The band U2 ended a concert in Berlin on Saturday partway through its performance after its lead singer, Bono, said he had lost his voice. The band had just finished playing the song “Beautiful Day,” with Bono visibly struggling to belt out the lyrics, when he halted the concert, apologized to the audience and said the band “cannot go on.” In a statement released after the show, which was part of the band’s European Experience + Innocence tour that is set to run through November, the band apologized. “Bono was in great form and great voice prior to the show and we were all looking forward to the second night in Berlin, but after a few songs, he suffered a complete loss of voice,” the statement said.<doc-sep>Associated Press BERLIN – The Irish rock band U2 has cancelled a concert in Berlin after singer Bono lost his voice during the performance. The band said on its website late Saturday that, “Bono was in great form and great voice prior to the show … but after a few songs he suffered a complete loss of voice.” U2 said “we don’t know what has happened and we are taking medical advice.” The German news agency dpa reported Sunday that Bono still managed to perform the song “Beautiful Day” with the help of the audience at Berlin’s Mercedes-Benz Arena and then disappeared backstage. Concert-goers were first told that there would be a short break before eventually being informed that the show was over and they should keep their tickets for a replacement performance.<doc-sep>If you break a guitar string or bust a drumstick in half, that's a pretty quick and easy fix for a live performer ā just grab a replacement. If you lose your voice and singing is your entire job, that's a whole different story. During a concert in Berlin on Saturday night, U2 cut its set short after just five songs when lead singer Bono's voice became noticeably strained. Bono was apologetic when he told the audience that he couldn't go on and said he was going to take a short break to find out what happened to his voice, as seen in the video below. U2 playing in Berlin, Bono has lost his voice after just a couple of songs - show paused, but likely to be cancelled pic.twitter.com/CdcJE9FIqg ā EFTM : š» + š + š· (@EFTM) September 1, 2018 As you can hear in the video, he has a hard time talking, let alone singing. The break wasn't enough for Bono to recover and the show unfortunately had to be canceled. In a statement later, the band apologized to fans. "We don't know what has happened and we're taking medical advice," the statement reads. "As always, we appreciate our audience's understanding and all our fans' support in Berlin and those who travelled from afar. We will update you very soon." Saturday's show was just the second in U2's European tour, which is set to resume on Tuesday with two shows in Cologne and continue across the continent until November. With any luck, Bono's voice will return before then, but if not there may be more cancellations to come.<doc-sep>U2 frontman Bono has been forced to cancel a Berlin gig just four songs in to the show after losing his voice. A statement posted on the band's website apologised to fans, saying: "We're so sorry for tonight's cancellation. "Bono was in great form and great voice prior to the show and we were all looking forward to the second night in Berlin, but after a few songs, he suffered a complete loss of voice. "We don't know what has happened and we're taking medical advice." Actress and activist Ashley Judd who was in the audience at the time posted a short video of Bono performing, before his voice failed him. Advertisement The power of #bono voice before it surprised him in #Berlin and left him abruptly...he was singing his guts out (per usual). @u2 @U2eiTour The crowd so felt for him as he with surrender was obviously powerless and vulnerable. He’s real and he’s human, too, like we all are. pic.twitter.com/f0Tl3hhuA2 — ashley judd (@AshleyJudd) September 1, 2018 Judd wrote: "The crowd so felt for him as he with surrender was obviously powerless and vulnerable. He's real and he's human, too, like we all are." In another clip, posted by Irish fan Mark McCarthy who was also in the audience, Bono can be heard telling the crowd: "I've lost my voice… I don't know what to do. I could sing like a bird about 10 minutes ago… I'm sure it will pass." Comparing the stage smoke to that of a cigar, and asking for the machine to be turned off, he went on to jokingly compare himself with "one of those poncy people who needs perfect conditions to sing". He then went on to sing Beautiful Day, but was audibly struggling. While singing the song Red Flag Day, Bono's voice continued to deteriorate. At this point he is said to have halted the show, telling fans another gig would be arranged. It was the band's second show in Berlin's Mercedes-Benz Arena on the European leg of their Experience + Innocence tour. The band is due to perform a sold out show in Cologne on Tuesday in Lanxess Arena, according to their website. A new date for the cancelled gig is yet to be announced.<doc-sep>
U2 have apologised for cancelling a concert after Bono lost his voice. The Irish band were playing in Berlin on Saturday but had to stop after only a few songs as their lead singer struggled on stage. The band said in a statement: “We’re so sorry for tonight’s cancellation. Bono was in great form and great voice prior to the show, and we were all looking forward to the second night in Berlin, but after a few songs, he suffered a complete loss of voice. “We don’t know what has happened and we’re taking medical advice. As always, we appreciate our audience’s understanding and all our fans’ support in Berlin and those who travelled from afar. We will update you very soon.” The statement, shared on the band’s official website, was signed by Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr and the Edge. Bono, 58, had halted the gig and told fans: “I think we can’t go on, it’s not right for you.” The singer, whose real name is Paul Hewson, said he thought it was not a “big, big problem”. The American actor Ashley Judd was at the concert and shared a clip of Bono singing before his voice cut out. She wrote: “The power of #bono voice before it surprised him in #Berlin and left him abruptly … he was singing his guts out (per usual).” Judd added that “the crowd so felt for him” and he was “obviously powerless and vulnerable”. “He’s real and he’s human, too, like we all are,” she said. The band were performing in Berlin on their Experience and Innocence tour and are next scheduled to play in Cologne on Tuesday.