Latest U2 News / Sightings

Will.i.am flies in to cheer up pal Bono

By AOIFE ANDERSON

Wednesday July 28 2010

Irish rocker Bono has been soaking up the sun with top music star Will.i.am -- sparking rumours they are set to collaborate once more.

The Black Eyed Peas frontman is the latest of Bono's A-list pals to jet to the south of France to keep him company as he recovers from his recent back troubles.

The U2 singer has had regular hush-hush visits recently from VIP friends, including Rod Stewart and Lance Armstrong.

The Dublin star (50) and his family have been holed up in their Eze villa for the past month, while he recuperates from his serious spinal surgery last May.

The Herald can exclusively reveal that his most recent impromptu visitor was concerned pal Will.i.am (35).

The pair met up for a top secret dinner in one of the plushest areas in the millionaire's playground of Monaco

Bono invited the top US singer-producer to visit him after hearing that Will.i.am was performing an exclusive DJ set in nearby St Tropez last week.

The singer, who was recently linked to Cheryl Cole, is rumoured to have been paid a mesmerising €100,000 for a two-hour set at a private party in the exclusive Byblos nightclub.

A source close to the singers revealed: "Will.i.am hates helicopters but he willingly jumped on one to spend a few hours with Bono. They've been friends for quite a number of years and have loads in common aside from music.

"Obviously Will.i.am produced a few tracks on the last U2 album, so it's no surprise that their latest meeting has prompted speculation that he and Bono could be soon ready to hit the studio together again."

Bono is expected to return to the stage in Turin on August 6.

WS Is your new album, Scream, political in any way?

I'm not the Bono of metal. If you're an entertainer, be an entertainer. If you want to be a politician, join the rest of the [bleeps].

Looks like a spanner has been thrown in the works for any future visits by U2 to Argentina. Current rumours suggest a U2 tour of South America is being planned for March 2011, naturally including a visit to Argentina. However, according to this article (in Spanish), concerts have now been banned at River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires. The vibrations during concerts have been recorded at up to 17 times higher than permitted levels, prompting the ban - in light of both the excessive disturbance to local residents and international examples of excessive vibrations compromising a stadium's structural integrity.

All of U2's five previous concerts in Argentina have been at River Plate Stadium, the country's largest stadium. It is the first choice venue for major rock concerts, and U2's promoters, Time For Fun, have been eyeing it off. They have been adamant in their desire to host U2 at River Plate Stadium. If it is not available, other large stadiums are located in Buenos Aires, so the problem is at least not wholly insurmountable. Estadio José Amalfitani, for example, has hosted many prominent international acts.

"I told somebody I thought it was a dense record and word got around that we were making a dance record." - Bono, about the Achtung Baby album