But despite all that he has seen, the sentiment that he has to share with his audience is that it's "a beautiful day."

The Boys Of Dublin

Bono was born Paul David Hewson in Dublin, Ireland on May 10, 1960.

He was not led to rock'n roll because of exceptional musical talent. In fact, musical talent was something that the boys of U2 had very little of in their early days.

They were a ragtag gang of young Dublin friends that grew up with dreams of stardom.

"I think they always wanted to be famous and popular because they thought they were very interesting personalities," says longtime friend and band biographer B.P. Fallon, who knew the members during their days in Dublin in the late 1970s.

What the young bandmates did have was passion. There was a drive and work ethic that pushed them towards success, even before they were capable of playing any songs.

Fallon, who was unimpressed by their early demo tapes, says it was the vigor of the band that attracted him.

"I listened to the tape because of Adam's attitude," he says, referring to Adam Clayton, U2's bass player. "He wanted to be successful so badly."

Steve Stockman, a U2 biographer and Dublin resident, says the band had grown up in an "archaic Catholic country that was very sheltered from the outside world" in the 1970s. For that reason, "their first two albums were about themselves and God."

Bono and his bandmates were an idealistic young bunch.

"The early albums were a celebration--a naive celebration, probably," Stockman says.

Their narrow focus expanded as their touring pulled them away from their cloistered upbringing and led them out to the world beyond.