NOLO Most Thoroughly Christian Project Yet

Bono

Looking back over a body of work a theologian from Alabama, has classified No Line On The Horizon "It's the most thorough Christian thing they've done yet"

"Like the last two albums, No Line is much more overt in its Christian rendering of the world, what with lyrics like ‘Justified until we die/You and I will magnify/Oh, the Magnificent’ from the album's second track,” commented Steven R. Harmon, an associate professor of divinity at Samford University's Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Ala.

Bono/ U2/ 360 Tour

“Yet what qualifies this album as thoroughly Christian is not so much its pervasive biblical/theological images as its overarching eschatological vision” As quoted in the Associated Baptist Press.  The themes have got U2 ranked #41 on CCM list of greatest Christen music albums. The Joshua Tree was also included.

We of course know that all U2 songs do not have a Christian view however its hard to avoid the fact that most of the songs have a theme that keeps coming back and frankly seems to keep fans engaged.  The question of what's next has most U2 fans asking for the band to return to their roots to draw on the past and recreate songs that give us back our youth.

Bono/ U2/ 360 Tour / Faith

The fact that if your truly a U2 fan you know that this is not possible. U2 has changed many times already. The evolved U2 has grown with us, moved us towards becoming adults with our own children and our own ideas of whats right for the world.

Yet the idea of looking back to those years drives us to scream RETURN to the past.  We all await this new project with some fear that the band may have created their last project and that we will all have to face the death of  U2. However if you look at U2 with the eyes of a Christian you know that you can't have life with out death. Faith may have more to play with our fear of loss than our fear of change.

U2, Faith, Love and 2013

“The Lord is in the House tonight” Going to Church that’s what going to a U2 concert felt like for a few of the fans this past tour. Faith, Love and Hope rising beyond the 50 thousand screaming fans; all in one single space in hopes to see something magical beyond the walls that held them inside.

U2 Fans

U2 is a band on a mission, and a strong sense of integrity and purpose is the foundation for their music, lyrics, and relationships. They’ve sold somewhere between 100 million and 150 million records (CD’s) winning 17 Grammy Awards and of course inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. U2 survival in a industry where longevity is measured in months, the band has stuck together and racked up years’ worth of smash hits and signature songs.

So where do the boys from Ireland go now? The most successful tour ever and yet the album was considered to be lacking, rushed and not filling for some hard core U2 fans.  U2 has always been able to reinvent their music to fit the times.  Its not often you can follow a band thru your life and still believe in the music. U2 has grown up with their audience and it is very possible their new music will continue to have us follow. “Don’t forget about us,” Bono said during the 360 tours after many shows.

The sense is that the band has seen their better days and that in order for the band to continue forward they must reach into the pop audience and pull them thru to hear the new U2. What does the new U2 sound like? Heck if anyone knows. One thing is for sure they will come back 2013 with a “new” sound that will create some new fans and as always loss some fans.

True U2 fans know and expect change. Change brings growth and growth brings opportunity.

"Hope Your Journey Ends Well"

The Edge  came to the aid of some tourists from San Francisco when he reunited them with their lost passports and luggage this week. The father and his two children were shocked to find that a rucksack that contained their passports was missing when they arrived at Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel in Killiney. "It was their last night in Ireland and they were supposed to be flying home the next day so the father was panicked," explained hotel reception manager Luighsighe Kenny to the Irish Daily Star.

A spokesperson for U2 said she believed the Edge was walking past Killiney DART Station with a friend and found the luggage. A contact number was left by the pair at the station for the owners of the luggage to contact them. The luggage was then delivered to the American visitors' hotel... With a special gift.

"The Edge left a souvenir U2 CD in the bag which was signed and had the message, 'hope your journey ends well'," explained Luighsighe.

Healthly Bono Ready for Next Challenge

BONO has thanked his family for putting up with him on his sickbed by taking them on a pilgrimage of the world’s holiest regions.

After spending nearly two years recovering from emergency back surgery in 2010 the U2 frontman celebrated by whisking his wife and nippers off on holiday.

He said: “I’ve possibly had the best year personally because I’ve spent most of it with my family. “Having been away on tour for so long, then taking so long to recover from my back injury, it was time for a trip. “I decided to take the family on tour as a little thank you to the kids for being so patient with me. “Because I wasn’t busy with the band we kind of went wandering. Once-in-a-lifetime sort of stuff, places like Africa and Central America. “We also went to Jordan and Palestine, Israel and Peru. “It was really great to have time off.”

Working Title Revealed

In an interview with The Independent, Bono revealed that the group's busy working on their next album which they might title "10 Reasons to Exist". The Irish rock band worked on the studio set throughout 2012 and would be releasing it this 2013 but the specific release date has yet to be decided.

According to Bono, "Within the band, we've been calling it '10 Reasons to Exist', but I will tell you we might have at least six of them." This latest work from U2 is highly anticipated since, prior to this latest effort, it has already been three years since the group released an album. The most recent one was "No Line on the Horizon".

The Bono interview and his revelations came after the singer had recovered from the flu, which he caught over the holidays. This caused him to miss the annual Leopardstown racing festival on St. Stephen's Day, a charity event he had consistently attended with his family.

Bono and Sinead busking in Dublin

Bono (U2), Glen Hansard (Frames) and Lisa Hannigan, busking in Grafton street, Dublin, on Christmas eve 2012

Sínead O'Connor busking for Simon Community on Grafton Street, Dublin; on Christmas eve. She's performing "Nothing compares to you" with Glen Hansard on guitar. Enjoy!

Bono maintained his Xmas ritual this year with a busking session in Dublin's Grafton Street on Christmas Eve.

This year Bono  accompanied by Glen Hansard of "Once" fame and singer Lisa Hannigan. Bono played to the gallery with a mix of traditional festive melodies and some U2 classics.

Sinead O'Connor also took Grafton Street by surprise with a rendition of her Prince-penned classic Nothing Compares to You.

Hewson Daughters Home For the Holidays

Bono delighted to have two girls home for Christmas

Bono  told the Irish Independent that the Hewson house is jam-packed once again thanks to the arrival of Jordan (23) and Eve (21), who have returned to Ireland for the holidays.

Eve and Jordan Hewson ( Bono Daughters)

"We're very much looking forward to Christmas this year. The two girls are back, which means there won't be much room in the house for me and Ali, but we love it and all their mates, too – it's just that time of year," Bono said.

The Hewson daughters are currently living in New York.

"They've both finished college now. Eve finished early, which is amazing, as she worked through the summer. Jordan's making her mind up as well about what she wants to do now, too."

Bono expected to  have a chilled out Christmas Day at his Dalkey home. "This year my brother (Norman) and his family are coming over to our house. It's noisy, it's messy, it's fantastic – just everything we love about Christmas."

Starting their celebrations in style, U2 threw a lavish party at H-Cafe in Dublin for staff at their company, Principle Management, where the entertainment included a performance from RTE personality Katherine Lynch.

Eve Hewson talks

Eve Hewson

Bono’s daughter, Eve Hewson said that her dad’s celebrity status can bring out the worst in people and she’s learned how to spot the fakers.

Hewson (21) is currently studying acting at New York City University and says that most of the time she is not recognized. But when people want to become friends with her because of her rock star connection, it’s obvious. She can instantly recognize the people who are only interested in befriending her because of her father’s fame.

She told ‘Flaunt’ magazine, “It’s made it, in some ways, easier to find friends because it brings out certain bad things in people.” She added, “Then you can see easier. Well, you can smell the desperation in people.” Hewson commented about other people, “It’s just like, how you can hang out, if you can tell a good story, if you can make a good laugh.”

Her parents kept her out of the limelight while she was growing up in southside Dublin. She said, “Obviously, every now and then someone would start singing a U2 song at a party, but aside from that, it’s not really about who you are, what you have.” She is Bono’s youngest daughter. She has an older sister, Jordan (23) and two younger brothers, Elijah (14) and John Abraham (11).

The young actress is already heading towards a celebrity status all her own. She has received praise for her performance ‘This Must Be the Place’ in which she plays the surrogate daughter of a depressed rock star, who was played by Sean Penn. However, she says she did not receive much attention while the film was in production. She said, “Nobody really cares about me. There are other famous actors on set that are more fascinating.”

Hewson recently finished filming ‘Blood Ties’, which features many big Hollywood names. Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, James Caan, and Marion Cotillard star in the film.

She says Juliette Lewis and Evan Rachel are her influences and likes that Frances McDormand chooses different, sometimes quirky roles. Hewson said, “I think you have to be very forward about what you want. You have to be confident that you have a vision and that you want to play different sides of yourself. I think the crazier and weirder you are you will be able to get out there."