After performing 40 shows and wowing the crowd with the visuals of the venue as well as their music, U2 concluded their residency at Las Vegas’ Sphere this weekend, and in the process of doing so, they also performed a unique version of Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over” with a little help from Neil Finn.
No, Neil wasn’t at the show, but... Well, we’ll just directly quote Bono’s explanation about the situation, shall we?
A shot of U2 on the enormous video screens of the Sphere during one of the early shows of their recent residency
“The other day, we got a beautiful e-mail from Neil Finn, who wrote this bewilderingly beautiful song,” said Bono. “Attached to the e-mail was a version of the song he said we could play whenever we wanted. It’s a new version that he did, and we’re going to try and record it. Neither party has spoken to our record label [about releasing this], so this might be the only recording that might ever exist. Please take your phones and send it to whoever loves freedom you know. Maybe send it to people that don’t. There’s a few of them around."
With that, the band kicked off the recording of the song that Finn had sent over, which turned out to feature Finn singing the verses, thereby giving U2 and their fans the opportunity to sing the chorus. Unsurprisingly, the crowd was happy to participate, resulting in an emotion-filled collaboration.
This wasn't the only highlight of the evening, however. The audience was filled with a number of special guests who'd popped in for the final show, including one more important to the band than any other: Larry Mullen, Jr., who - having been put temporarily out of commission for medical reasons - hadn't been able to sit behind the drumkit for these Sphere shows, marking the first time in the band's history that he hadn't played live with them for any significant length of time.
“The rumors that Larry will be playing with us tonight are not true, sadly," said Bono, introducing their bandmate in the crowd. "But he is here with us. That is the man who pinned the note on the notice board at Mount Temple Comprehensive School all those years ago. We are very grateful that he did, and that he’s here with us tonight. We wish him a speedy, speedy, speedy recovery. We love you, Larry Mullen Jr.”
Also in the crowd: First Lady Jill Biden, to whom Bono dedicated "All I Want is You," and Daniel Lanois, who came up to the stage to help the band perform "One."
From a fanboy standpoint, however, it's arguable that one of the coolest moments was when the band broke out the song "40," which they hadn't performed live in the better part of a decade.
"It’s been 40 days and 40 nights in the desert; what’s a fellow with a messianic complex going to do?" said Bono, introducing the track. "Here’s a song we wrote in 40 minutes. I opened up the sacred text of the Psalm of David. I just kind of read it out. That was the lyric."
Never miss a story — sign up for the Q newsletter for the latest music news on all your favorite artists, all in one place.
Powered by RedCircle
