'Aligned for decades..'

Edge and Bono performed a surprise six-song set in Tulsa, Oklahoma last night as U2 were honoured with the 2025 Woody Guthrie Prize.

"Woody and U2 have been aligned for decades," said Anna Canoni, granddaughter of Woody Guthrie. "Whether it is protesting against war and violence, standing up for humanitarian rights, singing about greed, corruption and injustice."

The ceremony took place at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, the first time members of the band have performed here since a 1981 stop on U2's Boy tour.

The six-song set featured "Running to Stand Still" (with a snippet of "Bound for Glory" by Woody Guthrie), "Mothers of the Disappeared, "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "One" "Pride (In the Name of Love)" (with a snippet of Guthrie's "Jesus Christ" ) and "Yahweh".

Ahead of the presentation Edge and Bono took part in an intimate on-stage conversation with legendary producer and musician T Bone Burnett, in which Bono highlighted the influence of Bob Dylan and the 'song' that is America, while Edge talked about protest songs and the power of music.

BONO

"Bob Dylan really did bring us to the place where the song was an instrument to open up worlds. And the world of Woody Guthrie, I wouldn't have entered if not for Bob."

"America is the greatest song still yet to be written. The poetry is there but it's still being written... don't imagine it will continue to be extraordinary on its own, that if you fell asleep and woke up in twenty years, the world would be fairer or freer. It won't, that's not the way it works."

EDGE

"Our favorite protest songs always had a sense of vision, something to aim for…you don't talk about the darkness, you make the light brighter."

"I believe music can actually change the mood of the room and actually shift a culture."

On the songwriting process relative to protest songs, both musicians spoke about needing to be moved. 

"You can't write a song to order," as Bono put it.  

He then surprised the audience by reading lyrics to a work in progress, a song written about the killing of Awdah Hathaleen, the Palestinian activist and consultant on the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land" murdered in July 2025 by an Israeli settler.   

With the band working on new music, this was the first glimpse of any content.  Bono cited lyrics that began:
 
One father shot 
three children crying
if there is no law 
is there no crime 
if there is no hope 
what's there to rhyme 
history is written 
one life at a time 
ONE LIFE AT A TIME 

U2's connection with Woody Guthrie goes back to the 1980's when the band covered 'Jesus Christ' for the  Grammy winning compilation album, 'Folkways: A Vision Shared – A Tribute to Woody Guthrie & Leadbelly.'

The Woody Guthrie Prize seeks to recognize artists who reflect Guthrie's belief that music can be a force for social justice and change. 'By honoring U2, the Woody Guthrie Center underscores the enduring relevance of that legacy in today's global music and activism landscape. The event not only celebrates artistic achievement but also raises critical funds to fuel the center's mission of education, public programs and preservation of Guthrie's message for future generations.'

The evening served as a fundraising event to support the Center's educational programs, public concerts, exhibitions and the legacy of Woody Guthrie, and was presented by the Harper House Music Foundation.