The Ukraine-Russia war has proven to be a strange occurrence in many ways with the one overriding theme being that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met his moment, not only to inspire his own people but to capture the world’s attention and heartstrings — and keep it.
In what looked to be an attempt to recreate a “Miss Sarajevo” moment, Bono and the Edge, one half of the superstar rock band U2, appeared in a Kyiv metro station serving as a bomb shelter to sing “Stand by Ukraine.”
On the band’s official website, followers were told the rock duo showed up at the invitation of President Zelenskyy.
“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,” the tweet read.
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
And just like that, the war was over.
Well, not exactly, but that was the sentiment in the eyes of many as Bono and The Edge did a cover of Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me,” changing the lyrics to “Stand by Ukraine.”
Bono and The Edge just single-handedly ended the war in Ukraine with this stirring rendition of “Stand By Me” repurposed as “Stand By Ukraine.” Next up they’ll be performing an acapella version of John Lennon’s “Imagine” 😐 pic.twitter.com/FKCTncETrZ
— Five Times August (@FiveTimesAugust) May 8, 2022
Here’s another angle of the performance, with the rock icons being joined by the Ukrainian band Antytila — one member of that band, Taras Topolia, is now fighting the Russians after joining the Ukrainian military:
Kyiv now. The legendary Bono from the U2 band with Taras Topolia (“Antytila”) performs at the Khreschatyk metro station.#StandWithUkraine️ pic.twitter.com/suzkCVvgKt
— Stratcom Centre UA (@StratcomCentre) May 8, 2022
U2 released the popular song “Miss Sarajevo” in 1995 in response to the civil war that broke out between then-Yugoslavia’s republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, after Bosnia declared its independence. The song is about how the people of Sarajevo dealt with war, with the proceeds going to the War Child charity.
“The people of Ukraine are not just fighting for your own freedom, you’re fighting for all of us,” Bono told those gathered in the makeshift bomb shelter.
In the clip below, Bono sings the group’s smash hit “With or Without You.”
Bono singing in #Kyiv bomb shelter…
Thank you, @U2!#StandWithUkraine #StopRussia pic.twitter.com/PaQDKOvsY1— olexander scherba🇺🇦 (@olex_scherba) May 8, 2022
When Zelenskyy addressed the Grammy Awards audience last month, he urged artists to “tell our story.”
“Fill the silence with your music!” the Ukrainian president said at the time. “Fill it today to tell our story. Tell the truth about this war on your social networks, on TV. Support us in any way you can. Any — but not silence. And then peace will come.
“Our musicians wear body armor instead of tuxedos,” he added. “They sing to the wounded in hospitals. Even to those who can’t hear them. But the music will break through anyway.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
- FBI’s Chris Wray warns Chinese hackers preparing to attack US infrastructure ‘to induce panic’ - April 19, 2024
- Michigan district stands by teaching elementary kids they can make up pronouns like ‘tree,’ ‘zie’ - April 19, 2024
- Crenshaw claims MTG wants GOP to lose House, she says they already have under Mike Johnson - April 19, 2024
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.