U2 singer Bono meets with Turkish PM ahead of concert

With his band’s visit one of the most anticipated events on Istanbul’s cultural calendar this year, U2 singer Bono took time out of preparations for Monday’s concert by meeting Sunday with Turkey’s prime minister.

The meeting at the prime minister’s office at Dolmabahçe Palace featured Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leader’s daughter, Sümeyye ErdoÄŸan, Turkey's chief European Union negotiator, Egemen Bağış, and State Minister Hayati Yazıcı.

Bono gave the Turkish prime minister a red iPod Nano, which he said would benefit the Global Fund to Fight Against AIDS.

The Irish rock star also told ErdoÄŸan he knew the prime minister was a great fan of Turkish classical music. The prime minister then posed with the band for the press to take photos although the rest of their meeting occurred behind closed doors.

Bono’s program for the later part of the day was to include a walk on the Bosphorus Bridge with ministers.

Yazıcı and Bağış were to accompany him as the Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review went to print.

U2 will perform in Istanbul for the very first time Monday as part of its 360º Tour on Monday evening.

The rock band will be on stage at the Istanbul's Atatürk Olympic Stadium, contributing to Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture festivities. The U2 Istanbul concert is being organized by LiveNation, in collaboration with the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, or Ä°KSV, and Pozitif.

Willie Willaims, U2’s production director, worked with architect Mark Fisher to realize the 360º Tour.

In 360º Tour, the band plays on an elevated stage, closer to the center of the stadium's field than usual, with a panoramic view of the entire stadium. The stage has no defined front or back and is surrounded on all sides by the audience.

The stage design includes a cylindrical video screen and increasing the visibility of the performance by about 15 to 20 percent. This particular stage design only works effectively in tiered football stadiums – flat fields and baseball stadiums cannot properly support the design.

(c) Hürriyet Daily News, 2010.