U2 pay emotional tribute to murdered MP Jo Cox in final date of Joshua Tree tour

Emotional: U2 close their Joshua Tree world tour in London
Joel Ryan/Invision/AP
Jennifer Ruby10 July 2017
The Weekender

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U2 paid tribute to murdered Labour MP Jo Cox during the emotionally-charged final show of their Joshua Tree tour.

Frontman Bono praised the MP for “championing the lives of others” during the band’s set at Twickenham Stadium on Sunday night, having worked with her on the Make Poverty History campaign.

Echoing Cox’s speech to Parliament, he told the audience: “We have more in common than that which divides us.

“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 hope it won't stop.”

Earlier in the day, the band had invited 50 of the firefighters who tackled the Grenfell Tower blaze to watch their sound check.

They performed a number of tracks including Where The Streets Have No Name, Beautiful Day and Mysterious Ways during the private show for all of those who had been involved in helping stop the tragic fire.

The firefighters also had the chance to go backstage and meet the band following the rehearsal, just hours before the sell-out show.

“U2 play to an invited audience of firefighters and guests. 48 people. #wow #u2,” one guest wrote on Twitter.

The chart-topping band have been touring the world to mark 30 years since the release of their seminal album, The Joshua Tree, supported by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.

U2 at Twickenham - In pictures

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