This timeless U2 performance went viral all over again when Joe Rogan gushed about it at length while interviewing Bono in 2025, sending countless fans over to the video to see what all the fuss was about. The magical moment came when U2 performed their Nelson Mandela tribute “Ordinary Love” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Rogan loved it so much he had to play the entire performance while interviewing Bono on The Joe Rogan Experience episode on May 31, 2025.
Rogan said that it was “without a doubt, hands down” his favorite talk show performance ever. He noted that the genius of it was that it started so relaxed, with the band sitting on a couch, but that U2 were “so on it” that everyone was instantly captivated. Rogan continued, saying “Then the music builds and you bring in (house band) The Roots. It’s phenomenal. It takes people out of their lives, the joy of expression, it just washes over everybody.” The Music Man has to say that Rogan was certainly on the money!
U2 uploaded the “Ordinary Love” cut to their YouTube channel, where it hit 77 million views. Many fans noted that the recent Joe Rogan Experience episode brought them here, while others added praise such as “Once in a while a band can tap into the universe and create a performance that is pure magic… This was one of them” and “I can’t stop watching this. I stopped trying to count. Will Smith and Jimmy Fallon are completely mesmerized because they know they’re in the presence of greatness. This is inspiring.”
Clearly something very special happens when U2 perform in an acoustic format. One of the band’s greatest acoustic moments came when Bono and The Edge performed “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” for their Tiny Desk Concert. It’s one of U2’s most personal songs, and it always hits hard when they perform it. This is because Bono wrote it in response to the passing of his friend Michael Hutchence at age 37, noting that “It’s a row between mates. You’re kinda trying to wake them up out of an idea.”
U2 released “Ordinary Love” on November 29, 2013. The single features South African activist and politician Nelson Mandela on the cover, and the song was featured in his biopic Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. The Music Man readers might be interested to know that U2 were friends with the late Mandela, and when they were asked to write a song for the film, the band jumped at the chance.