Bono will be at Obama's inauguration
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BONO: Joining in the celebrations
Tuesday January 13 2009
Bono will be involved in the inauguration celebrations for Barack Obama, despite criticisms of the singer's associations with politicians.
The U2 front-man will help start the celebrations in Washington on Sunday. He will be joined by fellow entertainment industry heavyweights for the public event outside the Lincoln Memorial.
Mr Obama will take over the mantle of US President from George W Bush on January 20.
However, one person who might not be too happy to see Bono performing at the festivities is U2 drummer Larry Mullen.
Mr Mullen said last month that he "cringes" when he sees Bono associating with Tony Blair and President Bush.
In a Q magazine interview, he said: "Tony Blair is a war criminal and I think he should be tried as a war criminal.
"Then I see Bono and him as pals and I'm going, 'I don't like that'. Do I think George Bush is a war criminal? Probably -- but the difference between him and Tony Blair is that Blair is intelligent. So, he has no excuse."
He added that Bono was "prepared to use his weight as a celebrity, at great cost to himself and his family, to help other people ... but, as an outsider looking in, I cringe".
The Presidential Inaugural Committee has released the initial line-up for the event and, apart from Bono, it includes Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, Mary J Blige, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow and Stevie Wonder.
The invocation at the We Are One celebration will be given by openly gay Episcopal bishop Gene Robinson.
"The Sunday afternoon performance will be grounded in history and brought to life with entertainment that relates to the themes that shaped Barack Obama and which will be the hallmarks of his administration," a statement said.
"We have found that the great artists are eager to take part and each one is working with us to find music that expresses the optimism and hope that people bring to the Obama inauguration," producer and writer Michael Stevens said.
The 56th US presidential inauguration is being billed as the "most inclusive" in history.
- Cormac Murphy
