For the second week in a row, U2 fans world-wide suffered a Bono related health scare this past week. This time, however, it turned out to be a little more than a scare, as Bono’s most recent bike accident caused some pretty serious damage that required extensive surgery to repair. If you haven’t heard, the injuries included a broken scapula, a compound fracture in his left arm, and a fracture to the orbit of his left eye. A lot of thoughts flooded my head when I first read the news, but one of the first things that I thought of was that maybe it’s time for Bono to find another way to keep in shape, other than biking. The last time Bono was seriously hurt – in the middle of the 360 Tour – was because of a biking mishap, too, wasn’t it? I know that cycling is supposed to have tons of health benefits, but at what cost?

The second thing I thought about was U2’s tour. A couple of weeks ago, rumors were rampant that an official tour announcement was imminent, but I imagine that that train was derailed a little bit with Bono’s incident. I wonder if the others are in a holding pattern now, waiting to see how long Bono’s recovery will take before finalizing tour plans, or if they’re proceeding with the preparations that were supposedly already underway. There’s no way now to know what might have been, but I’ll always wonder how this mishap changed the band’s plans.

One plan that we can be sure was changed because of Bono’s accident were the band’s plans to appear on Jimmy Fallon’s late night show every night this week. On Monday night, Jimmy Fallon did something really cool and performed a small tribute to U2 with his house band, The Roots. Mr. Fallon wore a green hat and a pair of shades just like U2’s lead singer and did his best Bono impression as the band played “Desire.” I greatly enjoyed this performance, mostly because of Jimmy’s mimicking of Bono’s stage movements. I have to admit that if I hadn’t known better and I’d had the sound turned down, there were a few moments (especially from about 2:20 to 2:45) when I almost thought I was watching Bono on that stage.

All levity and joking aside, the most important thing on my mind is Bono’s health. For his sake and that of his friends and family (regardless of how it effects U2) I wish him speedy recovery with a minimum of pain. I hope that wherever Bono is at this moment, he’s resting comfortably, surrounded by his loved ones, and that his main concern is to simply get better.