U2 is remembering fellow Irish musician Shane MacGowan.
The veteran U.K. Rock and Roll Hall of Famers paid tribute to the late Pogues singer with a moving rendition of the Celtic band’s “A Rainy Day in Soho” during their Las Vegas residency on Friday (Dec. 1) at the Venetian’s Sphere venue.
“Sing with us, for Shane McGowan,” Bono told fans at the show as U2 performed the somber acoustic cover.
During the song, Bono altered the lyrics to reflect the death of MacGowan, who passed away Thursday (Nov. 30) following a recent hospitalization. He was 65.
“McGowan’s song is never over, but we may never find out what it means,” he sang. “You’re the measure of my dreams.”
This isn’t the firs time Bono has performed “A Rainy Day in Soho.” The 63-year-old singer previously performed the 1986 Poguetry in Motion track alongside actor Johnny Depp during MacGowan’s 60th birthday party in Dublin in 2018. The bash was also attended by such legendary artists as Nick Cave and the late Sinéad O’Connor.
Earlier in the week, the Pogues confirmed the passing of their notoriously hard-living singer, whose yearning, howling vocals and gritty rose-from-concrete lyrics super-charged the Pogues’ meld of traditional Irish music and punk rock spirit on such beloved songs as “The Old Main Drag” and “A Pair of Brown Eyes.”
U2 was among numerous artists to honor MacGowan after his passing. “Shane MacGowan’s songs were perfect so he or we his fans didn’t have to be…,” Bono captioned an illustration on X of MacGowan and lyrics to to “A Rainy Day in Soho.”
See U2’s “A Rainy Day in Soho” tribute here.
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