U2 WERE AMONG the newest Kennedy Center honourees during a glamourous event last night.

The Kennedy Center Honours are given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture.

Speaking at a White House reception before the Kennedy Center Honours, US president Joe Biden said: “From this Irish-American President in a White House designed by Irish hands I want to thank U2 for all you have done, you really make a difference.”

During the main event at the Kennedy Center – Washington’s performing arts complex that serves as a living monument to slain president John F. Kennedy – the inductees were honoured with seats in the opera house’s presidential box.

U2 and George Clooney were among new honourees, alongside soul legend Gladys Knight, Cuban-born American composer Tania Leon, and contemporary Christian pop artist Amy Grant.

They were the 45th annual class to receive the highest US arts honour, after the group of stars enjoyed a special weekend in the American capital honouring their illustrious careers.

They joined the president Biden and first lady Jill Biden, along with other politicians including Nancy Pelosi and her husband, who was making a public appearance weeks after he was violently attacked and hospitalized when an intruder looking for the congresswoman broke into their California home.

Eddie Vedder of rock band Pearl Jam led a rollicking tribute to U2′s vast songbook, singing the hit “Elevation” in his signature power warble, later bringing down the house with the ballad “One.”

And Ukrainian singer Jamala joined Brandi Carlile and Hozier for a rendition of the U2 track “Walk On,” in support of Ukraine’s ongoing fight against Russia.

Actor Sean Penn also praised bandmembers Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr, calling them “great musical poets for the ages” who manage to stay “consistently relevant” despite nearly half-a-century in the industry.

Meanwhile, Clooney – accompanied by his human rights lawyer wife Amal Clooney, who stunned in a glittering silver gown – told journalists on the red carpet that the event, which he had grown up watching on television in small-town Kentucky, was “exciting.”

- © AFP 2022 with additional reporting from Diarmuid Pepper