The eight years of President Barack Obama’s term in office comes to a close next week. Tonight, he delivered his final address to the country from Chicago, the city where he began his career. Before his speech, the Commander-in-Chief came out to U2’s “City of Blinding Lights”—the same song that welcomed him to the stage 10 years ago in Springfield, Ill, when he first announced he would campaign for president. (It was also a staple throughout that first presidential run.)
Like an ebullient reprise, the song swelled just as reached his podium. The lyrics, which discuss the perils of celebrity, feel somewhat relevant for the moment:
The U2 song as Obama walked out — CITY OF BLINDING LIGHTS — is about the weird distorting power of celebrity btw. pic.twitter.com/7bWLdbIEao
— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) January 11, 2017
A source at the DNC told SPIN there was brief talk of the president walking out to Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song,” the favored track of the Clinton campaign, but that it was eventually nixed. Either way, U2 looks better on the outgoing dad-in-chief.
