U2 played a free concert this weekend at Fordham University in the Bronx. It was apparently a great concert, but mainly just for students and faculty at the University itself. The article in the NYTimes is about those who wanted to get in from the city itself, but weren’t connect to the university. Some of them were able to get in, but other ones weren’t able to do so. Staff seemed to be able to get in, which was nice. Lots of local people were kind of upset that they couldn’t go. After all, they might live right next door, but they weren’t allow to enter. Anyway, it’s just another indication of how excited people are about this upcoming tour!

After enjoying a most refreshing Easter break, U2 is back at their studio in Dublin in order to prepare for their next album. At the helm of this project are producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. Fans are on the verge of begging for the album to be released this year. The album has yet to be given a title, but there’s still time to decide and it is expected that U2’s 2009 concert tour with organizers Live Nation will tide fans over till then.

In related news, U2 is set to release remastered and re-edited versions of their first three albums: “Boy” (1980), “October” (1981) as well as “War” (1983). Universal Music will reissue these albums on B-sides, 180 gram vinyls and in double CD format. Also included are rare unreleased tracks and live versions of their concerts.

U2 is also touted to play at the Slane rock concert come 2009 along with other renowned acts such as the Verve and Led Zeppelin.

The U2 band’s well known rocker Bono along with artist Damien Hirst have been instrumental in raising a sum of over $40 million through an art auction conducted on Valentine’s Day in New York. The auction is considered to be one of the biggest charity events to take place all over the world and the proceeds of the auction will go to the United Nation supported Global Fund to fight AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis and this fund is to be mainly used to fight AIDS in Africa. The RED campaign, one of the largest fundraising company for the consumers who need humanitarian assistance, started by Bono and Bobby Shiver in 2006 had organized this art auction charity event.

A huge medicine chest sculpture that had hundreds of HIV pills made of metals titled “Where There’s a Will There’s A Way” was the top money grosser which fetched $7.15 million. Some of the popular celebrities who visited the Sotheby’s house of auction to bid for the art work of about 100 artists were Michael Stipe, Martha Stewart, Helena Christensen, Christy Turlington and Queen Noor. The Global Funds executive director said that the event has shown the trust that the people have on the organization as well as the humanitarian efforts taken up by the organization and the RED money collected will be invested directly into the AIDS programs in Africa

Front man of the U2 rock band Bono pressed French leader Nicolas Sarkozy to increase aid to developing nations, the aid advocacy group DATA said. The organization, co-founded by Bono has urged France to raise development assistance to 0.7 percent of gross national income by 2012 as agreed earlier. In 2006, French aid stood at 0.31 percent of gross national income.

A t-shirt that was designed by Bono for Hard Rock International, will raise funds to benefit cotton farmers and garment workers in Africa. The design features a fish soaring through the moon and stars. With Bono’s signature.

Bono has claimed that the band’s new album is going to be “extraordinary” and absolutely different from what it used to be before. The new album has been inspired by the band’s visit to Morocco last year. At that time, Morocco saw a religious music festival in Fez, and exactly this festival helped U2 to work out new extraordinary tunes.

The fifth studio album recorded by U2 and released on March 9, 1987, is titled “Joshua Tree”. The album was produced and engineered by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno. Having tremendous success, the album is considered to be their opus, which has often been praised by music critics as the band’s best album and one of the best rock albums of all time. In 2003, the album was ranked number 26 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In 1988, the Joshua Tree won the Album of the Year.

The band formed in ‘76 when the band members were still teenagers with limited musical proficiency. By the mid-eighties, the group had already become a top international act. The band was noted for its anthemic sound, the lead singer’s impassioned vocals, and a toned rhythm section. The band’s 1987 record, entitled The Joshua Tree, brought them mega-stardom. Their ‘91 release Achtung Baby and the Zoo TV Tour were part of a significant reinvention for U2

Bono and The Edge have made a surprise appearance at a charity gig in London last week, when they played a 4-song set for two hundred and fifty people at Mencap’s Little Noise Sessions at the Union Chapel situated in north London. The musicians opened their set with the composition “Stay,” from 1993’s “Zooropa,” and then performed “Angel of Harlem” and “Desire”. They closed the set with a 1st-time performance of “Wave of Sorrow.” This composition was originally written for their ‘87 album entitled “Joshua Tree.”