The Medal of Freedom, established by John F. Kennedy in 1963, honours those who have made outstanding contributions to US national interests, world peace, or cultural and humanitarian efforts. While Kennedy would collate a list of nominees, he would never award the medal himself.

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Biden’s awards have been noted for their balance, recognising civil rights activists and charity leaders. Previous British and Irish recipients include Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, Stephen Hawking, and Mary Robinson – the last Irish recipient in 2009. Bono joins a list of celebrated musicians such as Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, and Bob Dylan.

Bono’s recognition stems from his activism, particularly through organisations like ONE and (RED). ONE focuses on fighting poverty and preventable diseases, recently addressing COVID-19 misinformation. (RED), meanwhile, raises funds for HIV/AIDS programmes through partnerships with major multinational companies like Apple and Nike.  

The White House statement noted Bono’s ability to unite politicians, citing his role in the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). This programme, launched under George W. Bush and supported by then-Senator Biden, has saved millions of lives.

Walls really do tumble. But the cause of freedom is a call to action for each new generation, Bono writes. https://t.co/s2idn143rD — The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) January 4, 2025

In a piece published the morning of the ceremony, Bono said in The Atlantic: “Freedom is a word that turns up with embarrassing frequency in rock-and-roll songs, but if we’re honest, the freedom musicians are most interested in is our own. The reason I am climbing on this slippery soapbox called “freedom” today is that I’m being given a presidential medal by that name—an honour I’m receiving mainly for the work of others, among them my bandmates and our fellow activists.”

Bono’s connection to Joe Biden is stronger than some may expect. Their relationship began nearly 25 years ago during Bono’s debt relief campaign, when the senator impressed him with his Seamus Heaney quotes and passion for the cause. More recently, Bono attended Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address as a guest of First Lady Jill Biden, in recognition of his HIV/AIDS advocacy.

It’s a beautiful day to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom! Congratulations Bono! https://t.co/v7AoUqwC9Z

— U.S. Embassy Dublin (@USEmbassyDublin) January 4, 2025

While the US Embassy in Dublin celebrated Bono’s achievement with the post, “It’s a beautiful day to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom!”, reactions from fans in the US were more varied. Fans joked on Reddit: “The nation is finally forgiving him for putting an album on everyone’s phone in 2014.”

Comment byu/R1MBL from discussion inU2Band

Bono’s accolades extend beyond his new medal. In 2007, he was made a Knight Commander of the British Empire – though, being Irish, he cannot use the title “Sir”. He has also received honours in France and Portugal, with recognition for his music and humanitarian efforts.

This latest recognition highlights Bono’s legacy in more than one field. While his music remains iconic, it is his activism that may define his impact in the years to come. As Bono himself said, “Freedom must be re-won by each generation.”

The single had been heard briefly when the band were shooting the music video at their surprise concert earlier this month (September 16th) at the Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, where up to 250 fans and extras congregated in the city’s Fremont Street for the special occasion. An apt setting for the music video to take place, as “Atomic City” is Vegas themed song, with lyrics such as “I’m free, so unexpectedly. I’m free from what’s in front of me!” and “I’ve got the key to the cages, waiting for my dice. I came here for the fight/I’m front row in Las Vegas. And there’s a big one on tonight”.

The new single was produced by Jacknife Lee and Steve Lillywhite and recorded at Sound City in LA, and as Bono told the audience at the band’s surprise Las Vegas show, “This is the world premiere of ‘Atomic City,’ a rock’n’roll 45-inch tradition of late 70s post-punk if you are interested…Blondie, The Clash.”

The song’s title is also a direct nod to the famous Nevada city, as ‘Atomic City’ was a nickname for Las Vegas in the 1950’s due to how close it was to the Nevada Test Site – dedicated to the testing of nuclear devices.

“Atomic City” was dropped on the same day (September 29th) U2 begin their very special residency at Las Vegas’ brand new MSG Sphere venue, where, throughout their run of shows, the Irish rockers will be performing their 1991 album Achtung Baby in full. U2’s residency will be the first shows played on the new Vegas stage.

In addition to U2’s residency at the MSG Sphere, the band also launched the immersive ‘Zoo Station: A U2:UV Experience’ recently on September 28th. The experience is a fan portal that aims to help fans gather a deeper understanding of Achtung Baby.

It is not yet known whether “Atomic City” will feature on U2’s as of yet unannounced upcoming album, however the band’s guitarist The Edge has created excitement around their new music as he shared with Guitar Player magazine “I’ve been working a lot on new guitar music, and I’m very excited about it. It’s at that prototype stage where … who knows?. I’m finding myself for the first time in a little while getting very excited about the electric guitar again. Maybe it’s something to do with the lockdown, having the time to not do very much.”

The Irish quartet took to the stage for a surprise show in front of the Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas on Saturday 16th September. During the show, the band played a brand new Vegas-themed song, “Atomic City”, and filmed a music video. The band, fronted by Bono, played through the song repeatedly in a downtown area of the Nevada city.

“Atomic City,” is the song, all about #VegasVille … A first look @U2#Vegas#RJNow@reviewjournalpic.twitter.com/OVkPyHNn65

— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) September 17, 2023

“Atomic City” is set to be released before U2 embark on their upcoming residency at the new MSG Sphere in Las Vegas. The band are scheduled to start their shows at the Sphere, which will be the first shows ever played at the venue, on Friday 29th September.

The upcoming shows are titled “U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere”, and will see four-piece perform their 1991 album Achtung Baby in full.

Despite being present at the surprise Las Vegas show and music video recording, drummer Larry Mullen Jr is not performing with the band for the first few shows of the residency while he recovers from surgery.

In an interview with the Irish Mirror, bassist Adam Clayton said “The whole band and I’m sure the audience are going to be very sad and miss Larry. He wants to come back, he wants to be able to have a long career and continue his drumming so he’s taking care of those injuries.”

Clayton also explained that whilst the U2 drummer is recovering, Krezip drummer Bram van den Berg will be filling in throughout the first portion of the “U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere” tour. A decision the band came to together after having Larry Mullen Jr’s blessing.

In addition to the Las Vegas Residency tour, U2 have announced an immersive experience for fans ahead of their upcoming shows.

‘Zoo Station: A U2:UV Experience,’ the immersive fan portal, opens at The Venetian in Las Vegas on September 28.

Explore ‘Achtung Baby’ through interactive experiences – Zoo TV Cinema (curated by The Edge), the Anton Corbijn Gallery, limited-edition merchandise, VIP lounges,… pic.twitter.com/35GlOxw81n

— U2 (@U2) August 30, 2023

Opening on September 28th, “Zoo Station: A U2:UV Experience” is an immersive fan portal designed to help U2 fans to gain a deeper understanding of the Irish rocker’s 7th LP, 1991 acclaimed album Achtung Baby.

Following Songs of Surrender, U2’s acoustic, stripped down project released in March 2023, The Edge has professed an excitement to return to electric guitar. Speaking to Guitar Player on his perspective on electric guitar, he said, “I know the answer to that. I’ve been working a lot on new guitar music, and I’m very excited about it. It’s at that prototype stage where… who knows? But the answer to the question is ‘yes.’ I’m finding myself for the first time in a little while getting very excited about the electric guitar again.”

Aside from sharing an enthusiasm to return to electric guitar-based music, The Edge hasn’t given much away on what fans can expect from the U2’s new work yet. But, speaking on U2’s goal as a band, he shared, “Our challenge was always to get to that guy at the back of the room, somebody who isn’t really a fan or isn’t paying attention.”

Speaking on the thought process behind Songs of Surrender, The Edge said, “There was always an intense pitch to our music early on. So my thought here was, ‘Let’s take minimalism to the nth degree, if it’s appropriate.’ And on a lot of these songs, it worked. We left just the bare skeletons of the original arrangements in terms of themes and hooks, taking things down to a really light touch.”

Despite The Edge giving little away on the band’s musical plans moving forwards, frontman Bono has shared his thoughts on the direction that U2 had been moving in recently, and where they want to go from there.

Bono reflected, “We all make mistakes. The progressive-rock virus gets in, and we needed a vaccine. The discipline of our songwriting, the thing that made U2 — top-line melody, clear thoughts — had gone.”

He continued, “With the band, I was like, this is not what we do, and we can only do that experimental stuff if we have the songwriting chops. So we went to songwriting school, and we’re back and we’re good! Over those two albums, ‘Songs Of Innocence and Experience’, our songwriting returned. Now we need to put the firepower of rock ‘n’ roll back.”

Speaking on his plans for U2’s next rock project, Bono said, “I don’t know who is going to make our fuck-off rock ‘n’ roll album. You almost want an AC/DC, you want Mutt Lange. The approach. The discipline. The songwriting discipline. That’s what we want.”

U2 had been promoting the release of Songs of Ascent, an album that has been in the works since 2009. Bono shared in 2022 that this album is nearly complete, however its release has been put on hold in favour of releasing a “a noisy, uncompromising, unreasonable guitar album” first.

Stream U2’s newest album, Songs of Surrender, here:

The festival’s lineup and event schedule span an impressive ten days, ticketholders are able to obtain access to a varied offering of events and activities. Representing the music aspect of the festival is an impressive lineup of acts spanning from various genres and eras.

CHELTENHAM LITERATURE FESTIVAL LINE-UP REVEALED

From 7 to 16 October, we’ll be taking over the town for #CheltLitFest

Check out our brochure: https://t.co/Sl7Ve5VqjS

And keep your eyes peeled at 10am when you can head to our website and start creating your wishlist pic.twitter.com/AKZNHSEBWl

— Cheltenham Festivals (@cheltfestivals) August 11, 2022

Billed to appear on the festival’s first day 7th October 2022 is Mel C, the former Spice Girl will be in discussion with Cathy Newman during the Cheltenham Literature Festival. The pair’s back and forth will be live broadcasted via The Ladder, Newman’s Times Radio show. A description of Mel C’s appearance states, “Mel C reveals all about the good and bad times of her fame and life with The Spice Girls in her long-awaited memoir Who I Am: My Story,”

Set to take the stage on 14th October 2022 is Nick Cave, the iconic musician will be speaking with Sean O’Hagan, a journalist for the Observer and a friend of Cave. The creative pair will be discussing their recent collaboration, Faith, Hope and Carnage. The book charts six years of Cave’s life and draws from over 40 hours of interviews between himself and O’Hagen.

Scheduled to be released on 20th September 2022, a synopsis provides further details concerning the book, “Faith, Hope & Carnage promises to be a thoughtful book about Cave’s inner life over the last six years, a meditation on big ideas including, faith, art, music, grief and much more, It is a project prompted by lockdown, and one that sits comfortably alongside Cave’s weekly mailing list The Red Hand Files. It is at once borne of and in some sense a tribute to the stillness – and imperative period of reflection – wrought by a global pandemic.”

The next day on 15th October 2022, British icon Jarvis Cocker will be appearing at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, the former Pulp frontman will be discussing his book and “reveal secrets from his early life in Sheffield”. The singer’s memoir Good Pop, Bad Pop was originally released in 2020 and was named as BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week. A synopsis of the book states, “From a Gold Star polycotton shirt to a pack of Wrigley’s Extra, from his teenage attempts to write songs to the Sexy Laughs Fantastic Dirty Joke Book, this is the hard evidence of Jarvis’s unique life, Pulp, 20th-century pop culture, the good times and the mistakes he’d rather forget. And this accumulated debris of a lifetime reveals his creative process – writing and musicianship, performance and ambition, style and stagecraft.”

On the festival’s last day 16th October 2022, U2 frontman Bono will make an appearance at the event’s The Times & The Sunday Times forum. During his slot, the “With Or Without You” singer will be discussing and reviewing his upcoming memoir. Entitled Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, the book has been given a publication date of 1st November 2022 via publishing house Alfred A. Knopf.

Tickets for Cheltenham Literature Festival are not yet available for purchase, Cheltenham Festivals Members will be able to access the sale on 31st August and general ticket release will open on 7th September 2022.

Click here to purchase tickets.

President @ZelenskyyUa invited us to perform in Kyiv as a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people and so that’s what we’ve come to do. — Bono and The Edge #StandWithUkraine

— U2 (@U2) May 8, 2022

The pair’s performance drew a large crowd of both soldiers and civilians, and many audience members filmed the special event and shared the videos on social media. The Irish rockers showcased a set list which included their 1987 megahit “With Or Without You”. The pair also performed other beloved hits such as “Desire”, “Vertigo” and “Angel of Harlem” in addition to a rendition of the Ben E King classic “Stand By Me”, within the lyrics the duo replaced “Me” with “Ukraine”.

During the cover, the pair were joined by a special guest, Ukrainian singer Taras Topolia. The 34-year-old singer songwriter is from the Ukrainian band Antytila and became a solder when the country became invaded. Throughout the concert, Bono and The Edge were also joined onstage by other Ukrainian musicians who were forced to join the military due to the ongoing conflict.

Speaking to the audience Bono gave the supportive message, “The people in Ukraine are not just fighting for your own freedom, you are fighting for all of us who love freedom, We pray that you will enjoy some of that peace soon.” The 61-year-old activist and singer continued to rally the crowd, “This evening, 8 May, shots will ring out in the Ukraine sky, but you’ll be free at last. They can take your lives, but they can never take your pride,”

Bono recently spoke with Mark Austin from Sky News whilst visiting Borodyanka, a Ukrainian town which became occupied by Russian forces several weeks ago. Within the interview, the singer gave his opinion on the unfolding conflict and stated that he felt that “younger people in Russia will know what’s going on“, he continued to add that he has faith “in the younger people in Russia to throw this man” to evict Putin from his position.

He proceeded to discuss the struggles of Borodyanka’s population, “You can’t ever really have a sense of what these people have been through, I’m not sure words can fully express what they’ve been through.” Bono continued, “The story I wanted to tell today… is how many Ukrainians died fighting fascism, fighting the Nazis: nearly eight million. And then to be called fascists is just ridiculous.”

The surprise concert is not the only form of support in which members of U2 have participated within; earlier in the year the band released the song “Walk On Ukraine”. The single highlighted the struggles and conflict in which has hit the country, the acoustic track is a revised version of the band’s hit “Walk On”. Throughout the band’s long career, they have become known for their philanthropy, in 2005 the Grammy-award winning group were given the Amnesty International Ambassador Of Conscience Award for their efforts in combining music with the fight for human rights.

Netflix and J.J. Abrams’ company are making a TV series about U2. https://t.co/nfTHDiIKXI

— ScreenCrush (@screencrushnews) March 18, 2022

The news comes a few months after Bono and co. announced that their next album was underway, and in addition, the release of a new song entitled “Your Song Saved My Life”, a tune that marked the band’s first material in two years, and features on the soundtrack to SING 2. The film also saw lead singer Bono make his animated screen debut as Clay Calloway, a rockstar lion. Prior to this, the singer’s only appearance in films had been as himself in documentaries, although he did appear in the beloved Sacha Baron Cohen film Brüno.

In years prior, the band have been the subject of numerous films and documentaries, such as the 2011 documentary From The Sky Down, the 2008 live performance film U2 3D, and 1988’s Rattle and Hum, which is a hybrid live/studio album by the band.

The ”Where The Streets Have No Name” quartet announced some details of their forthcoming new album, with guitarist The Edge stating in a November interview with NME: “We are firmly locked in the tower of song and working away on a bunch of new things,” he said. “I’m just having so much fun writing and not necessarily having to think about where it’s going to go. It’s more more about enjoying the experience of writing and having no expectations or limitations on the process.” He added, regarding prospective producers: “I so enjoyed working with [Dutch DJ] Martin Garrix [on the UEFA Euro 2020 song ‘We Are The People’] and I hope to work with him in the future. But we haven’t made any firm decisions on what the next thing will be in terms of personnel. I just don’t know.”

Presently, only a small amount of information regarding this forthcoming television series is known, with information initially being divulged primarily by The Hollywood Reporter.

The live-streamed event was in lieu of the more traditional Grafton Street performance in Dublin, a “Christmas institution“ that has gone on for the last 10 years in order to raise money for homeless people, featuring a number of busking performances from well-known names in the music industry. However, due to the ongoing pandemic, this year and the last could not be performed on the street. Then again, it seems to have worked well so far, with last year’s Late Late Show special raking in €1.5 million.

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Of course, with a man like Bono, this isn’t the only reason he’s been in the news recently. The other week he was involved in a charity auction organised by fellow U2 member The Edge (David Evans) where he donated a guitar to be sold in aid of musicians in the Gulf South, suffering from the after-effects of Hurricane Ida and the Covid-19 pandemic (more of which you can read about here).

Also, he’s been in a new film recently with Scarlett Johansson called Sing 2; a computer-animated family film about a load of animals voiced by famous people. Bono plays the character of Clay Calloway – a lion who also happens to be a rock star. Of course, Bono helped out with the soundtrack as well, giving us a new U2 song: “Your Song Saved My Life“. Also, Johansson and Bono did a new cover of U2’s classic “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For“. See what you think of the new recordings below.


The annual charity ‘busking’ event may have occurred last Friday, but donations are still open throughout the rest of the holidays, so if you fancy giving something to help out then you can look here.

U2 posted on Instagram: “From Wednesday: #TheVirtualRoad with @youtubemusic – 4 live stream events revisiting classic U2 shows from 4 decades with remastered audio & enhanced visuals, opening up with exclusive support performances from @dermotkennedy, @fontainesband, @carlamorrison & @feuchatterton. Head to YouTube.com/u2 for the details & tune in to the first show this Wednesday, U2 Go Home: Live From Slane Castle 2001 with support from @dermotkennedy.” 

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The group said of the virtual gigs: “Every show is memorable for us but these four particularly so… It’s exciting to be on the road again… Embracing all the wonder of the virtual road. And especially exciting to be joined by such a brilliant line-up of fellow travellers in Dermot Kennedy, Fontaines D.C., Carla Morrison and Feu! Chatterton.” 

The first concert to be broadcast will be U2 Go Home: Live From Slane Castle, which took place in Ireland in 2001. Next up will be U2: Live At Red Rocks, Denver, Colorado, originally performed in the United States in 1983. Following that will be Popmart: Live From Mexico City, which occurred in Mexico in 1997. Finally, there will be iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE: Live in Paris, which the band played in France in 2015. 

Director of YouTube Music Dan Chalmers said of the tour: “U2 have been at the top of the global rock scene for the past four decades. When they perform, the world takes notice – their performances are always a landmark moment for music lovers around the world. We’re proud to be providing the platform for an artist that has come to embody the definitive live music experience.” 

Check out the tour dates below! 

17/03/2021 – U2 Go Home: Live From Slane Castle – YouTube 

25/03 – U2: Live At Red Rocks, Denver, Colorado – YouTube 

01/04 – Popmart: Live From Mexico City – YouTube 

10/04 – iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE: Live in Paris – YouTube 

The lineup includes; Glen Hansard, Bono, The Edge, Imelda May, Hozier, John Sheahan, Finbar Furey, Shane MacGowan, Danny O’Reilly, Roisin O, Declan O’Rourke, Lisa O’Neill and Kodaline’s Steve Garrigan.

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Glen Hansard is no stranger to busking of course. Ten years ago Glen Hansard started the tradition of taking to Dublin’s Grafton Street with a collection of musicians in order to raise money for the homeless. The usual tradition can’t take place in person this year because of the ongoing global health crisis so RTÉ will be taking on the show and broadcasting it to the world.

The show will have many special performances along with stories about memories of the busk over the years and lots of information about the wonderful work The Simon Community does, especially at this time of year. John Sheahan, Finbar Furey, Lisa O’Neill, Glen Hansard, and Shane MacGowan will be making appearances in The Late Late Show studio. Bono and The Edge will perform an acoustic version of U2’s Walk On, as well as lead a special Christmas number. Artists like Imelda May will be performing virtually from London, where she will be performing On Raglan Road. 

Presenter of The Late Late Show, Ryan Tubridy spoke about the event, saying; “This will certainly be a night to remember with the best of Irish talent in one room coming together for some incredible performances. In return, our friends here are asking viewers to dig deep to donate to the Simon Community and to help our brothers and our sisters who are currently homeless to get off the streets, to be safe, to be warm, to be treated with dignity and decency and ultimately to get the type of secure housing that everyone deserves.”

If you are looking for a gift that delivers hope in a meaningful way, why not buy a Dublin Simon Christmas Star The beautiful gold stars can be hung from a tree and represent the real difference you can make to a person’s future. #SimonStars

https://t.co/1DdpTRMoar pic.twitter.com/QqAsfi57c1

— Dublin Simon (@Dublin_Simon) December 12, 2020

Ryan will also be interviewing, Philip Powell, who was staying in a hostel when he struck up a friendship with Glen Hansard, and became a staple performer of the Grafton Street busk. Philip will speak of his experiences of being homeless on and off for two decades.

If you would like to donate to The Simon Community, who work to help the homeless in Ireland, you can do so here. You can watch The Late Late Show Busk for Simon on RTÉ One, Friday, December 18, at 9.35pm or online on the RTÉ player in the UK.