The Edge, U2’s famed guitarist is the first rock-musician to play in the Sistine Chapel, in the Vatican City, in Rome, when he played an unplugged set.
The Irish star, whose real name is David Evans, played the set on Saturday night for the participants of conference on regenerative medicine, Cellular Horizons.
Speaking to the audience, of over 200 doctors, scientists, researchers and philanthropists gathered, The Edge said “When I was asked to perform in the Sistine Chapel I didn’t know what to say, because usually there’s ‘this other guy’ who sings.
“So it took me at least, well, 30 seconds to agree to it.”
Pope Francis was not present at conference but The Edge thanked him, calling him “the people’s Pope.”
He said “Being Irish, you learn very early that if you want to be asked to come back it's very important to thank the local parish priest for the loan of the hall," he said of Francis.
"He's doing an amazing job and long may he continue."
The Irish guitarist, who was born in Essex, in England, and raised in Dublin, was backed by an Irish choir. They played a covered of Leonard Cohen’s If It Be Your Will along with acoustic versions of U2 songs Yahweh, Ordinary World and Walk On.
The Edge has been on the board of the Angiogenesis Foundation since 2007, since his father died of cancer and his daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. The science of Angiogenesis has to do with the body’s growth of new blood vessels from existing ones. This is a normal vital process in terms of growth and development, it is also a process by which benign tumors can become malignant.
Vice President Joe Biden also attended at the conference in Rome to address using stem research to cure rare diseases. The Irish American VP’s son, Beau, died at the age of 46 following brain cancer.
On Friday Bono had joked about The Edge’s absence from the Nile Rodgers' We Are Family benefit concert, Rolling Stone reported. He said “I tried to get the band here, but everyone's doing something. I said, 'Edge, [Nile] is such a hero to you.' He said, 'Listen, I just can't get out of something.' I said, 'What are you doing?' He said, 'I'm doing a gig in the Sistine Chapel with the Holy Father.'"Joe Biden, in Rome to boost #cancer research, jokes with #Vatican official about gambling https://t.co/4hrF8KecFQ pic.twitter.com/veUg8WSf86
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) April 29, 2016
Now you can’t argue with that!
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