We’ve all dreamed of our favourite band turning up for a private home performance. In 2018, U2 rocked up to a neighbourhood and performed a one-off front-lawn gig to a bundle of neighbours and fans. To their surprise, the Irish legends’ set included an intimate rendition of what’s been called one of the most underrated songs of U2’s entire discography: “Every Breaking Wave.”
With their equipment crammed into the front porch and lead singer Bono casually perched on the steps leading up to the white, suburban mansion, this performance screams natural talent so cuttingly pure that the front lawn crowd is moved to absolute silence, awe-inspired by this rare, acoustic rendition. The set is chillingly powerful whether you’re a U2 fan or not and, in the Music Man’s opinion, likely tops the original studio recording.
The Edge (then aged 57) switches his iconic guitar for a soft and haunting keyboard riff, while Bono’s voice (58) resounds flawlessly; not a note is out of place or mis-accentuated, simply pure, foot-tapping talent as the black-clad singer strikes a hypnotic contrast to the vast, white house behind him. It’s an incredible sight, like something plucked from a movie scene, with a majestic sound to match.
“Every Breaking Wave” officially hit the scene as the second single of U2’s thirteenth studio album, 2014’s “Songs of Innocence.” Before then, it was debuted live during the band’s 2010 “U2 360° Tour,” with an entirely different chorus melody to that heard today.
The stripped-back setting and engulfing atmosphere draw crystal clear attention to the storytelling ribboning Bono’s lyrics — there’s nothing to focus on or immerse in but U2’s heartbreaking metaphors for inevitable demise: “And every sailor knows that the sea is a friend made enemy / And every shipwrecked soul knows what it is to live without intimacy / I thought I heard the captain’s voice but it’s hard to listen while you preach / Like every broken wave on the shore, this is as far as I could reach.”
Bono has given his own insight into the song, revealing the struggle of “giv[ing] yourself completely to another person” whilst “addicted to sort of failure and rebirth.” This rare, acoustic front lawn rendition captures the track’s essence of struggle, loneliness, and hope exceptionally.
With over 22 million YouTube views to date, fans have flocked to the comments section to sing their praise. One viewer wrote, “Bono is so casual, but conveys so much emotion. Unbelievable performance,” while another solidified its impact: “This is not a song, this is a miracle.”
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