U2 Tickets

In the mid-90s Bono devoted much of his time to writing songs for others. With the Edge he wrote the James Bond film theme 'Goldeneye' for Tina Turner and became involved in the Passengers project alongside the rest of U2 and Brian Eno (the 1995 release Original Soundtracks 1 spawned a couple of memorable ballads, 'Miss Sarajevo' and 'Your Blue Room'.) He also established himself as a highly respected and shrewd political advocate for a number of causes. His verbal lashing of the French president Jacques Chirac at the 1995 MTV Awards in Paris created headlines. Obviously upset by the country's recent nuclear tests, Bono came onstage smiling to accept an award. The audience were brilliantly fooled by his perfectly delivered sarcasm: 'What a city' (cheers and applause), 'what a night' (cheers and applause), 'what a bomb' (confused laughter and applause), 'what a mistake' (mixed response), 'what a wanker you have for President' (sporadic boos). Of more particular note is the singer's tireless work in helping to solve the financial and health crisis in Africa. In 1999 he joined the Jubilee 2000 (later renamed Drop The Debt) movement, dedicated to erasing the public debt of 52 of the world's poorest countries, many of them located in Africa. In his role as a Jubilee 2000 ambassador, Bono has met with Pope John Paul II, US president George W. Bush, former US president Bill Clinton, US Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. In 2002, he founded DATA (Debt, Aid, Trade for Africa)

What many critics and fans regard as the musical renaissance of U2 began in October 1998 when a re-recorded b-side, 'Sweetest Thing', reached UK number 3. The single was followed by the release of the band's first compilation album. In March 2000, the Bono-scripted movie The Million Dollar Hotel was released. The soundtrack included the new U2 track 'The Ground Beneath Her Feet', featuring lyrics by novelist Salman Rushdie. All That You Can't Leave Behind eschewed the band's preoccupation with electronica to return to the epic rock sound they championed in the late 80s. The chart-topping 'Beautiful Day' won three Grammy Awards, including Song Of The Year, the following February. The album's enduring appeal was confirmed when the band won four more awards at the following year's Grammy Awards, including Best Rock Album and Record Of The Year ('Walk On').