Medvedev and Bono bond over Led

By Lyubov Pronina, Moscow

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

DMITRY MEDVEDEV told U2 lead singer Bono that he’s a fan of rock group Led Zeppelin over tea during a meeting at the Russian president’s residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Upon his arrival in Russia on August 22, Bono joked he would cancel a meeting with Medvedev after learning the president preferred Deep Purple to the Beatles, Kommersant reported.

Bono told Medvedev yesterday they have to overcome the differences in their musical tastes. Bono, 50, said he’s a long-time Led Zeppelin fan, while he knows that Medvedev likes Deep Purple. The president countered that he also enjoys Led Zeppelin.

Bono met with Medvedev before U2’s first concert in Russia today at Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium.

Russia’s president since May 2008, Medvedev, 44, became a fan of Deep Purple as a teen.

Deep Purple, whose music was banned by Soviet authorities, were flown to Moscow in 2008 to be the guests of honour at a concert in the Kremlin and met Medvedev.

Medvedev and Bono also discussed fighting the spread of polio and HIV, Interfax reported. Bono spoke about his charity project that raises money to fight Aids, tuberculosis and malaria. He asked Medvedev to recommend a Russian company that could join the project, the Russian news service said.

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Wednesday, August 25, 2010