U2: Who Paid Tribute to Them at the Kennedy Center Honors

U2 was honored last night (December 4) in Washington, D.C. during the 45th Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. George Clooney, Amy Grant, Gladys Knight and Tania León were also honored at the prestigious arts event.

A broadcast of the ceremony will air on CBS on December 28 at 8 PM and will be streamed on Paramount+.  Per multiple outlets -- including NPR, The Washington Post and USA Today --  actor Sean Penn delivered a moving speech about U2. Penn touched on the band's decades-long efforts benefiting various philanthropic efforts.

"Bono has often said that being famous is nonsense, celebrity is nonsense, but it is currency," said Penn. "And the band has spent its currency to show the usefulness of art in the world."

Also paying tribute to U2 was actor/comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, who appeared in character as fictional Kazak journalist Borat. In addition to performing a rendition of "With Or Without You," Borat touched on the day's latest headlines particularly the horrific things rapper Kanye West has said about Jewish people.

"Kanye tried to move to Kazakhstan and we said no. He’s too antisemitic, even for us," said Borat. The character also took aim at U2 for the infamous 2014 iTunes giveaway of their album Songs of Innocence, for which Bono has since taken full responsibility. "Please remove your wretched album from my iPhone 6 ... Your band fight oppressions from around the world. Stop it!"

As for the performance portion of the U2 tribute, Eddie Vedder lead the way. The Pearl Jam frontman performed "Elevation" from the band's 2000 album All The You Can't Leave Behind. Before the performance, a video played featuring some of the biggest pop stars today reciting U2 lyrics. Among them were Beyonce, Harry Styles, Billie Eilish and Finneas.

The U2 tribute was closed out with an all-star performance of "One," which included Vedder, Brandi Carlile, Mickey Guyton, Maren Morris, Sheryl Crow, Hozier, Diana Reeves, Bebe Winans and more. Mary J. Blige was slated to appear and perform "One" but had to back out due to illness. Blige recorded a rendition of "One" with U2 that appeared on her 2006 album The Breakthrough.

U2 has been one of the biggest bands of the past 50 years and for good reason: Their catalog is a prime example of a band evolving and growing up before the eyes of the world.

So far, U2 has released 14 studio albums. Their catalog also features live releases, box sets, compilations and more. In total, they have sold over 175 million records worldwide.

The legend of U2 had humble beginnings. Its four members -- Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. -- were all students at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin.

One day in 1976, Mullen Jr. put a flyer on the school's bulletin board searching for musicians to start a band. He was only 14 at the time. Among the people who responded were Bono (16), The Edge (15) and Clayton (16). The band's first practice was on September 25, 1976 in the kitchen of Mullen Jr.'s childhood home.

Who would've thought all of this success started with a just simple post on a bulletin board and a practice in a kitchen?!

U2's list of accolades is nothing short of insane. They've won 22 Grammy Awards out of 46 nominations. In 2005, they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The band received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2022.

In addition to those awards, they've been a massive tour draw. Per Pollstar, U2 has sold over 26 million tickets since 1980. Their tours have grossed a staggering $2.12 million. The only other act to make more money on the road is the Rolling Stones with $2.16 million.

With all of this mind, we thought we'd take on the daunting task of ranking U2's best song. Scroll through the list below to see which songs from their vast catalog we think are their 50 best!