U2 gig had Hub all over The Edge
By Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa
Friday, March 13, 2009 - Updated 8d 8h ago


U2’s Edge greets fans in front of the Somerville Theatre. The rocker met up with his pal, Dr. William Li, during the band’s quick trip to Boston.

This week’s U2 show was a reunion of sorts for The Edge and Dr. William Li, the Harvard doc who the rocker credits with saving the life of his daughter Sian .

Li, who lunched with Edge at Radius Wednesday afternoon and had primo seats to U2’s Somerville Theatre show that night, treated Sian back in 2006 when the then 7-year-old had what Daddy described as a “brush with cancer.”

Now, Edge has always been cagey about his youngest daughter’s illness, which came to light when the band postponed the last leg of its Vertigo tour three years ago. But earlier this month, the guitarist spoke about his interest in Dr. Li’s work, and how Sian’s medical scare is behind her.

“She’s doing well, she’s doing very well, no cause for concern at the moment, and we are just keeping our fingers crossed that continues,” the Irish rocker told the Daily Mail .

Three years ago Edge joined the board of Li’s Cambridge-based Angiogenesis Foundation, a group that studies how to stop the development of blood cells that can feed tumors and other diseases.

And whenever U2 comes to town, Edge has made sure to meet with Li for lunch at UpStairs on the Square in Cambridge, which hosted Wednesday night’s postconcert show soiree.

“He’s one of our favorites,” UpStairs’ operations man Matthew Lishansky told the Track . “Edge even complimented us on the Monday Club Bar’s new decor because he noticed some changes in the dining room since his last visit.”

The Dublin rocker also was interested in the building’s history as Harvard’s all-male Pi Eta Club, Lishansky said.

The guitarist and his bandmates - Bono, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen - stayed at the after-concert bash for about 45 minutes Wednesday night sipping the Club Bar’s primo margaritas and chowing down on chef Susan Regis’ eats. They literally bolted for the door before midnight to catch a plane back to Dublin.

“We sent them off with steak sandwiches and our famous (chocolate) Turtles in doggie bags,” said Lishansky. “But I had to take their drinks as they headed out the door!”

File Under: Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own.

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source: bostonherald