“I have a Bono rash”

If you’re a hitmaking machine like OneRepublic, you generally don’t agree to open for anyone. But when two of the biggest acts in the business extend offers to serve as curtain-jerkers, you have to at least think twice. And say yes, apparently.

Because this summer, OneRepublic will open for both Bon Jovi and U2, and one of those gigs will see them perform with Jon Bon at the brand-new Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey, a slot akin to opening for the Pope at the Vatican. ( See our story if Bono was the POPE)

“We just got asked to open up the first musical performance at the new Meadowlands Stadium, in New Jersey … so that’s going to be crazy,” OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder laughed. “Something like 70-80,000 New Jerseyans, opening up for Bon Jovi in his home state. So we have to do something special for that. I’m not sure just what, but it’ll be something. Maybe we’ll work a Bruce Springsteen cover into the set.”

And since they’ve agreed to two high-profile tours, the guys in OneRepublic know they have to step up their game. A Boss cover just isn’t going to cut it.

“The U2 stuff, I mean, that’s kind of why we started a band. … I’m still kind of freaked out about it. And I’m not a guy who takes a bunch of pictures and video, but I’m going to be filming the whole thing. [We’ll be like] one of those idiots, backstage, Twittering our rosy little fingers off,” he laughed. “For all those kids out there, it’s kind of like how you feel about Bieber. Bono is Bieber to us. I have a little bit of Bieber fever too, but not as much as Bono fever. I have a full-on rash. A Bono-sized rash.”