JULY 13: Marquee Club / "Live Aid" / red shirt #7 / Bono flies to be with his father / U2´s album stolen or lost in France / 45th 'VERTIGO' show *'Welcome home U2'; 'Blessings, blessings...in the Port of Amsterdam'; Edge´unmistakable opening riff of Miracle Drug; opera at the end of SYCMIOYO; a song to Theo can Gogh and to victims of London´s bombings; Happy Birthday (belated) to Anton Corbijn, who was at the attendance!

"11 O´Clock Tick Tock" - july 13, 1980 / London, England - Marquee Club.

"Live Aid" - july 13, 1985. 5:20 pm GMT : Following an introduction by Jack Nicholson("And now, to keep with the international and global feeling that we have, direct from London, a group who's heart is in Dublin, Ireland, whose spirit is with the world, a group that's never had any problem saying how they feel: U2!"), U2 storm the stage at Live Aid in Wembley Stadium, London, with a set that includes "Sunday Bloody Sunday", " and a stunning ten-minute version of "Bad", along with parts of "Ruby Tuesday", "Walk on the Wild Side". During "Bad" Bono motions for a girl to be allowed on stage. Security has been specifically told to not let any fans on stage--they stall for approximately 5 minutes, while Adam, Larry, and The Edge play the same chords repeatedly. Eventually security relents, and "Holly, [who] came from Miami, Florida"(from the Lou Reed song "Walk on the Wild Side) is allowed to slow dance with Bono in front of 1.5 billion people around the world. After the stunning performance of "Bad", Bono leaves the stadium wondering if he's ruined the band reputation--in his mind the performance at Live Aid was a disaster as the band didn't even get a chance to perform "Pride(In the Name of Love)". However, Bono's simple gesture of dancing with a stranger is taken as one of the pinnacle moments of the show. U2's album sales triple over the next few months. U2 issue a press statement on their attendance at Live Aid: "U2 are involved in Live Aid because it's more than money, it's music...but it is also a demonstration to the politicians and the policy-makers that men, women and children will not walk by other men, women and children as they lie, bellies swollen, starving to death for the sake of a cup of grain and water. For the price of Star Wars[the US Strategic Defense Initiative], the MX missle offensive-defence budgets, the desert of Africa could be turned into fertile lands. The technology is with us. The technocrats are not. Are we part of a civilization that protects itself by investing in life...or investing in death?"

Sunday Bloody Sunday:


Bad:


"Peace Together - july 13, 1993. "Peace Together" is released. The album contains cover versions of "Blur", "Pop Will Eat Itself", "Lou Reed" and "U2". The proceeds go towards helping children in Northern Ireland.

"Elevation" tour - july 13, 2001 / Cologne, Germany. Arena - Die Soehne Mannheims, Edge wears red shirt #7, this night.

"Bono flies to Dublin to see sick dad" - july 13, 2001. After tonight's concert in Cologne, Bono flies home to Dublin to be with his dad, Bob, who is hospitalized and seriously ill, according to media reports. Bono's brother Norman tells the Irish Mirror their 75-old father "is not in great shape." Bono is able to spend much of the weekend in Dublin before a Sunday concert in Munich.

"U2's upcoming album lost or stolen in France" - july 13, 2004. A CD containing songs from U2's upcoming album goes missing during a photo shoot at the Victorine studios in Nice, France. French authorities launch an immediate investigation by interviewing about 20 people were on hand during the photo shoot, but no one is sure if the CD is lost or was stolen. Edge tells U2.com: "A large slice of two years' work lifted via a piece of round plastic. It doesn't seem credible but that's what's just happened to us...and it was my CD." U2 manager Paul McGuinness voices his concern that the songs may reach the Internet: "The recording of this album has been going so well. The band is so excited about its release. It would be a shame if unfinished work fell into the wrong hands." The album isn't due for release for more than four months, although there's speculation that timetable will change if the songs are leaked online.

45th 'VERTIGO' show - July 13, 2005 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - ArenA - The Kaiser Chiefs, The Killers. 'Welcome home U2' / 'Blessings, blessings...in the Port of Amsterdam' / Edge´unmistakable opening riff of Miracle Drug / opera at the end of SYCMIOYO / a song to Theo can Gogh and to victims of London´s bombings / Happy Birthday (belated) to Anton Corbijn, who was at the attendance! An exceptionally loud crowd welcomes U2 to Amsterdam tonight. Bono again sings a bit of opera at the end of Sometimes... as he did in Paris. He dedicates Running to Stand Still to Dutch filmmaker Theo can Gogh, killed last year by a Muslim extremist, and to the victims of the recent London bombings. Before One, Bono leads the crowd in singing Happy Birthday to Anton Corbijn, who is at the show, even though his birthday was in late May. *'Welcome home U2': ...Apart from Dublin, Amsterdam is the only city on the European leg to get three shows and right from the off last night it was clear that the band retain a special place in their hearts for the Dutch....explain Bono¿s introduction to I Will Follow. 'Our first No.1 anywhere in the world... in this great, extraordinary land, Holland.'...No wonder, as Bono smiles, two and a half hours later, 'Welcome home U2!'...'I want to thank The Kaiser Chiefs and The Killers,' says the singer, as Edge heads to the keyboard for New Year's Day. 'Two great rock'n'roll bands.'...'We want to say so much tonight,' explains Bono, almost lost for words at times. 'Most of all we want to thank you for giving us a great life.' The Netherlands, he continues, is a 'place that still plays us on the radio, still wants to see us in your football stadiums' a place that still sees U2 as 'about the present.'...'Blessings, blessings... in the Port of Amsterdam.' adds Bono as City of Blinding Lights fades out and Edge begins picks out the unmistakeable opening riff of Miracle Drug which is dedicated, to great cheers, to 'the scientists, doctors, nurses - especially the nurses - that keep us well, that get us to the future.'...Running to Stand Still - have seemed to gain poignancy and potency in the days subsequent to the bombs in London last week. There is added relevance tonight as Holland has been gripped by the murder trial of another religious extremist and tonight Bono dedicates Running To Stand still to film-maker Theo van Gogh. 'We'd like to turn this song into a prayer, we'd like to remind the religious people, Jewish, Christian, Moslem, that we all come from Father Abraham, all three are Abrahamic , so this is a family feud, a family fight.. and it must stop. We have so much more in common'...Whistles, screams, yelling, it is an unrelenting block of noise which is rewarded with Zoo Station and The Fly before the biggest singalong of the night for With Or Without You. As well as dropping into Dutch regularly tonight, there is still time for a special Happy Birthday to the oldest Dutch friend of the band who is in the audience tonight - photographer Anton Corbijn....Adam. Ajax Arena. U2 on stage. ....A bit of Brel (Port of Amsterdam), a bit of Opera ('Guarda il mare com´e bello! Spira tanto sentimento.', from Torna a Surriento.), a bit of Radar Love (by Dutch band Golden Earring) and a hell of a lot of flaky Dutch phrases ('Een mooie stad, een mooie dag.', ''Maak er wat van.')...Some photos on U2-Vertigo-tour