After the tour, Adam and the Edge spent a little time reflecting on the whole event:

How did you enjoy getting back into live shows after almost a year off the road?

Adam: It was very good. What was nice about it was that we had such a good reason to be out there.

Edge: Yes, what a great way to get back into live shows! We always knew it would be a great deal more fun than a usual tour because of all the other artists involved, and we'd be traveling in one plane, staying in the same hotels and there'd be plenty of getting to know the other guys on the tour - but I don't think anyone imagined it would be quite as much fun as it was. We were on tour with some brilliant people, like Lou Red, the Nevilles, Peter Gabriel, and of course, "String," and latterly the Police, so with that collection of interesting characters it made touring totally fascinating.

Also, because of the distances between the shows, it meant there had to be a day clear for the equipment to make it, which meant we weren't killing ourselves in terms of schedule either. We could see a lot of the other artists and people on the tour, and get it together at press conferences, radio and TV interviews, and so on.

The fact it was for such a great cause obviously multiplied the enjoyment by ten immediately. Plus the Amnesty people, like Jack Healey and Mary Daly to name but two, were just great people to be around for a couple of weeks.

What about the actual shows - was it a new experience, or more like "back in the old routine"?

E: Both really. Some of it was like a U2 gig - the audiences were great and very reminiscent of a U2 tour, very responsive and seemed to know exactly what was happening, why they were there and why we were there. Because we were only doing 40 minutes every night, though, it meant there was a lot less pressure on us to "headline" or whatever. We had a lot of the good points of touring, and very few of the bad points. It really was a great way to tour.

How did it feel sharing a headline with the Police, after opening for them at Gateshead only three years ago?

E: It was funny - I don't think it really struck us, because we'd start off with Sting, who was on right before us, so when it switched to the Police it wasn't quite such a big thing anymore because we'd become confident enough over the previous three shows. It was obviously a piece of history, though.

Did you get the impression this was a kind of farewell appearance for the Police?

E: I don't know. Maybe we won't see them together again, but I didn't get that feeling from them particularly.

Were there any shows you enjoyed particularly?

E: I'd have to say Chicago. I mean, they were all great, but in Chicago we had SUCH a good audience, they were fantastic. Plus, it was the fifth show in, so everything was really happening at that stage.

Any of the other artists you enjoyed particularly?

A: I enjoyed them all for different reasons. I guess I enjoyed watching Peter Gabriel every night, but at the same time I also enjoyed Sting with his jazz band and Lou Reed's band. I liked the Neville Brothers a lot.

E: I love the Nevilles. I loved Peter Gabriel - and Sting, in a way, too. There were high points in everybody's sets, but I particularly enjoyed those three.

Were there any great moments offstage?

E: There's so many...! The flights were always good fun - the pillow fight was great, and the Superman episode was funny.

A: I really enjoyed hanging out in people's dressing rooms before we'd go on. Great moments don't always need an explosion.

E: The jam sessions in Atlanta - now they were good. We were in this hotel for three nights, and in the bar was this "cover" band. The first night everyone was a bit sheepish. I hit the sack about twelve, but later on various musicians began to hit the stage. Bono was up there, and Peter Gabriel, with Manou from his band, Joan Baez, and I think Larry and Adam. They went through a whole load of R&B classics that everyone knew, through various stages of the very late evening.

The next night was the same. I was there for that, and to see someone like Lou Reed get up and play "Vicious" and some of his songs he hasn't played for so long was quite something. Everyone got up there and just went for it, in front of all these other musicians. It was really a good feeling.

How was the Giants Stadium show?

E: That was our first stadium show in the States and it wasn't too bad really - I felt quite good. The TV lights that MTV had put in meant it was totally different to the other nights. It was off-putting at the beginning, but I managed to ignore them and went for it - I had a great time on stage. I didn't feel intimidated by the size of the place either - OK, it was big, but I didn't find it a problem.

Personally, I felt that the overall event fell apart a bit in New York. The bill got a little out of hand and it diffused some of the potency of the earlier shows around the States, because it was overloaded with "special guests." It killed it a little, I think.

A: We knew the event was going to be beefed up for Giants Stadium. I think had we known beforehand that the original package was going to be so successful, we wouldn't have opted to boost the bill for the last show. But I think that having made that decision - and that was the basis on which we agreed to play outdoors - it was swings and roundabouts really.

What about the MTV broadcast?

E: What I saw of it seemed fairly professional, but as I said, the bill was a bit "iffy." I didn't think it was all that fantastic.

Do you think there's any future in "benefits" as such, now that everyone seems to be holding charity music events?

A:As long as the actual event is inspired - if the people have put work into it to make it appealing to the public, then it survives as a benefit. It's foolish to think that people only go to these events because they are termed a "benefit."

The reason people go to benefits, is because they like what's going on. If people who wish to be involved in them are prepared to put in the time and the energy to do it properly, then there's no reason why they should have a limited life span. It's only when people become greedy and lazy that benefits don't function as what they're meant to be.

Did you see Geldof play in L.A.?

A: Yeah, he was good - but he only had one song to play!

Tell me about the anti-apartheid rally you went to in New York.

A: It was a large rally - there were marches coming in from the east and west, meeting in Central Park. We didn't get in from Chicago till late, so I didn't know how the day went, but apparently there were around 6,000 people there.

Various bands played - Little Steven did a set, Peter Gabriel got up and did "Biko" and Black Uhuru were there too - I think just about every black band from New York must have been there! We all got up and did "Sun City" with Little Steven. It was more for moral support than anything - turn up and be counted.

Are you looking forward to getting back to the album after all the excitement?

A: It'll be good to get stuck in. There's a couple of extra songs needed, but so far, so good.

Do you think doing these live shows will lead to a better album?

E: It might - I hope it does. What would have been a help would have been to get out and play some of the new songs live, but it became obvious to everyone (lastly to me), that to do material no one knew would have been a bad thing. We really had to go out there and do the "greatest hits," but we did mess around with a few cover versions like "Maggie's Farm," "Help!" and in "Bad," Bono would do his various meanderings. "C'mon Everybody" we did once too.

"Maggie's Farm" developed into something quite astounding - do you think we'll see that again?

E: Oh, I'm sure of it.

So, it'll be heads down for the rest of the year?

E: The basic plan is to go back, do some writing and demoing by ourselves, and then get stuck into the album proper in August.

No more surprise appearances for a while, then?

E: No, no more surprise appearances.