Bono and guitarist The Edge of the Irish rock band U2 praised Ukrainians for fighting for their freedom during a 40-minute unannounced concert in a subway station in Kyiv on May 8.
“The people of Ukraine are not just fighting for your own freedom, you're fighting for all of us who love freedom," Bono told a small crowd gathered inside the subway station, according to news reports on Ukrainian and Irish media.
Bono and The Edge played some of the band's biggest hits and other classics such as Stand By Me with its lyrics changed to "stand by Ukraine."
He also praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, saying he "leads the world in the cause of freedom right now.”
Zelenskiy invited the band to perform in Kyiv "as a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people and so that’s what we’ve come to do," U2 said earlier on Twitter.
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
Bono rallied the crowd between songs, altering the lyrics to the song Pride (In The Name Of Love) to match the struggle for Ukrainian freedom from Russia.
"This evening, 8th of May, shots will ring out in the Ukraine sky, but you'll be free at last. They can take your lives, but they can never take your pride," he said.
The song includes references to past conflicts in Ireland and decades of conflict with Britain over Northern Ireland.
"We pray that you will enjoy some of that peace soon," said Bono.
The 61-year-old Bono, who frequently lends his voice to a variety of causes, including the fight against poverty and AIDS, performed as raid sirens echoed in Kyiv and fighting raged in the country's east.