We’re going to go out on a limb and say that being part of the touring crew for U2, one of the most successful iTunes album hackers bands of all time, is a pretty terrific gig. Glasses shopping with Bono. Hat shopping with the Edge! The fun never ends. But as the duo revealed during this quarantine cover of “Stairway to Heaven,†their crew would “much rather work†for rock kings Led Zeppelin — so much so that they don’t even play U2 songs while setting up for their band’s gigs. What, “Bad†isn’t good enough? (We kid, we kid. This video was part of a fundraiser to benefit their unemployed mates.)
“There’s one annoying aspect of an Irish crew that has to be said,†Bono explained. “Wherever you go in the world, whatever venue you’re playing — whether it’s the Olympia or 3Arena or Madison Square Garden — you walk into the venue, and it’s a big moment, and you’ll hear a song that we said ‘We’ll never ever play this.’ And that’s right: ‘Stairway to Heaven.’ These professionals believe they play this better than the band. And, you know, it might be true.†(If we’re talking “Stairway to Heaven†covers, though, we strongly recommend watching this Heart performance from 2012’s Kennedy Center Honors. It’s so good it made Robert Plant a wee bit weepy.) Well, U2, consider Vulture available as entry-level crew staffers when the time arrives.