Kudos to Bono and U2 for leading their audiences – in Las Vegas, of all places – in leading chants of “Alexei Navalny” in remembrance of the martyred Russian dissident. Throughout the band’s residency at that new Enormodome, they’ve been dedicating a song to Ukraine’s struggle for freedom, and it’s not one of their own. They cover the No. 2 Crowded House hit “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” from 1986.
There are audience-filmed, low-quality videos of the occasion out there, and they show that U2 hasn’t gotten any better at covers over the years – I’m sorry, fans, it’s just a fact. So let’s hear Crowded House perform one of the under-appreciated Neil Finn’s most poignant tunes.
He explained how he wrote the song for a British TV audience in a songwriters circle appearance and performed it solo on acoustic guitar. Graham Gouldman of 10cc and Roddy Frame of Aztec Camera share the stage.
