U2 played ‘Magnificent’ and talked to Pat Kenny on RTE’s Late Late Show on Friday evening. It was Kenny’s last time hosting the show. He hosted the show for ten years, having taken over from Gay Byrne in 1999. U2 brought some farewell gifts for the host: a rare ‘Music Rising’ Gibson Les Paul guitar and a pair of shades. Ten years earlier they had seen Gay Byrne off with a Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Bono revealed that early on in their career the band had a meeting discussing the possible firing of their manager Paul McGuinness since he seemed unable to get the band a van for transportation. As they were debating this in Dublin’s ‘Captain America’s‘ restaurant a man sat next to them approached them. He said he couldn’t help overhearing their discussion and he thought they were making a big mistake. He knew McGuinness and thought highly of him. When Bono asked the man for his name, he said he was Louis Walsh, later manager of Westlife and now known as a judge on British television show The X-Factor.

Continue to watch part II of the interview, and U2’s 1999 appearance on the Late Late Show