Sarajevo remembers U2 concert: The first significant cultural event after the horror in the Sarajevo valley

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Sarajevo was a city recovering at the time. It was still getting used to everyday life, sounds and situations still reminded of the horror that had happened not so long ago in the Sarajevo valley. Today, many remember that September 23, 1997.

At that time, U2 released the album Pop. Although the album was well-received in most of the world, sales were not satisfactory, reaching only one platinum release. The album featured the songs "Do You Feel Loved", "If God Will Send His Angels", "Last Night on Earth", and "Staring at the Sun".

After the album, the spectacular Popmart tour followed. The highlight of the tour was the concert in Sarajevo, and the most memorable part of the emotionally charged concert was the song Miss Sarajevo, where Pavarotti's voice was reproduced from an old gramophone.

At one point during the concert, Bono lost his voice, and after the audience noticed, an incredible applause followed in support. Larry Mullen later stated that the concert was worth all 20 years of his performances, and that he would do another 20 for such a concert. Bono stated that something like that had never happened to him before, and that in similar situations with a visibly damaged voice, he would probably have been booed, not rewarded with fanatical applause.