U2 Dedicates ‘Pride’ To Israeli Music Festival Victims Of Hamas Attack

U2 dedicated a performance of “Pride (In The Name Of Love)” to the victims who attended an Israeli music festival attacked by Hamas. According to The New York Times, an estimated 260 people were killed and many more taken hostage by armed Hamas attackers who raided Israel’s Supernova Sukkot Gathering music festival, which was held in the desert near Kibbutz Re’im.

U2 frontman Bono addressed the audience at the Las Vegas Sphere during the band’s concert on Sunday night. The performance was part of the U2’s residency at the newly opened state-of-the-art venue.

Prior to performing “Pride (In The Name Of Love),” Bono told the crowd:

“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.”

In the middle of “Pride,” Bono again addressed the audience, stating:

“We sing for our brothers and sisters, who they themselves were singing at the Supernova Sukkot Festival in Israel. We sing for those, our people, our kind of people — music people, playful people, experimental people. Our kind of people. We sing for them.”

Bono then altered the lyrics to “Pride,” referencing the heinous attack on people who wanted to go to see live music. The updated lyrics included the verse:

Early morning, October 7
The sun rises in the desert sky
Stars of David, they took your life
But they could not take the your pride

View clips of Bono’s speech and performance of “Pride (In The Name Of Love)” below:

Citing videos and closed-circuit television, The New York Times detailed the attack on the Supernova Sukkot Gathering. The Times posted a video compiling footage from several sources, which showed rockets in the sky near the festival at 6:29 a.m. The report further stated:

Minutes after a rocket alarm sounded in the midst of a D.J. set, gunmen fired on people trying to evacuate the area through the festival’s main road exit. Concertgoers were forced to flee through fields and the surrounding countryside, where many hid for hours. Some of the hostages taken over the weekend were abducted from the festival.

The New York Times compilation video can be viewed by clicking below (graphic and violent content warning):