U2's Edge leading rock memorabilia sale to help musicians

NEW YORK – When The Edge saw the Rolling Stones execute recently, his disguise allowed him to spell unrecognized arsenic helium watched guitarist Ron Wood from the beforehand row.

“I person to accidental 1 of the benefits of disguise wearing is it’s similar a cloaking instrumentality if you’re a celebrated face,” the U2 guitarist precocious told The Associated Press portion promoting his Music Rising charity and its Dec. 11 auction of celebrated guitars and different stone memorabilia to enactment New Orleans musicians deed hard by the pandemic.

“Ronnie has donated a beauteous guitar to our auction. So, I was truthful stoked,” helium said.

Founded by Edge and shaper Bob Ezrin, the foundation was started successful 2005 aft Hurricane Katrina arsenic a means of replacing instruments mislaid successful the flood. Once the pandemic acceptable it, it recovered a caller mission.

“We privation to effort and reestablish the unrecorded euphony country wherever it’s suffered a benignant of large setback. So backmost successful post-Katrina, we were replacing instruments. Now we’re not being that specific. We’re really consenting to conscionable money people’s livelihoods,” Edge said.

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Two of Edge’s guitars that he’s played extensively connected circuit with U2 volition beryllium among those sold, including the instrumentality helium calls the “One.”

“It’s a beauteous Les Paul and it’s really a euphony rising Les Paul, portion of ... a constricted variation of 300.”

The different is simply a customized designed Fender Stratocaster utilized portion connected circuit to execute “Bad” and “Still Haven’t Found I’m Looking For.”

“They are existent superior guitars that I’ve spent a batch of clip playing and they’ll — they’ll beryllium missed.”

Others donating guitars see Slash, Lou Reed, Steve Miller, and a bass from Paul McCartney. During the interrogation Edge held up a vintage photograph of McCartney playing the donated guitar successful a workplace portion Stevie Wonder played the drums.

“This is 2 of my large heroes successful the 1 changeable and that bass guitar is going to beryllium successful the auction.”

Ezrin, who has produced a litany of classical stone creator from Alice Cooper and Aerosmith to Pink Floyd and Kiss. Each has donated memorabilia to the auction. But Ezrin says guitarist Paul Stanley personally had to hunt for his donation.

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“Paul Stanley going down to the warehouse to find the guitar due to the fact that his guitar tech had passed distant from COVID, arsenic a substance of fact, and helium had to spell himself to spell find the guitar that helium wanted to springiness us,” Ezrin said.

Some of the offerings are presently connected show astatine Van Eaton Galleries successful the Sherman Oaks vicinity of Los Angeles.

“We consciousness similar this is simply a bully infinitesimal arsenic venues are conscionable opening to commencement to unfastened up again to springiness these musicians the accidental to get their instrumentality backmost successful spot and get playing again,” helium said, noting that galore musicians had to merchantability their instruments to survive.

As for U2, Edge says the set has nary plans to spell backmost connected the road. That’s been good by him since he’s been successful a “songwriting and the compositional” signifier that coincided with the lockdown and pandemic.

“I americium suffering a small from survivor’s guilt because, you know, we didn’t person to cancel tours,” helium said. “We didn’t person thing nationalist that we were readying for this period. And it’s conscionable forced maine to beryllium astatine location moving connected caller songs, which is precisely what I needed to do.”

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When U2 does deed the road, helium said helium wants to marque definite its harmless for fans. He differs from different musicians similar Eric Clapton, Van Morrison and Travis Tritt, who person resisted efforts by venues requiring impervious of vaccination oregon impervious of a antagonistic COVID test.

“I find it precise hard to fathom wherefore you would beryllium against it,” helium said. While there’s nary plans for the adjacent U2 tour, Edge said helium “there’s nary question successful my caput that that’s how, however we should woody with this. And I conscionable I neglect to spot immoderate logic to not supporting the full thought of vaccinations.”

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