Celebrating 30 years since the Joshua Tree came out has brought a ton of nostalgic remembrances, plus new antics from the Irish lads who see music as sacrosanct and have a healthy stream of humanitarian efforts under their belts along with their ever evolving music.
In DC this past June 20-21, U2 understandably sent out prayers and well-wishes to injured parties attending the congressional baseball game practice, then gave an amazing performance. Most of the songs were from The Joshua Tree, of course, and memories of earlier tours have made the rounds. So much has happened since the 1987 seminal album crashed-landed onto our collective conscience, though in many ways the world has revolved nearly full circle.
Remembering the time Bono and U2 ordered 10,000 pizzas onstage in Detroit
During the ZooTV tour, Bono decided to infuse a bit of “rock ‘n roll” in the midst of all the dance music acts (it was 1992) by ordering pizza for his fans during a U2 concert held at Detroit’s Palace of Auburn Hills.
Here’s clear audio of his order:
Just recently they were seen at famous NYC pizza joint Famous Ray’s Pizza grabbing some pies. Bono, The Edge, and Adam Clayton were in NYC after performing a show in Orchard Park, NY. They’ve been on a Joshua Tree tour commemorating their precocious, #woke before #woke 1987 album.
It’s not the first time, either. Â Their 360 tour in 2010 had them getting pizza for fans. Â This tidbit includes Larry Mullen, Jr., who wasn’t with them at Ray’s the other night.
More important than pizza (whuuuut?) Yes. More important than pizza is the work guitarist The Edge has been doing to promote healthy eating as preventative and healing aids alongside approved methods of fighting disease. His interest in food as medicine began with the diagnosis and treatment of his daughter’s childhood leukemia.
The Washington Post interviewed The Edge and Dr. William Li about research into the role that certain foods may play in angiogenesis. It goes beyond an apple a day, to be sure.
U2’s The Edge talks up food as an anti-cancer weapon
The lead guitarist of U2, the rock band playing at FedEx Field on Tuesday night, has more on his mind than music. In 2006, The Edge’s 7-year-old daughter was diagnosed with leukemia, something that he says sent him “into a complete tailspin.†Sian recovered and is now 19.
The experience heightened the legendary musician’s interest in health and cancer, and especially in angiogenesis, which focuses on the formation of blood vessels. In recent years, several anti-angiogenesis drugs have been developed to disrupt the blood supply that cancers need to grow.
Yet The Edge, whose real name is David Howell Evans, is convinced that certain foods can play a similar role, and he’s pressing for more research. He’s a board member of the Angiogenesis Foundation, a Cambridge, Mass.-based nonprofit group headed by physician William Li, an internist who studied under angiogenesis pioneer Judah Folkman.
The article goes on to quote experts’ cautiously optimistic statements about the amount of difference that foods can make in fighting disease. While there is a bit of research into the diets of healthy individuals that indicates disease prevention, much research needs to be undertaken to show disease fighting properties. That’s why The Edge has thrown his knit hat in the ring.
The cancer society avoids saying that any particular food will ward off the disease, though it stresses that eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables is linked to a reduced risk. Still, Brawley is enthusiastic about The Edge’s emphasis on a healthy diet, saying the recommendations could help combat obesity, which itself is linked to an increased risk of cancer.Similarly, National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins praises The Edge’s interest in angiogenesis. (Collins met Monday with Li and the guitarist and joined the latter in playing “Hallelujah†on their respective guitars.) He also notes, however, that “there’s no definitive evidence†of certain foods being anti-angiogenic and more research is needed.
“When we first started talking with Nuritas, I was blown away with how their ideas could be used to significantly improve the health of billions of people globally,†The Edge said in a statement.“Using cutting-edge technology and really smart approaches to identify disease-beating peptides in food is something that has never been done before. To see this team unlock what nature has already created for the betterment of mankind, it’s just incredible. We want to bring forward and support innovative, world-changing ideas so this is a perfect fit.â€
While the lads are still happy to grab a bit of pizza now and again, their jobs are quite strenuous on the body, so they must prepare by eating well and training, I imagine. And of course, performing for thousands of fans at Ford Field, of Fed-Ex, or New Era Field, works up an appetite
Their commitment to funding research into healthy eating and disease prevention links is quite admirable. I mean, really, we’d all like them lots if they just kept playing and touring, right? Good on them for using their success to bring awareness to others even outside of their passionate, politically provocative tunes.
Perhaps they’ve been adding some organic pizza ingredients to those take out pizza orders? I’d like to think so.