A bike accident which left Bono unable to play guitar on stage has been discussed by fans, who hope the U2 frontman can play again.
Bono initially believed he “may never play guitar again,” though fans are hopeful he will return to the stage not just as vocalist but also as guitar player. A post to the r/U2 subreddit saw fans share their hopes of hearing Bono play once more, sharing a photo of the final time he played on stage. The post reads: “Bono playing his signature Gretsch Irish Falcon guitar. The last tour he physically would be able to play guitar. U2 360 Tour. September 23, 2009. Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey.”
Bono explained the effect the bike crash had on his playing style in an interview almost a decade ago. He told the New York Times: “It feels like I have somebody else’s hand. I can’t bend these [fourth finger and pinky], and this [part of his hand] is like rigor mortis. But they say that nerves heal about a millimetre a week, so in about 13 months I should know if it’s coming back.”
The U2 frontman is yet to play guitar on stage again, and though some hope he returns to playing guitar on stage, others suggested the band were doing just fine without Bono on instrumental duties. One user wrote: “To be fair, most of the time I could barely hear it anyway, they clearly turn him as far down as possible.
“I can only remember hearing his guitar clearly on Dirty Day or acoustic songs, otherwise in songs like One, it’s almost unnoticeable. I’d love to hear it in isolation to know what exactly is he playing.”
Another user recalled: “At the 1993 ZooTV show in Sydney, Australia, Bono actually played the opening chords for Stay, which I thought was interesting. He was also playing the acoustic parts for Staring at The Sun circa 1997. Prior to that, it looked like he sometimes mimicked the first notes or chords of Edge’s progression on certain songs. I used to think Bono used more as a prop than an actual instrument.”
A third added: “There were definitely times when his playing was superfluous, but also certain songs where it really added something. One, in particular. Him just strumming the chords allowed The Edge to really hit the arpeggiated notes, creating a much more textured live performance. Since The Edge has had to play One entirely on his own, it feels like the song doesn’t quite fill the room the way it once did.”
Bono playing his signature Gretsch Irish Falcon guitar. The last tour he physically would be able to play guitar. U2 360 Tour. September 23, 2009. Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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Bono broke his arm in six places, fractured his eye socket, hand, and shoulder blade in what was described as a “freak accident” in New York. He wrote of the “massive injury” in a 2015 blog post, confirming he now has a titanium elbow.
He wrote: “Recovery has been more difficult than I thought. As I write this, it is not clear that I will ever play guitar again. The band have reminded me that neither they nor western civilization are depending on this.
“I personally would very much miss fingering the frets of my green Irish falcon or my (red) Gretsch. Just for the pleasure, aside from writing tunes. But then does the Edge, or Jimmy Page, or any guitarist you know have a titanium elbow, as I do now? I’m all elbows, I am.”
