U2 lead singer Bono has lost some of the optimism gained during President Barack Obama's election win last November."I didn't think it could come to this so quickly, after the joyous occasion of that election," Bono said in a chat with the Associated Press. "I thought America was looking good. ... Things are getting a little rough now," said the celebrated rock n' roll front man when interviewed during their '360' tour.
U2 performed the song "City of Blinding Lights" during the presidential inauguration this past January.
"The Obama administration is just getting going," remarked Bono, confident in the President's campaign promises, especially regarding funding to fight AIDS in Africa. "(Obama) has promised to double aid over the next years, because even though (President George W.) Bush tripled it, ... the United States is still about half as what European countries give as a percentage, and I think he knows that's not right."
U2's latest album 'No Line on the Horizon' debuted at the top of the charts when it was released in March. It has sold 1 million copies but is the group's lowest selling album in more than a decade.
Bono and U2 has ventured into philanthropy and human rights including Amnesty International as well as campaigns for HIV/AIDS and debt relief in Africa.
