Entertainment Music Pop Music Bono Pays Tribute to Alexei Navalny with Chant During U2 Sphere Residency Show in Las Vegas "Putin would never, ever say his name. So I thought tonight, the people who believe in freedom must say his name," Bono told the crowd before leading a chant By Ilana Kaplan Ilana Kaplan Ilana Kaplan is a Senior Digital Writer/Editor at PEOPLE. They have been working at PEOPLE since 2023. Their work has previously appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Vogue and more. People Editorial Guidelines Published on February 19, 2024 06:35PM EST Close Bono of U2 performs in New Jersey in June 2018. Photo: Paul Zimmerman/Getty Things took a more serious turn at a recent U2 show. During the Irish rock band's residency concert at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Bono led a chant in honor of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was imprisoned in an Arctic penal colony and died suddenly at the age of 47 the night prior. Before performing a cover of Crowded House’s "Don’t Dream It’s Over," the U2 frontman delivered a lengthy introduction about standing up for freedom. Alexei Navalny in Moscow in February 2019. Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency/Getty U2 Takes Viewers to Las Vegas Sphere Residency with 'Atomic City' Performance at 2024 Grammys “Edge and I got to stand with some of the people in Ukraine as they stood in that train station, which was a converted bomb shelter. We got to stand with some of the people of Ukraine as they waited for the train to arrive with the rest of the free world on it,” Bono began his speech. “They’re still waiting for some of that train to arrive. America, you’re so generous… but let’s get these people what they need.” He continued: “Next week it’ll be two years since Putin invaded and tried to destroy the hard-won freedoms [of the Ukrainian people]," Bono said. “Next it’ll be Poland, next it’ll be Lithuania, East Germany; who knows where this man will or won’t go. To these people freedom is not just a word in a song. For these people freedom is the most important word in the world — so important that Ukrainians are fighting and dying for it. And it’s so important that Alexei Navalny chose to give his up." Bono then encouraged the crowd to join him in chanting Nalvany's name. “Apparently Putin would never, ever say his name. So I thought tonight, the people who believe in freedom must say his name. Not just remember it, but say it,” the "With or Without You" musician said, as the audience repeated “Alexei Navalny” over the beginning of the Crowded House track. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Larry Mullen Jr., The Edge, Bono and Adam Clayton of U2 perform in 2018 in New York City. Kevin Mazur/Getty Bono Performs at Kyiv Subway Station-Turned-Bomb Shelter: 'A Show of Solidarity' Bono has publicly advocated for the Russian opposition in the past. After receiving an invite from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he and guitarist the Edge performed "Stand By Me" in an underground subway station in Kyiv that became a makeshift bomb shelter amid the Russian invasion. "President @ZelenskyyUa invited us to perform in Kyiv as a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people and so that's what we've come to do," the pair said in a message posted to U2's official Twitter account.