By BETH HARRIS Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — MusiCares will honor Irish band U2 as its Persons of the Year at a February gala kicking off Grammy Awards weekend.
Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. will be celebrated at a Feb. 5 dinner and tribute concert at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The gala will feature other musicians performing U2’s catalogue, with the honorees typically capping the evening with a brief performance. The lineup of performers will be announced later.
For the first time in the event’s 36-year history, individual tickets for the concert portion of the night will be available to the public. As a result, there will be fewer guests seated at traditional tables, which will cost more than individual concert tickets.
Money raised from the event will support MusiCares, which helps music professionals in need of personal, financial or medical assistance.
U2 has supported many causes since forming 50 years ago in Dublin, including global health, disaster response, addiction recovery, mental health and access to music education. MusiCares honored Bono individually in 2003.
The event is moving from its usual home at the Los Angeles Convention Center because it will be undergoing renovations and hosting pre-Super Bowl-related activities.
U2 joins such previous honorees as Mariah Carey, Grateful Dead, Jon Bon Jovi, Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson, Aerosmith, Dolly Parton, Fleetwood Mac, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.
The band has had a slew of hits over the years, including two No. 1 songs: “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”