David Evans aka The Edge, the lead guitarist of Irish rock band U2, recently made history when he played live at the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City recently. He became the first rock musician ever to play at the venue.
According to Reuters, Evans said during the performance that he was surprised when he was first asked to perform at the chapel. "When they asked me if I wanted to become the first contemporary artiste to play at the Sistine Chapel, I didn't know what to say because usually there's this other guy who sings," he said, referring to Bono.
The guitarist performed a set of four unplugged songs to an audience that comprised of doctors and researchers who had come to the venue to attend Cellular Horizons, a conference on regenerative medicine to cure rare diseases. He was joined by a choir of seven teenagers as he performed U2's "Yahweh," "Ordinary Love" and "Walk On" and Leonard Cohen's "If It Be Your Will."
This conference reportedly provides an opportunity to doctors and researchers around the world to discuss possible cures for rare diseases through the use of adult stem cells. The cause is something very close to Evans' heart, as his father died last month and his daughter has also battled leukaemia before overcoming it eventually. Evans is known to be a board member since 2007 of Angiogenesis Foundation, an organisation that researches possible cures for cancerous tumours.
After the performance, Evans expressed his gratitude to Pope Francis for letting him use "the most beautiful parish hall in the world."
