U2 Stars Light Up Tulsa with Surprise Acoustic Set and Award Win

Mia Reynolds, 10/23/2025U2's surprise acoustic set in Tulsa marked their return to a historic venue 44 years later, accepting the Woody Guthrie Prize. With a blend of their activist anthems and Guthrie's folk classics, Bono and The Edge emphasized music's power to inspire change and fight injustice.

The prize itself? Sure, it's prestigious. But what really matters is what it represents — that burning spirit of musical activism that Guthrie championed and U2 has carried forward through decades of social upheaval. Standing in that same room where countless legends have performed, The Edge shared a thought that stuck with everyone: "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."

Here's the thing about U2 — they've never been content just to make noise. During an intimate 45-minute acoustic set (yeah, only 800 lucky souls got to witness this), they proved exactly why they deserved this honor. They wove their own activist anthems together with Guthrie's folk classics, creating something entirely new. "Running to Stand Still" melted seamlessly into "Bound for Glory," while "Pride" found fresh life alongside "Jesus Christ." Same message, different century.

Bono, never one to miss a chance for poetic reflection, traced their musical DNA right back to the source. "Bob Dylan really did bring us to the place where the song was an instrument to open up worlds," he mused. "And the world of Woody Guthrie, I wouldn't have entered if not for Bob." It's a chain of inspiration that stretches across continents and generations — from an Oklahoma troubadour to a Minnesota poet to a bunch of Dublin dreamers.

The location couldn't have been more perfect. Tulsa, smack in the middle of red-state Oklahoma, has become an unlikely sanctuary for protest music's legacy. Between the Woody Guthrie Center and the Bob Dylan Center, it's preserving the very soul of American musical activism. And in these politically charged times (when aren't they?), Bono's observation hit home: "America is the greatest song still yet to be written. The poetry is there but it's still being written."

Anna Canoni, Guthrie's granddaughter, pointed out what seems obvious now — U2 and her grandfather have been singing the same song all along. Different words, maybe. Different accent, definitely. But that same urgent call for justice, that same rage against corruption, that same hope for something better.

The Edge might've summed it up best when he talked about music's power to "change the mood of the room and actually shift a culture." And just to prove they're not done fighting the good fight, Bono shared lines from a new song about Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen. Some things never change — and thank goodness for that.

Twenty-two Grammy Awards. Fellows of The Ivors Academy. And now the Woody Guthrie Prize, joining the ranks of Springsteen, Baez, and Chuck D. But watching them perform that night, you got the feeling none of that really matters to them. What matters is the message, the music, the possibility of change.

As the evening wrapped up, Bono left everyone with something to chew on: "We have to consciously work against history, lest it repeat itself." In a world that seems more divided by the day, maybe that's exactly what we need to hear — especially from a couple of Irish rockers in a Tulsa ballroom, carrying on Woody's fight.

When U2's Bono and The Edge stepped onto the stage at Tulsa's Cain's Ballroom this spring, the moment carried weight far beyond the typical award ceremony. The legendary Irish rockers hadn't played this historic venue since 1981 — back when they were just hungry kids with dreams bigger than Dublin. Now, 44 years later, they've returned to accept the 2025 Woody Guthrie Prize, and somehow it feels like coming full circle.The prize itself? Sure, it's prestigious. But what really matters is what it represents — that burning spirit of musical activism that Guthrie championed and U2 has carried forward through decades of social upheaval. Standing in that same room where countless legends have performed, The Edge shared a thought that stuck with everyone: "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."Here's the thing about U2 — they've never been content just to make noise. During an intimate 45-minute acoustic set (yeah, only 800 lucky souls got to witness this), they proved exactly why they deserved this honor. They wove their own activist anthems together with Guthrie's folk classics, creating something entirely new. "Running to Stand Still" melted seamlessly into "Bound for Glory," while "Pride" found fresh life alongside "Jesus Christ." Same message, different century.Bono, never one to miss a chance for poetic reflection, traced their musical DNA right back to the source. "Bob Dylan really did bring us to the place where the song was an instrument to open up worlds," he mused. "And the world of Woody Guthrie, I wouldn't have entered if not for Bob." It's a chain of inspiration that stretches across continents and generations — from an Oklahoma troubadour to a Minnesota poet to a bunch of Dublin dreamers.The location couldn't have been more perfect. Tulsa, smack in the middle of red-state Oklahoma, has become an unlikely sanctuary for protest music's legacy. Between the Woody Guthrie Center and the Bob Dylan Center, it's preserving the very soul of American musical activism. And in these politically charged times (when aren't they?), Bono's observation hit home: "America is the greatest song still yet to be written. The poetry is there but it's still being written."Anna Canoni, Guthrie's granddaughter, pointed out what seems obvious now — U2 and her grandfather have been singing the same song all along. Different words, maybe. Different accent, definitely. But that same urgent call for justice, that same rage against corruption, that same hope for something better.The Edge might've summed it up best when he talked about music's power to "change the mood of the room and actually shift a culture." And just to prove they're not done fighting the good fight, Bono shared lines from a new song about Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen. Some things never change — and thank goodness for that.Twenty-two Grammy Awards. Fellows of The Ivors Academy. And now the Woody Guthrie Prize, joining the ranks of Springsteen, Baez, and Chuck D. But watching them perform that night, you got the feeling none of that really matters to them. What matters is the message, the music, the possibility of change.As the evening wrapped up, Bono left everyone with something to chew on: "We have to consciously work against history, lest it repeat itself." In a world that seems more divided by the day, maybe that's exactly what we need to hear — especially from a couple of Irish rockers in a Tulsa ballroom, carrying on Woody's fight.