Day, the band win a talent show in Limerick, Ireland, the prize of which is £500 and studio time to record a demo for CBS Ireland.[9]
  • 20 March 1978: The band plays their last concert as The Hype. Dik leaves the stage and the remaining four continue to play but as "U2".[9]
  • 28 April 1978: Bill Graham writes his first interview with U2 in Hot Press.[10]
  • April 1978: The band records their first demo tape at Keystone Studios, Dublin.[11]
  • 25 May 1978: Paul McGuinness agrees to become U2's manager.[12]
  • 9 September 1978: U2 support The Stranglers at the Top Hat Ballroom. Their biggest gig so far, they are paid £50.[13]
  • November 1978: Larry's mother, Maureen Mullen, is killed in a car accident.[14]
  • December 1978: U2 play support to The Greedy Bastards, a band made up of Sex Pistols and Thin Lizzy members, at the Stardust nightclub in Dublin.[14]
  • February 1979: Using borrowed money, Bono travels to London to plug U2 at the offices of record companies and music magazines.[14]
  • May 1979: U2 play the first of six afternoon concerts at the Dandelion Market in Dublin. Organised for young people otherwise prohibited from the venues U2 play, the concerts greatly expand their Dublin audience.[15]
  • September 1979: U2's first release, an Ireland-only EP entitled Three, becomes the band's first Irish chart success.[16]
  • 5 October 1979: U2 play their first television performance on RTE at a televised concert in the Cork Opera House.[14]
  • 26 October 1979: U2 are featured on the cover of Hot Press magazine.[14]
  • 1 November 1979: U2 receive their first cover story outside of Ireland in British magazine Record Mirror.[14]
  • 1 December 1979: With ₤3,000 borrowed from family and friends, U2 begin a two-week tour of London clubs, their first shows outside Ireland.[17]

[edit] 1980

[edit] 1981

  • 24 January – 28 February: U2 play dates in the United Kingdom and play their first tour of continental Europe.[22]
  • 3 March: Boy is released in the United States.[citation needed]
  • 3 March – 31 May: U2 commence their first major tour of the United States playing almost 60 dates across the country largely in clubs.[23]
  • July: U2 begin recording their second album. The sessions are complicated when the briefcase containing Bono's lyrics was stolen by fans after a show in Portland, Oregon.
  • July: The single "Fire" is released.
  • July – August: The band record the second album at Windmill Lane Studios, in Dublin.
  • 5 October: "Gloria" is released as a single and makes the UK charts.[24] The video for "Gloria" is directed by Meiert Avis and shot in the Canal Basin in Dublin.
  • 12 October: The band's second album, October, is released.[25] During the album's recording sessions, Bono and The Edge left the band due to spiritual conflicts, and U2 ceased to exist for a brief period of time.[26] The album received mixed reviews and limited radio play. It enters the UK charts at number 11.[24]

[edit] 1982

  • March: The single "A Celebration" is released.
  • 17 May: U2 begin recording their third album.
  • 21 August: Bono marries high school sweetheart, Alison Stewart, in Raheny, Dublin. They honeymoon in Jamaica where Bono reportedly works on the lyrics for the new album.[citation needed]
  • 1 December: The pre-War Tour begins.[27][28]

[edit] 1983

[edit] 1984

  • 1984: U2 re-sign with Island Records under far more lucrative terms.[33]
  • March: Recording sessions for U2’s fourth album begin at Slane Castle. Recording sessions are completed in Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin, Ireland
  • 1 August: U2 establish Mother Records.
  • 29 August: The band’s first tour of Australia and New Zealand begins in Christchurch. Dubbed, "Under Australian Skies Tour",[34] it comprises 15 concerts and a largely War Tour setlist is played.[34]
  • September: "Pride (In the Name of Love)" is released as the album’s first single and becomes the band's biggest hit to that point, including being their first to enter the U.S. top 40.[35]
  • 1 October: U2’s fourth album, The Unforgettable Fire, is released. Rather than Steve Lillywhite, producer of their first three albums, the band choose Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois as producers. Ambient and abstract, it was at the time the band’s most marked change in direction.[34]
  • October – November: The Unforgettable Fire Tour plays 21 shows in halls and arenas in Western Europe.[36]
  • 1 December: The band play 10 dates in major United States cities. Demand for tickets significantly outstrip supply indicating that U2 will no longer be able to play these smaller theatres and halls.[37]

[edit] 1985

  • 1985: Rolling Stone magazine calls U2 the "Band of the 80s", saying that "for a growing number of rock-and-roll fans, U2 have become the band that matters most, maybe even the only band that matters".[38]
  • January – February: The band play 13 shows Western Europe. The leg included 5 shows in Germany and the band's first concert in Italy.[39]
  • Late February – May: U2 play 40 shows in 29 cities in the United States and Canada. For the first time, the band play solely in arenas with multiple nights in many of the locations.
  • April: The album's second and final single, "The Unforgettable Fire", is released. It reaches #6 on the UK Singles Chart and #8 on the Dutch singles chart, but does not perform as well in the U.S.
  • May: The four-track EP Wide Awake in America is released.
  • Late May – mid July: U2 play nine concerts in the European festival season.
  • 29 June: They play a home-coming concert at Dublin's Croke Park, their first headlining show in a stadium.[40]
  • 13 July: U2 play Live Aid for Ethiopian famine relief at Wembley Stadium.[41] The band’s performance is a pivotal point for the band’s career,[42] showing a television audience of millions the personal connection that Bono could make with audiences.[43]

[edit] 1986

  • 30 January: Bono and Larry are interviewed for half an hour on Irish TV show, TV Gaga, before the band play a song called "Womanfish", a rough early version of "Trip Through Your Wires", and a cover of "Knocking on Heaven's Door".[44]
  • 27 February: U2 are among the readers’ choice for in Rolling Stone's Music Awards, for Band of the Year. Best Songwriter was Bono, Best Live Performance was U2. In the Critics' Picks, the Band of the Year was U2.[citation needed]
  • 17 May: U2 play the Self Aid festival in Dublin. The event is organised to create jobs and raise money during Ireland's unemployment crisis.[44]
  • 4 – 15 June: U2 interrupt writing for their album to serve as a headline act on Amnesty International's A Conspiracy of Hope tour. Rather than distract, the tour adds extra intensity and power to their new music.[45]
  • 3 July: U2 crew member Greg Carroll is killed in a motorcycle accident in Dublin.
  • 8 July: Band members perform at Carroll's burial Kai-iwi Marae in New Zealand.
  • 1 August: Recording sessions for The Joshua Tree, the band’s fifth album, begin in Dublin. Motivated by friendships with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and Keith Richards, the band looked back to the roots of rock music, and Bono focused on his skills as a song and lyric writer.[46]
  • late 1986: Bono travels to San Salvador and Nicaragua. His first-hand experience of the conflicts becomes a central influence on the new music.[47]
  • November: Recording sessions for the new album finish.[citation needed]

[edit] 1987

  • 9 March: U2’s fifth studio album, The Joshua Tree, is released and goes to number one in 22 countries.[citation needed] The album builds on The Unforgettable Fire's atmospherics, but instead of its out-of-focus tracks, the album has a harder-hitting sound within the strict discipline of conventional song structures.[48] The album juxtaposes antipathy towards America against the band's deep fascination with the country, its open spaces, freedom, and what it stands for.[49] The Joshua Tree became the fastest-selling album in British chart history, and was number one for nine weeks in the United States.[50]
  • 21 March: "With or Without You" is released and becomes the band’s first number one single in the United States.[51]
  • 27 March: U2 perform on the roof of a shop in downtown Los Angeles and film the video for "Where the Streets Have No Name".[52]
  • 30 March: In rehearsals for The Joshua Tree Tour, Bono falls backwards off the stage and his chin is gashed. He still carries the scar.[52] The Joshua Tree enters the Billboard charts at number 7.[53]
  • 2 April: U2 open The Joshua Tree Tour in the Arizona city of Tempe. The hot dry desert air has affected Bono's voice, and he is barely able to sing in front of the world's music press on opening night. Concert promoter, Barry Fey, reads out a statement on behalf of the band denouncing Arizona Governor, Evan Mecham's intention to abolish the Martin Luther King Day holuday in that State.[52]
  • 7 April: The Joshua Tree reaches number 3 on the Billboard, where it remains for nine weeks.[53]
  • 12 April: Following a concert in Las Vegas, the band film the video clip for "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For in the neon-lit streets.[52]
  • 14 April: Maria McKee performs a duets with Bono on U2's cover on "I Shall Be Released" during their concert in San Diego.[53]
  • 20 April: Bob Dylan joins the band onstage to sing "I Shall Be Released" and "Knocking on Heaven's Door".[54]
  • 27 April: U2 become the fourth rock band to be featured on the cover of Time magazine,[55] which declares U2 "Rock's Hottest Ticket".[54]
  • 30 April: U2 play their first headlining stadium show in the United States at the Pontiac Silverdome.[56]
  • May: Sales of The Joshua Tree pass seven million. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is released and reaches number one in the United States.[citation needed]
  • 27 May: U2 begin the European leg of the Joshua Tree Tour at the Stadio Flaminio in Rom. Most of the leg's 31 shows are in outdoor stadiums.[57]
  • 4 July: The show at the Hippodrome de Vincennes in Paris is filmed for Island Records' 25th birthday celebrations. A canister of tear gas is set of in the crowd causing mild panic and the band interrupt their performance of "With or Without You".[58]
  • August: "Where the Streets Have No Name" is released as The Joshua Tree's third single.
  • 1987: The Joshua Tree wins Grammy Award for Album of the Year and the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal[59]
  • November: "In God's Country" is released as a single in Canada and the US. Import sales are so strong that it charts in the UK.
  • 8 November: U2 play the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver. The same day, an IRA bomb had killed eleven people at a Remembrance Day ceremony in the Northern Irish town of Enniskillen. During the performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday", Bono condemned the violence and his "Fuck the revolution!" remark earns him the ire of the IRA. This performance and six other songs from the concert are later used in the Rattle and Hum film.
  • 11 November: U2 play an impromptu "Save the Yuppie" concert in Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco as a mock benefit following the October 1987 stockmarket crash. A cover version of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" is captured for Rattle and Hum. During a performance of "Pride", Bono spray-painted "Rock and Roll Stops the Traffic" on the Vaillancourt Fountain. Due to subsequent public reaction, the band paid to repair the damage and publicly apologized for the incident.
  • 19 – 20 December: The final two shows of The Joshua Tree Tour are played in the Sun Devil Stadium in Arizona. 5 songs are later used in Rattle and Hum.

[edit] 1988

  • February: U2 move to Los Angeles to work with Phil Joanou on the Rattle and Hum documentary. While in LA, they also record new songs at A&M Studios and STS Studios.[60]
  • March: "One Tree Hill" is released as a single exclusively in New Zealand.
  • 2 March: At the Grammy Awards, U2 win "Best Vocal of the Year" for "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "Album of the Year" for The Joshua Tree.[60]
  • May: U2 record additional material for the movie at Dublin's Point Depot. Footage of performances of "Van Diemen's Land" and Desire are later used in the movie.[60]
  • 7 June: Roy Orbison, for whom Bono and the Edge had recently written "She's a Mystery to Me", dies in the United States before the release of his Mystery Girl album.
  • September: "Desire" is released as the new album's first single. It is the band’s first number one single in the UK.
  • 10 October: The part live, part studio, double album Rattle and Hum is released.
  • 27 October: The Rattle and Hum film has its world premiere.
  • November: The Edge joins Bryan Ferry on-stage for a surprise appearance in the RDS in Dublin.
  • 17 December: "Angel of Harlem" is released as Rattle and Hum's second single.

[edit] 1989

  • April: "When Love Comes to Town" is released as Rattle and Hum's third single.
  • 13 June: "All I Want is You" is released as Rattle and Hum's fourth and final single. Its release in Australia is held off until October to coincide with the Lovetown Tour. It reaches number 1 on the Australian charts.
  • 6 August: Adam Clayton is arrested in Dublin on drug charges.
  • 21 September: The Lovetown tour starts in Australia.
  • 30 December: On one of the final shows of the Lovetown Tour, Bono says onstage in Dublin that "this is just the end of something for U2" and that "we have to go away and … and dream it all up again".

[edit] 1990

[edit] 1991

  • January – August: The band complete the majority of the album in Dublin.[citation needed]
  • April: Tapes from the album's earlier Berlin session's are leaked and bootlegged.[67]
  • 12 October: The new album’s first single, "The Fly", is released. It becomes U2’s second #1 single in the UK.[citation needed]
  • 19 November: U2 release Achtung Baby. Sonically, the album incorporates alternative rock, dance, and industrial influences of the time and the band refer to the album as the sound of "four men chopping down the Joshua Tree".[68] Thematically, it was a more inward-looking and personal record; it was darker, yet at times more flippant, than the band's previous work.[69] Like The Joshua Tree, it is cited by Rolling Stone as one of rock's greatest.[70]
  • 25 November: "Mysterious Ways" is released as Achtung Baby's second single. The song reaches #9 on the Hot 100, making it the band's fourth highest charting single.[citation needed]

[edit] 1992

  • 15 January: The Edge inducts The Yardbirds into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On stage he joins Keith Richards, Neil Young, and Jimmy Page for a version of "Big River".[71]
  • 29 February: The Zoo TV Tour begins in Lakeland, Florida.
  • March: The third single from Achtung Baby, "One", is released. It reached #7 in the UK charts, #10 in the US charts, and #1 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks and the US Modern Rock Tracks charts.
  • 27 March: Bono orders 10,000 pizzas on stage for the audience at a concert in Detroit. The pizza supplier manages to deliver 100 pizzas.[60]
  • 7 May: The European leg of the Zoo TV tour opens in Paris.[60]
  • 7 June: The fourth single from Achtung Baby, "Even Better Than the Real Thing" is released.
  • 19 June: U2 play the "Stop Sellafield" show in Manchester. They play alongside Kraftwerk, Public Enemy, and Big Audio Dynamite II in protest against the Sellafield nuclear reactor.[60]
  • 1 August: The Outside Broadcast leg of the Zoo TV tour opens in Pennsylvania.[citation needed]
  • August: The fifth and final single from Achtung Baby, "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses", is released.
  • 28 August: During a New York interview with Rockline, US Presidential candidate Bill Clinton contacts U2 live on air.[60]

[edit] 1993

  • 20 January: Larry and Adam perform with R.E.M's Michael Stipe in Washington for a performance of "One" at the MTV 1993 Rock and Roll Inaugural Ball for Bill Clinton’s inauguration.
  • February: U2 start recording new material in Dublin. [60]
  • Late April: Having almost finished the Zooropa album, U2 rehearse for the European concerts.
  • 9 May: Dubbed "Zooropa", the Zoo TV Tour recommences with a European stadium leg starting in Rotterdam. U2 play to 2,100,000 people over 43 shows.[72] The concert includes the premier of Bono's new alter-ego MacPhisto.[73] Throughout the month of May, the band often fly back to Dublin following concerts to finalise mixing of the Zooropa album.[74]
  • June: "Numb" is released as the first single from the new album. It is released only on video.[citation needed]
  • 5 July: U2 release Zooropa. Initially intended as an EP, the band expanded it into a full-length LP album. It was an even greater departure from the style of their earlier recordings, incorporating techno influences and other electronic effects.[75]
  • 14 July: At a concert in Marseille, Bono's holds the first of a number of live on-stage interviews with documentary maker Bill Carter who is in the besieged city of Sarajevo.[76]
  • 11 August: Author Salman Rushdie, the subject of a death Fatwa, joins U2 on stage in front of 70,000 people in Wembley Stadium.[60]
  • 28 August: On the final Zooropa concert in Dublin, Clayton's fiance, model Naomi Campbell appears on stage.[77]
  • September: "Lemon" is released as the second single from Zooropa.
  • 3 September: At the MTV awards in Los Angeles, The Edge makes his first ever solo appearance where he performs "Numb" in front of a miniature version of the Zoo TV set.[77]
  • November: Bono records the vocal for his duet with Frank Sinatra on "I've Got You Under My Skin" in Dublin. [60]
  • 12 November: U2 commence the "Zoomerang" leg of Zoo TV in Melbourne.[78]
  • 22 November: "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" is released as Zooropa's third single.
  • 26 November: Adam doesn’t play the first of two concerts in Sydney. Bono tells the audience that he is suffering from a virus and his guitar technician Stuart Morgan fills in. It is the first time a member of U2 has missed a conference. It is later revealed that Adam was too hungover to play.[78]
  • 27 November: The second Sydney concert is filmed and shown around the world as a pay per view TV show. The video is released the following year in VHS.[78]
  • 10 December: U2 play the final gig of the Zoo TV tour at the Tokyo Dome.[78]

[edit] 1994

  • February: U2 issue a writ challenging the Performing Rights Society on their exclusive rights to collect songwriting royalties for song performances. [60]
  • March: Zooropa wins "Best Alternative Album" award at the Grammy's.[citation needed]
  • 1994: Adam and Larry move to New York City to study music.[citation needed]
  • April: Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton record four tracks with Nanci Griffith for her Flyer album.[60]
  • 5 April: The Zoo TV concert film, Zoo TV: Live from Sydney, is released in Europe and Australia.
  • November: U2 and Brian Eno record new music over two weeks in a West London studio. [60]

[edit] 1995

[edit] 1996

  • January: U2 begin working on a new album in Dublin.[60]
  • April: The band move to Miami for further work on the album.[60]
  • 1 May: Adam and Larry release their version of the Mission: Impossible theme track. It enters the charts in the Top 10 in the US, the UK, and other countries.[60]
  • 11 May: Hot Press journalist Bill Graham dies at his home in Howarth. The band fly back to Dublin from America to attend the funeral.[60]

[edit] 1997

  • 3 February: "Discothèque" is released as the new album's first single.
  • 4 March: U2 release Pop, on which they incorporate tape loops, programming, rhythm sequencing, and sampling, which provided much of the album with heavy, funky dance rhythms.[79] The album debuts at number one in 35 countries and drew mainly positive reviews.[80][81] Sales were poor compared to previous U2 releases.[82]
  • 15 April: "Staring at the Sun" is released as Pop's second single.
  • 25 April: The PopMart Tour commences in Las Vegas.
  • 14 July: "Last Night on Earth" is released as the third single from Pop.
  • 8 September: The live EP PopHeart is released.
  • 23 September: U2 play a concert in Sarajevo; they were the first major group to perform there following the Bosnian War.[83] Mullen described the concert as "an experience I will never forget for the rest of my life, and if I had to spend 20 years in the band just to play that show, and have done that, I think it would have been worthwhile."[84]
  • 20 October: "Please" is released as the fourth single from Pop.
  • 8 December: "If God Will Send His Angels" and "Mofo" are released as the fifth and final singles respectively.

[edit] 1998

  • 21 March: The PopMart Tour concludes in Johannesburg, South Africa.
  • 26 April: One month following the conclusion of the PopMart Tour, U2 appeared on the 200th episode of The Simpsons, "Trash of the Titans", in which Homer Simpson disrupted the band on stage during a PopMart concert.[85]

[edit] 1999

  • 21 August: Bono and wife Ali have a baby boy who is named Elijah Bob Patricious Guggi Q.

[edit] 2000

  • 9 October: "Beautiful Day" is released as a single, debuting at #1 in Australia, Canada, the UK, and #21 in the US.
  • 30 October: All That You Can't Leave Behind is released. For many of those not won over by the band's 1990s music, it was considered a return to grace;[86] Rolling Stone called it U2's "third masterpiece" alongside The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby.[87] The album debuted at number one in 22 countries.[88]

[edit] 2001

  • 22 February: The single "Beautiful Day" wins 3 Grammy Awards.[citation needed] U2 perform in a scaled-down setting, returning to arenas after nearly a decade of stadium productions. A heart-shaped stage and ramp permitted greater proximity to the audience.
  • 29 February: "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" is released as the second single from All That You Can't Leave Behind.
  • 24 March: American Leg of the Elevation Tour starts in Miami, Florida.[citation needed]
  • 12 June: "Elevation" is released as the third single from the album.
  • 7 July: European Leg of the Elevation Tour starts in Copenhagen, Denmark.[citation needed]
  • 25 August: U2 play two sold out concerts at Slane Castle.[citation needed]
  • 10 October: U2 commence the 2nd American leg of the Elevation Tour. Following the September 11 attacks, the new album gained added resonance,[89] and from 24 --27 October, U2 performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
  • 19 November: "Walk On" is released as All That You Can't Leave Behind's fourth and final single. The song is written about and dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi.

[edit] 2002

[edit] 2003

[edit] 2004

  • January: The single "Take Me to the Clouds Above", a house-pop collaboration by LMC vs U2, is released.
  • 16 September: Bono is nominated a third time for the Nobel Peace Prize.
  • 8 November: The new album's first single, "Vertigo", is released. It reaches number 1 on the UK Singles Chart, number 1 on the Billboard charts, and number 5 on the Australian charts.
  • 23 November: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is released. The album debuted at number one in the U.S. where first week sales doubled that of All That You Can't Leave Behind and set a record for the band.[92] The same day, The Complete U2 digital box set is released by Apple Computer on the iTunes Store. It is the first major release of a purely-digital online set by any artist. It contains the complete set of U2 albums and singles, and also contains live, rare and previously unreleased material from 1978 to 2004, with a total of 446 songs.[93] The release accompanies a U2 Special Edition iPod.

[edit] 2005

  • 2005: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and its singles won Grammy Awards in all eight categories in which U2 were nominated.[citation needed]
  • 7 February: "All Because of You" and "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" are released as the second single from the album in North America and Europe respectively.
  • March: In 2005, Bruce Springsteen inducted U2 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[94]
  • 28 March: The Vertigo Tour tour commences in the US city of San Diego.
  • 27 April: U2 shoot a video for "City of Blinding Lights" at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia. Members of the public are invited into the venue as an audience backdrop.
  • 9 - 10 May: Two concerts in Chicago, Illinois are filmed for a video release of the tour.
  • 6 June: "City of Blinding Lights" is released as the third single from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.
  • 10 June: The European leg of the Vertigo Tour commences in Brussels.
  • 2 July: U2 perform at Live 8, opening the show. The band plays "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" with Paul McCartney, "Beautiful Day", "Vertigo", and "One". The performance of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is released as a digital-single during the day and sets a world record as the fastest-selling online song.[95]
  • 20 - 21 July: Two concerts in Milan, Italy are filmed. Ten tracks would later be included on the bonus DVD for U218 Singles.
  • 12 September: A second North American leg of the Vertigo Tour commences in Toronto, Ontario.[citation needed]
  • 10 October: "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" and "All Because of You" are released as the fourth single from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb in North America and Europe respectively, switching territories from their earlier releases.
  • November: "Original of the Species" is released as the album's fifth and final single in a digital-only format.
  • 14 November: Vertigo 2005: Live from Chicago is released on DVD.

[edit] 2006

  • 12 February: An eight-date Latin American leg of the Vertigo tour commences in Mexico.
  • March: U2 arrive in Australia to prepare for the Australian leg of the Vertigo Tour. The tour, however, is postponed until further notice due to a band family member’s illness.
  • 3 April: A duet of "One" with Mary J. Blige is released as a single.
  • Mid-2006: The band begin work on material for a new album writing and recording with producer Rick Rubin; the material is later shelved.
  • August: The band incorporates its publishing business in The Netherlands following the capping of Irish artists' tax exemption at €250,000.[96] The move was criticised in the Irish parliament.[97][98]
  • 25 September: U2 play with Green Day to open an NFL game in the Louisiana Superdome. It is the first game in the stadium following the heavy damage it sustained from Hurricane Katrina. They play a four song set of "Wake Me Up When September Ends", "House of the Rising Sun", "The Saints Are Coming", and "Beautiful Day".
  • 31 October: A studio cover with Green Day of The Skids' song "The Saints Are Coming" is released as a single for the charity Music Rising.
  • 7 November: The 13 postponed dates in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Hawaii commence in Brisbane.
  • 17 November: U218 Singles and U218 Videos are released. The bonus DVD on U218 Singles includes ten tracks taken from the 2005 concerts in Milan.

[edit] 2007

  • 1 January: The "Window in the Skies" single is released.
  • June: The band continue writing and recording for the album, this time with Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno as co-writers and producers. A two-week trip to Fez, Morocco where the six recorded led to the band experimenting with North African influences.

[edit] 2008

  • 23 January: A 3-D concert film, U2 3D, filmed at nine concerts during the Latin America leg of the Vertigo Tour is released.
  • 19 February: The single "The Ballad of Ronnie Drew" - a collaboration between U2, The Dubliners, Kíla, and "A Band of Bowsies" - is released. All proceeds went towards the Irish Cancer Society; the song is an homage to Ronnie Drew, who was dying of cancer at the time.
  • 31 March: U2 sign a 12 year deal with Live Nation worth an estimated $100 million (£50 million),[99] which includes Live Nation controlling the band's merchandise, sponsoring, and their official website.
  • Mid-2008: Boy, October, War, and Under a Blood Red Sky are remastered and released. Three different formats of each were made available, featuring remastered tracks, B-sides, live, and unreleased songs.
  • December: The band completed No Line on the Horizon in December 2008,

[edit] 2009

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "Adam Clayton (I)". IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0165651/. Retrieved 2009-11-01. 
  2. ^ "Bono". IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0095104/. Retrieved 2009-11-01. 
  3. ^ "The Edge". IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0857253/. Retrieved 2009-11-01. 
  4. ^ "Larry Mullen Jr.". IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0611979/. Retrieved 2009-11-01. 
  5. ^ Stokes (1996), p. 140.
  6. ^ Chatterton (2001), page 130
  7. ^ McCormick (2006), page 30
  8. ^ Parra (1996), p. 6.
  9. ^ a b McCormick (2006), pages 46–48
  10. ^ Graham, Bill (28 April), "Yep, It's U2", Hot Press, http://www.atu2.com/news/yep-its-u2.html, retrieved 5-11-09 
  11. ^ Wall, Mick, (2005). Bono. Andre Deutsch Publishers. ISBN 0233001593 (Promotional edition published by Paperview UK is association with the Irish Independent), pages 45
  12. ^ Stokes (1996), p. 140; McCormick (2006), pages 53–56
  13. ^ Stokes (1996), p. 140.
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[edit] References

  • Graham, Bill; van Oosten de Boer (2004). U2: The Complete Guide to their Music. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-9886-8. 
  • McCormick, Neil (ed), (2006). U2 by U2. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0-00-719668-7
  • de la Parra, Pimm Jal (2003). U2 Live: A Concert Documentary. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-9198-7
  • Stokes, Niall (1996). Into The Heart: The Stories Behind Every U2 Song. Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 0-7322-6036-1. 
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