The frontman for a popular Irish rock band will be in eastern Iowa next week to raise awareness about AIDS and to meet with an Iowa Congressman. The singer for U-2 is known by one name, Bono. He’s stopping in Iowa City on December 2nd, not with his band, but to speak at the University of Iowa, where student and event coordinator Patrick Finn says word spread fast. About 24-hundred tickets were released on Friday at midday and all of them were gone by early Saturday — that covers 16-hundred who’ll see Bono in the Iowa Memorial Union ballroom and another 800 who’ll watch via closed-circuit T-V. Finn says he suggested they use the much-larger Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the event, but that idea was shot down as he says Bono’s people wanted to keep it in a small and intimate venue.Finn says Bono is on a nationwide tour to promote awareness of the AIDS epidemic in Africa and elsewhere. Finn says 28-million Africans are living with AIDS. He hopes the students and others who see Bono will be inspired. Republican Congressman Jim Leach is expected to meet with Bono after the 7 P-M event, reportedly to discuss the U-S government’s role in AIDS outreach. Finn says Bono may be bringing other celebs along, including actress and activist Ashley Judd.
