U2 gig on Friday to be shown live on Setanta

U2’s GLASTONBURY show this Friday night is to be broadcast live on both the BBC and sports channel Setanta.

The band’s first festival performance since the 1980s will start on BBC 2 at 10pm and continue on BBC 4 half an hour later.

Setanta snapped up the Irish rights to the show when the band’s management indicated it wanted an Irish broadcaster to rebroadcast the BBC pictures.

Setanta marketing director Brian Quinn said it will broadcast it live from 10pm to midnight uninterrupted and the station will be unencrypted for those who have access to it.

He described the concert as a “unique departure” for a sports channel, but the event was of enough cultural significance to merit broadcasting live.

Festival founder Michael Eavis has indicated that he intends to allow the protest against U2’s tax affairs to go ahead on Friday night during the concert.

Art Uncut, which was formed by artists protesting against cuts in public spending in Britain, intends to hold a number of stunts highlighting the decision by the band to move their tax affairs to the Netherlands in 2006.

Mr Eavis said this year’ festival will regain its reputation as a “sounding board of political discontent” and he lamented the waning of political activism in recent years.

Though U2 have faced criticism for the decision to move their tax affairs abroad, they donated €5 million to Music Generation, which aims to give every child in Ireland the chance to learn an instrument. Music Generation director Rosaleen Molloy said it is starting the process of recruiting 20 to 30 musicians for the project, which begins in September, with 120 expected to be employed by the time the scheme is up and running.