U2 delays flight to Adelaide to meet Victorian CFA firefighters
U2 made it a beautiful day for 130 firefighters in Melbourne when they held an impromptu meet and greet at Melbourne Airport in front of their Joshua Tree private plane.
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U2 held up their flight to Adelaide to meet with 130 CFA firefighters in Melbourne.
The band posed with the firefighters, who were on their way to New South Wales, in front of their Joshua Tree tour private plane as they were preparing to fly to Adelaide for tonight’s concert.
“We really appreciate it, that’s what we want to say,” Bono told the firefighters.
“It wasn’t just being nice, we really meant it, thanks for keeping people safe.”
The band has monitored the bushfire situation since arriving in Australia last week. They dedicated their song Bad to “the firefighters out there putting themselves in danger to keep us all safe” at their Brisbane and Melbourne shows.
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CFA State Agency Commander Mark Kennedy said the band stopped their car when they saw the firefighters.
“It was very unexpected,” Kennedy said. “We knew they were at the airport, we were trying to catch a glimpse and it would have been very easy for them to drive past, but they actually saw us and stopped the car.
“Bono got out and was very engaged. They’re very much across the situation with the bushfires. They asked a lot of questions about the crews, how we give up our time, they were very positive about our volunteers, they were full of praise.
“Bono’s people were actually trying to hurry them up to get on the plane, but he wanted to make sure he shook everyone’s hands. He made our crew feel very special, it’s something they won’t forget in a long time.”
The band tweeted “An honour to run into a couple of @cfavic heroes at Melbourne airport today … To all the firefighters working so hard across Australia – we salute you. Bono, The Edge, Adam and Larry.”
U2 play Adelaide tonight ahead of shows in Perth and Sydney to wrap up their Australian tour.