The Edge Gets His Kicks With Pearl Jam, Imogen Heap

Posted on May 9th 2007 3:00PM by Steve Baltin
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After more than a quarter century in U2 -- a band that's achieved seemingly everything one can in music: Grammys, sold-out world tours and enshrinement in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -- the Edge tells Spinner that recapturing the euphoria of his early performing days becomes increasingly difficult. But that doesn't mean the guitarist doesn't still know how to get his kicks.

"Seeing [Arcade Fire] in this little venue called the Olympian Theater in Dublin, was definitely one of those events where you just go, 'Yeah, this is what it's all about. This why I do what I do,'" he says. "Or the Secret Machines, who came with us for part of our American tour. Another recent moment was seeing Pearl Jam -- totally on fire. I'm a big fan but to see them in full flight was amazing. It's not that it happens rarely but it's always great when you have one of those moments when you just go, 'Wow. I'm one of the luckiest people alive. This is what I get to do.'"

While live shows certainly invigorate the veteran rocker, recordings aren't out of the question. Enter British chanteuse Imogen Heap. "'Hide and Seek' freaked me out when I heard it, it's so beautiful," Edge says. "I've known her work for a long time, but this song is just spine-chilling. There are certain songs that when you're driving in your car and you hear them for the first time, you have to pull over. You can't believe what you're hearing. That song is one of those."