Bono Comes Out as a ‘Swiftie’

Bono has declared himself a "Swiftie," or fan of Taylor Swift, in an appearance on The Graham Norton Show.

The U2 frontman and the popular singer-songwriter were part of the panel of guests that appeared on the latest episode of the long-running BBC talk show. According to Billboard, host Norton asked Bono and Swift if they ever worked together. Swift playfully responded, "Not yet. We're gonna talk about it later." Bono followed up saying, "I'm a Swiftie."

Swift added about Bono, "He’s so nice he sent me roses when I played in Dublin. He doesn’t want to take credit … He’s a truly great person. He’s just that great and thoughtful, just the best there is." Bono coyly responded, "I better have a drink."

Bono is deep in the promotional cycle for his new memoir Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, which comes out tomorrow (November 1.) The book is available at SurrenderMemoir.com. Bono announced a 14-date book tour earlier this month, with seven dates set for North America and seven dates set for Europe. These shows are being dubbed "Bono: An Evening of Words, Music and Some Mischief..." A full list of tour dates is below.

11/2 - Beacon Theatre - New York, NY
11/4 - Orpheum Theatre - Boston, MA
11/6 - Meridian Hall - Toronto, ON
11/8 - The Chicago Theatre - Chicago, IL
11/9 - Ryman Auditorium - Nashville, TN
11/12 - Orpheum Theatre - San Francisco, CA
11/13 - The Orpheum Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
11/16 - The London Palladium - London, England
11/17 - Sec Armadillo - Glasglow, Scotland
11/19 - O2 Apollo Manchester - Manchester, UK
11/21 - 3Olympia Theatre - Dublin IE
11/23 - Admiralspalast - Berlin, DE
11/25 - Le Grand Rex - Paris, FR
11/28 - Teatro Coliseum - Madrid, ES

Bono celebrates his birthday today (May 10), and after being active with U2 for over 40 years, he remains one of the best frontmen in rock.

In honor of his birthday, here are seven incredible must-see live performances from Bono throughout his career.

U2 had an eventful 2023 and a busy early 2024. The legendary band had the inaugural residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas. To the surprise of no one, the U2 Sphere residency was a massive financial success.

Per Ultimate Classic Rock, the revenue for the 40-show residency is estimated to be $256 million. The outlet also noted that 661,456 tickets were sold for the residency. Additionally, tickets were going for upwards of three times their face value on the secondary market. Needless to say, U2's Sphere residency was a massive success.

As previously reported, the venue cost $2.3 billion to build. In December 2023, The Hollywood Reporter noted the 17 shows U2 performed through Nov. 30 generated $30.7 million in revenue, which is an average of $1.8 million per show.

Larry Mullen Jr. was forced to sit out of U2's Sphere residency in Las Vegas due to needing shoulder surgery due to the wear and tear of drumming for decades.. However, the drummer was in attendance to take in the penultimate residency gig.

During the March 2, 2023 show, Bono took a moment to acknowledge the sidelined Mullen Jr. In fan-shot footage, Bono said, "The rumors that Larry will be playing with us tonight are not true, sadly. But he is here with us!" Mullen Jr. was then shown in a crowd on the Sphere's screens, which led to loud ovation from fans.

U2's official X (formerly Twitter) account shared a brief statement from Mullen Jr. He wrote, "What an incredible night at Sphere. So grateful to Bono, Edge and Adam, and, of course, Bram [van den Berg], for an amazing job. Very emotional night for me, personally - Larry Mullen Jr."

U2 is able to make a stadium show feel like a club show. They proved that during their now-legendary set at Live Aid in 1985 where Bono jumped from the massive stage to dance with one lucky audience member.

This performance from the first Joshua Tree tour was prominently featured in U2 concert/documentary film Rattle & Hum. Simply put, Bono’s vocals here are perfection.

In the thick of their ZooTV tour, U2 performed live via satellite with Dana Carvey as Garth Algar during the 1992 MTV VMAs. It was both comically and technologically awesome.

If you’re making a list about live Bono and you don’t bring up any of the personas from the ZooTV tour, frankly, your list is incomplete. This writer’s personal favorite was MacPhisto, a gold-clad demon of sorts that liked to prank call the White House. Here he is performing “Lemon.”

Remember how we said U2 has a way of making big concert settings feel intimate? For this one fan picked from the crowd, Bono made this performance of “With Or Without You” really intimate.

With 9/11 still fresh in the minds of all Americans, U2 took to the Super Bowl Halftime Show and gave one of the most moving performances of their career. From Bono emerging from the crowd to him running laps on the heart stage, it’s a moment fans certainly haven’t forgotten over the years.

If only more bands busked on subway platforms! In perhaps one of the coziest sets U2 performed in recent years, Bono has no shame in mugging for all the cell phones out capturing this once-in-a-lifetime performance.