Irish rock star Bono has revealed this week that he had to psych himself up to take on U2's first gig after his serious spinal operation.

He told the press that he had been extremely anxious about his performance in Turin, Italy just a few weeks ago.

The Irish singer spent six weeks in hospital recuperating from a painfully slipped disc, and he was concerned that he would not be able to perform to the best of his ability.

'I woke up on the morning of the show with a certain anxiety. Can I hit those notes? Have I got it inside of me?' he said. 'Have we got what it takes to make this experience one that people will remember for the rest of their lives? Or is it going to be four over-rewarded musicians playing in a football stadium?'

But said that band mate and drummer Larry Mullen gave him a standing ovation for taking to the stage after months of trauma. That vote of confidence gave him the shot in the arm he was looking for.

'I was very nervous - very, very nervous, he told Rolling Stone magazine. 'We had done a rehearsal two nights previous. And I was okay. I got through it,' he added.