Rain doesn’t stop rock stars, but devastating bike injuries do. Bono couldn’t perform with U2 at the World AIDS Day (RED) benefit concert at New York’s Times Square last night, so the group got the next best thing: Bruce Springsteen.
The Edge played the familiar opening to “Where The Streets Have No Name,” but when the vocals started, it wasn’t Bono behind the mic. Springsteen stepped in and sang the song, not missing a word.
Amazingly, the show was a complete secret until 2:30 Monday afternoon, when an announcement showed up on U2’s site, notes Rolling Stone. The group called themselves “U2 Minus 1” for a night and also called on Coldplay’s Chris Martin (who wore a shirt that read “substitute”) to help open the show. Martin sang “Beautiful Day” and “With Or Without You” with The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr.
Carrie Underwood was next, performing “Change” and “Something in the Water.” Next, Kanye West took the stage, rapping “Power” and “Jesus Walks,” reports MTV. Then, The Boss and “U2 Minus 1” took the stage for “Where The Streets Have No Name” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”
The entire concert lasted just 48 minutes. Prior to the performances, former President Bill Clinton came out to address the crowd. He read an email from Bono, which concluded, “We're going to win this fight.” Bono suffered serious injuries in a bike-riding accident last month.
You can watch the entire show below:
image courtesy of Roger Wong/INFphoto.com