Moving Stars and Earth for Water event coming up

As reported a couple of weeks ago, U2 will participate in the Moving Stars and Earth for Water event (from their Tampa U2360 show) tonight.
The “cities & personalities” page for U2/Tampa mentions a chat and a performance:

Guy Laliberté has a space-to-earth conversation with very good chum Bono and U2. They will discuss the uniqueness and beauty of the Earth in the solar system. U2’s performance will be supported by images of our blue planet, taken from the International Space Station.

The 2 hour event starts at 8:00 P.M. EDT and can be viewed online.

“100 percent of U2 RED Zone tickets profit goes to charity”

“All of U2’s income raised from the auction of Red Zone tickets will be donated to charity,” says a U2 spokeswoman according to the Belfast Telegraph.

U2 will give away 100 percent of their income from the “RED Zone” VIP auction ticket sales at up to 100 worldwide concerts.

Up to 600 stage-front tickets per gig are being sold off this way. The minimum starting bids are between €95 and €1,015. This would mean U2 is donating an estimated €9m of their U2360 summer tour profits to charity.

All of the profit that Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr earn from the sale of tickets in the ‘Red Zone’ will go to charity. The charity-style partnership Global Fund, which helps fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, will benefit from a large donation and other good causes expected to receive payouts are charities focusing on Africa.

Previously: Ticketmaster auctions off (RED) Zone Packages

Ticketmaster auctions off (RED) Zone Packages

u2_seatmap

Ticketmaster.nl is auctioning off VIP-tickets for two (RED) Zone areas, adjacent to the U2360 stage. A similar deal is in place for the Gothenburg, Sweden show. The packages include:

– Special VIP entrance and greeting by (RED) Zone Hosts
– High profile General Admission areas on the field adjacent to the stage runway
– Built-in seating for pre-show comfort
– Access to special concession and merchandise stand
– As a special bonus, the top 10 highest winning ticket bids for each show will also receive a pre-show backstage tour of this highly anticipated, revolutionary product design.
(RED) Zone Packages are only available by Auction on ticketservice.nl. All non-ticket elements provided by Live Nation. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to support (RED) and the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. The auction starting bid is: € 95,- You must raise your bid by at least € 5,-

It’s all in the name of charity and, as Bono said: “Rich people have feelings too”.

The Edge rises to the challenge

The Edge will be donating two Gibson guitars and other items to this year’s Icons of Music auction in aid of Music Rising, the charity he co-founded to replace musical equipment lost or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

“No one could ever come close to repaying the debt of those who have established this form (of music) that we all take totally for granted, this hybrid of European melody and African-American rhythm that’s given us jazz and R&B and rock ‘n’ roll. There’s something powerful about musicians giving instruments they own to an auction to aid musicians who are going through a particularly difficult time.A lot of musicians were forced to leave the city, leaving behind their instruments and record collections, everything they needed to do what they do. The kind of organic community music academy that was so supportive of handing down the traditions of this music from generation to generation was really vulnerable.”

Music Rising has provided grants to replace instruments and equipment for 2,700 professional musicians and 50,000 students and church parishioners to date.

The “Icons of Music” auction will be held on May 31 at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City. The Edge will host the event. Highlights from the collection will be exhibited in Chile, Ireland and Los Angeles before the May 31 auction.

Commenting on U2’s studio efforts The Edge told AP: “We went into this project allowing ourselves the indulgence of making music without thinking about where it was going to end up,” he said. “We’re starting to get serious now.”, but he could offer no release date.

Julien’s Auctions
Music Rising

U2 and Irish All Stars on the Late Late Show

ronnie-drew-cover.jpg U2 and the Irish all star ensemble who recorded the charity single ‘The Ballad of Ronnie Drew’ will perform the song live on RTE’s Late Late Show on Friday night (22/2). The single is released as a digital download today and as a CD single on 29 February.

All profits from the release of this single will go to the Irish Cancer Society at the request of Ronnie Drew. The Irish Cancer Society is dedicated to eliminating cancer and improving the lives of those living with cancer.

More at RTE.ie

U2 photo auction for the African Well Fund

U2 fans get your wallets out. Win a real U2 photograph to decorate your wall and support the African Well Fund, all in one go.

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{photos by Otto Kitsinger}

Nineteen U2 fans and photographers including our own Ruth Barohn have donated their best shots of the band (and one of their friend) to the 2nd photo auction in support of the African Well Fund‘s ‘Build a well for Bono’s birthday’ charity, organised by Phil Romans. Last year’s auction raised an amazing $11,000, so get bidding to top that number.

The photo auction starts April 14th, and will last for 7 days. The first auction starts at 12pm EST, and each auction will subsequently start at one minute increments.

Go check out the auctions on eBay.

The Edge parts with 1975 Gibson Les Paul

According to the BBC, the Edge has given his favourite guitar, the 1975 Gibson Les Paul, to the Music Rising organisation for the Icons of Music auction. The charity replaces instruments lost or destroyed when Hurricane Katrina hit the US.

Says the man: “I wanted to give something really significant that would mean a lot for me to give,” says the U2 man. “It deserved something that I would miss.”

Why not read this study of The Edge’s Guitar Delay or buy the auction’s catalogue while you recover?

You can get a look of the guitar in question from April 3 to 6 when it goes on display in Dublin’s Clarence Hotel after which it will be auctioned off online at www.juliensauctions.com on April 21st. Starting bid is $60,000. Ask the wife before you remortgage your property.

Other items on auction are The Edge’s worn sneakers, his woolly hat, his necklace, as well as a signed Bill Clinton saxophone, Larry Mullen’s tom drum ($8,000), Bono’s Irish Falcon guitar ($80,000) and handwritten Bruce Springsteen lyrics ($2,000). Personally, we’ve always liked the look of that Hamilton Ventura watch Bono used to sport in the 90s. Would he care to part with that?

Red is the new black

Gossip mailing list Popbitch this week claims Bono, dining in the Michelin-starred Patrick Guilbaud restaurant in Dublin, was overheard talking about a red Amex card and red iPod for charity.

Popbitch doesn’t mention which charity, but U2 fans will recognise these items would be part of the Red campaign to heighten AIDS awareness as mentioned here on U2log.com in the past.

Alicia Keys and Bono sing ‘Don’t give up Africa’

Listen and watch the new Bono and Alicia Keys cover of Peter Gabriel’s ‘Don’t Give Up’ at keepachildalive.org. The clip features photography by Kristen Ashburn. The song can be acquired exclusively through iTunes.

Bono and Alicia first performed the song ‘together’ in New York City at a fundraiser for the charity in early November. Bono sang via satellite.

Contributions to Keep A Child Alive go directly to children and families in desperate need of AIDS medicines.

Motorcycle Mania

Adam Clayton made a special appearance on RTE’s New Year’s Eve show to help retired broadcaster Gay Byrne donate the Harley Davidson motorcycle given to him by U2 in 1999 to charity.

The motorcycle will be auctioned on the internet at www.gaybyrneharleyauction.com to benefit the Crumlin Hospital for Sick Children. All bidders must pledge a nonrefundable EUR500 toward the fundraiser before being allowed to bid. The winning bidder will receive a letter from Byrne and a photograph of Byrne, Bono, and Larry Mullen Jr. with the Harley.

On the New Year’s Eve show, Byrne and Clayton chatted about Clayton’s recent trip to Nepal and what’s in store for U2 in 2003.

“We’re doing another record, and we’ll be doing another tour,” Clayton said.

Video of Clayton’s appearance on the show is located at the auction site.