U2's Bono and the Edge performed a surprise acoustic concert at a bomb shelter in Kyiv, Ukraine yesterday (May 8). They were joined by Ukrainian musician and soldier Taras Topolia, and the performance took place in a subway station that was converted into a shelter following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited U2 to perform in the capital city “as a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people,” the band revealed in a tweet. According to The Irish Times, Bono and the Edge played “With or Without You,” “Desire,” “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” “Angel of Harlem,” “Vertigo,” and a rendition of Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me” during their set.
President @ZelenskyyUa invited us to perform in Kyiv as a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people and so that’s what we’ve come to do. -- Bono and The Edge #StandWithUkraine
— U2 (@U2) May 8, 2022
Taras Topolia brought along his bandmates from Antytila – who are currently serving as soldiers – to help perform “Stand by Me.” During the performance, they replaced the traditional chorus with “Stand by Ukraine.”
“The people in Ukraine are not just fighting for your own freedom, you are fighting for all of us who love freedom,” Bono reportedly told the audience, which included soldiers. “We pray that you will enjoy some of that peace soon.”
U2 is just the latest act Antytila has collaborated with. The band recently teamed up with Ed Sheeran for the song “2step.” Proceeds from the YouTube streams of the single are being donated to Music Saves UA, a project by the Ukrainian Association of the Music Events.
Watch clips of Bono, the Edge, and Taras Topolia performing below.
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Article Image: Black and white image of U2's Bono singing into a microphone and holding a mic stand. (jenta via DepositPhotos.)
