Meanwhile, in Ukraine, Bono and the Edge were invited to perform in Kyiv today by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“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,” they tweeted:
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
The concert took place at the Khreshchatyk metro station which was turned into a bomb shelter during the ongoing war with Russia:
Bono singing in #Kyiv bomb shelter…
Thank you, @U2!#StandWithUkraine #StopRussia pic.twitter.com/PaQDKOvsY1— olexander scherba🇺🇦 (@olex_scherba) May 8, 2022
It’s like the USO, maybe?
Imagine being in such a vicious war that you can call your favorite bands up and fly them in to play all their hits for you!
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) May 8, 2022
The concert did take a cringe-worthy turn when Ukrainian pop star Taras Topolia joined Bono and Edge on stage to sing a version of “Stand by Me” with the “me “exchanged with “Ukraine.”
Game over, Putin:
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
Maybe they want Russia to win?
Do they want to undermine support for Ukraine? https://t.co/roszM4kILN
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) May 8, 2022
Bono then tried to get Topolia to bad-mouth President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, but he deftly avoided any negative criticism of the world leaders and instead thanked the Bono and the Edge for performing:
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
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