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U2 (band) facts for kids

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U2
2005-11-21 U2 @ MSG by ZG.JPG
U2 performing at Madison Square Garden in November 2005
Background information
Origin Dublin, Ireland
Genres Rock, post punk, alternative rock
Years active 1976 – present
Labels Interscope (1997-present)
Island (1979-1997)
Members Bono
The Edge
Adam Clayton
Larry Mullen Jr.

U2 is an Irish rock band. The four members of the band are lead singer Bono (born Paul David Hewson), lead guitarist The Edge (born David Howell Evans), bassist Adam Clayton, and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. U2 are a very popular band all over the world and have been since the 1980s. They have sold more than 170 million albums and have won 22 Grammy Awards. This is more than any other rock band.

U2 formed in Dublin in 1976, when none of the members were very good musicians. However, they got better as they got older. They were more popular for playing live shows than for releasing albums. This changed with their hit record in 1987, The Joshua Tree. In 1991, U2 released a new album called Achtung Baby. This album sounded very different from their other albums because it was inspired by alternative rock and dance music. Achtung Baby and its worldwide Zoo TV Tour were both very popular. U2 experimented for the rest of the 1990s, making two other very different albums, Zooropa and Pop.

In the 21st century, U2 returned to a more traditional sound, but they continue to be very popular and successful. They are involved in charities and helping people with groups such as Amnesty International, Make Poverty History, the ONE Campaign, Live Aid, Live 8, Bono's DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade in Africa) campaign, and Music Rising.

In 2014, the group won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for their song Ordinary Love which was used in the movie Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.

History

Formation (1976-1979)

U2 was formed in the city of Dublin, Ireland on September 25, 1976. It was founded by 14 year-old drummer Larry Mullen Jr. He posted a note on his school's notice board, asking for musicians to create a new band. There were seven teenage boys who went to their first practice. At first, the band was called "The Larry Mullen Band", but they later changed their name to "Feedback" and then "The Hype". The band became smaller over time, eventually becoming just four people, and they finally changed their name to "U2" once Bono, The Edge, Clayton, and Mullen were left.

Albums

  • Boy (1980)
  • October (1981)
  • War (1983)
  • The Unforgettable Fire (1984)
  • The Joshua Tree (1987)
  • Rattle and Hum (1988)
  • Achtung Baby (1991)
  • Zooropa (1993)
  • Pop (1997)
  • All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000)
  • How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004)
  • No Line on the Horizon (2009)
  • Songs of Innocence (2014)
  • Songs of Experience (2017)

Images for kids

  • MountTempleClock

    The band formed at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin in 1976 when the members were teenagers.

  • Steve Lillywhite during interview

    Steve Lillywhite produced the band's first three studio albums: Boy, October, and War.

  • U2 playing on an outdoor stage. The Edge is on the left playing guitar, Bono in the center with a microphone, and Adam Clayton on the right playing bass guitar. A drum set is partially visible on the right side.

    U2 performing at the US Festival in May 1983

  • U2 on Unforgettable Fire Tour 09-09-1984

    U2 performing in Sydney in September 1984 on the Unforgettable Fire Tour

  • Joshuatree

    The tree pictured on The Joshua Tree album sleeve. Adam Clayton said, "The desert was immensely inspirational to us as a mental image for this record."

  • Bono as The Fly Cleveland 1992

    Bono in March 1992 on the Zoo TV Tour portraying his persona "The Fly", a leather-clad egomaniac meant to parody rock stardom.

  • HeartWideShot3 jpg

    Contrasting with the elaborate stadium productions of the band's previous two tours, the Elevation Tour was a scaled-down affair, featuring a heart-shaped ramp around the stage.

  • U2 in the heart

    U2 perform during the Elevation Tour in Kansas City in 2001

  • U2 brussels fly 2005-10-06

    The outdoor stage of the Vertigo Tour, pictured in June 2005, featured a massive LED screen.

  • A concert stage; four large legs curve up above the stage and hold a video screen which is extended down to the band. The legs are lit up in green. The video screen has multi-coloured lights flashing on it. The audience surrounds the stage on all sides.

    At 164 feet tall, the stage structure from the U2 360° Tour was the largest ever constructed. It allowed for a 360-degree seating configuration.

  • U2 at Apple keynote event 9-9-14

    U2 performing at the Apple product launch at which Songs of Innocence was announced in September 2014

  • U2 curtain call in Glasgow 11-7-2015

    U2 takes a curtain call during a 7 November 2015 performance on the Innocence + Experience Tour (from left to right): the Edge, Bono, Mullen, Clayton

  • U2 performing on a concert stage.

    U2 performing in 2009. The Edge has described U2 as a fundamentally live band.

  • Bush and Bono

    Bono with then-US President George W. Bush in 2006

  • U2 with Brazil president Rousseff in 2011

    U2 with Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff in 2011 (from left to right): Mullen, Bono, Rousseff, Clayton, and the Edge

  • The Edge and Bono performing in Belfast on Nov 19 2015

    Rolling Stone ranked the Edge and Bono among the greatest guitarists and singers, respectively.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: U2 para niños

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