U2 honored their longtime friend Shane MacGowan with an acoustic cover of the Pogues’ “A Rainy Day in Soho” last night (Dec. 1) during their residency at Sphere at the Venetian in Las Vegas. Irish music legend MacGowan died Thursday at the age of 65, prompting Bono to tweak the song’s lyrics: “MacGowan’s song is never over, but we may never find out what it means,” he sang. “You’re the measure of my dreams.”
Bono is no stranger to “A Rainy Day in Soho,” having performed it at MacGowan’s 60th birthday bash in Dublin in 2018. That event also featured Nick Cave, the late Sinéad O’Connor, Carl Barat, Bobby Gillespie, Jesse Malin, and Glen Hansard.
“Shane MacGowan’s songs were perfect so he or we his fans didn’t have to be,” U2 wrote on Instagram following MacGowan’s passing.
U2’s Sphere residency continues through mid-February. The Pogues’ cover is just the second song the band has performed by another artist during the run, following a run through “Shallow” with Lady Gaga on Oct. 25.
