BONO thanked Britain for “looking after” Irish immigrants during an emotionally-charged final show of their Joshua Tree tour in west London.
Frontman Bono hailed London as “the capital of the world” as the band celebrated the 30th anniversary of The Joshua Tree album to a packed Twickenham Stadium on Sunday night.
He said the band were “boys” when they first came to the capital and went on to reflect on Irish immigrants coming to Britain.
“We have more in common than that which divides us,” Bono said, echoing the famous words of murdered MP Jo Cox.
“Us Irish are immigrant people and of course we came here into this great, Great Britain and we thank you for giving us safety and sanctuary for all these years.
“We thank you for looking after the Irish. We hope that won't stop.”
Bono's ode to London. pic.twitter.com/bEo9VB4ZsP
— Alexandra Rucki (@AlexandraRucki) July 8, 2017
As green, white and orange lights illuminated the stage, Bono described the scene as a “subliminal message from the motherland”.
Earlier in the day, U2 invited 50 heroic firefighters who tackled the Grenfell Tower blaze to enjoy their rehearsal.
The firefighters also had the chance to go backstage and meet the band following the sound check.
U2 performed a number of classic The Joshua Tree songs during their set including Where The Streets Have No Name and With or Without You.
Noel Gallagher performs Don't Look Back In Anger with @U2.
? rockfredsimon. #NoelGallagher #u2 #U2JoshuaTreeTour2017 #oasis #upInTheSite pic.twitter.com/myNQ9eqaN3— Oasis - UpInTheSite (@UpInTheSiteNet) July 8, 2017
They dedicated one of the last songs of their set – Ultraviolet – to Jo Cox MP, who was shot and stabbed on June 16 last year as she arrived for a constituency surgery in Birstall.
Before the song, Bono said she lived her life “championing the lives of others”, adding: “Jo Cox, you light the way.”
For their last song, U2 were joined on stage by Noel Gallagher for an emotional rendition of Don’t Look Back In Anger.
