1960-1961 - 1974- 1978 - 1979 - 1980 - 1981 - 1982 - 1983 - 1984 - 1985 - 1986 - 1987 - 1988 - 1989 - 1990 - 1991 - 1992
1993 - 1994 - 1995 - 1996 - 1997 - 1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001

March 13, 1960: Adam Clayton is born in Chinnor in Oxfordshire, England May 10, 1960: Paul Hewson is born at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin August 8, 1961: David Evans is born in Barking Maternity Hospital, East London October 31, 1961: Larry Mullen, Jr., is born in Dublin

September 10, 1974: Bono's mother dies, just four days after her father had been buried; at only 14 years old, Bono felt the loss tremendously, explaining in a 1987 interview with Rolling Stone magazine: "When it all went wrong, when my mother died, I felt a real resentment, because I had never got a chance to feel that unconditional love a mother has for a child. There was a feeling of that house pulled down on top of me, because after the death of my mother that house was no longer a home - it was just a house. That's what 'I Will Follow' is about." Autumn, 1976: Larry Mullen, Jr. posts a note on the bulletin board at Dublin's Mount Temple Comprehensive School seeking other musicians to start a band; the group of students' first meeting is at Larry's house; they set up in the kitchen, and play the Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar" and "Satisfaction"; the entire group includes Larry, Dave and Dik Evans, Adam Clayton, Paul Hewson, Peter Martin, and Ivan McCormick Autumn, 1976: the fledgling band's first gig is at a Mount Temple talent contest, playing as Feedback; their set includes Peter Frampton's "Show Me the Way" and a few Bay City Rollers songs; their second show is played as the Hype at St. Fintan's Church of Ireland, where they add the Moody Blues' "Nights in White Satin" to the set

March, 1978: Adam Clayton is kicked out of Dublin's Mount Temple Comprehensive School with the following letter of reference: "Adam Clayton, born 13.3.60, was a pupil of this school from September 1976 to March 1978. He has worked well when stimulated. He has shown considerable initiative and organizing ability, especially in relation to his music 'group,' which has had considerable success. He is a pleasant, cheerful person, was popular and took part in the social life of the school. Because of his later arrival, he has not held a position of responsibility in the school, but I have found him to be a generally mature person. I believe him to be honest, truthful and reliable, and am sure that in a suitable position he will be both conscientious and committed."; with Clayton out of school, he is able to spend much more time managing the band's affairs, and he makes valuable contacts with other musicians, industry insiders, and media

March 18, 1978: the band plays second-to-last and win Evening Press/Harp and Guinness Lager talent contest during Limerick Civic Week; band played three songs in the afternoon preliminaries, including one in Gaelic; judged by CBS' Marketing Manager Jackie Hayden, who paid for a short demo by the band; The Hype wins the talent contest while still in high school; in congratulating the band afterward, CBS' Jackie Hayden expressed the hope that maybe someday The Hype might achieve the level of success enjoyed by the great Limerick band Reform

March, 1978: in the days after winning the Limerick Civic Week talent contest, The Hype play at the Howth Community Center; it is a farewell show, as Edge's brother Dik is leaving to join the Virgin Prunes; he leaves halfway through the show, and the remainder of the night is U2's first show as the 4-piece band we know today March 30, 1978: U2 gets its first-ever mention in Ireland's Hot Press, an influential rock magazine which would be very friendly toward the band during its career; the brief mention reads: "Newly-formed Dublin new wave band U-2 scored a blow for rock 'n' roll when they won the top prize of 500 pounds in a group contest co-sponsored by the Evening Press and Harp Lager held recently during the Civic Week in Limerick. That's what you call getting the breaks...." May 25, 1978: after repeated urgings from Hot Press journalist Bill Graham, Paul McGuinness agrees to see U2 perform and meet them in-person; this occurs while U2 is opening for the Gamblers at the Project Ats Centre in Dublin; after seeing the show and meeting the band, McGuinness agrees to become their manager.

June-August, 1978: with all four band members now out of school, they practice inside a shed in Edge's back garden; Larry joins the group after a day's work as a messenger for Seiscom Delta

June, 1978: U2 records its first demo session at Keystone Studios, a result of their victory in March in the Limerick Civic Week talent contest; the session ends when Larry's Dad arrives to demand he return home; demo session also described as occuring within a "couple weeks" of the talent contest in March

July 31, 1978: U2 plays McGonagle's in Dublin in support of Modern Heirs and Revolver; in one of his first acts as manager, Paul McGuinness refuses to allow U2 to take the stage before the crowd arrives, and wishes to switch slots with Modern Heirs; McGonagle's manager agrees to delay the show, but the band lineup stays the same

September 9, 1978: U2 support The Stranglers at the Top Hat Ballroom before a crowd of 2,500 people, their biggest to date; the band is paid 50 pounds

Srptember 18, 1978: U2 and the Virgin Prunes share the bill for a gig at the Project Arts Centre

October, 1978: U2 play their first headlining show outside Dublin at the Arcadia Ballroom in Cork; they meet Cork native Joe O'Herlihy -- who would become their longtime sound engineer -- for the first time at this show

November, 1978: Larry's mother, Maureen, is killed in a car crash; her death affects Larry as deeply as the death of Bono's mother affected Bono some four years earlier

November 1, 1978: 2nd demo session at Keystone Studios overseen by Barry Devlin, singer and bass guitar with band "Horslips"; session also said to have happened in December; included "Street Mission," "Shadows and Tall Trees," and "The Fool"

1980: looking to improve his stage performance, Bono takes mime lessons from drama teacher Mannix Flynn January, 1980: U2 wins 5 categories in Ireland's Hot Press reader's poll January 15, 1980: U2 perform Stories For Boys on Ireland's The Late Late Show February, 1980: band releases single "Another Day/Twilight" in Ireland only February 26, 1980: U2 closes out month-long Ireland tour at National Boxing Stadium, which holds 2,000 people, but about 1,000 people actually show March 19, 1980: U2 share the bill with The Virgin Prunes and Berlin on the third night of the Sense of Ireland festival in London March 24, 1980: U2 sign first international recording contract with Island Records. Four years, four albums; 3 singles to be released in first year; debut album to be recorded 8-80 for 10-80 release. Deal is binding for all territories except Ireland, and in U.S., U2 will be distributed on Warner label. Negotiations with CBS, A&M, and EMI had fallen through; Bill Stewart of Island made the offer in dressing room after U2's concert at National Stadium April, 1980: U2 records its first single for Island Records, "11 O'Clock Tick Tock", over the Easter weekend at Dublin's Windmill Lane studios May 23, 1980: band releases first single under new contract, "11 O'Clock Tick Tock/Touch," produced by Joy Division's Martin Hannett; "11 O'Clock" is the song formerly called "Silver Lining" and the b-side "Touch" is previously known as "Trevor"; single fails to make charts May-July, 1980: band plays longer tour through England to support new single May 29, 1980: during a show at the Cedar Ballroom in Birmingham, England, Bono jumps into the crowd for what is likely the first time in the band's young career; it is a physical attempt to make contact with the crowd, an action would continue through the band's early years and eventually strain several live shows to the point of being dangerous July 11, 1980: U2 play at the Half Moon Club in London, the first time they've sold-out a venue in the UK July 27, 1980: U2 plays its first-ever open-air show at the 'Dublin Festival 1980' in front of 15,000 at Leixlip Castle in Kildare August, 1980: band releases single "A Day Without Me/Things to Make and Do," produced by Steve Lillywhite; single failed to chart; band begins tour to support single, playing first gigs ever in Belgium and Holland August 10, 1980: Paul McGuinness travels to the Us to meet with Frank Barsalona of Premier Talent, who also books, The Who, Springsteen, The Pretenders, etc.; death of father Philip McGuinness sent him back to Dublin without meeting Barsalona September 6, 1980: U2 returns to England for the band's longest tour yet, beginning in Coventry on this night, in support of the "Boy" album due for release next month September 8, 1980: U2 plays the first of four consecutive Monday night gigs at London's famous Marquee Club September 13, 1980: U2 plays at the Futurama Festival in Leeds, England; in Melody Maker, Lynden Barber writes, "U2 play truly great rock music which inspires the heart. They make Echo & the Bunnymen sound as stupid as their name." October 14, 1980: U2 plays its first-ever show on mainland Europe at the KRO Studios in Hilversum, Holland; the show is for Dutch radio and a small studio audience are present October 20, 1980: "Boy" album released in Ireland and the UK, eventually peaking at #52 in the British charts; single "I Will Follow/Boy-Girl" also released this month November 21, 1980: having already been to mainland Europe in support of the Boy album, U2 finally plays its first show in nearby Scotland, at Edinburgh's Nite Club; Bono dedicates a rare song called "Father Is An Elephant" to his father December 1, 1980: U2 play the Hammersmith Odeon in London in support of Talking Heads December 3, 1980: U2 plays its first show in France, at the Baltard Pavilion in Paris, in support of Talking Heads December 6, 1980: U2 plays first U.S. show ever at The Ritz Ballroom in NYC, two days prior to murder of John Lennon in NYC; Frank Barsalona of Premier Talent, who has booked U2 for this tour without ever seeing the band, is on hand and enthusiastically realizes he has booked a winner in U2 December 9, 1980: U2 plays its first show in Canada, at Toronto's El Mocambo; inspired by the murder of John Lennon the night before, U2 play an emotional show which wins rave reviews in local media December 12, 1980: U2 plays first show at Paradise Theater, Boston, MA, which would later become, along with Los Angeles, one of U2's breakthrough cities; they play in support of Detroit band Barooga, but most of the audience leaves after U2's set

January, 1981: U2 wins 4 categories in Hot Press readers' poll February 1, 1981: during a show at London's Lyceum Ballroom, U2 covers Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" for the first time February 15, 1981: U2 plays its first-ever German show, at Onkel Po's Carnegie Hall in Hamburg February 19, 1981: U2 receives its first mention in Rolling Stone magazine in an article called "Here Comes the Next BIG THING" and written by James Henke February 28, 1981: U2 performs three songs on The Old Grey Whistle Test, the BBC's longest-running rock show March, 1981: "Boy" album released in United States; March 3, 1981: U2 begins its first MAJOR U.S. tour, to be 3 months long, with two shows at the Bayou Club in Washington, D.C., guided by Ellen Darst of Warner Brothers, Island's U.S. distributor, and a future member of the Principle Management team; tour ends with sold-out shows at New York city's Palladium and the Fast Lane in Asbury Park, NJ, in late May March 4, 1981: Boy enters the US album charts at #135 March 15, 1981: U2 plays its first Los Angeles-area show, at the Country Club in Reseda before a sellout audience of 600; local station KROQ-FM has been playing U2's music extensively for several weeks prior to the show, and will become one of U2's friendliest radio stations in the US March 16, 1981: only 12 people show up to watch U2 play in Anaheim, California March 23, 1981: following a show in Seattle, Washington, Bono's gym bag with lyrical notes for the next album has been stolen; a frantic search of the entire club -- Astor Park -- comes up empty March 29, 1981: after a successful show in Denver the night before, U2 visits the Red Rocks Amphitheater for the first time; local concert promoter Chuck Morris tells the band "You'll play here some day" April 11, 1981: U2's first show in Chicago is at the University of Chicago; tickets for the gig are only $1 April 17, 1981: Ali, Aisling, and Anne arrive in Cincinnati and join Bono, Edge, and Larry, respectively, during U2's first lengthy US tour; U2 debuts "I Fall Down" April 22, 1981: U2 entourage takes vacation in Nassau, Bahamas, during break in first major tour; band records single "Fire" with producer Steve Lillywhite at Nassau's Compass Point studios May 27, 1981: during a show in New Haven, Connecticut, U2 debuts "Fire", which was recently recorded in the Bahamas; it will be the band's next single May 30, 1981: U2 makes its first appearance on US television, taping with Tom Snyder on "The Tomorrow Show"; Bono and Edge sit down for a brief interview in between the band's performances of "I Will Follow" and "Twilight"; the program is aired on June 4 June 8, 1981: U2 plays at the Pinkpop Festival in Holland; the crowd of 50,000 is easily the biggest U2 has ever played to June 9, 1981: playing one final show before going home to begin recording October, U2 opens a show in London's Hammersmith Palais with a song called "Carry Me Home," which was never performed again; Bruce Springsteen postpones his return home to stay in London to watch this U2 show, and he meets the band afterward July, 1981: U2 begins recording October at Dublin's Windmill Lane studios July, 1981: U2 releases "Fire" single which climbs up the British charts, peaking just outside the Top 30 August 16, 1981: U2 plays its first show ever at Slane Castle outside Dublin, and its only Irish show of 1981; the band performs five tracks from the forthcoming October album, but none have lyrics that match what will eventually be released on the record August 24, 1981: U2 make an unscheduled appearance at a Christian music festival in Odel, England; Bono tells the crowd, "This is the first time we've ever played to a Christian audience, but you're just as rowdy and noisy as everyone else!" October, 1981: band releases single "Gloria/I Will Follow (live)" from "October" album October 1, 1981: U2 opens its October tour in Norwich, England October 14, 1981: performing on BBC radio, U2 perform a live version of "Scarlet" for the first and only time November, 1981: Bono, Edge, and Larry tell Paul they will not tour in the US for October, and are "probably finished with rock and roll"; crisis seems to have passed when band writes next single, "A Celebration," and begins tour of North America on Nov. 13 in Albany, NY November 7, 1981: October enters the US album charts at #181 and eventually peaks at #104 November 20-22, 1981: a sign of their growing popularity, U2 sells out three consecutive nights at the Ritz in New York City December 20-21, 1981: U2 returns from U.S. tour to play two sold out shows at London's Lyceum, receiving tremendous critical praise in the process; the shows are described in Record Mirror as "the gig of 1981"

January, 1982: U2 wins 7 awards in the Hot Press readers' poll February 11, 1982: second half of U.S. tour begins with U2 playing on a riverboat as it sails its way down the Mississippi River; a writer from New Musical Express attends the show to report on the band's progress, and brings with him photographer Anton Corbijn, who meets U2 for the first time and begins a working friendship that lasts to this day March, 1982: U2 spends time in New York City in the studio with producer Sandy Pearlman, who had worked with the Clash and Blue Oyster Cult among others; the band also spends studio time with Blondie's Jimmy Destri as producer; neither session leads to a finished product March 3, 1982: U2 plays the first of 14 support dates in the US with the J. Geils Band; the support stint is arranged by Warner Brothers Records, which was disappointed with sales of the October album March 17, 1982: on break from the J. Geils support slot, U2 had planned to take part in the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in New York City by playing a live show on a large float; those plans fall apart when Irish hunger striker Bobby Sands dies that morning, and organizers of the parade name Sands honorary Grand Marshall; U2 pulls out, not wanting to take part in a suddenly politically charged event March 22, 1982: band releases single "A Celebration/Trash, Trampoline, and the Party Girl," which enters UK charts at #47 March 30, 1982: U2 plays its final supprt show with J. Geils in san Francisco; the band has plans to continue touring in Canada, Australia, Japan, and even India, but those plans are cancelled so the band can take its first real break in almost two years May 14, 1982: U2 play in Holland for a Dutch TV program; Island Records releases the live version of "I Will Follow" from this show as a Holland-only single, creating a much sought-after collector's item July 3, 1982: U2 play at the Torhout Festival in Belgium; during the show, several white flags are being waved in the crowd, and Bono calls for one to be passed up to him; he uses the white flag as a prop for the first time, a preview perhaps of the white flag props used a year later throughout the War tour; during this same show, at another Festival appearance in Belgium the next day, Bono climbs high scaffolding while singing "Electric Co." in an attempt to reach out and connect with the large audience July 18, 1982: U2 play a Hot Press rock festival in Dublin; during the show, Bono brings his wife-to-be Alison on-stage, and also brings Dublin personality B.P. Fallon on-stage during "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" August 8, 1982: on Edge's 21st birthday, the band begins work on the War album at Windmill Lane Studios August 21, 1982: Bono marries his high-school sweetheart Alison Stewart at a ceremony in Raheny, Dublin Late summer, 1982: after Bono's return from honeymoon, Edge tells him he's quitting U2 for religious reasons; one week later, crisis is over, and "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" is written in this time November, 1982: responding to an invitation from Bono, Garret Fitzgerald, head of the Fine Gael political party, and his wife Joan visit U2 in the recording studio during the "War" sessions for a photo opportunity in the final days of a political campaign December 1, 1982: U2 begins a four-week European tour designed to introduce new songs from the War album prior to the record's release in the new year; the tour begins in Glasgow, Scotland, where "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" is played for the first time December 15, 1982: prior to a show in Stockholm, U2 shoot the video for "New Year's Day" in the Swedish countryside during the day December 20, 1982: U2 plays a show in Belfast, which hears "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" for the first time; introducing the song, Bono tells the audience it is not a rebel song, and promises that if the crowd doesn't like it, they'll never play the song in Belfast again; the crowd roars with approval when the song ends

January 1, 1983: band releases single "New Year's Day/Treasure (Whatever Happened to Pete the Chop)" from upcoming third album; this will be U2's first Top 10 single in the UK January, 1983: U2 wins four awards in the Hot Press readers' poll February 26, 1983: U2 kicks off the War Tour with a sold-out show in Dundee, Scotland; this shows marks Edge's vocal debut, as the band plays "Seconds" and it also marks the start of a long tradition: U2 closing a show with "40" February 28, 1983: band releases third studio album, "War," which enters UK charts at #1, and releases single "Two Hearts Beat As One/Endless Deep" from same; the album debuts at #91 in the US, and eventually climbs as high as #12 March, 1983: U2 makes its first-ever movie soundtrack contribution, as two versions of "October" appear on the soundtrack to They Call It An Accident March 7, 1983: an inmate from a nearby prison escapes to see U2 perform in Bristol, England; after the show, the inmate returns to his cell March 8, 1983: the same inmate from the night before convinces prison officials to allow all the inmates to attend tonight's show in Exeter; permission is granted, and U2 meet the entire group after the concert; Bono says "Some of them looked really villainous, but they were all well behaved." March 31, 1983: U2 performs "Two Hearts Beat As One" on Top Of The Pops April 23, 1983: band opens North American tour to support "War" album in Chapel Hill, NC May 10, 1983: U2 plays a show in New Haven, Connecticut; at Bono's request, a smaller stage is set out into the crowd away from the main stage, allowing Bono closer interaction with the audience, and previewing things to come on future tours like Zoo TV and PopMart May 21, 1983: while in Chicago for a concert, U2 visit the Chicago Peace Museum which is exhibiting a series of paintings and drawings made by survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings; the exhibit is called "The Unforgettable Fire"; the band is inspired by the exhibit, and by the museum's dedication to the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.; several years later, Bono would write a poem about the Chicago Peace Museum, May 30, 1983: band plays at outdoor US Festival in San Bernardino, CA; during "Electric Co.," Bono goes backstage and gets a white flag, and with it, climbs up a 100-foot-high scaffolding to the highest point of the stage, where he continues singing the song; June 5, 1983: U2 plays famous show at Red Rocks amphitheater in Colorado, captured in part on "Under a Blood Red Sky" album and released on home video; poor weather nearly forces cancellation of the show, but with much money invested in producing the show, U2 plays on; Paul McGuinness promises a free show the following night in Denver for those unable to make it to Red Rocks, but cold temperatures, rain, and the promise of a free show the following don't prevent the show from selling out with a crowd of 9,000; band must pay $50,000 for Bono's impromptu and unauthorized rendition of Stephen Sondheim's Send in the Clowns during "The Electric Co." June 17, 1983: U2 plays L.A. Sports Arena, where Bono takes off into the crowd during "Electric Co."; this time, he is mobbed by fans grabbing for him and cannot get back to the stage; panicking, Bono jumps 20 feet down from the balcony to the main floor where he is caught by fans below; other fans in the balcony follow his lead dangerously; in trying to return to the stage, Bono pushes one fan, who pushes back and nearly starts a fist-fight; Tour Manager Dennis Sheehan eventually rescues Bono and gets him back to the main stage; the incident forces U2 to confront Bono about leaving the stage, and it is decided he will not do so again June 29, 1983: U2 finishes the US leg of its War tour in New York City; the tour grosses nearly $2 million and marks the first time U2 makes money while touring July 12, 1983: Edge marries girlfriend Aislinn O'Sullivan in Enniskerry August, 1983: Irish Prime Minister Garret Fitzgerald asks Bono to join the Select Government Action Committee on Unemployment; Bono accepts, but his tenure is short-lived August, 1983: US-based funk band War releases its latest album, featuring a track titled "U2" August 14, 1983: Bono's dad, Robert, makes his first appearance on-stage at a U2 show when he is pulled up during a show at Dublin's Phoenix Park August 21, 1983: after their final show of the summer, in Oslo, Norway, U2 answer media questions and Bono addresses the band's future: "We feel that U2 are to disband. Today was the last U2 gig. I'm not talking about the end of U2 -- I'm talking about the start of U2. U2 is just beginning. This is the end of a cycle." October, 1983: Edge becomes the first member of U2 to be involved in a non-U2 musical project when he appears on Jah Wobble's "Snakecharmer" album November, 1983: band releases live mini-album "Under a Blood Red Sky," which enters UK charts at #9 November 16, 1983: band plays a concert in Hawaii; during soundcheck, U2 try out new ideas for the next album - Edge would later say they "discovered" the song "Pride" during this soundcheck November 22, 1983: band plays first live date ever in Japan in Osaka December, 1983: U2 are voted Band of the Year in Rolling Stone's writers' poll

1984: U2 receives $2 million per album for next four albums and double previous royalties; U2 gets power to choose album producers; Island bound to accept each album unseen; Island commits $75,000 per video to produce three videos per album; U2 gets all their publishing rights back; contract still applies if any member leaves band January, 1984: U2 scores in six separate categories of the Hot Press readers' poll, including number one and two in the Best Album category for War and Under A Blood Red Sky, respectively April, 1984: U2 catches many by surprise in announcing Brian Eno as producer of its next studio album May 7, 1984: U2 begin recording The Unforgettable Fire at Slane Castle north of Dublin; the band chooses Slane after seeing the magnificent ballroom, and hopes they will be inspired by the non-traditional setting of recording in a castle; located about an hour north of Dublin, the castle is close enough to home, but gives the band breathing room away from Dublin May, 1984: Live At Red Rocks - Under A Blood Red Sky is released on video July 8, 1984: Bob Dylan asks Bono to perform with him on stage during concert at Slane Castle; Bono helps sing Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat and Blowin' in the Wind despite not knowing the lyrics August 1, 1984: U2's own label, Mother Records, is launched with a debut single from In Tua Nua, "Coming Thru" August 5, 1984: U2 finish recording The Unforgettable Fire August 29, 1984: U2 opens "The Unforgettable Fire" world tour in Christchurch, New Zealand, with later dates in Australia; early shows called a "disaster" because the music created with Eno didn't translate to live setting easily; at first, U2 decides to play the same set from the War tour, and gradually work in new songs when they're ready; after the tour, the and returns to Dublin, canceling some shows in Europe to work out problems September, 1984: band releases single "Pride (In the Name of Love)/Boomerang II" from fourth studio album, "The Unforgettable Fire"; single reaches #3 in UK charts and does not reach Top 10 in US; September 1, 1984: while in Auckland, New Zealand, U2 hires local staff to assist its regular crew; one of the locals hired here is a Maori named Greg Carroll; the band is immediately impressed with Carroll, and Paul McGuinness offers him a permanent job on the tour, which he accepts; Bono is happy with Carroll's hiring and tells the audience during this show October, 1984: "Pride" reaches #1 in Australia, the band's first #1 single outside Ireland October 1, 1984: U2 releases "The Unforgettable Fire," its 4th studio album, which reaches #1 in UK charts; first album produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois October 20, 1984: still trying to learn new songs, and where each fits in the live set, U2 plays a short, 15-song show in Toulouse, France that runs only 70 minutes October 27, 1984: the sound level during a show in Brussels, Belgium leads local seismological officials to declare that a series of small tremors has hit the area November, 1984: Bono and Adam take part in recording the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in London November 2-3, 1984: U2 return to London for the first time in a long while with two shows at the Brixton Academy; the crowd is rowdy both nights, and Bono is affected to the point of rambling during his speeches between songs; a reporter writes this for New Musical Express: "The most boring band in the world. There may be groups equally as dull, but I fail to see how any of them can be worse." November 12, 1984: the version of "Bad" from this show in Birmingham, England, is used on the Wide Awake in America EP November 15, 1984: during soundcheck before a show at Wembley Arena, U2 record "A Sort of Homecoming" for use on the Wide Awake in America EP; they weren't pleased with performances of the song during recent concerts December 2, 1984: U2 sell-out the Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts, the first time they completely sold out a US arena December 3, 1984: U2 play New York's Radio City Music Hall; the show is a fundraiser for Amnesty International's "Stop Torture Week," but the show is ironically notable for crowd violence; when fans begin leaving their seats and moving forward, security panic and one bouncer fights a fan early in the show, forcing Larry to leave the drum-kit and the show to stop; during the encore, the show is again stopped twice while fans climb on-stage to avoid the crush; the hall manager stops the show temporarily before Bono convinces everyone to move back; U2 finishes the show with a quick version of "40" and leave the stage December 7, 1984: U2 plays Massey Hall in Toronto; the crowd's energy and dancing shakes the balcony, which moves 10 inches up and down to the rhythm of the music

January 23, 1985: after a 5-week break, U2 resumes its Unforgettable Fire tour with a show in Drammen, Norway February, 1985: US sales of The Unforgettable Fire pass the one-million mark, giving the band its first-ever Platinum album in America February 4, 1985: U2 plays its first-ever show in Italy, in Milan February 8, 1985: during a show in Zurich, Switzerland, Bono's voice becomes so bad that the band leaves the stage for 20 minutes; his voice is not much better when they return February 25, 1985: U2 returns to the US for the 4th leg of the Unforgettable Fire tour with a show in Dallas; the show is briefly interrupted when a fan in the front row screams and points an object at Bono - it appears to be a gun and security quickly apprehend the man March 1, 1985: U2 play to 23,000 in Phoenix, Arizona, the largest crowd the band has drawn on its own to date March 5, 1985: at a show in Los Angeles, Bono brings a guitarist on-stage to play Knocking on Heaven's Door; it's believed to be the first time this has happened, the beginning of what would become a U2 concert tradition March 8, 1985: prior to a show in San Francisco, Larry is rushed to a hospital with severe pain in his left hand; the doctor orders him to take two weeks off to rest the hand, but the band explains that is not an option; Larry is given a plaster for his hand which can be removed for the duration of each show, and pain killers to take until he can get proper treatment March 14, 1985: Rolling Stone magazine puts U2 on cover with caption: "Our Choice: Band of the 80s" April, 1985: band releases title track of "The Unforgettable Fire" as single, with "A Sort of Homecoming (live) as b-side; April 1, 1985: U2 plays at Madison Square Garden, two weeks after Rolling Stone acclaim; anticipating the importance of this show, U2 brings the band's family and friends, as well as many Irish journalists and celebrities to witness the occasion; the band uses the opportunity with heavy media coverage to announce a homecoming show in Dublin in June April 8, 1985: U2 plays an aggressive show at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland; after seeing security wearing shirts with "crowd control" in big letters, Bono tells the audience to ignore the security personnel, inciting a small riot which forced the show to be stopped for a time; after the show, and is later freed on bail April 16, 1985: near-disaster as U2 plays the Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts; during the show, Adam notices that a lighting rig has begun to slip from its location above the audience; he whispers this into Bono's ear and the band stop playing; Bono asks the crowd to move away from underneath the rig while crew climb up to fix it; twenty minutes later, all is fixed and the show goes on April 29, 1985: Bono's Dad is flown over to watch the band play in Atlanta; Bono has pre-arranged with lighting technicians to shine a spotlight on his Dad when Bono introduces him to the crowd; when it happens, Bono's Dad stands up and gives Bono the finger!; also, prior to this show, U2 spends time at the Martin Luther King Center at the invitation of Coretta Scott King, Dr. King's widow May, 1985: band releases EP "Wide Awake in America" May, 1985: U2 releases "The Unforgettable Fire" single May 25, 1985: while performing at a festival in Germany, Bono brings back an old trick when he climbs the scaffolding during "Electric Co." so people in the back of the park can see him June, 1985: U2 publish "The U2 Portfolio," their first official songbook; it features photographs by Anton Corbijn June 3, 1985: a show near the Berlin Wall is planned for this date and listed on the Unforgettable Fire tour program, but never happens June 28, 1985: while rehearsing for their homecoming show the following day, U2 is forced to stop when they learn their volume is so loud at Croke Park that they have disturbed students taking exams at a school a half-mile away; also, this night U2 attend the opening of the 'Unforgettable Fire" exhibit of drawings and paintings by Japan's nuclear war survivors, an exhibit in Dublin which the band organized and financed June 29, 1985: U2 plays what is billed as "Homecoming Concert" before 57,000 people at Croke Park, sight of 1920's original "Bloody Sunday"; it is U2's first headlining show at a football stadium, and the crowd's euphoria lasts the entire show as they welcome their world-conquering heroes back home; more than 200 people are injured, including six police officers, and stores are looted when windows are broken during rioting as the massive crowd spills into the city after the show; U2 donate the proceeds from this show to the building of a music rehearsal center for young bands without equipment and a place to practice called The City Centre, which opened in June, 1989 July 13, 1985: LIVE AID! the benefit concert is organized by Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof to raise money for the famine victims in Ethiopia; U2's planned set was "Sunday, Bloody Sunday," "Bad," and "Pride (In The Name Of Love)," but the latter was never played because "Bad" lasted an incredible 13 minutes; during "Bad," Bono breaks one of Geldof's rules when he climbs down from the stage to dance with a girl in front of the crowd; it is perhaps the most memorable moment of the entire two-continent event; U2 plays at Wembley Stadium in London but is introduced by Jack Nicholson in Philadelphia; Bono leaves the event upset with himself for his actions which disrupted the band's planned set; days later, he encounters a sculptor in the country who is working on a statue called "The Leap," inspired by Bono's dance with the young girl at Live Aid; the performance is seen by estimated 1.5 billion TV viewers around the globe and U2 album sales raise wordlwide after the performance; U2 also wins Rolling Stone magazine' Readers' Poll award for Best Performance at Live Aid; U2 issue the following statement about their participation at Live Aid: "U2 are involved in Live Aid because it's more than money, it's music... but it is also a demonstration to the politicians and the policy-makers that men, women and children will not walk by other men, women and children as they lie, bellies swollen, starving to death for the sake of a cup of grain and water. For the price of Star Wars, the MX missile offensive-defense budgets, the desert of Africa could be turned into fertile lands. The technology is with us. The technocrats are not. Are we part of a civilization that protects itself by investing in life...or investing in death?"; hoping for something more quotable, many in the media ignore the band's statement August, 1985: Bono appears on the Artists Against Apartheid single "Sun City," and he contributes a solo version of "Silver and Gold" for the accompanying album August, 1985: U2 is contacted by Amnesty International director Jack Healy and asked to take part in a tour the following year to raise awareness of human right violations around the world and about Amnesty's efforts to stop them; the band recognizes they will be interrupting work on a new album, but agree to give Amnesty a week of their time September, 1985: Wide Awake In America is released in the US September, 1985: Bono and Ali spend six weeks in Wello, Ethiopia; at first, they helped with hands-on physical labor and basic health care of a refugee camp; then, they began to fill need for education by developing a weekly program that addressed one key health topic per week; Bono wrote songs about the importance of things such as brushing teeth; they were working in an orphanage of 300 children in the mountains of northern Ethiopia December, 1985: Bono records "In A Lifetime" with Irish band Clannad; Bono and Edge co-direct the video for the song December, 1985: U2 release The Unforgettable Fire Collection video

January, 1986: Bono appears as backup singer on fellow Irish group Clannad's single, "In A Lifetime" January 30, 1986: U2 appear on an Irish TV program called "TV Gaga," performing a song called "Womanfish" for the first and only time, and also performing a very early version of "Trip Through Your Wires," which would appear on The Joshua Tree album more than a year later May 17, 1986: U2 plays at Dublin "Self Aid" benefit for the unemployed in Ireland, but the idea receives criticism from Dublin-based magazine In Dublin which runs a cover story called "Rock Against the People: The Great Self-Aid Farce" June 4, 1986: U2 joined by Sting/Police, Peter Gabriel, Joan Baez, Bryan Adams, Neville Brothers, Jackson Browne, Lou Reed, and others on Amnesty International's "Conspiracy of Hope" tour; tour covers 6 cities in 11 days, beginning this night in San Francisco; tour earns Amnesty International $4 million and triples their U.S. membership; while in San Francisco, Bono meets Chilean artist Rene Castro who had been imprisoned in his homeland before Amnesty had him freed June 15, 1986: Conspiracy of Hope tour ends at Giants Stadium with a day-long live broadcast on MTV; a number of additional performers are drawn by the event; it is the last show Greg Carroll will work for U2 July 3, 1986: Greg Carroll, 26, Bono's personal assistant, dies in traffic accident in Dublin while running an errand for Bono; the entire U2 organization, Bono in particular, is devastated by the tragedy July 8, 1986: Bono and Larry attend the funeral of Greg Carroll at Wanganui, New Zealand; Bono reads a poem for Greg during the funeral, and sings "Let It Be" and "Knocking On Heaven's Door" during a post-ceremony supper; the whole event inspires Bono to write the song "One Tree Hill," named after the highest of the volcanic hills that overlook Auckland, the city where U2 and Carroll first met September, 1986: Edge finishes work on soundtrack to "Captive" movie with Michael Brook August 1, 1986: U2 begins recording The Joshua Tree album August 26, 1986: Robbie Robertson arrives in Dublin to record two songs with U2 for his upcoming solo album Fall, 1986: Bono visits El Salvador and Nicaragua on the invitation of Rene Castro; his experiences there will form the basis for several songs on The Joshua Tree album December, 1986: U2 travels in and around the California desert with Anton Corbijn, shooting pictures in the stark, desert landscape that would be used on The Joshua Tree album and tour, and all accompanying promotional materials

March 9, 1987: U2 releases 5th studio album, "The Joshua Tree," which becomes fastest selling album in British music history and enters the US chart at #7, U2's best debut yet; U2 appear at the Belfast Tower Records at midnight, signing autographs and speaking with fans who are there to purchase the album; more than a thousand fans line up at midnight outside a London record store to buy the record as early as possible -- one of those fans in line is Elvis Costello March 27, 1987: band attracts crowd of 1,000+ while recording video for "Where the Streets Have No Name" atop the Republic Liquor Store at 7th and Main, downtown Los Angeles; in addition to recording the video, U2 plays a few songs for the crowd, which gets so big that police have to pull the plug on U2's performance April 2, 1987: U2 opens up Joshua Tree World Tour playing at ASU Activities Ctr. in Tempe, AZ, a state which had rescinded a holiday honoring MLK; after talking with both fans and members of a statewide campaign to recall Arizona Governor Evan Mecham, Paul McGuinness said the band decided to proceed with the concert as a way of dramatizing opposition to the governor's action; prior to the show, U2 makes a "sizable financial contribution" to the Mecham Watchdog Committee, which is trying to recall the governor; two days before opening night, Bono fell during a rehearsal, cut his chin, and required stitches at a local hospital; the injury was concealed for the show with makeup; Bono is struck with opening night vocal problems, unable to sing parts of many songs, likely due to the extensive rehearsals the ban has done and the hot, dry desert air April 3, 1987: band due to play second show in Tempe, but Bono's voice troubles force the band to push it back to April 4; Bono tells the audience that TIME magazine is preparing a cover story on the band, and brings the photographer on-stage to take pictures of the band with the audience as a background April 12, 1987: after their first-ever concert in Las Vegas, U2 take to the streets of Vegas to film the video for "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," a late choice to be the second single from The Joshua Tree; the original plan was to use "Red Hill Mining Town," but U2 is unhappy with the video shot three months earlier and Bono was unable to sing the song during pre-tour rehearsals, so it is dropped as a single April 14, 1987: The Joshua Tree reaches #1 in the US in its third week on the charts April 20, 1987: while playing the third of five shows in Los Angeles, U2 is joined on-stage by Bob Dylan to sing "I Shall Be Released" and "Knocking On Heaven's Door" April 27, 1987: U2 appears on the cover of TIME magazine with the headline "U2: Rock's Hottest Ticket"; U2 is the third rock act to receive this honor, behind The Beatles and The Who April 30, 1987: U2 play at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, selling all 51,000+ tickets at their first-ever headlining stadium show in the US; media reviews are favorable following the show, but also say a video screen is a must so people at the other end of the stadium can see the band May, 1987: U2 releases single "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," which reaches #1 on US charts May, 1987: on tour in Italy, U2 is given the freedom of the town of Modena May, 1987: in only two months, worldwide sales of The Joshua Tree pass the 7 million mark May 12, 1987: while playing the Meadowlands in New Jersey, Bono tells the audience Edge's daughter Holly is attending her first-ever U2 concert May 16, 1987: band concludes first leg of North American tour to support "Joshua Tree" with last of 5 shows at the Meadowlands; this first leg of the tour is a 99 percent sellout, with only Las Vegas (April 12) not selling out June 24, 1987: U2 plays Belfast for the first time since 1982 June 25, 1987: U2 appear on Irish radio with longtime friend and supporter Dave Fanning; early in the program, Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" is played and the band react to the song's lyrics by undressing and doing the entire interview in the nude June 27, 1987: returning to Dublin's Croke Park for the first time in two years, U2's setlist appropriately includes "A Sort of Homecoming;" the song hasn't been played live since July 8, 1987: playing in Brussels, Bono dedicates "Bad" to Greg Carroll, whose funeral was held one year ago to the day July 15, 1987: U2 plays its first-ever show in Spain, attracting 115,000 people for one show, the largest crowd of the year; to reach through to all the people, Bono again climbs the scaffolding during "Electric Co." July 25, 1987: U2 plays in Cardiff, Wales, in response to a female fan who had gathered 10,000 signatures on a petition requesting the show July 29, 1987: while playing a show in Glasgow, Bono receives the news and tells the audience that "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is the #1 single in the US July 30, 1987: in the afternoon, U2 record their version of Phil Spector's "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)" which will appear on the "Very Special Christmas" benefit CD later in the year August 8, 1987: the European leg of The Joshua Tree tour ends in Cork with a celebration of Edge's birthday; during "Party Girl", a huge birthday cake is brought on-stage and Edge's wife Aisling jumps out of it with a bottle of champagne August, 1987: U2 releases "Where the Streets Have No Name" single August 14, 1987: U2 announces the itinerary for its fall tour of the US in a nationally syndicated broadcast from New York City; September 10, 1987: the third leg of the Joshua Tree tour (second US leg) opens in New York's Nassau Coliseum; U2 opens with "Bullet the Blue Sky," but for the first time it is not followed by "Running to Stand Still;" U2 plays "One Tree Hill" live for the first time ever, and for first time since it was recorded in one take for inclusion on The Joshua Tree album September 17, 1987: during a show at the Boston Garden, U2's lighting system breaks down and the band plays for a full hour with the house lights on in the arena September 20, 1987: Bono sprains his left shoulder while falling on a slippery surface into the lighting pit during concert at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC; a video screen is installed behind the lighting tower so people in the back half of the stadium can see the band - this will continue at most stadium shows throughout the tour September 21, 1987: U2 holds a press conference for U.S. fanzine editors at the Paradise Theater in Boston; Bono arrives 45 minutes late and in a great deal of pain, after a visit with a Sports Medicine doctor who treated his shoulder September 22, 1987: U2 plays in Foxboro, Massachusetts, the first of a dozen shows in which Bono wears his arm in a sling; during "Bullet the Blue Sky," a roadie fills in for Bono to shine the spotlight on Edge during the guitar solo September 25, 1987: band is joined onstage by Bruce Springsteen to sing "Stand By Me" at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia; September 28, 1987: U2 is joined by New Voices of Freedom choir onstage at Madison Square Garden in New York for performance of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" October 7, 1987: at a show in Buffalo, Bono's voice snaps during a cover of the Beatles' "Help"; Bono struggles to sing the rest of the night, and verbally snaps at a female fan who runs on-stage at him during "Bullet the Blue Sky" October 20, 1987: Bono is finally able to perform without the sling on his arm as the tour arrives in Iowa City, Iowa October 25, 1987: in St. Louis for a concert, Bono takes the stage in a St. Louis Cardinals jacket and baseball cap in honor of the team, which is playing a World Series game this same night in Minnesota November, 1987: band releases "In God's Country" as single in US only; a corresponding single of "One Tree Hill" is released in Australia and New Zealand November 1, 1987: in between sets by support acts The Bodeans and Los Lobos, U2 finally deliver on an idea they'd been discussing for a while -- performing as their own support act, The Dalton Brothers; all four are dressed in Western outfits and wigs, and Bono speaks with a twangy southern accent; they play "Lucille" and "Lost Highway" to an unknowing crowd; during U2's set, the band plays "Lucille" again right before "40", and the crowd realizes they had been fooled by the Dalton Brothers earlier November 8, 1987: U2 is in Denver when they learn of an IRA bombing which kills 11 people at a Remembrance Sunday service in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh; band plays concert that night, and Bono protests the bombing with fiery speech during "Sunday, Bloody Sunday," all captured on film in Rattle And Hum November 11, 1987: U2 plays free concert at the Embarcadero Center in San Francisco; Bono calls it a "Save the Yuppies" benefit in reference to the stock market crash the day before; during "Pride," Bono spray paints "Rock and Roll" and "Stop the Traffic" on a nearby modern culpture, prompting the city to issue a warrant for his arrest for vandalism to city property November 14, 1987: U2 plays the first of two shows in Oakland, and invites Armand Vaillancourt to come from his home in Quebec to the first show; it is Vaillancourt's statue which Bono spray-painted three days earlier in San Francisco, and after apologising to the sculptor, Bono allows him to spray-paint on U2's set; he writes "STOP THE MADNESS!" November 15, 1987: still in Oakland, Bono brings mural artist Rene Castro on-stage during this show and invites him and a group of community artists to spray-paint the stage backdrop November 19, 1987: at the second of two shows at the Los Angeles Coliseum, The Dalton Brothers make another appearance in between scheduled support acts; the Olympic Torch at the Coliseum is lit before the encore begins with "Star Spangled Banner," marking only the fourth time the torch fire burns -- it had burned twice for the Olympics and once for a visit by the Pope November 24, 1987: B.B. King supports U2 at a show in Fort Worth, Texas; together, they perform "When Love Comes to Town", which had been rehearsed earlier in the day and filmed for trhe Rattle & Hum movie November 26, 1987: prior to a show in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U2 film the video for "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)" November 28, 1987: during a soundcheck in Tennessee, U2 practice "Red Hill Mining Town", but the song would never make it into a concert; U2 uses their time in Tennessee to visit Graceland, and to record tracks at the legendary Sun Studios, all of which is filmed for inclusion on Rattle & Hum December 12, 1987: for the last scheduled show of the tour, The Dalton Brothers make one more appearance but this time it's in the middle of U2's set and it's actually U2's crew dressed up as the band's alter-ego this time December 19 & 20, 1987: U2 returns to Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona, for two concerts to be used in Rattle And Hum movie; tickets are sold for $5 each to these shows; the first night doesn't work, as Bono reacts against the rigidity of being filmed for a motion picture, which doesn't allow room for spontaneity of words or action; on the second night, Bono limits his antics and the show is captured for the Rattle & Hum movie

February, 1988: U2 receives a Sunday Independent/Irish Life Arts Award, one of Ireland's highest honors February, 1988: Bono's photography exhibition, "A String of Pearls" opens in Dublin; the pictures were taken by Bono three years earlier when he and wife, Ali, spent a month working in a relief camp in Wello, Ethiopia; the exhibition is done together with Charlie Whisker, Gavin Friday and Guggi; the negatives of Bono's photos were later purposely destroyed February, 1988: having postponed an Australian Joshua Tree tour due to begin in January, U2 relocates to Los Angeles to work on the Rattle & Hum movie and album March 2, 1988: U2 wins its first two Grammy Awards: Best Rock Performance by a Group or Duo (I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For) and Album of the Year (The Joshua Tree); band also releases New Zealand only single of "One Tree Hill" May, 1988: U2 use Dublin's Point Depot theatre to record more songs and scenes for Rattle & Hum June 7, 1988: Legendary singer Roy Orbison dies in the US before the release of his "Mystery Girl" album, which would feature a track written for him by Bono and Edge, "She's a Mystery To Me" September 19, 1988: U2 releases "Desire/Hallelujah (Here She Comes)" as first single from "Rattle and Hum" album; single hits #1 in UK on October 3rd, becoming band's first UK #1 single October 10, 1988: U2 releases "Rattle and Hum" album worldwide, produced by Jimmy Iovine; the album is released a double-LP, and is a mixture of live tracks from The Joshua Tree tour and 9 new studio songs October 16, 1988: U2 participates in first of two "Smile Jamaica" benefit concerts to raise money for victims of Hurricane Gilbert; the brief, 20-minute set is before a crowd of only 2,500 at London's small Dominion Theatre; the live version of "Love Rescue Me" from this show, with Keith Richards on guitar and Ziggy Marley singing a verse, will later appear as a b-side on the "Angel of Harlem" single October 27, 1988: Dublin premiere of Rattle & Hum movie at the Savoy Cinema on Grafton Street; U2 plays a short acoustic set before the movie, and returns for two more songs when the movie ends October 29, 1998: U2 attends the Spanish premiere of Rattle & Hum in Madrid October 31, 1988: U2 attend the London premiere of Rattle & Hum, but are not allowed to play live as police fear a riot would break out November 4, 1988: Rattle & Hum gets its worldwide film premiere; U2 appears in Los Angeles and plays a brief acoustic set before the show; the film earns $3.8 million in its first weekend of US release, playing at 1400 theaters nationwide; three weeks later, the film has earned a total of $8.3 million and is being pulled from theaters in favor of Christmas releases December 8, 1988: band releases "Angel of Harlem" as the second single from "Rattle and Hum"

March, 1989: U2 wins two more Grammy Awards: Best Rock Performance by a Group or Duo (Desire) and Best Video Performance (Where the Streets Have No Name); March, 1989: Edge travels to Moscow, Russia, to help Greenpeace launch their new fund raising album, "Rainbow Warriors"; the album sells 500,000 copies in its first day of release there March 11, 1989: U2 joins B.B. King on-stage at one of the blues legend's shows in Dublin; together, they perform "When Love Comes to Town" April, 1989: band releases "When Love Comes To Town" as third single from "Rattle and Hum" April 27, 1989: Bono joins best friend Gavin Friday on-stage in Dublin to perform "We Are the Champions" April 30, 1989: Bono makes his first solo live appearance when he sings two adaptations of William Butler Yeats' poems at a fundraising event in the Abbey Theatre in Dublin June, 1989: band releases "All I Want Is You" as fourth single from "Rattle and Hum" June, 1989: Edge and Adam Clayton appear on the Greenpeace flagship in Dublin Harbour for the Irish launch of Greenpeace's "Rainbow Warriors" album June 4, 1989: Bono joins Bob Dylan on-stage in Dublin for a performance of "Knocking On Heaven's Dorr" and "Maggie's Farm" August 6, 1989: Adam Clayton is arrested at the Blue Light Pub in Glencullen for possession of 19 grams of marijuana and intent to supply; he pleas guilty, and avoids conviction by agreeing to pay 25,000 pounds to charity, a deal legal under Irish law; there is no mention of the arrest or conviction on Adam's police record September 21, 1989: U2 kicks off the Lovetown tour in Perth, Western Australia; Bono's friend Rene Castro, the mural artist, designs the stage backdrop for this tour; the tour is U2 making good on a promise from the end of the Joshua Tree tour, when Australian dates were canceled due to family commitments; Bono tells a pre-tour news conference, "As far as we're concerned, the 80s were just a rehearsal" September 29, 1989: in Sydney, Bono makes his debut as U2's drummer when he pulls Larry to the front of the stage to sing part of "Stand By Me"; Bono tries a drum solo at the end of the song, but one drumstick flies out of his hand October 3, 1989: The Lovetown tour stops in Brisbane, Australia; during the show, Bono brings his 4-month old daughter Jordan on-stage and tells the crowd it is her first time at a U2 concert October 21, 1989: appearing on a radio show in Sydney, Bono performs the first verse of "Slow Dancing," a song he says he wrote for Willie Nelson; Nelson would finally record it with U2 some 8 years later in Dublin October 22, 1989: after complaining of throat pain for several days, Bono is diagnosed with laryngitis and three shows in Sydney are postponed until mid-November November, 1989: as the Lovetown Tour arrives in New Zealand, U2 spends a day visiting the grave of Greg Carroll November 18, 1989: shortly before a show in Sydney is about to begin, an anonymous bomb threat is phoned in to the venue; all 12,500 in the crowd are asked to leave, but no explanation is given; they are promised U2 will play a concert; after a 90-minute search, no bombs are found and the concert proceeds December 1, 1989: while playing their last show in Japan, U2 again enters the stage while "Stand By Me" is playing over the PA system; it is a gimmick they have been using for years, but this is the last time they'll do it; also on this night, "Slow Dancing" makes its live debut December 11, 1989: prior to a show in Paris, part of U2's lighting grid falls during installation and takes one of the crew 40-feet down to the floor below; the rigger, Steve Witmer, suffers a fractured pelvis December 16, 1989: playing the last of three shows in Dortmund, Germany, Bono cuts the show short when he has trouble singing during "Love Rescue Me;" the show lasts only 75 minutes, and many in the crowd voice their anger through jeers and whistles December 18, 1989: a show in Amsterdam, Holland, is cut short when Bono's voice hurts again; the band decide that they will refund each ticket for this show, and when two additional shows are cancelled because of Bono's vocal troubles, the band announces four new shows after the new year in Rotterdam December 26, 1989: U2 plays the first of four end-of-the-decade show at Dublin's Point Depot; it is the band's first indoor show in Dublin since 1982, and U2 are criticized roundly for playing such a small venue and for the prices of tickets; under the weight of public opinion, the band lowers ticket prices December 30, 1989: while playing the third of four year-end shows at Dublin's Point Depot, Bono delivers the now-famous 'Dream it all up again' speech during the beginning of "Love Rescue Me": "We've had a lot of fun over the last few months, just getting to know some of the music which we didn't know so much about -- and still don't know very much about, but it was fun! (pause) Anyway, thanks for coming along. It wouldn't have been the same without you. (applause) Some people have traveled a long way to come here tonight. (applause) This -- I was explaining to people the other night, but I might've got it a bit wrong -- this is just the end of something for U2. And that's what we're playing these concerts -- and we're throwing a party for ourselves and you. It's no big deal, it's just -- we have to go away and ... and dream it all up again."

January 1, 1990: U2 ends the 80s and begins the 90s with the last of four shows at the Point Depot in Dublin; at the start of "Where the Streets Have No Name", the crowd counts down the final 15 seconds of the 80s, and before returning to "Streets," Bono sings a few lines from "Auld Lang Syne"; the show is aired live on radio throughout Europe, and U2 places ads in several music magazines on the continent encouraging fans to tape the show and providing a cut-out cassette sleeve January 10, 1990: the Lovetown tour ends with the last of four shows in Rotterdam, make-up dates for the Amsterdam shows which were cancelled a month earlier January 17, 1990: Bono inducts The Who into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during a ceremony in New York City; during his speech, Bono jokingly says the key to great rock n' roll bands is "a great nose" February, 1990: updated version of Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange debuts on London stage, with score written by Edge April, 1990: Larry writes and plays drums on "Put 'Em Under Pressure," the official anthem of Ireland's 1990 World Cup soccer team June 20, 1990: Bono joins David Bowie on-stage in Cleveland, Ohio, at a show which Adam also attends, and which U2's longtime lighting designer Peter Williams is working; the Bowie tour uses a new, think video screen to illustrate some songs with pre-recorded images; one local newspaper claims Bono and Adam were at the show to see this technology and may use it on U2's next world tour October, 1990: U2 contributes "Night and Day" to the Red, Hot, and Blue album, a compilation of Cole Porter songs to raise money for AIDS charities November, 1990: U2 begins work at Hansa Ton studios in Berlin for album that would eventually become Achtung Baby, released in November, 1991 December, 1990: band releases "Night and Day" as 12-inch promotional single only, taken from Cole Porter tribute album Red, Hot, and Blue

March, 1991: U2 relocates back to Dublin to continue recording Achtung Baby album April, 1991: news spreads that bootleggers have obtained high-quality, digital audio tapes (DATs) of U2's recording sessions in Berlin last winter; the first bootleg is issued in May, 1991, and after correcting some duplication errors, the final version of the bootleg would include nearly three-and-a-half hours of U2's unfinished studio work August 20, 1991: electronic band Negativland releases a single called "U2" on the SST record label; the song is a collage which includes unauthorized samples of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" song from 1987, plus outtakes of radio host Casey Kasem trying to introduce U2's song on his "American Top 40" program; the Negativland track catches the attention of Island Records, however, more for its packaging -- the letter "U" and the numeral "2" appear in large type, while "Negativland" appears in small print at the bottom September 5, 1991: Island Records/Warner-Chappell Music sue SST Records and Negativland, and successfully obtain an injunction against sale and promotion of Negativland's "U2" single, which was released two weeks ago October 15, 1991: Island Records and SST Records agree on a settlement of Island's copyright infringement suit regarding the Negativland "U2" single; SST agrees to stop all production related to the single and to recall all existing copies (estimated at 13,000 copies) and forward those to Island Records; SST also agrees to immediately pay Island/Warner-Chappell $29,292.25 in damages, and additional future payments of approximately $15,000; the settlement also transfers copyright ownership of the single from SST Records to Island October, 1991: U2 releases "The Fly" as first single from upcoming studio album, Achtung Baby November 19, 1991: U2 releases Achtung Baby worldwide; the album marks a dramatic shift from all of the band's previous work, fulfilling Bono's promise from late 1989 that they would "dream it all up again;" the album opens with the industrial sounds of "Zoo Station;" Bono would later describe the album as "the sound of 4 men chopping down the Joshua Tree" December, 1991: band releases "Mysterious Ways" as second single from Achtung Baby

January 15, 1992: Edge inducts The Yardbirds into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame February, 1992: band releases "One" as third single from Achtung Baby February 29, 1992: U2 opens up the Zoo TV tour with indoor show at 6,000-seat Lakeland Civic Center, Lakeland, FL; tickets for the show sell out in a hardly believable four minutes; like the album it promotes, the Zoo TV tour is a dramatic shift for U2 -- the band plays in front of dozens of TV screens which reflect their own images, pre-recorded video images, and even live satellite transmissions during the concert; Bono opens the show in full leather, and play-acts at living up the rock-and-roll lifestyle March 1, 1992: at the second Zoo TV show, in Miami, Christina Petro debuts as the belly-dancer during "Mysterious Ways"; after this show, she would not dance again and become a regular until a show in Boston more than two weeks later March 13, 1992: celebrating Adam's 32nd birthday with a show at the Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts, U2 brings a "Bunnygram" on-stage to deliver a bouquet of balloons to Adam; she also places a feather boa around his neck March 17, 1992: Boston radio station WZLX offers 25 pairs of tickets for free to people wearing clothing or costumes promoting their radio station; several thousand hopefuls show up outside Boston Garden hoping to win, bringing downtown traffic to standstill; manager Paul McGuinness has trouble convincing local police he needs to get through, but eventually succeeds March 18, 1992: during a show at the Meadowlands in New Jersey, Bono sings "Let's go to Vegas and get married, for a while..." at the start of "With or Without You;" perhaps inspired by the idea, U2's friend Phil Joanou -- who directed Rattle & Hum 5 years ago -- does just that the next day with a woman he met during this show March 27, 1992: Bono orders 10,000 pizzas during a Zoo TV show in Detroit; the local pizza parlor eventually delivers 100 April 6, 1992: at a show in Houston, Bono breaks one of the TV monitors on-stage when he rams the microphone stand through it April 18, 1992: U2's show in Oakland is taped for a tribute at Wembley Stadium for the late Queen singer Freddie Mercury two days later, and "Until the End of the World" is shown on video screens during the tribute May 11, 1992: technical problems with the band's satellite system force the band to use Plan B for a show in Lyon, France -- the usually live TV images are from tape May 18, 1992: at the second of two shows in Barcelona, Spain, many of the text images shown during "The Fly" are translated into Spanish; translations will also be done for later shows in Italy and Germany May 20, 1992: a crowd of 12,500 show up in Milan, Italy, for their first Zoo TV experience, but go home unhappy because the show is postponed two days after one of U2's trucks breaks down on the road from Barcelona May 24, 1992: U2 plays a show in Vienna, their first-ever show in Austria; it's also their first open-air show since 1989; for the first time, BP Fallon plays "Television: The Drug of the Nation" as the last song before U2 enter the stage -- this will continue for the rest of the tour; Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses joins the band on-stage to duet with Bono on "Knocking On Heaven's Door" May 25, 1992: Bono introduces the idea of Public Enemy as an opening act to the rest of the band; all seem agreeable to the idea, but Edge is the hardest to convince; at tonight's show in Munich, Bono sings "Can't Help Falling in Love" for the first time this tour June, 1992: "Even Better Than the Real Thing" released as 4th single from Achtung Baby June 11, 1992: band plays Zoo TV show in Stockholm, Sweden, which is beamed live to the home of John Harris of Nottinghamshire, England, winner of an MTV Europe contest; band is also joined onstage at this show by Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA in a performance of 1977 hit "Dancing Queen"; June 19, 1992: U2 performs at the Stop Sellafield show in Manchester, England, a show designed to protest the plan to build a second nuclear facility on the northwest coast of England; during the show, Lou Reed joins Bono on-stage to sing "Satellite of Love" June 20, 1992: U2 takes part in a Greenpeace protest at the Sellafield nuclear power plant in northwest England; wearing radiation suits, the band travels in rubber dingys with Irish dirt allegedly contaminated by the power plant, depositing the drums back on Sellafield grounds June 29, 1992: Bono tucks himself away in the STS Studios for the night to record his solo version of "Can't Help Falling in Love" for the upcoming "Honeymoon in Vegas" movie soundtrack August 1-6, 1992: U2 rehearses for the Zoo TV: Outside Broadcast tour in Hershey, Pennsylvania August 7, 1992: after nearly a week of rehearsals, U2 begins the new leg of the tour with an unplanned, rehearsal show in Hershey, PA; the set list is nothing like previous nor future Zoo TV shows; proceeds from the show are donated to five local charities in the Hershey area August 13, 1992: during the day, Lou Reed is taped singing along in duet-style to "Satellite of Love", and this taped performance will be used later in the tour to allow a virtual duet each show with Reed and Bono August 15, 1992: U2 plays a Zoo TV show in Washington, DC; while channel-surfing early in the concert, Bono comes upon a station showing old concert footage of Elvis; the following night, Bono sings "Can't Help Falling in Love" for the first time on the US tour on this, the eve of the 15th anniversary of Presley's death August 27, 1992: Daniel Lanois joins U2 on-stage to sing an acoustic version of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For;" his appearance is filmed for a documentary being made about Lanois August 28, 1992: appearing on a national call-in radio show, U2 get a call from US presidential candidate Bill Clinton August 29, 1992: U2 plays the first of two shows at Yankee Stadium in New York; they are only the second rock artist to play in the House That Ruth Built (Billy Joel was the first) September 9, 1992: during a show at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, the band connects via satellite to Los Angeles where MTV's Video Music Awards are being held; Dana Carvey, dressed as "Garth" of "Wayne's World" hosts the show and introduces U2 when their satellite transmission is picked up; after a brief conversation, Bono invites "Garth" to play drums during "Even Better Than the Real Thing," which has been nominated for two MTV awards; it would eventually win the Best Group Video award September 13, 1992: Public Enemy plays its first show in support of U2 at Madison, Wisconsin September 15, 1992: Bono's telephone calls to the White House continue during tonight's show in Chicago; before hanging up, Bono tells "Operator Two" that he thinks he loves her September 16, 1992: while U2 plays a series of Zoo TV shows in Chicago, the band meets up with US presidential candidate Bill Clinton, who is also staying at Chicago's Ritz Carlton Hotel September 23, 1992: as a gesture of thanks for handling Bono's phone calls, U2 invites the White House operators' staff to tonight's show in Columbia, South Carolina; they refuse the invitation; two nights later in Atlanta, Bono reiterates the invitation during that night's phone call to the White House September 26, 1992: US President George Bush delivers the now-famous "Bill Clinton was seeking foreign-policy advice from the rock grop -- rock group U2" speech at a campaign stop in Bowling Green, Ohio October 10, 1992: during a show in Tampa, Florida, a fan gets on-stage and speaks with Bono, who tells the crowd the fan is also a songwriter and asks if the crowd wants to hear one of his songs; the fan gets a guitar from Edge and introduces his own song, "An Eye for an Eye Makes the Whole World Blind," the first time a stranger is allowed to perform his own material on a U2 stage; his song lasts six minutes, and U2 leaves the stage to change and prepare for the encore October 27, 1992: U2 play the first stadium show in El Paso, Texas, since 1972; the show is beamed via satellite to Sherry in California, who won an MTV contest October 31, 1992: celebrating Larry's birthday, TV vampiress Elvira appears on the video screens to lead the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday" November 7, 1992: at a show in Oakland, Bono dedicates "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" to legendary local concert promoter Bill Graham, who died recently in a helicopter accident; Graham has promoted all of U2's show in the Bay Area since the earliest days, was a major force in the "Conspiracy of Hope" tour in 1986, and made it possible for U2's free show in San Francisco in 1987 to happen on just 24 hours' notice November 14, 1992: U2 plays the final US Zoo TV show in Anaheim, California; the show is terrific, and the crowd respond to the occasion; during "Where the Streets Have No Name," the upper level of the stadium is clearly moving up and down a foot as people bounce and jump to the song; in later years, Anaheim and stadium officials would have to repair and strengthen the stadium before other concerts could be held November 21-25, 1992: U2 finish the Zoo TV tour with four indoor shows in Mexico City, their first-ever concerts in Central America; as a birthday present, the band flies in longtime friend Barry Devlin from Dublin to see the end of the tour November 28, 1992: U2's "Zoo TV" television program airs in 32 countries around the world

January 20, 1993: Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton join forces with REM's Michael Stipe and Mike Mills to perform "One" at the MTV 1993 Rock N Roll Inaugural Ball for newly-elected US President Bill Clinton; the musicians name themselves "Automatic Baby" for the night, using their own band's recent releases as inspiration January 30-31, 1993: Bono and Edge participate in a two-day Festival Against Racism in Hamburg, Germany; Bono is one of a few artists invited to speak, and his 5-minute-plus comments include: "We started the century with so many competing ideas as to how we should live together. We ended with so few."; on the second day, Bono and Edge perform "One" with Jo Shankar on violin and a drummer from a local German band February, 1993: during a break in the Zoo TV/Zooropa tour, U2 begins recording new material in Dublin; at first planned to be an EP, the effort eventually produces the full-length Zooropa album May 2, 1993: British supermodel Naomi Campbell confirms on Irish television that she is engaged to U2 bassist Adam Clayton; the engagement would break off before the two are married May 7, 1993: U2 play a dress-rehearsal for the upcoming European tour in front of a small group of fans in Rotterdam; Bono creates a new character for the European tour, and wears a red version of black, leather "Fly" outfit; when the tour begins, this new character would be called "MacPhisto" and would not wear the same costume tried out tonight, instead donning a gold lame suit and devil's horns May 9, 1993: the Zooropa tour kicks off formally in Rotterdam, Holland; Macnass, a theatre group from Galway, Ireland, are invited to perform a sketch prior to the support acts taking the stage; other aspects of Zoo Tv are changed to fit the European audience: images from Leni Reifenstahl's Nazi-propaganda film "Triumph of the Will" immediately precede the beginning of "Zoo Station;" as the show begins, the Zoo TV color bars that were used on video walls elsewhere in the world are noe replaced by the 12-star blue logo used by the European Community - one star eventually falls off, and the entire logo collapses on screen; during "Bullet the Blue Sky," the flaming crosses seen on screen now turn into swastikas, prompting Bono to often urge "We must never let it happen again;" perhaps the biggest change is the introduction of MacPhisto, Bono's character who replaces the Mirror Ball Man and is dressed in a gold lame suit and wears platform shoes with red horns on his head; Bono will later reveal in interviews that MacPhisto is The Fly "when he's old and fat and playing in Las Vegas" May 10, 1993: supporting act Einsturzende Neubaten is tossed off-stage in Rotterdam and off the tour when one of the band members throws an iron bar into the sea of booing fans; it is Bono's birthday, and one of his most memorable telephone calls occurs tonight when he rings a local travel agent looking for a flight out of town, anywhere "as long as it's sunny;" after the show, management will contact the agent again to explain Bono's call and offer her two complimentary tickets to the show the following night June 2, 1993: U2 and Island Records announce an extension of the band's current record contract; the agreement gives Island the rights to U2's next six albums; the deal reportedly pays the band $60 million, a $10 million-plus advance per album, and an incredible 25 percent royalty rate on every album sold June 2, 1993: at a show in Frankfurt, Germany, Bono makes repeated references to the latest in a stream of racist incidents in Germany, where a firebomb was thrown into a house owned by a Turkish family in the town of Genc; the first Zooropa show in Germany is also noteworthy because U2 continue to display burning swastikas on screen during "Bullet the Blue Sky," even though the image of the swastika has been declared illegal to display publically in the newly-united Germany June 26, 1993: during a show in Paris, Bono dedicates "Satellite of Love" to Ellen Darst, a longtime member of U2's management team who has decided to quit working for the band July 3, 1993: U2 meet Bill Carter for the first time; he is an American documentary-maker who is working in a relief camp in the beseiged city of Sarajevo; Carter interviews Bono before tonight's show in Verona, Italy, and spends time with Bono and Edge after the show July 6, 1993: U2 releases studio album Zooropa worldwide July 7, 1993: with Zooropa just released, new songs from the album begin working their way into the setlist; tonight, Edge performs "Numb" for the first time, reading the lyrics from a stand July 14, 1993: during a show in Marseille, France, Bono calls Bill Carter in Sarajevo on the telephone and asks Carter to explain to the audience what is happening there July 17, 1993: at a show in Bologna, Italy, the relationship with Bill Carter evolves further as Carter appears on screen after U2 sent him a satellite dish for this purpose; Carter tells the audience that two bombs have killed a child and injured five others within the hour, and that this is happening close enough to the concert grounds that if he left Sarajevo by plane, he could be at the concert before it was over; in future satellite hookups, Carter will bring local residents in front of the camera to give a personal account of the war between the Muslims, Serbians, and Croatians July 23, 1993: U2 play a show in Budapest, Hungary, their first-ever in a former Eastern Bloc country August 7-8, 1993: as the Sarajevo satellite linksup continue for two shows in Glasgow, U2 receive some criticism in the media that they are still the same U2 of the 80s for trying to address political issues August 12, 1993: U2 brings author Salman Rushdie on stage during concert at Wembley Stadium, London; fans cheer his appearance wildly; his appearance is picked up by media around the world; in later interviews, Rushdie would thank U2 for their "gesture of solidarity and friendship"; he would also say admit to being a music lover and say that standing before a crowd of 72,000 people was an extraordinary occasion for a writer; tonight's show would also mark the last of about ten satellite hookups with Bill Carter in Sarajevo August 20-21, 1993: U2 plays their 3rd and 4th shows of the tour at Wmebley Stadium in London, becoming only the fourth act to play four or more shows in this historic stadium; the others are Michael Jackson, Rolling Stones, and Genesis August 24, 1993: prior to a show in Cork, Ireland, a local governing body bans the sale of U2 condoms at the concert; manager Paul McGuinness reacts by handing out condoms personally to fans at the show, prompting criticism from the city's mayor August 27, 1993: days before the first of two shows in Dublin, local health officials announce they will take action against U2 because promotional posters for the concerts show Bono smoking a cigar, when it is illegal to use tobacco products in advertisements; during the show, MacPhisto calls home, where Bono's four-year-old daughter Jordan has left a message on the answering explaining that the family is on vacation, and "we're not coming home until you take the horns off" August 28, 1993: U2's second show in Dublin is broadcast on radio live in the US and most of Europe; during the show, Adam's fiance Naomi Campbell comes on-stage during "Trying to Throw Your Arms the World" and as that songs ends and "Angel of Harlem" begins, Bono hums the melody to "Here Comes the Bride"; U2 donate the proceeds from both Dublin shows -- more than 300,000 pounds -- to a handful of local charities September 3, 1993: Edge makes his first-ever solo live appearance, performing "Numb" at the MTV Music Awards in Los Angeles October 1, 1993: all 4 members of U2 and many in the U2 camp help Gavin Friday celebrate his wedding with a reception at the Clarence Hotel; in The Kitchen, the party is filled with karaoke - together, U2 sings its way through "The Boys Are Back In Town" while on his own, Edge does the Monkees' "Daydream Believer", a preview of things to come on 1997's PopMart Tour November, 1993: Bono records the vocal for his upcoming duet with Frank Sinatra on "I've Got You Under My Skin" November 12, 1993: the final leg of what has become a nearly 2-year long Zoo tour, begins in Melbourne, Australia and is dubbed the Zoomerang tour; more songs from the Zooropa album are worked into the setlist, but the title track and "Babyface" are left out after the band struggled to play them during the Zooropa summer tour November 26, 1993: U2 plays first of two shows in Sydney, Australia, but bassist Adam Clayton misses the show, marking the first time U2 has ever played a show without one of its members; the band originally explains that Adam is ill, but Adam would reveal in later interviews that he was unable to perform because of a severe hangover; the incident isn't taken lightly within the U2 camp, as other members of the band and management impress upon Adam that his lifestyle is jeopardizing the band's future; in some reports, Adam is given an ultimatum to clean-up his act, or the band will call it quits; long-time bass technician Stuart Morgan fills in during the concert November 27, 1993: U2 offers a pay-per-view showing of their Sydney, Australia concert to the US; the broadcast is later aired in other countries, and eventually released on home video December 10, 1993: U2 plays the final show of its Zoo TV/Zooropa/Zoomerang/Zooshi tour with the second of two shows in Tokyo, Japan; the nightlife, city lights, and atmosphere of Tokyo inspire Bono to call it "the capital of Zoo TV"

January, 1994: with the nearly two year-long Zoo TV tour behind them, U2 goes its separate ways for a much-needed vacation and break from one another; Bono and Edge spend time with their families at their vacation homes in France; Adam and Larry spend time in New York City, both devoting themselves to learning new techniques about the bass and drums, respectively January 19, 1994: Bono inducts Bob Marley into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at a ceremony in New York February 14, 1994: U2 formally opens "The Kitchen," their Dublin nightclub, located at their own Clarence Hotel in the Temple Bar area of the city March 1, 1994: U2 wins 5th Grammy Award: Best Alternative Album (Zooropa); Bono accepts award by saying, "I'd like to give a message to the young people of America. That is, we shall continue to abuse our position and fuck up the mainstream."; Bono also introduces Frank Sinatra for the "Living Legend" award, an introduction Sinatra would call "maybe the best I've ever had" April, 1994: Larry and Adam record four tracks in the US with Nanci Griffith for her upcoming "Flyer" album May 17, 1994: U2 releases home video version of Sydney pay-per-view concert; "Trying to Throw Your Arms Around the World" is edited out amongst great speculation -- possibilities suggest the edit allows the concert to fit on one 2-hour VHS tape, or that the female dancer didn't agree to appear in the home release November, 1994: U2 and Brian Eno spend two weeks recording in London; the sessions would ultimately begin U2 on the path toward the Passengers project November 24, 1994: Bono accepts "Free Your Mind" award on behalf of Amnesty International at the MTV European Music Awards in Germany; Bono tells the crowd, "Free your mind and your ass will follow"

January 6, 1995: "Zoo TV -- Live From Sydney" is nominated for a Grammy Award, Best Music Video, Longform February, 1995: Bono and Edge join forces with Irish legend Christy Moore to write and record "North and South of the River" in Windmill Lane Studios March 1, 1995: U2 win "Best Music Video, Longform" Grammy award for "Zoo TV--Live From Sydney" March 30, 1995: Bono joins Prince on-stage at the PoD in Dublin to perform parts of "The Cross" Summer, 1995: U2, Brian Eno, and Howie B. continue recording Passengers June 2, 1995: U2 release their only single of the year, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" from the Batman Forever movie soundtrack August 16, 1995: More than 100 people are evacuated from The Kitchen, the basement nightclub below the U2-owned Clarence Hotel, when a fire is spotted on the hotel's roof; no one is inside the hotel itself, which was undergoing renovations at the time August 19, 1995: Dublin's Baggot Inn hosts its final live concert performance after 26 years of shows by some of Ireland's top artists, including the young U2 (The Hype), Christy Moore, Luka Bloom, Something Happens, An Emotional Fish and many more, plus artists like David Bowie and Tracy Chapman; the Inn is under the ownership of Irish Soccer team manager Jack Charlton and others, who plan to turn the Baggot Inn into a sports and music bar by St. Patrick's Day, 1996 September 1, 1995: The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Museum opens in Cleveland, Ohio, complete with 4 Trabants in the lobby, donated by U2 September 2, 1995: Bono and Edge attend, with manager Paul McGuinness, the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Ceremony, Dinner, and All-Star concert, but do not perform at the all-star concert September 12, 1995: Bono and Edge are joined by Brian Eno and opera singer Luciano Pavarotti at the latter's "Pavarotti and Friends" concert in Modena, Italy, to perform the new song "Miss Sarajevo," featuring vocals by Pavarotti; the song shares its title with a documentary done by U2 friend Bill Carter, and partially financed by the band, who previously "reported" via satellite from Sarajevo during several concerts on the Zooropa tour in the summer of 1993; U2 later performs a version of "One" complete with classical orchestra, which is a benefit to raise money for the children of Bosnia September 13, 1995: after widespread rumor and several title changes, Island Records announces the formation of "Passengers," the collaboration of U2 and Brian Eno; the collaboration's new album is now titled "Original Soundtracks ," and is now slated for release on November 7th; earlier titles included "Always Forever Now" and "Music For Films 4;" says U2 bassist Adam Clayton: "For us, this is an opportunity to get all this stuff out that there isn't really room for on our own records."; the idea originally develops toward the end of the Zooropa recording sessions, when Eno tells the band he has started recording and instructs them to just play whatever music comes together - the idea proves so fruitful that he suggests they do it again after the Zoo TV tour ends October, 1995: Rumors abound that Larry and his longtime girlfriend, Ann Acheson, have given birth to a child; the boy is named "Aron Elvis," although no official confirmation of the birth is ever announced by the band or by management October 1, 1995: Bono appears at London's Swansea Grand Theater to participate in the U.K. "Year Of Literature and Writing" series; his portion of the program is moderated by music journalist Robin Denselow; Bono discusses his creative process, and answers questions from the audience; he spoke about why the band has become less outspoken about its politics, explaining that the band didn't want to bore people with its personal tirades: "The first responsibility of someone in a rock band is to be interesting," Bono says November 7, 1995: "Original Soundtracks 1" is released worldwide under the name "Passengers" November 23, 1995: all four band members appear on stage at the 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards to accept the award for "Best Group," as voted on by MTV Europe viewers; the event is held in Paris, and U2 is one of many artists who use the show to criticize French President Jacques Chirac for recent nuclear tests conducted underwater in the Pacific Ocean December 14, 1995: Bono and Edge appear via tape from London on US television's birthday tribute for 80-year-old Frank Sinatra, singing "Two Shots Of Happy, One Shot Of Sad;" the ceremony was recorded November 19th, so U2's segment was likely taped in the days shortly before this recording date December 31, 1995: Bono and wife Ali fly to Sarajevo, where they will spend a well-publicized few days celebrating the New Year holiday in the city that has been ravaged by ethnic war; cameras follow the pair everywhere they go, and Bono often provides great photo opportunities for the media; they meet with city officials, socialize at a Sarajevo dance club, and Bono sits down for a press conference in which he discusses his visit, the 1993 live satellite reports from Bill Carter, and the story behind the song "Miss Sarajevo", among other things

January, 1996: U2 begin recording POP album in Dublin March, 1996: Edge wins the first annual Rory Gallagher Rock Musician Award at the Hot Press/Heineken Music Awards March 24, 1996: Bono appears in The Sunday Independent newspaper in a photograph of him and Oasis' lead singer Liam Gallagher exchanging an open-mouth kiss; the photo was taken two nights earlier, March 22, after an Oasis show at the Point Depot theatre in Dublin May, 1996: Bono and Adam appear on "Common Ground," an album featuring new versions of traditional Irish songs; not having time to properly record a "traditional" Irish song in the truest sense, Bono and Adam rework U2's 1982 song "Tomorrow" for this compilation May 1, 1996: Larry and Adam's version of "Mission: Impossible" is released, reaching the Top 10 in the US, UK, and elsewhere around the world May 11, 1996: Irish rock journalist Bill Graham dies of a heart attack at the home he shares with his mother, Eileen, in Howth; Bono and Adam contribute recollections to special editions of Hot Press magazine; it was Graham who first championed the band in Dublin media and who suggested to both the band members and Paul McGuinness that McGuinness manage their career May 15, 1996: U2 take part in the funeral of Bill Graham in Dublin; Bono sings Leonard Cohen's "Tower Of Song" and is a pallbearer May 22, 1996: the Mission: Impossible film opens in the U.S.; Adam and Larry, who redid the theme song, appear at the Los Angeles premier party August, 1996: U2's next single, "Discotheque" is delivered to Island Records, but will sit around for months as U2 delay release of their next album September 1996: U2 returns to its Hanover Quay studio to continue further work on their album, delaying its' release into 1997, several months later than first planned; the band's slow embrace of Internet technology moves forward when a web page is established which displays a live image of the recording work via a "studio cam"; the band occasionally have fun with fans viewing the web page, leaving somewhat cryptic notes on a marker board for the world to see October 31, 1996: U2 manager Paul McGuinness receives 3rd degree burns and serious injuries when a firework explodes in his face at a party in Wicklow; Bono is quoted in an Irish newspaper as saying, "We're all worried about him. He's conscious and trying to play the whole thing down. But he will be alright. He looks as though he's been blown up."; published articles say McGuinness will require "extensive plastic surgery."; McGuinness is back at work three weeks later November 1996: A U2 fan in Hungary makes two 30-second audio clips of new U2 music available on his WWW page. The quality is not great, as the fan has recorded the clips from an Island promotional video; "Discotheque," the first single from the upcoming album, is one of the clips; a song believed to be called "Wake Up, Dead Man" is the other; as word of these clips spread, radio stations begin to play the clips on-the-air as a taste of the new U2 sound; Island/Polygram records steps in to block access to the Hungarian web site, but the clips are quickly shared among other U2 fans on the Internet and remain easy-to-find; some U2 fans suspect the clips to be spread purposely by Island/Polygram records November 1996: Rumors circulate that Bono and Ali have given birth to a 3rd child, a boy; these rumors are later found to be untrue November 20, 1996: U2 completes recording of its new album; mixing still to take place, with a March release date scheduled; the band's "studio-cam" closes down with a shot of a markerboard which reads, "Elvis Has Hacked His Way Out Of The Building" December 1, 1996: Robert Hilburn's LA Times article chronicling U2's final days of recording the new album also offers the first official comment on the album's title -- the band confirms the album will be called "POP"

January 1, 1997: a nearly full-length version of "Discotheque" appears on the Internet after being recorded from radio several weeks before radio was allowed to air the song; radio stations are quickly told -- by U2 -- to stop playing the song illegally January 7, 1997: Adam and Larry's version of the "Mission: Impossible" theme is nominated for a Grammy Award in the POP INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMANCE FOR AN ORCHESTRA, GROUP OR SOLOIST category; Paul McGuinness hand-delivers "Discotheque" to Dublin radio personality and longtime U2 friend, Dave Fanning, for its first "official" airplay on Ireland's 2FM January 8, 1997: U2 officially releases "Discotheque" to radio stations worldwide, earlier than originally planned due to Internet and previous radio "leaks" of the song January 9, 1997: MTV premieres the video for "Discotheque," which features U2 dressed up as the Village People February 12, 1997: U2 appear at a Manhattan KMart store to announce tour dates for their upcoming "POP Mart" world tour; the band answers questions from the media, and performs "Holy Joe" live, on a makeshift stage in the lingerie section of the store; the event is broadcast live on MTV and VH-1 in the US, on Much Music network in Canada, and elsewhere around the world on TV and radio February 14, 1997: concert tickets for selected shows go on-sale via an MTV/VH-1 program called "Tickets First"; this will be done each Friday for the next four weeks February 20, 1997: 2FM DJ Dave Fanning gives the "POP" album its official world premiere and interviews Bono live in the studio; the event is also broadcast on the Internet from 2FM's web site with audio and video feeds available February 20, 1997: Larry Mullen, Jr. wins Hot Press Rory Gallagher Musician Award at the Hot Press/Heineken Music Awards show in Belfast; Edge won this same award in 1996, the first year it had been given out March 3-4, 1997: "POP" album is released worldwide; although hyped in the media as U2's attempt to make so-called "techno" music, many fans feel the album includes sounds that represent a wide variety of U2's career; it reaches #1 in 29 countries, a record for U2, but quickly drops out of most major sales charts, including in the US March 30, 1997: "Staring At The Sun" video premieres on MTV April 16, 1997: U2 begins rehearsing at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas for its upcoming POP Mart World Tour, which will begin 9 days later; during 8 days of rehearsals, U2 writes three new songs April 25, 1997: U2 opens its POP Mart World Tour with a good, but flawed, performance in front of 38,000 people at a sold-out Sam Boyd stadium in Las Vegas; Bono again fights opening-night vocal problems, Edge suffers through several guitar difficulties, and the band is forced to stop and restart "Staring At The Sun" after beginning it off-key; the band enters the stage like boxers: walking through the crowd with a group of security crew escorting them to the b-stage while the 70s hit "Pop Muzik" plays on the PA system; Bono wears a boxer's satin robe on-stage, and shadow-boxes as the band members take their positions; dozens of movie/TV/music celebrities are on-hand to watch the show which features the largest single video screen on the planet, a 40-foot mirrorball lemon which the band uses as it enters the stage for the encore, and a 100-foot tall toothpick with an olive on top; the centerpiece of the stage is a single, golden arch under which the band plays; the POP Mart tour lacks the cerebral sophistication of Zoo TV, but aims to hit the audience's emotions more so than that tour; despite the opening night flaws, the show is generally well-received by critics; in justifying another massive stadium spectacle to media before the tour starts, Paul McGuinness says, "I don't think audiences can be expected to go to football stadiums for concerts if they are not going to see something that is very spectacular as well as hearing something great." April 26, 1997: "U2: A Year In Pop" is aired nationwide on ABC-TV; the hour-long program includes a look at the band's history, the recording of the POP album, and highlights from opening night of the POP Mart Tour in Las Vegas just 24 hours earlier; ratings for the program are the worst-ever for a non-political program on the Big Three networks; the band had intended to include its latest single, "Staring at the Sun" during the program, but instead include "Do You Feel Loved" after the difficulties playing the former during the tour's opening night May 1, 1997: with snow in the forecast and very cold temperatures in the high altitude of Denver, less than 30,000 fans show up for U2's show at Mile High Stadium May 3, 1997: U2 returns to Salt Lake City, Utah, for the first time since 1983; shortly after the first strains of the "Pop Muzik" intro begins, it stops again and there is a delay of 15 minutes, reportedly caused by a phoned-in bomb threat which proves to be phony May 14, 1997: during a concert in Memphis, U2 continue to have trouble playing their current single, "Staring at the Sun" -- Bono begins singing off-key and immediately stops the song, grabs an acoustic guitar, and after he finds the right key, the band begins the song again; "It's not a Broadway show," Bono tells the crowd. "We can stop if we want to." May 15, 1997: the night after a concert in Memphis, U2 hang out at BB King's Blues Club; club management tell local media that Bono left early due to pain from a sore throat, but Edge sticks around and sings "Stand By Me" with the house band; earlier in the day, Bono records the narration to an hour-long documentary called "Elvis: From the Waist Up," which will air at a later date on the VH1 cable channel in the US May 19-20, 1997: U2 spends two days in Kansas City, Missouri, shooting the video for their next single, "Last Night On Earth;" traffic in and around the city is tied up both days, as U2 is permitted to close streets while the video is shot; local residents are angered by the delays; the video is a send-up of 50s and 60s sci-fi movies and beatnik poet Alan Ginsburg appears at the end of the video pushing a shopping cart with a spotlight in the basket; it is one of Ginsburg's final public appearances, as he would die later in 1997 May 24, 1997: at the PopMart show in Columbus, Ohio, Bono spots a fan with a t-shirt that reads "Kill Bono" - Bono calls for the shirt and puts it on, and sings about it during "Bullet the Blue Sky" -- "How much do you think I get for this shirt? One hundred? Two hundred Three Hundred?" May 25, 1997: the day prior to a PopMart show in Washington, DC, U2 visits US President Bill Clinton at the White House May 26, 1997: U2's show in Washington, DC, is hampered by a heavy rainstorm that hit the area the night before; a large section of the PopMart video screen remains blank throughout the whole show, and other sections flash and blink random colors; fans are able to see U2's crew on scaffolding behind the screen trying to fix the problems during the show; as U2 has only one video screen at the moment, the band is forced to cancel a show three nights later in Raleigh, North Carolina, not wanting to play without the screen and give fans less than a full PopMart experience; fans in North Carolina are understandably upset, and media suggest the real reason for the cancellation is light ticket sales in Raleigh; also at tonight's show, U2 employ pyrotechnic explosions during the "Boom-cha" chorus of "Discotheque;" they use the gimmick again at future shows in New York City, but drop the trick when they have trouble getting safety clearance from fire and stadium officials in other cities June 1, 1997: during their second show at the Meadowlands, Bono sings a brief portion of "Hallelujah," in memory of folk-singer Jeff Buckley, who has drowned recently in Memphis; during "Where the Streets Have No Name," Bono spots two stadium security men roughly handling a female fan and he races toward the end of the b-stage, telling them to let go of the girl; he brings her on-stage and briefly dances with her; this also marks the first show in which Bono and Edge perform an acoustic version of "Staring at the Sun" on the b-stage, the song that has given the band trouble since the PopMart Tour's opening night in Las Vegas June 7, 1997: U2 plays a brief, 5-song set at the Tibetan Freedom Concert on Randall's Island in New York June 8, 1997: prior to a concert in Philadelphia, fans outside the stadium are polled about whether or not they've purchased the POP album, if they had seen U2's TV commercials, and if they understood the concept behind "PopMart", but it unclear who was responsible for arranging the polling in the first place June 10, 1997: Bono and Larry appear together on "The Late Show with David Letterman;" they are interviewed for nearly 10 minutes, but do not perform any songs June 18, 1997: during the first of two shows in Oakland, Bono sings a couple lines of "Wonderwall" during "Last Night on Earth," as way of tribute to Oasis', who is opening up for U2 at both Oakland shows; after the show, the two bands spend the early morning hours at Tosca Cafe, which was reserved privately by the band; after much imbibing, Bono serenades his mates with a solo version of Caruso's "O Sole Mio" June 20, 1997: The first official U2 website opens at http://U2popmart.msn.com, and is done in conjunction with "POP Invasion," an event billed as "U2 Takes Over a Radio Station"; it all happens at the KROQ-FM studios in Burbank, Calif., and is simulcast on stations around the US and on the official web site June 21, 1997: during a PopMart show at the Los Angeles Coliseum, former Monkee Davy Jones joins Edge on-stage and leads the crowd in a karaoke rendition of the Monkees' classic "Daydream Believer," which has been a staple of early PopMart shows; during the encore, Bono brings a 9-year-old girl named "Mandy" on-stage, who is embarassed by the attention; Bono treats her gently like his own child, and tells the girl, "I have a little girl - she's 8-years-old" June 28, 1997: at their second show in Chicago, U2 adds "New Year's Day" to the set-list and also does a shortened version of "All I Want Is You," which had also been performed once in Oakland and in Los Angeles; the additions of these oldies, and the deletions of POP Songs such as "Do You Feel Loved?" and "If God Will Send His Angels" cause some fans and critics to suggest that PopMart is becoming a "Greatest Hits" tour July 2, 1997: U2 finish the first leg of their PopMart tour in Boston, their home-away-from-home; it is a special night, as the band is sipping champagne as they descend from the lemon before "Discotheque;" during Edge's karaoke version of "Suspicious Minds," the guys from Fun Lovin' Criminals, who have opened up most of the shows during this leg of the tour, come on-stage to sing and "stalk" Edge, who laughs heartily at their efforts; and as it begins to rain during the encore, Bono remains on-stage after the show and begins a solo cover of the Beatles' "Rain" -- slowly, the others return to the stage and eventually the band plays a full rendition of the song before finally calling it a night July 15, 1997: U2 releases "Last Night on Earth" single July 18, 1997: U2 opens the European leg of the PopMart Tour with the first of two shows at Feyenoord Stadium in Rotterdam, Holland; 30 minutes of the show is aired live over the Internet from U2's official website and the same 30 minutes airs on MTV Europe; "Please", "Where the Streets Have No Name", and "Staring at the Sun" would later appear on the Popheart live EP July 31, 1997: during a show in Mannheim, Germany, U2 does a cover version of "Children of the Revolution" by T-Rex during the encore August 1, 1997: after much debate and political posturing in Ireland, the Irish Supreme Court rules that two U2 shows planned for the Landsdowne Road Rugby Stadium in Dublin may proceed; the shows had been challenged by three local residents not wanting the loud noise of two nights of PopMart, and the effect of 40,000 fans in their neighborhood on consecutive nights; the entire episode draws attention to what many consider "ridiculous" planning rules regarding outdoor concerts in Ireland; U2 manager Paul McGuinness is quoted before the decision as saying "We can take PopMart anywhere on Earth, but we can't play our own hometown" August 6, 1997: from the "It-Had-to-Happen-Sooner-or-Later" department, U2's mirrorball lemon shuts down while transporting the band to the b-stage to start the encore during a show in Oslo, Norway; after an awkward wait, the band finally leaves the lemon out the backdoor and walks down the catwalk to the b-stage to begin "Discotheque" August 9, 1997: U2 plays Helsinki, Finland, a day after Edge's 36th birthday; to celebrate the occasion, Edge's girlfriend, Morleigh Steinberg, reprises her Zoo TV role when she bellydances on-stage during "Mysterious Ways"; she is noticably pregnant August 12, 1997: U2 plays its' first-ever show in Poland, at the Katowice Stadium in Warsaw; the concert is marred by poor crowd-control planning; lines begin forming in the early afternoon and reach nearly a mile-long before the gates opened; making the problem worse was the lack of entry gates, and an estimated 200 people are injured as the crowd pushes to get into the stadium; many get in by climbing over fences, never having their tickets checked; the show is marked by a tribute to Polish Solidarity leader Lech Walesa during "New Year's Day," the song Bono wrote about Walesa's movement in the early 80s; Bono tells the crowd, "This is your song," and images of Walesa appear on the video screen to great applause August 14, 1997: U2 plays in Czechoslovakia for the first time, at Strahov Stadium in Prague; Bono tells the audience, "The Russians came with tanks. We, the Irish, come with a lemon" August 16, 1997: on the 20th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley, U2's PopMart show in Vienna, Austria is filled with tributes and references to the King; after performing an acoustic version of "His Latest Flame," Bono jokingly tells the audience, "We ain't gonna kill him a second time!"; before "Last Night on Earth," Bono speaks at some length about Presley while images of pills appear on the video screen; Edge's karaoke tonight was Elvis' "Suspicious Minds"; and after the closing song, "One," Bono sings "Can't Help Falling In Love" and just as he did during the Zoo TV tour, tells the audience "Elvis is still in the building" August 19, 1997: Island Records issues a press release refuting a recent report in the Sunday Times newspaper that PopMart will be U2's last world tour August 20, 1997: U2 christens the site in Hannover, Germany, where "Expo 2000" will begin a little less than 3 years away, on June 1, 2000 August 26, 1997: U2 passes on a week's vacation and plays a hastily-scheduled show at the Botanical Gardens in Belfast; it is the band's first show in Belfast in 10 years, and is well-received by the 40,000 fans and by Irish media; one fan canoes slowly along the Lagan River so he can listen to the show; the concert goes on in peace, despite threats of violence in recent weeks from an extreme loyalist faction August 30, 1997: U2 returns home for the first of two shows at Dublin's Lansdowne Road stadium -- shows which were in jeopardy for months while local residents protested the use of the residential stadium, and only approved by the Irish Supreme four weeks earlier; U2 pays for many local residents to vacation out of Dublin for the weekend, and those who choose to stay home are given free tickets to see the shows; as the band begins "Even Better Than the Real Thing," Bono mentions the struggle by telling the crowd, "We pulled it off! Paddy Power!"; later in the show, he says "I wouldn't have you in MY back yard, either!" August 31, 1997: as U2 gets set to play its second show in Dublin, the world is stunned by the overnight death of Princess Diana, in a car crash in Paris; the crowd is somewhat subdued as they enter the stadium in the rain, but U2 plays a fireball of a show that gets everyone's heart racing; it is a more personal show than the night before, as several songs are dedicated to the band's families and friends; as "Gone" begins, Bono sings "She's gone ... she's gone...", the first of many references to Diana; during "Last Night on Earth," the ad-libbed bridge includes lyrics like "Beautiful girl, big black car...."; after "Mysterious Ways" ends, Bono is walking back to the main stage with his head down and appears to be crying; he begins to sing "MLK," and just as he hits the second "sleep tonight" lyric, a Warholian-like image of Diana appears on the screen; it remains there through the song, and as the song closes Bono says, "I was stunned to hear the news today"; as Edge starts into "One" he continues that thought: "I really think we all were," he says, and starts into the next song: "Is it getting better ....." September 2, 1997: Bono continues to pay respects to Princess Diana when he sings "MLK" while her image fills the PopMart video screen during tonight's show in Edinbugh, Scotland September 13, 1997: during a show in Barcelona, Spain, Edge sings a karaoke version of "Macarena," a song which most folks in this part of Spain find offensive; rather than singing along, the crowd boos so loudly that Edge chooses not to finish the entire song; in later interviews, manager Paul McGuinness would call the choice of "Macarena" one of the biggest mistakes of the entire tour September 18, 1997: U2's show in Rome is marred by the death of a 28-year-old fan, caused by a heart attack during the massive crush of fans as U2 enters the stadium September 20, 1997: U2 performs in front of an estimated 150,000+ people at Reggio Emilia, Italy, the largest single-concert crowd in music history; at the end of the show, Bono tells the audience "you gave four Irish boys an evening they'll never forget" September 23, 1997: U2 performs a complete PopMart concert in Sarajevo, Bosnia, fulfilling a desire Bono first expressed in 1993 during the Zooropa tour of Europe; Bono's voice suffers through the entire show, but the crowd eagerly sings what he cannot; Edge performs an acoustic, solo version of "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" on the b-stage, starting a change in the set list that will continue for the rest of the tour; during the encore, U2 plays "Miss Sarajevo," the song they wrote two years ago for the Passengers project - it is the only time U2 has ever performed this song as a full band; soldiers from the international NATO peace-keeping force attend the show; the show is broadcast live on radio all around the world, and the event garners great publicity for U2, the PopMart Tour, and the people of Sarajevo who are trying to reconstruct their city and their lives; in coming weeks, there are reports that U2's concert has raised only $13,500 for the people of Bosnia, a figure U2 defends by explaining that the show wasn't designed to raise money, and that Bono's offer to bring a stripped-down -- and less-expensive -- concert to the city was refused in favor of the full PopMart production September 26, 1997: U2 plays its first-ever show in Greece, in the city of Thessaloniki September 30, 1997: U2 plays its first-ever show in Israel, in Tel Aviv; Bono dedicates "One" to the late Prime Minister of Israel, Itzhak Rabin, who was murdered two years ago; he also stirs controversy by appealing for the release from imprisonment of nuclear secrets traitor Mordechai Vanunu -- an appeal which generates little response from the audience; local radio reports that 34 fans require medical treatment due to the crush of the crowd as U2 enters the stadium; as many international acts have boycotted performing in Israel after recent bomb attacks in Jerusalem, U2's appearance is politically sensitive and the band publically announces they will spend as little time in Israel as possible October 3, 1997: reports surface that Edge has become a father with Morleigh Steinberg, the former bellydancer from the Zoo TV tour; baby said to be named Sian October 26, 1997: U2 begins the third leg of the PopMart tour -- and second in North America -- with the first of two shows at Toronto's Skydome; as he did for the last few shows of the European tour, Edge continues to sing a solo, acoustic version of "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" from the b-stage, replacing the nightly karaoke sing-along; at nearly every show of this tour, Edge will introduce the song with something along the lines of "We haven't played this next song in a long time" October 29, 1997: during a show in Minneapolis, Bono reminisces with the crowd about U2's earliest shows in their hometown, and tells them this is where he wrote "I Threw a Brick Through a Window" and "Stranger in a Strange Land" -- two songs from the "October" album; Howie B does not spin records prior to the show for the first time on the tour -- he is caught with a small amount of marijuana in his pocket while trying to pass through customs between Toronto and Minneapolis, his work visa is cancelled, and he is immediately kicked off the tour October 31, 1997: it's Halloween and it's Larry's birthday, and U2 is playing the Pontiac Silverdome; as the band exits the lemon to begin "Discotheque," Bono sings "Happy Birthday" to Larry for the second time tonight; as Larry gets to the b-stage, longtime girlfriend Anne Acheson is waiting for him with a birthday cake and a kiss; during "Mysterious Ways," Bono calls for a group of Halloween-dressed fans to dance on-stage and creates one of the more surreal moments of the tour November 6, 1997: U2 performs "Mofo" at the MTV European Music Awards in Rotterdam, and wins the award for "Best Live Act"; while accepting the award, Bono sings Jacques Brel's 'Port of Amsterdam' - he changes it into 'Rotterdam' and dedicates it to Dutch singer and painter Herman Brood, with whom the band had spent time since they arrived in Holland two days earlier November 8, 1997: PopMart continues with a terrific show in St. Louis; the high-point comes during "Bullet the Blue Sky," when Bono spots a male fan decked out in a replica of the old Macphisto outfit from 1993's Zooropa tour; Bono brings the fan on-stage and the two begin an impromptu "duel", leading up to the point where Bono takes the horns and gold jacket from Macphisto and puts them on, giving his own hat and sunglasses back to Macphisto November 10, 1997: a crowd of only 20,232 turns out to see U2 play at Houlihan's Stadium in Tampa, Florida November 12, 1997: the crowd for tonight's PopMart show in Jacksonville in estimated at only 20,000; at one point, Bono askjs the crowd, "Those of you in the back, can you hear us? Both of you?"; as U2 descends from the lemon, all four band members are wearing jerseys of the Jacksonville Jaguars football team, which plays its' home games in the same stadium November 23, 1997: U2's PopMart show in San Antonio is a somber one -- it's the first since the death of the band's good friend Michael Hutchence, the lead singer of INXS, two ays earlier; Bono discusses his good friend during the opening strains of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," saying "He was a good friend, and he was one of us. We're thinking about him today."; Hutchence's image appears on the video screen as Bono and Edge perform an acoustic duet on "Staring at the Sun"; INXS' classic "Never Tear Us Apart" is played over the PA system as the fans exit the stadium November 26, 1997: the tributes to Michael Hutchence continue at a show in Atlanta as Bono dedicates "One" to the late INXS lead singer; U2 finishes the show with "40," played for the first time since the Lovetown Tour ended nearly 8 years ago December, 1997: U2's first official foray into the Internet, the MSN PopMart site, closes down December 2, 1997: U2's first of two PopMart shows in Mexico City is marred by an off-stage incident -- the teenage son of Mexico's President attends the concert, and when he is denied backstage access after the show, one of his bodyguard swings a gun and hits Jerry Meltzer -- Adam's security guard -- in the head, knocking him unconscious and sending him to the hospital for five stitches; U2's security chief, Jerry Mele, is also injured in the fracas and will not join the band when PopMart visits South America, Australia, Japan, and South Africa in the new year December 3, 1997: the second of U2's two shows in Mexico City is aired live in the US -- the first hour is shown on MTV while the entire concert shows on cable channel Showtime December 12, 1997: U2 plays its final US PopMart show at the Kingdome in Seattle; like most "final shows," it was a special night; the 100-foot arch is adorned with a Christmas tree, whose lights will go on and off in tune with various songs, and Bono's boxer's cape on this night is red-andwhite -- the boxing Santa!; during "even Better Than the Real Thing," a handful of crew come on-stage behind Edge and Bono, all wearing the same muscle-man shirt Bono has worn throughout the tour; during "If You Wear That Velvet Dress," the girl Bono dances with is actually bass technician Stuart Morgan, who promptly grabs Bono's ass before leaving the stage; the show has it's more poignant moments, too -- as Bono introduces "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," U2 fan Brad Grantham -- a good friend of @U2 -- tosses his Santa cap on-stage. Bono picks it up and puts it on, saying "And the Lord said 'Humble thyself, Bono!'"; at a quiet moment later in the show, Brad yells "I love you, Bono" at the top of his lungs. Bono turns toward Brad and says "I love you, too."; later, Bono takes the plastic container of soap bubbles from a fan and sits on the edge of the b-stage blowing bubbles as he sings; as the band heads to the main stage after "With or Without You," bono brings two fans -- two "Wire" mailing list members -- on-stage, and thanks all the fans on "Wire," many of whom have come to Seattle and crowded around the catwalk and b-stage for tonight's show; as the show ends with "Wake Up, Dead Man," Larry and Adam head off-stage -- Bono and Edge are about to follow when Bono walks toward Edge, and after a brief conversation, both take their places and finish 1997 with a duet on "40"; to date, PopMart has sold 1.7 million tickets, more than any concert tour of the year, and grossed the band $79.9 million for 46 shows in 37 cities December 21, 1997: Bono appears with Luciano Pavarotti at the opening of a music center in Sarajevo

January 27, 1998: U2 opens the 4th leg of its "PopMart" tour at Nelson Piquet stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, marking the first time the band has ever played in South America; the concert was originally planned for the Maracana stadium, the largest stadium in the world; at the last minute, SKOL, a beer company sponsoring the show instead orders the show be moved to the smaller stadium, without discussing the change with U2; manager Paul McGuinness is furious with this, and also upset with the use of a U2 cover band in recent commercials promoting the beer;during an acoustic version of "Desire," Bono and Edge are joined on-stage by a local, 30-piece "samba school"; U2 descends from the lemon wearing the uniforms of Brazil's national soccer team; many fans miss the early parts of the show while stuck in an enormous traffic jam heading to the stadium January 30, 1998: the PopMart Tour moves on to Sao Paolo, Brazil; introducing "Sunday, Bloody Sunday," Edge mentions that it is the 26th anniversary of the 1972 Bloody Sunday attack in Croke Park February, 1998: U2 announces it will start Kitchen Records, an underground dance label named after their own nightclub at Dublin's Clarence Hotel; Bono and longtime friend Reggie Manuel will handle A&R duties with the label, which will reportedly specialize in vinyl releases for club DJs February 4, 1998: While in Buenos Aires, Argentina, U2 meets with the famous "Mothers de Plaza de Mayo" human rights group, which has made regular marches around the Plaza de Mayo in front of the Argentine Presidential Palace since the darkest days of that country's 1976-1983 military dictatorship to demand justice for their missing children; this Argentine group is similar to the El Salvador-based group Bono wrote about in the 1987 song "Mothers of the Disappeared" February 5, 1998: at the first of three shows in Buenos Aires -- the band's first shows ever in Argentina -- U2 brings a large group of the Mothers de Plaza de Mayo on-stage as the band sings "One"; the show ends with "Mothers of the Disappeared," during which most of the Mothers are brought to Bono's microphone to share the name of their "missing" children February 9, 1998: U2 wins a Brit Award as "Best International Group"; Bono gives an acceptance speech from inside the band's Mirrorball Lemon, which was videotaped days earlier during one of U2's shows in Buenos Aires, Argentina February 11, 1998: PopMart continues visiting cities that have had some importance in U2's 20-year history, stopping tonight for a single performance in Santiago, Chile -- the band's first show ever in this country; tonight, the connection is Victor Jara -- Bono dedicates a song to the Chilean poet who was first mentioned 11 years ago in the song "One Tree Hill" February 12, 1998: one day after playing in Santiago, Chile, Bono visits a cemetery there and uses the opportunity to call on former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet to account for the fate of those taken away, and presumably killed, during his regime; Bono is surrounded by several mothers of the missing February 17, 1998: the smallest PopMart show of the Tour happens at the Burswood Dome in Perth, Australia; the arena is so small, the toothpick and olive are missing, and the arch nearly scrapes the dome's ceiling; the tributes to INXS' singer Michael Hutchence continue, and take on added meaning now that PopMart has arrived in his home country February 21, 1998: U2 does an extensive soundcheck prior to a show in Melbourne; one of the more developed songs the band seems to be trying out includes a chorus that repeats the phrase "I don't know the way" February 27, 1998: as PopMart arrives in Sydney, Australia, rumors swirl that the band will be joined on-stage by the remaining members of INXS to play a tribute to Michael Hutchence in his hometown - the rumors never materialize; instead, Bono sings "MLK" for his close friend; one point in the show, a fan climbs some 100 feet up a lighting tower in the middle of the stadium to watch the show, but is quickly brought back down by security; a lightning storm begins just as the concert ends with "One," and Bono calls for all the PopMart lights to be turned-off - the final song is performed in complete darkness, save for Mother Nature's display above and a crowd full of lighters below March 3, 1998: U2's PopMart cargo plane is loaned to the city of Auckland, New Zealand, delivering power generators to relieve to the city's 12-day power outage March 16, 1998: U2 plays its first-ever show in South Africa when the PopMart tour stops in Cape Town; Edge's parents are both in attendance; during "Mysterious Ways," images of a wedding appear on-screen, leaving fans confused - the concert is being filmed by Phil Joanou for his next movie, "Entropy," and the unusual footage is actually part of a scene in the movie about a man who's directing a documentary about U2 while his personal life falls apart March 21, 1998: U2 wraps up its 11-month long PopMart world tour with an emotional show in Johannesburg, South Africa; as he did to the people of Sarajevo, Bono tells the South Africans, "To be united - to be "One" - is a great thing. But to be tolerant, to respect differences maybe even a greater thing."; as the Mirrorball Lemon opens up at the start of the encore, the band is surrounded inside by balloons and streamers, and they're drinking champagne to celebrate the tour's last night April 9, 1998: U2 wins two awards -- Best Band and Best Live Act -- at the annual Hot Press Rock Awards, held in Belfast on the night before Irish and British political leaders would finalize the Good Friday agreement for peace in Northern Ireland April 26, 1998: an animated U2 guest stars on the US comedy TV series, "The Simpsons"; in the episode, Homer Simpson calls upon U2 to help his campaign for Springfield Sanitation Director; the program would air later on various stations around the world May, 1998: rumors swirl that U2 will split with longtime accountant Ossie Kilkenny; one media report suggests Bono's wife, Ali, is involved in the dispute May 19, 1998: U2 participates in a "YES" concert in Belfast to draw support for the national vote on the Good Friday/Northern Ireland Peace Agreement four days later; Northern band Ash also plays at the show at Waterfront Hall in front of about 2,000 young people, and Ash's lead singer comes on-stage with U2 at one point; moe importantly, U2 brings on-stage David Trimble and John Hume, leaders of the traditionally opposing Ulster Unionist Party and Social Democratic and Labour Party, respectively; the political leaders stand on each side of Bono as he raises their arms together in a show of unity; four days later, the Peace Agreement is approved overwhelmingly by voters in both the North and South July 19, 1998: Paul McGuinness confirms that Ossie Kilkenny will no longer handle U2's accounting; sources tell the media the dispute stems from several bad investments during the band's 20-year history August 1998: while vacationing in France, Bono enjoys beach-side jam sessions with the likes of Sinead O'Connor and former Eurhythmic Dave Stewart August 9, 1998: U2's PopMart movie -- a 20-minute clip -- debuts at the Festival Revue in Edinburgh, Scotland; the movie is presented by Catherine Owens, who organized the video presentations used on the PopMart Tour August 29, 1998: "Trash of the Titans," the Simpsons TV episode starring U2 and Steve Martin wins an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Animated Program" September 5, 1998: London's Financial Times newspaper reports that U2 will soon sign a new record deal with Polygram which calls for the band to release no fewer than three "Best Of" records; the first of the three, the article says, will cover the 1980-1990 period and will be released this November; also today, U.S. President Bill Clinton wraps up a 3-day visit to Ireland, and meets again with U2; Clinton tells reporters "They're nice people. He's a smart man." in reference to the band, and Bono in particular September 9, 1998: Island/Polygram confirm the release of "U2 The Best of 1980-1990", the first of three compilations to be released under a new record deal; the album is due for release on November 2 & 3, and will include a bonus CD compilation of previously released b-sides; the bonus CD will only be available for one week, and then will be pulled from store shelves September 12, 1998: U2 meets with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois to discuss collaborating again on the band's next studio album; the reunion isn't confirmed until several weeks later when U2 begins doing promotional interviews for their "Best of 1980-1990" album September 20, 1998: U2 shoots the video for the remake of "The Sweetest Thing" on the streets of Dublin; the video includes guest appearances from a host of Irish celebrities, including the members of pop band Boyzone; it is directed by Kevin Godley who also directed the video for "Even Better Than the Real Thing" October 5, 1998: the video for the new version of "Sweetest Thing" makes its US debut on MTV and VH-1 October 15, 1998: Edge presents B.B. King with a Lifetime Achievement award at the third annual MOBO (Music Of Black Origin) Awards at London; of King's music, Edge says "It's just always fresh, eternally fresh. It eternally inspires every new generation of musicians and music friends, because it's just so authentic, and you listen to any of his recordings, B.B.'s stuff still shines. It doesn't date." October 16, 1998: Bono calls Irish TV program "The Late, Late Show" to congratulate guest John Hume, who along with David Trimble was named a co-winner of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize earlier in the day for their efforts towards bringing peace to Northern Ireland October 18, 1998: Bono hosts dinner at his home for Nobel Peace Prizewinner John Hume, who attends with his wife; also present are many Irish entertainment celebrities, including Adam, Edge, and Paul McGuinness October 19, 1998: Bono, Edge, and Adam kick-off an Amnesty International campaign in Ireland with a public appearance on O'Connell Street; the band signs a petition in support of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Amnesty hopes to get one million Irish signatures on the petition before it is presented to the United Nations in December; Bono tells the gathered crowd, "One of the greatest problems in the world is the cynical idea that the world can't be changed and that politics and economics are too complicated to deal with. But with Amnesty it's simple; you can write a postcard and make a gigantic difference to the life of someone who is in jail or suffering human rights abuses." October 30, 1998: Island Records opens up a website at http://www.island.co.uk/u2/ to promote the "Best Of" U2 album coming out in the next week; the web site features a contest giveaway, archive pictures, and an interactive game in which contestants try to maneuver U2 through the streets of Dublin away from their "admirers" November2/3, 1998: U2 releases its first-ever retrospective album, "U2 The Best of 1980-1990"; the album is a worldwide success, debuting at #1 on the sales charts in Ireland, England, Australia, and Canada among others; it debuts at #2 in the U.S. behind the new album from Alanis Morrisette November 4, 1998: U2 takes part in a 2-hour interview special to be syndicated on worldwide radio; the band speaks with fans who submitted questions on the Internet; the radio program will air in most countries within the next week November 12, 1998: In an interview with Ireland's Hot Press magazine, Adam Clayton admits "I was an addict but I'm completely clean now."; Clayton tells the magazine that missing a Zoo TV show in Sydney, Australia, in 1993 because of a sever hangover almost led the band to split up; he admits to joining Alcoholics Anonymous while living in New York after the Zoo TV tour November 20, 1998: U2 appear on a special edition of Ireland TV program "The Late Late Show"; the show is a tribute to the victims of the Omagh bombing earlier this year; U2 open the show with "North and South of the River," their first live performance of the song, and close the show with "All I Want Is You" December 10, 1998: Paul McGuinness and The Edge attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway; Bono appears in a taped, video greeting congratulating Irish peace brokers David Trimble and John Hume December 23, 1998: Larry Mullen, Jr. becomes a father for the second time; he and longtime girlfriend Anne Acheson give birth to a baby girl; no official confirmation of the birth is given

January 3 (?): U2 manager Paul McGuinness miraculously escapes serious injury when he is involved in a serious car accident while driving to his home in the Irish country; McGuinness' only injury is a bruised finger, yet his luxury Jaguar XJ6 is totaled in the wreck; the driver of the other vehicle also escapes without serious injury February: U2 clean up in the latest Hot Press magazine readers' poll, taking first in 8 separate categories on the strength of their "Best Of" album and the "Sweetest Thing" single February, early: Bono reportedly undergoes surgery for a sinus problem at the exclusive Blackrock Clinic in Dublin February 2: film crews begin shooting "Million Dollar Hotel" in downtown Los Angeles; the script is co-written and based on a story by Bono; the movie is being directed by the band's longtime friend, Wim Wenders, and will star the likes of Mel Gibson, Milla Jovovich, and others; Bono is rumored to have a small part in the movie, too February 10: U2's appearance with Ash at the YES Concert in May, 1998, is awarded "Gig of the Year" by Irish online music 'zine Oh Yeah! February 16: Bono accepts a Brit Award in London on behalf of Jubilee 2000, a coalition aiming to eliminate Third World debt to Western powers; Bono enters the audience to present the award to boxing legend Muhammad Ali, an international ambassador for Jubilee 2000 February 23: Bono appears the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles to sing "Lean on Me" with Kirk Franklin, Mary J. Blige, and others; Franklin's song is nominated in the "Song of the Year" category, but does not win; Bono's performance marks the first time any member of U2 has sung at the Grammys March 2: Bono appears on stage in Las Vegas with Bob Dylan during a concert that opens the newest House of Blues inside the Mandalay Bay hotel; he plays guitar and sings an improvised lyrical tribute during an encore of "Knockin' On Heaven's Door"; he customizes lyrics such as "Happy birthday baby you're a star, Bob Dylan has gone too far" March 5: Bono is one of many celebrities who show up at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles to take in the first of three sold-out shows by Lauryn Hill, who recently cleaned up at the Grammy Awards; Bono has expressed his admiration for Hill during interviews in the last year March 12: Bono, dressed in drag as a supermodel, appears on British television during the Comic Relief charity telethon to urge people to donate to the relief effort for the underprivileged in Africa and the UK; the appearance has presumably been taped in advance, as Bono is believed to be still in the U.S. preparing for other upcoming appearances March 15: Bono inducts Bruce Springsteen into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at a ceremony in New York City; he praises Springsteen as "...the first hint of Scorsese, the first hint of Patti Smith, Elvis Costello, and the Clash. He was the end of long hair, brown rice, and bell bottoms. He was the end of the 20-minute drum solo. It was good night Haight Ashbury, hello Asbury Park"; it is Bono's third induction, having previously done the same for The Who in 1990 and Bob Marley in 1994; in addition to his speech, Bono joins the all-star jam session at the end of the night, and helps sing a rendition of Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready" March 15: U2's "The Joshua Tree" receives the new "Diamond" certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); the certification is for releases that have sold 10 million units in the U.S.; at present, only 62 titles from 46 artists qualify April 6: U2 pays tribute to country legend Johnny Cash with a performance of "Don't Take Your Guns to Town" during a made-for-TV concert taping in New York City; the band's performance is pre-taped at their Dublin studios; the TV tribute airs for the first time April 18 on the U.S. cable network TNT April 15: "Entropy", the latest film by Phil Joanou, makes its premiere at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival; the film is semi-autobiographical, as it tracks the story of a film director working on shooting a U2 video while his personal life is falling apart; all 4 members of U2 appear in the film, which is partially shot at the PopMart concert March 16, 1997, in Cape Town, South Africa, but Bono is the only band member with speaking parts April 22: Bono and Edge appear on BBC television performing an early version of "The Ground Beneath Her Feet," the track composed from lyrics written by Salman Rushdie for his novel of the same name May: U.S. magazine Entertainment Weekly announces its "100 Greatest Moments in Rock" and U2's June 5, 1983 concert at the Red Rocks Amphitheater near Denver (captured on the "Under a Blood Red Sky" video) is listed 40th May: Reports surface that Edge and Morleigh are expecting their second child (Edge's 5th) this Fall/Winter, near the same time Bono and Ali are expecting their third child May 21: Bono and Larry appear on RTE's "The Late Late Show" to present longtime host Gay Byrne with a black Harley Davidson as a going away present; Byrne is retiring after 37 years hosting the show, which is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the World's Longest Running TV Talk Show; Byrne asks Bono and Larry to sing, but all he gets is Bono quickly humming the show's theme song June 10: Bono takes part in his first online Internet chat during a session hosted by Jubilee 2000 to promote their "Drop the Debt" campaign; Microsoft officials claim the chat is one of the most popular they have ever hosted June 19: Bono appears the G8 Summit in Cologne, Germany to present a petition with 17 million signatures supporting Third World debt relief to world leaders there. He is joined by his wife, Ali, and Edge, all appearing on behalf of Jubilee 2000's "Drop the Debt" campaign. All three also take part in a human chain around the G8 summit centre. More than 20,000 people were said to take part in this demonstration. July 5: Bono records a new song, "New Day," with Wyclef Jean at Jean's basement studio in New Jersey; the track will become the theme song for the NetAid charity concert event in the fall July 16: Bono joins Van Morrison on stage at the Nice (France) Jazz Festival to sing a duet on Van's "Gloria" Late July: While vacationing at the family home in the south of France, Bono helps Mick Jagger celebrate his 56th birthday by joining Elton John and Ron Wood, among others, in a jam session at Jagger's home August 17: Bono and Ali give birth to their child, a son; they already have two daughters, Jordan and Eve September 2: Bono and Edge are in attendance at the first annual Hall of Fame induction at the Irish Music Hall of Fame in Dublin; Van Morrison is the first inductee into the Hall, and the only inductee so honored on this night September 23: Bono and other supporters of Jubilee 2000 visit Pope John Paul II at his summer home outside Rome. During the meeting, Bono gives the Pope a book of poetry by the great Irish poet Seamus Haney. But headlines are made when Bono hands the Pope his sunglasses and the Pontiff puts them on, prompting Bono to tell the world's media that John Paul II is the world's "first funky Pontiff." October: U2 is listed twice in the newly-released "Millennium" edition of the Guinness Book of World Records: (1) Largest Audience for a rock tour: playing to over 2.9 million people in 93 shows on the PopMart tour, and (2) Largest Video Screen: the screen on the PopMart tour. October 7: "Sweetest Thing" wins the award for "Best Single" at the 1999 Hot Press Rock Awards in Dublin October 9: Bono helps kick-off the U.S. portion of NetAid by helping Wyclef Jean lead a group singalong on their single "New Day" with a full stage of artists singing backup. Immediately after the song, Bono stays on stage to sing a solo version of "One." He's joined by Quincy Jones, conducting a 30+ piece orchestra from Julliard, and Italian rocker Zucchero on guitar. October 25: Edge and Morleigh Steinberg give birth to their second child, a boy; it is Edge's first son; no name is announced November 1: The Dublin City Council votes unanimously to grant U2 the Freedom of Dublin. The keys of Dublin City are only presented to those who have made great contributions to peace and humanity or to people who have brought honour to Dublin or Ireland. November 11: Bono is given the "Free Your Mind" Award at the 1999 MTV Europe Music Awards for his work on behalf of Jubilee 2000 and at NetAid; after the ceremony, Bono joins Iggy Pop and Marilyn Manson (we're not kidding) for an impromptu jam at a post-event private party - they cover "Johnny B. Goode" and "TV Eye" as a threesome November 27: Bono and Larry attend the funeral of Jean Corr, the 57-year-old mother of Ireland's The Corrs, in Dundalk, Ireland December 31: Bono attends "America's Millennium Gala" in Washington, DC at the invitation of event co-producer Quincy Jones; he performs a solo version of "One" backed by Daniel Lanois on guitar and a full orchestra

January 4: U2's "PopMart Live From Mexico City" video has been nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Long Form Music Video category. January 6: Despite a previous announcement by Dublin's Lord Mayor, U2 announces that they will not perform a free concert in Dublin when city leaders give the band the "Freedom of Dublin" award on March 19; the announcement is met with criticism in and around Dublin January 22: Bono receives the "Man of the Year" award at the NRJ Awards in Cannes, France for his work on behalf of Jubilee 2000; he attends the festivities with his wife, Ali, and 5-month-old son Eli February 5: Bono appears on RTE's "Saturday Night Live" TV program, which is hosted this week by longtime friend Dave Fanning February 9: "The Million Dollar Hotel" has its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival; the film is based on a story by Bono, and Bono is listed as a co-producer of the movie - he also makes a very brief cameo February 26: Bono and Edge perform together on the last day of Italy's Festival of San Remo. They play acoustic versions of "All I Want Is You" and "The Ground Beneath Her Feet" -- the latter song receiving its first-ever live performance; the appearance caps several days in Italy for Bono, who successfully lobbies the Italian government to drop some of its debt from Third World countries March 18: U2 and Paul McGuinness receive the Freedom of Dublin honor during a ceremony at Smithfield Civic Plaza in Dublin; "I'd have thought people would be sick of U2 by now,'' Bono tells the thousands in attendance. "It's still moving to come home and see the amount of goodwill toward us.'' After the ceremony, U2 performs a 4-song set which includes "All I Want Is You," "Desire", "The Sweetest Thing", and "One." It is the first time the band has performed "The Sweetest Thing" live. March 19: Taking advantage of their newfound Freedom of Dublin, Bono and Edge graze lambs in Dublin's St. Stephen's Green; alerted in advance of the photo opportunity, Irish media flock (no pun intended) to the Green to capture the moment; grazing sheep on the Green is one of the many unique privileges afforded to Freemen of Dublin April 8: Bono opens an exhibition of the photography of Anton Corbijn in Groningen, The Netherlands. May 25: Bono attends the Laureus Sports Awards in Monaco where he finally meets Nelson Mandela; as a longtime supporter of the former South African President, Bono had hoped to meet Mandela when U2 took the PopMart tour to South Africa in March, 1998, a meeting which never happened June 8: U2's PopMart Mexico City concert is webcast by Internet media company Burst.com, using their "Burstware" technology which claims to offer faster than real-time streaming. The concert remains available as a showcase for Burst.com for three weeks. U2 are minority owners in the company. July 18: U2's official web site at U2.com is opened to the public while still in beta testing phase. The site is designed by UK-based Good Technology, and features live studio webcams in its early incarnation. An official launch of the full site is still a few months away. August: U2 ships the latest edition of Propaganda, it's official fanclub magazine, to subscribers around thd world; this edition includes the band's second fanclub-only CD, a 14-track live set called Hasta La Vista Baby! which is taken from the Mexico City PopMart concert December 3, 1997 August 20: U2 announces All That You Can't Leave Behind as the title of their next album on the band's official web site; they also confirm a late Autumn release date and the full track listing for the album August 25: Bono and family arrive in Sarajevo for the final two days of the Sarajevo Film Festival; Bono is on hand to present The Million Dollar Hotel September 7: Bono appears at the United Nations to present a petition with 21 million signatures calling for global debt relief September 21: Paul McGuinness tells BBC's Radio 1 that the next U2 tour will begin in Miami in March, 2001 September 21: Bono appears in Washington, DC at a news conference urging the U.S. Congress to authorize payment of the U.S. proposed share of funds to erase Third World debt September 25: Bono appears in Prague at a joint meeting of the World Bank/IMF to urge international cancellation of Third World debts September 27: U2 performs on top of The Clarence Hotel in Dublin before a crowd of several thousand onlookers, most of whom can only hear the music from the street below; the band performs "Beautiful Day" and "Elevation" for the BBC program Top of the Pops, which will air the songs 10 days later October 12: The full set of tracks from U2's forthcoming album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, becomes available for free download via Napster and various web sites; the album is not due for official release for another 18 days October 15: U2's "Beautiful Day" debuts at #1 on the charts in the U.K., Ireland, Holland, and Australia; with no commercially available single, the track only debuts at #75 in the U.S. October 19: U2 play a promotional gig in front of a small audience in a Paris nightclub; thet debut four tracks from the upcoming All That You Can't Leave Behind album and perform "The Ground Beneath Her Feet" live for the first time October 23: U2 perform a short session in London for the BBC and are interviewed by Radio 1 hosts Simon Mayo and Jo Whiley October 23: U2 fans confirm a rumor that had started earlier in the month -- the Joshua tree depicted on The Joshua Tree album has fallen over; the tree had become a landmark of sorts for U2 fans over the years, many of whom spent days searching through the California desert for the tree's location; those who discovered it managed to keep the location secret in an attempt to make sure the casual fan, or U2 basher, didn't find the tree and try to damage it in some way October 23: continuing a bad week for U2-related trees, the famous lone pine tree at New Zealand's One Tree Hill site is destroyed after being deemed unsafe; the tree had been attacked twice since 1994 and suffered enough damage to cause it to lean heavily to one side October 30/31: U2's 10th studio album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, is released worldwide; it would debut at #1 in 22 countries, but not in the U.S., where it debuted at #3 despite having the largest first-week record sales for any U2 release in the U.S. November 17: A panel of music "experts" put together by MTV and Rolling Stone magazine vote "With or Without You" as the #8 song in the "Top 100 Pop Songs Since 1963" December 5: U2 performs a free club concert at New York's Irving Plaza; the show, which lasts a little more than an hour, is broadcast live on radio stations across the U.S. December 9: U2 makes its first-ever appearance on the long-running U.S. variety show Saturday Night Live; the band performs Beautiful Day and Elevation

January 3: U2's "Beautiful Day" earns three Grammy Award nominations: Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. January 9: U2 announces details of its Elevation 2001 World Tour. The North American tour will begin in late March in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale and send the band across the continent and back before winding up in mid-June in the New York area.