SINGER Damien Rice paid almost half a million dollars at a charity auction at the weekend for a signed guitar that belonged to Bono, which the U2 star donated to raise funds for earthquake-stricken Haiti.

“The Blower’s Daughter” singer Damien Rice bid for the signed guitar of Bono’s at the the Cinema For Peace event held at the Montage Hotel in Los Angeles on Saturday night last in aid of the J/P Haitian Relief organisation.

The charity event was attended by a host of A-list stars that included George Clooney, Hillary Swank, Oprah Winfrey, Demi Moore, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Julia Roberts and Kim Kardashian.

Damien is known to be a very good friend of Bono’s and back in November of 2011, he covered U2′s song “One,” for the compilation album “AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered” which was released to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of U2′s Achtung Baby.

And as recent as Christmas Eve last Damien took to the streets of Dublin along with Bono, Glen Hansard and Liam O’Maonlai to do some busking in aid of homeless charities The Simon Community and the Peter McVerry Trust. Also in December of last year, his song “Cannonball” was used as the winner’s single on The X Factor (UK series 8). Little Mix, the winners released the song.

The amount bid by Damien Rice was one of the highest paid for any of the items sold at the auction. Another item secured at the auction was a trip to Hawaii with Sean Penn, for which Julia Roberts’ husband Danny Moder placed a $50,000 bid on that was accepted.

Sean Penn also accepted the job of “ambassador at large” for the Caribbean nation of Haiti on the night – he was offered the position by the nation’s foreign minister Laurent Lamothe at the event and told the crowd: “I do accept [the job],” before adding it would be nice to be “called, ‘Hey Mr. Ambassador.’ ”

The New York Times reports that the event raised $5 million for Haiti, and this included a donation from Oprah Winfrey who offered to match any contributions up to $2.5 million.

By: Brett Warner

Photo: Robbie Fry
[ Image Source ]

I know what you’re thinking: “Oh wow, that ‘Blower’s Daughter’ guy is still around?!” Hopefully, you’re also thinking that you can’t wait to get your grubby little hands on a leaked copy of Q Magazine’s new U2 tribute album AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered, featuring the likes of Jack White, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode?, and a bunch of other bands you really like.

If you’re like me, you’ve been playing Jack White’s devastating rendition of “Love Is Blindness” on a near-constant loop, so to help break up the monotony, check out Damien Rice’s version of the seminal Achtung Baby? classic “One” (via Antiquiet):

One by u2mexico

First thoughts? I dig the arrangement (unlike many of you, probably, I shelled out hard-earned money for Rice’s second album, too), but his vocals are… too subdued? Flat? Disaffected? Insert your own adjective here, I suppose, because it just doesn’t capture the original’s innate spirituality or bleak optimism. Of course, we’ve heard more than our share of terrible “One” covers (cough Mary J. Blige cough), so Damien gets a proverbial pat on the back for not completely ruining the song.

What do you guys think of this new rendition of “One”? Hit up our comments section below, give us your first impressions.

The Achtung Baby-centric new issue of Q hits UK newsstands on October 25.

http://ology.com