I don't know if U2 ever was mentioned in THE WIRE. I'm not a fan of them anyway but they seem to be nice people. Like REM, it's OK for them, if people are trading shows on a non profit base:

In another instance of free online file-sharing taking an authorized route to large-scale distribution, U2 MP3 treasure trove U2BloodRedSky.com hosts hundreds of complete U2 concerts for FTP download.

"We tell people who come to our concerts that they can tape the shows if they want," reads a quote from frontman Bono plastered across the margin of the site. "I think it is cool that people are so passionate about our music."

In that spirit, the site is home to 767 (and counting) complete U2 shows, with individual songs in either MP3 or Shorten form. Individual live files on the site date from a 1980 television appearance up through promotional concerts from June 2003. The most recent count of its file catalog listed a whopping 20,869 MP3s. Read more