It’s been an exciting week for U2 fans, starting on Monday when U2, minus Bono and plus a couple of special guests, performed in New York for World Aids Day.

Chris Martin, lead singer from Coldplay, joined Edge, Adam, and Larry for “Beautiful Day” and “With or Without You”, then Bruce Springsteen came onstage to sing “Where the Streets Have No Name” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”. For this fan, I was glad to see that U2 are keeping busy but it reaffirmed for me that there’s no better front man in the world but Bono. Just as often as I got a thrill from seeing Edge, Adam, and Larry on stage together, I found myself pining for the unique energy that Bono brings to the band’s live performances.

The other big news, of course (like you don’t already know, right?) is that U2 finally announced the dates and venues for their upcoming Innocence + Experience world tour. I’ll refer you to this article for further details on where the band will be when, but I was surprised at how accurate some of the rumors that had been circling turned out to be. Specifically, I was interested to see that, just as the rumors had predicted would be the case, U2 are only playing in nine cities in North America before heading back overseas to continue in Europe. I have to admit that although I understand it, I was disappointed to see that the band isn’t going anywhere near the American Southeast at all. Not that I’m holding a grudge or anything, but it would have been nice for me personally (and I can’t imagine that I’m alone in this) if I could have gone to see to a U2 show next year without having to obliterate my bank  account by traveling across the country. Pre-sales for tickets are already going on as I write this, and I hope that all of you that were hoping to get tickets have been able to find what just what you wanted, and I look forward to seeing you all at a U2 show next year!