In December 2022, U2 picked up one of the most prestigious awards of their career when they were named the 2022 Honorees at the 45th annual Kennedy Center Honors for their dedication to and achievements in the performing arts and a lifetime of contributions to American culture.
But despite all the red carpet glitz and glam, this wasn’t your run-of-the-mill American award show. Pearl Jam’s legendary frontman, Eddie Vedder, stepped in to sing a two-song U2 tribute in front of the band themselves!
As U2’s singer Bono (aged 62 at the time), guitarist The Edge (61), bassist Adam Clayton (62), and drummer Larry Mullen (61) watched down from the top shelf of the presidential-sized theatre, it’s clear they were in full support of Eddie, mouthing “Wow,” and headbanging to their own song as Eddie let loose on stage.
After a dry but heartfelt introduction to U2’s history by Sean Penn, Eddie breaks into the first verse of the Irish superstars’ 2001 single, “Elevation” (taken from their tenth studio album, “All That You Can’t Leave Behind”), his iconic voice sounding just like the 90s. For a guy on the cusp of hitting 60, Eddie sure knows how to ignite the audience’s energy and command the stage, racking up 1.6M YouTube views on this cover even without the backing of his Pearl Jam bandmates.
Also on Eddie’s set list that night was U2’s sensational 1991 hit, “One,” taken from their US #1 album, “Achtung Baby.” Eddie’s voice runs like gold through this track, and to us here at The Music Man, his version runs the risk of being miles better than U2’s original. It’s already passed 2M views on YouTube to date!
Mary J. Blige was booked to take on this iconic U2 tribute gig, but following a disastrously timed illness, the Pearl Jam frontman and long-time friend of U2 stepped in to fill the slot.
Sacha Baron Cohen also resurrected his infamous character “Borat” for a special appearance at the 45th Kennedy Center Honors, paying his own tribute to the band, “The reason I here is to make congratulation to Irish rock ‘n’ roll band by the name of Me Too,” (cue Bono cackling); followed by a translated fax message from Kazakhstan, “Please remove your wretched album from my new iPhone 6,” and a classic one-liner, “Your band fight oppression around the world. Stop it!”
President Joe Biden, who was in attendance, brought the honors back down to reality, stating, “For more than 40 years, U2 has changed the world: anthems about civil rights, solidarity of workers, the struggle for peace; ballads about love and family; concerts dedicated to ending poverty and disease. From this Irish American president in a White House designed by … Irish hands, who built this and designed it, I want to thank U2 for all you’ve done and the way you lift people up.”
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