In Italy With Pavarotti and Friends!

28 May 2003
Bono performed with Luciano Pavarotti at his annual charity concert in Italy last night.

He teamed up with Pavarotti and Zuchero for 'Miserere', sang 'Ave Maria' with Pavarotti - Bono with a new English lyric, Luciano in Latin - and sang 'One' with an orchestral backing at the concert in Novi Sad Park in Modena.

An evening of guest performances by international stars also included Ricky Martin, Queen, Lionel Richie, Eric Clapton and opera singer Andrea Bocelli. Liza Minelli had been due to appear but, after fracturing her knee cap, performed instead from her hospital bed via TV hook-up.

There's pretty good coverage of the concert at the Italian U2 site zooitalia - in Italian of course. It's here www.zooitalia.com

Live shots of the concert here

Pavarotti&Friends 2003 was the tenth annual charity concert organised by the Italian tenor, and will raise funds for a UNHCR project entitled 'S.O.S. IRAQ' which will help those displaced by the conflict in Iraq.

Bono, Edge and Brian Eno joined Pavarotti way back in 1995 for the debut live performance of Miss Sarajevo by The Passengers. Last year Pavarotti was joined by stars including Sting and Lou Reed for a show to raise money for Angolan refugees. The previous year, the Pavarotti and Friends concert and related activities raised $3.3m (£2.1m) for Afghan refugees, while $1m (£645,000) was raised for refugees from Kosovo in 1999.

More on Pavarotti and Friends here www.pavarottiandfriends.it

More on the UNHCR here www.unhcr.ch

RECENT NEWS

28 Nov, 2025

In Ireland or the UK? Adam features in a new Sky Arts series Greatest Basslines, beginning tonight.

27 Nov, 2025

In North America? Tune in to U2 X-Radio on Sirius XM to catch Bono and Edge performing as U2 receive the 2025 Woody Guthrie Prize.

25 Nov, 2025

 Subscribers Special.
'It's not just my favourite U2 song, it's my favourite song.' Writer on TV's Slow Horses, Will Smith is a huge U2 fan. This is his all time playlist.

7
3 Nov, 2025

 Subscribers Special.
'You see everyone's mouth open and eyes go up, and they're just taking it in.' A U2 playlist from composer, producer and DJ, Pauli The PSM.

4