Lookalikes of Bono and U2's The Edge performed in front of the Bataclan, which a spokesperson for the venue called ” very bad taste joke “.
At first glance, the footage that made the rounds on the Internet earlier this week appeared to show Bono and The Edge performing U2's 1991 classic, ” One », almost everywhere in Paris. One of the videos was filmed right outside the Bataclan concert hall, where 89 people were murdered in 2015 during an Eagles of Death Metal concert.
@julie_konstantinovich Today at Place de la République 🫣 #u2 #bono #u3 #paris #placedelarepublique #theedge @U2 #one #music #fleamarket ♬ original sound – Julie konstantinovich 💜
It was actually a publicity stunt by Bono impersonator Pavel Sfera and The Edge lookalike Steve Richards. According to the Parisianthey assured the Bataclan employees that they were indeed Bono and The Edge and attempted to enter the room. “ They introduced themselves as U2 before admitting it was a jokedeclared a Bataclan employee to the newspaper. In the meantime, they performed a song in front of the venue on the sidewalk. This is a joke in very bad taste which has probably overwhelmed them themselves and to which we do not wish to give more attention than it deserves. »
Following the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, U2 had to postpone two concerts in the city for a month. When they finally returned, their concerts were full of emotion in tribute to the victims. They invited Eagles of Death Metal on stage to perform “ People Have the Power » by Patti Smith and their original song « I Love You All the Time “.
According to Pavel Sfera's official website, he has been a professional Bono impersonator for 25 years. “ On several occasions, Pavel served as a body double for projects on behalf of Bono himself, including for a photo shoot for the magazine Vogue, we can read in her biography. Pavel has been volunteering for decades, working with orphanages in many countries and today engaging with organizations that seek to mitigate the effects of climate change through regenerative and alternative agriculture. »
The timing of this publicity stunt caused some confusion, even in U2 fan communities, since Bono has a long history of performing Christmas songs on the streets of Dublin during the holidays. But if Sfera looks a lot like Bono physically, he is far from having the same voice. And then the real Edge is able to interpret “ One » without the help of another guitarist (Richards was accompanied by an additional musician).
The real U2, meanwhile, is currently working on the long-awaited sequel to Songs of Experiencereleased in 2017. It's the longest period between two albums of new material, and The Edge (the real one) recently told WECB that they were in no hurry.
