Bono, the lead singer of U2, changed the lyrics to one of their most iconic songs, "Pride (In the Name of Love)", Sunday night during their residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas, to pay tribute to the 260 killed Saturday during the Hamas attack on Tribe Of Nova electronic music festival on the Israel-Gaza border.
The band posted video of the change on its social media. In it, Bono says, "In the light of what’s happened in Israel and Gaza, a song about non-violence seems somewhat ridiculous, even laughable, but our prayers have always been for peace and for non-violence. But our hearts and our anger, you know where that’s pointed. So sing with us. And those beautiful kids at that music festival."
He then sang alternate lyrics, “Early morning, October 7/ As the sun is rising in the desert sky/ Stars of David, they took your life/ But they could not take your pride."
The original lyrics of the song are about Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights leader who was assassinated in 1968. The song was released in 1984 as part of U2's album The Unforgettable Fire.
The Tribe Of Nova festival was a three-day event that featured electronic music artists from around the world. It was held near the Erez crossing, a border checkpoint between Israel and Gaza. On Saturday, October 7th, 2023, Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on the festival site, firing rockets and mortars and storming the area with gunmen and suicide bombers. The attack resulted in 260 deaths and over 500 injuries, making it one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in history.
The attack was condemned by many world leaders and celebrities, who expressed their solidarity with Israel and the victims. Bono's tribute was one of the many gestures of support and sympathy that were made by musicians and artists. U2 also announced that they would donate all the proceeds from their Las Vegas shows to a fund for the families of the victims.
[Source: Classic Hits Today]