U2 rock their first U.S. festival at Bonnaroo
U2 frontman Bono joked about having Tennessee’s Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival named after him as the veteran Irish rockers headlined their first ever U.S. festival this weekend (09-11Jun17).
The With Or Without You hitmakers continued the 30th anniversary celebrations for their seminal album The Joshua Tree by leading Friday’s (09Jun17) line-up at the Manchester event, where they performed the 1987 release in full for fans, and delighted the crowd with renditions of other hits including Pride (In The Name of Love), Beautiful Day, Sunday Bloody Sunday, and New Year’s Day.
The bandmates also took a moment to dedicate One Tree Hill to Lily Cornell, the daughter of late Soundgarden and Audioslave star Chris Cornell, who took his own life last month (May17).
“Her dad had an epic heart,” Bono said.
U2 went on to give special shout outs to fellow Bonnaroo performers The XX, Chance the Rapper, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, and towards the end of their set, Bono lamented not having played the 16-year-old festival sooner.
“Did we make a big mistake not coming (here) before?” he asked the audience. “Can we come back again?”
As the crowed roared in approval, he then quipped, “Thanks for naming it after me!”
Closing the two-hour set, Bono thanked the audience for giving them “a night we will never forget,” before launching into a rousing rendition of One.
Meanwhile, Chance the Rapper was another big highlight of the four-day bash, thrilling fans during his Saturday night (10Jun17) performance, which he kicked off by riding onstage on a mini motorbike as pyrotechnics lit up the platform.
The hip-hop star ran through hit after hit, including Mixtape, Kanye West’s Ultralight Beam, and Blessing, and expressed his love for the festival, which he has become a regular at over the last four years, whether as an artist or just an attendee.
“I’m not always booked here, but I love to come down here,” he smiled. “It’s a beautiful weekend.”
Chance later kept the party going by taking part in Bonnaroo’s traditional Superjam shows, where he covered rap classics such as OutKast’s Hey Ya! and Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang.
The 2017 festival wraps up on Sunday (11Jun17) with a headlining performance by Lorde. musicnews.com
