During the concert at the Sphere concert venue in Las Vegas on 08/10, U2 dedicated the song “Pride (In the Name of Love)” to the victims of the Hamas attack at the Supernova music festival. U2 has a long history of advocating for peace, so their decision to use their concert to address the attack is in line with their commitment to promoting peace and justice through their music.
“In the light of what’s happened in Israel and Gaza, a song about non-violence seems somewhat ridiculous, even laughable, but our prayers have always been for peace and for non-violence…
But our hearts and our anger, you know where that’s pointed. So sing with us… and those beautiful kids at that music festival…”
said Bono in the announcement for the song, which was originally written for Dr. Martin Luther King.
On this occasion, the band changed some of the lyrics from the original version of “Pride“:
Early morning, Oct. 7, as the sun is rising in the desert sky Stars of David, they took your lifе But they could not take your pride
Hundreds of Victims of the Supernova Music Festival
On 07/10, there was a breach of the border wall between the Gaza Strip and Israel by Hamas militants. The Supernova music festival (Universo Paralello Festival) took place in Re’im, Israel. It is a rural region located close to the border with the Gaza Strip. This event coincided with the week-long Jewish holiday of Sukkot, observed from Friday, 29/09/2023 to Friday, 06/10/2023. Sukkot is a holiday that celebrates the harvest and commemorates the divine protection of the sons of Israel during their exodus from Egypt.
The music festival began at 10 o’clock in the evening on 06/10. At the time of the attack, there were approximately 3,500 attendees, predominantly young electronic music enthusiasts. The festival became one of the targets of the attack. While one group of militants initiated the attack from one direction, another group blocked access to the shelters. Tragically, the incident resulted in the deaths of between 200 and 260 festival-goers, with some of them being held as hostages by Hamas during the attack.
The attacks and the subsequent Israeli response resulted in a tragic loss of life, with over 1,600 Israelis and Palestinians losing their lives, and thousands more sustaining injuries. Hundreds have been abducted, and the victims and abductees include residents of over 20 countries.
Postponed Concerts
Popular singer Madonna also condemned the attack by Hamas, adding that it was sad to see “all families, especially children, being kidnapped, attacked and killed in the streets“.
Singer Bruno Mars was scheduled to hold a concert in Tel Aviv on 07/10. However, because of the attacks, Mars cancelled the concert. The concert on 07/10 was to be the second concert, after Mars held the first one on 04/10.
