U2 Named MusiCares 2027 Persons of the Year

MusiCares has chosen U2 as its 2027 Persons of the Year, an honor recognizing frontman Bono alongside bandmates The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. Set for Friday, Feb. 5, 2027, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, the tribute will mark the 36th time MusiCares has held its annual Persons of the Year benefit gala.

The gala marks the first time the event has been held at the Peacock Theater, and it lands two nights ahead of the 2027 Grammy Awards, which are scheduled to take place at Crypto.com Arena.

• U2 has won 22 Grammy Awards and sold more than 170 million albums worldwide.
• The band is marking 50 years together, having formed after its members met as teenagers at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin in 1976.
• Bono was previously named MusiCares Person of the Year in 2003.
• Adam Clayton received the MusiCares Stevie Ray Vaughan Award in 2017.

Harvey Mason Jr., who leads both the Recording Academy and MusiCares as CEO, said in a statement that U2’s influence extends well beyond its performances. He noted that the band’s decades of humanitarian efforts have matched its musical legacy, adding that MusiCares is eager to celebrate both sides of the group’s work at the February gala.

What Charitable Work Has Each Member of U2 Done?

Bono helped launch the affiliated groups ONE and (RED), which lobby governments and corporations to step up efforts against AIDS and extreme poverty. He is also credited with helping convince President Bush to establish PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief, which is reported to have saved 26 million lives to date.

The Edge started Music Rising in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, an initiative aimed at replacing instruments and gear for musicians, schools and music programs devastated by the storm.

Adam Clayton has focused his advocacy on addiction and mental health, lending support to Ireland’s Walk in My Shoes campaign. Larry Mullen Jr. worked as a producer on the documentary “Left Behind,” which chronicles a group of mothers who founded New York City’s first public school serving children with dyslexia.

As a band, U2 has also been a longtime financial backer of Music Generation, a national music education program in Ireland designed to give young people across the country access to instruction in playing, singing and creating music.

What Did U2 Say About the Honor?

In a joint statement, U2 expressed appreciation for MusiCares and the support it offers throughout the music industry. “We are huge fans of MusiCares and the lifelines they provide across the incredible pool of talent that is the music industry. We’ve been recording and touring for 50 years because of that pool, from producers and engineers to carpenters and riggers,” the band said.

The group also reflected on the title of the award itself, saying, “‘Persons of the Year’ couldn’t be a better title as it’s the people we’ve been so fortunate to work with, and of course our indomitable audience, that have given us the opportunity to keep making music and keep rocking the boat on things we really care about. It’s such an honour, and we’re very excited to be in the front row of our first ever U2 gig…we know we’re gonna be outplayed.”

Beyond the honor itself, the February 5 gala is expected to include a tribute concert featuring other artists performing in celebration of U2’s music and charitable legacy.

More Info

• U2 to Be Honored as Musi Cares 2027 Persons of the Year | Rolling Stone
• U2 Named Musi Cares 2027 Persons of the Year | Variety Music