Merry Christmas, Boston!

Tonight’s show in Boston had U2 feeling a little ho-ho-ho, and it was all Santa’s doing. Early in the show, Bono spotted a fan dressed as Santa Claus, which inspired the U2 frontman to sing a snippet of “Baby Please Come Home” during “Beautiful Day,” shout out Christmas caroles and messages (Jingle bells, war is over), and then tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas: 5 million people to sign up for the One campaign, a fire truck, more time to spend with his children, and for The Edge to get a train set.

Santa was later pulled on stage, as was Elvis, during “Mysterious Way.” The strange trio — the U2 singer being the strangest one of them all — danced around the ellipse while wishing the audience “Merry Christmas.”

Bono, The Edge review their opening gig on 2FM

RTE 2FM’s Gerry Ryan spoke to Bono, The Edge and Paul McGuinness shortly after the band got off stage in San Diego. U2′s manager was scheduled to speak to the Irish DJ, but Bono and The Edge weren’t. When they heard McGuinness was about to do the interview they told their manager ‘we want to talk to Gerry’.

RTE have put the entire interview online. Listen to it in Real Audio, or continue reading. (Unable to record we interpreted our notes taken during the interview.)

• full version
• shortened version

McGuinness took the call, said it was their ‘best ever opening night’ then started to laugh because ‘a half naked man’ had entered his room. Bono took the phone and said that for Gerry Ryan he would go fully ‘nekkid’.

Bono seemed high on energy, a bit delirious, said it had gone ‘fantastic’. He gave a report in a Jack Charlton accent, using football jargon as if he were reporting on an Irish team game, something like ‘the team gave 110%’.

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