Originally posted by Ally:
mine's September 23, 1977- and there are 2 pretty cool U2 connections!
September 23, 1997: U2 brings PopMart to Sarajevo
U2 performs a complete PopMart concert in Sarajevo, Bosnia, fulfilling a desire Bono first expressed in 1993 during the Zooropa tour of Europe. Bono's voice suffers through the entire show, but the crowd eagerly sings what he cannot. Edge performs an acoustic, solo version of "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" on the b-stage, starting a change in the set list that will continue for the rest of the tour. During the encore, U2 plays "Miss Sarajevo," the song they wrote two years ago for the Passengers project - it is the only time U2 has ever performed this song as a full band. Soldiers from the international NATO peace-keeping force attend the show, which is broadcast live on radio all around the world. The event garners great publicity for U2, the PopMart Tour, and the people of Sarajevo who are trying to reconstruct their city and their lives. In coming weeks, there are reports that U2's concert has raised only $13,500 for the people of Bosnia, a figure U2 defends by explaining that the show wasn't designed to raise money, and that Bono's offer to bring a stripped-down -- and less-expensive -- concert to the city was refused in favor of the full PopMart production.
September 23, 1999: Bono meets the Pope - Pope wears Bono's sunglasses
Bono and other supporters of Jubilee 2000 visit Pope John Paul II at his summer home outside Rome. During the meeting, Bono gives the Pope a book of poetry by the great Irish poet Seamus Haney. But headlines are made when Bono hands the Pope his sunglasses and the Pontiff puts them on, prompting Bono to tell the world's media that John Paul II is the world's "first funky Pontiff." (See related news story)