Russia attacks Ukraine: U2’s Bono, The Edge play acoustic set in Kyiv bomb shelter

U2′s Bono and The Edge on Sunday gave a surprise concert in a Kyiv subway station converted into a bomb shelter, Rolling Stone and The Irish Times reported.

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The two members of the Irish band, who were inducted with the rest of the group into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, visited the war-torn country after receiving a personal invitation from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Rolling Stone reported. They performed an acoustic set before an audience that included soldiers.

“The people in Ukraine are not just fighting for your own freedom, you are fighting for all of us who love freedom,” Bono told the audience. “We pray that you will enjoy some of that peace soon.”

While introducing the song “Angel of Harlem,” Bono told the crowd that of all the great cities and towns in the world, including Tokyo, Sydney, Chicago as well as “Athlone and Kinnegad,” there was “nowhere in the whole world that we would rather be in today than in the great city of Kyiv,” the Times reported.

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The set list included U2 hits such as “With or Without You” and “Desire,” and Bono invited a Ukrainian soldier to join and sing, according to the newspaper. The U2 members and several members also sang “Stand By Me,” but changed the parts of the Ben E. King standard and called it “Stand By Ukraine,” the Times reported.

The U2 duo also was joined on the improvised stage by Ukrainian musicians who are now serving in the military, including singer Taras Topolya from the Ukrainian band Antytila, Rolling Stone reported.

Previously, Bono and The Edge took part in Global Citizen’s “Stand Up for Ukraine” livestream, where the duo played a version of “Walk On” that addressed the invasion, according to the magazine.

Later Sunday, Bono visited the grounds of St. Andrew’s Church in Bucha, where a mass grave was discovered in March after Russian troops withdrew from the area, The New York Times reported.

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