’Not Just An American Dream…’
’Not Just An American Dream…’
’Not Just An American Dream…’

'Not Just An American Dream…'

As Dublin welcomed President Obama to receive the freedom of the city last week, here's how U2 honoured the incoming President at the Washington DC  Inauguration Concert in 2009.

29 Sep 2025

'Not Just An American Dream…'
'Not just an American dream.
Also, an Irish dream. A European dream.
African dream. Israeli dream
… and also a Palestinian dream.'

As Dublin welcomed President Barack Obama to receive the Freedom of the City award last week, here's how U2 honoured the incoming President in Washington DC in January 2009, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Playing 'Pride (In The Name of Love)', before an estimated audience of 400,000, Bono recalled the dream that Dr Martin Luther King recounted on the very same steps nearly a half century before. A dream that's certainly not done, but made a stride forward on Tuesday, January 20th, 2009, when America saw her first black President take office.

It was, he sang, 'Not just an American dream…'

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