JUNE 19: "Stop Sellafield" concert / The X-Press / "San Francisco" / Bono, Ali, Edge in G8 Cologne / Lanois joins U2 / 34th 'VERTIGO' show Aung San Suu Kyi's 60th birthday / "Walk On" / "One" to Geldof, who was there / Edge´s crazy guitar solo / Edge´s too cool / Steve Lillywhite B-day / "London Callling" ("We live by the river!") / having fun with a baloon from a fan / "Who´s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" as highlight!

"Stop Sellafield" - june 19, 1992. U2 play alongside "Kraftwerk", "Public Enemy", and "Big Audio Dynamite II" at the "Stop Sellafield" show in the G-Mex Centre in Manchester. The concert is organized with Greenpeace to protest against the proposed building of a second nuclear power plant in Cumbria on the north-west coast of England. Sellafield processes spent uranium rods into plutonium for nuclear weapons, and in doing so, has been releasing nuclear waste into the surrounding environment for fourty years. Scientists have been able to determine that nuclear material from Sellafield has in the past reached the coasts of Europe, and even the North Pole. The number of cancer sufferers, still-born and deformed babies are 10 times the national average in the immediate area around Sellafield. British Nuclear Fuels Limited(BNFL) are now planning on opening a second plant at the facility, which will process nuclear waste from facilities from around the globe and increase the amount of waste released into the environment by a factor of fifteen. To help Greenpeace and a local group CORE(Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment), U2 agree to headline a concert opposed to the opening of the new facility. The original plan was to hold an outdoor festival on June 20, 1992 at Manchester's Heaton Park. Between 50,000 and 100,000 fans were expected. Ticket prices were kept low -- 10 pounds. However, the city of Manchester refused permission for the concert because of "the damage and pollution" that may be caused to the park. The show was then re-scheduled for the much smaller G-Mex Centre for June 19, 1992. Original plans were to hold a large protest rally at the gates of the Sellafield facility, which however are derailed by the BNFL, after U2 make an official announcement to attend the rally. U2's statement, in part, read: "BNFL have an annual advertising and public relations budget of several millions, which they spend on putting an acceptable face on the nuclear waste business. In an attempt to counter this massive propaganda, U2 are assiting Greenpeace in presenting the other side of Sellafield. U2 will be coming to Sellafield on June 20." BNFL's reaction was to go to court and attempt to see if the demonstration could be blocked. BNFL's official objection was that the demonstration would attract a large crowd and that they were "concerned about public safety". After the announcement of the injuction, an outraged U2 blasted the BNFL through Manager Paul McGuinness: "It's quite ironic that British Nuclear Fuels, a company that produces raw materials for the use in weapons of mass destruction, should be so concerned about public order." While the protest is stopped, the show in Manchester does go on. For "The Fly" the words on the screens are changed: "LEUKEMIA - DEBT - CHILD - DETERRENT - WARHEAD - KRYPTON - PLUTONIUM - DECAY - MUSHROOM - FEAR - REACT OR DIE - START A CHAIN REACTION - E = MC2 - NOBODY IS PROMISED A TOMORROW - RADIATION SICKNESS - STOP SELLAFIELD NOW". After the song, Bono comments on the actions of the BNFL: "We were going to invite you all down to the gates at Sellafield tomorrow. We had personal invitations...I guess when they found out you were coming, they didn't like it very much. I wonder what they've got to hide? They've cancelled a peaceful demonstration because they said that were worried about 'public safety'. These people are responsible for the deaths of innocent children. For God's sake, public safety doesn't come near them. Anyway, the whole farce has backfired on them -- in the last week, they've given Greenpeace more publicity than they could ever want." Lou Reed joins Bono at the B-stage for "Sattelite of Love" -- even though Reed cannot remember the lyrics, the version is memorable. The phonecall tonight, is made to British Prime Minister, "Let's see if I can get this man Major on the phone," Bono says to the crowd, "It's 071-270-3000. You can try it yourself if you like....C'mon Johnny baby! Don't let me down!" Bono tries hard to get by the receptionist, but is unable to. "Could you tell him to watch more TV?" he asks innocently. After the show, Bono comments that "If people are interested in U2 and therefore become interested in the issues, that's all that matters." Later, U2 join other Greenpeace members on their ship Solo and sail to the Sellafield coast at night.

"The X-Press" - june 19 1995 U2 give their first major interview in two years to Liam Mackey of The X-Press, a rebel organization launched by journalists who had found themselves unemployed when The Irish Press Group closed down. It is later reprinted in Hot Press.

"POPMart" tour - june 19, 1997. U2 perform in Oakland, California at the Oakland Coliseum. Edge´s karaoke this night is "San Francisco" (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)

"Edge, Bono&Ali, and Thom York in Cologne (G8 Summit)" - june 19, 1999. Bono appears the G8 Summit in Cologne, Germany to present a petition with 17 million signatures supporting Third World debt relief to world leaders there. He is joined by his wife, Ali, and Edge, all appearing on behalf of Jubilee 2000's "Drop the Debt" campaign. All three also take part in a human chain around the G8 summit centre. More than 20,000 people were said to take part in this demonstration.

"Elevation" tour - june 19, 2001 / New York, NY - Madison Square Garden - PJ Harvey. Daniel Lanois joins U2 on stage to play guitar and sing backup during 'Stuck In a Moment.' 'Staring at the Sun' is an acoustic version with Edge playing and Bono singing. Edge wears red shirt #7 this night.

34th 'VERTIGO' show - june 19, 2005 - London, England - Twickenham Stadium - Idlewild, Ash. Aung San Suu Kyi's 60th birthday / "Walk On" / "One" to Geldof, who was there / Edge´s crazy guitar solo / Edge´s too cool / Steve Lillywhite B-day / "London Callling" ("We live by the river!") / having fun with a baloon from a fan / "Who´s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" as highlight! On a very hot day in London, Bono adds a bit of 'Hot in Herre' to Elevation. Running to Stand Still includes snippets of Happy Birthday and Walk On and is dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi, for her 60th birthday and her 2,523rd day under military detention, under house arrest. 'One' is dedicated to Bob Geldof, who is at the show. Bono's just pulled a Nelly and told the crowd 'it's getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes'...Miracle Drug, which is dedicated 'to the front row, for letting this Irishman sweat all over you.' Bono pulls a girl on stage during With Or Without you and adlibs some LMC Vs U2: Take Me To The Clouds Above...." At the beginning of COBL Bono takes a baloon from a fan, bites off the weight, lets it float to the sky and spends the show watching it, waving to it, pointing it oud to Edge-just seemingly having fun. Bono proclamed so all the shout outs to "London Town", Steve Lillywhite (birthday). An incredibly hot day but everyone was so up for it. Bono said of the Edge: "He never sweats. He's too cool" Bono introduced the second Vertigo by saying it was an "encore, from the Spanish encora" and threw in a snippet of The Clash's 'London Calling', shouting "We live by the river!" 'The Electric Co.', which got a much better response than I expected. What was memorable during this song, was The Edge and Bono interacting with the crowd at the front of the stage. While The Edge went crazy with his guitar solo at the tip of one b-stage, Bono threw water on the crowd that was at the front of the stage, who must of been absolutely roasting after being positioned at the front for at least four hours in the blistering heat. And as Edge gave it a slap on the back and sent it on its way, casual observers had to think for a moment before they recognised 'Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses'. An epic performance and a highlight. Some photos on: U2-Vertigo-tour flickr