Bono and The Edge: Tiny Desk Concert

I was a bit busy in March, so I missed this wonderful Tiny Desk Concert.

Catching up now -

Robin Hilton | March 17, 2023 It's hard to overstate the kindness and good-natured humor Bono and The Edge brought to the Tiny Desk. When they first arrived at the NPR Music offices, Bono spoke on an imaginary phone, "The talent's here! The talent's coming through," poking fun at their own fame, while carrying The Edge's guitar. (The Edge called Bono the best roadie he's ever had.) The two never stopped beaming, like two overjoyed newcomers thrilled at the chance to play for someone. The performance was a preview of U2's new album, Songs Of Surrender, featuring stripped-down versions of songs from across the band's catalog. To help pull off several reimagined songs from the 2000 album All That You Can't Leave Behind, Bono and The Edge invited a teen choir from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C., to join them. During rehearsals, Bono told the students to think of "Beautiful Day" as the kind of "post-drinking" singalong you'd bellow with friends after leaving a bar. He then quickly realized none of them are old enough to drink, before feigning a heart attack. Traveling without bassist Adam Clayton or drummer Larry Mullen Jr., Bono and The Edge made the trip from Ireland to the States specifically for the Tiny Desk, arriving in D.C. after five days of rehearsals at Bono's New York apartment. When they settled in for the performance, they treated the office to four songs, including a deeply emotional version of "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of," written for the late INXS singer Michael Hutchence, and a reworked version of "Walk On," which Bono said was inspired by and dedicated to the people of Ukraine. SET LIST "Beautiful Day" "In a Little While" "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" "Walk On" MUSICIANS Bono: vocals The Edge: guitar, vocals Duke Ellington School of the Arts Choir: Petra Munter, Ayan Yacob, Kirsten Holmes, Jayla Norwood, Dyor Taylor, Jaylyn Pickney, Jevon Skipper, Joshua Jennings, Jordan Freeman Patrick Lundy: choir director Special thanks to: Sandi Logan (principal/HOS), Isaac Daniel (assistant principal) TINY DESK TEAM Producer: Bob Boilen Director: Joshua Bryant Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin Series Producer: Bobby Carter Editor: Maia Stern Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Sofia Seidel, Michael Zamora Audio Assistant: Alex Drewenskus Production Assistant: Jill Britton Tiny Desk Team: Suraya Mohamed, Marissa Lorusso, Hazel Cills, Ashley Pointer, Pilar Galván VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann #nprmusic #tinydesk #u2 #bono #theedge

Trina: Tiny Desk Concert

From NPR: "As a rapper, Trina has been pushing P since before her successors were even sitting up in Pampers and her wild ride of a Tiny Desk concert, 25 years after making her rap debut, only further proves why she is the blueprint.

Decked out in leather, diamonds and a wavy jet-black bussdown, the vet got comfortable behind the Desk quickly, ready to give fans the best of her sprawling discography. Trina temporarily fought back tears as she recited "Mama," a dedication to her late mother who died of cancer in 2019. The crew made the breakup anthem "Here We Go" feel even more aching. The energy in the space made a seismic shift when the band took on the bass-bumpin' classic "Da Baddest Bitch," infusing the live arrangement with nimble guitar, charismatic drums and background vocalists so entertaining, their delivery felt like epic narration from the chorus of an ancient Greek play or, just as epically, a group homegirls hyping up their friend at the function. In the middle of it all was the 305 Queen herself, killing her verses with breath control, authority and bougie hair flips.

"I believe in who I am. The game didn't make me; I made the game. I made it," the Diamond Princess declared in her Louder Than A Riot interview before recording this Tiny Desk concert. "I already came in with a motive and an initiative to know who I am from. That's why I breed a whole universe of bad bitches." To hear Trina's full interview, subscribe to NPR Music's Louder Than A Riot podcast."

SET LIST

"Mama"

"Da Baddest Bitch"

"Single Again"

"Here We Go" 

"Nann N****"

MUSICIANS

Trina: vocals

Bigg D: guitar

Alton Coley: bass

Jon Anderson: drums

Cory Irvin: keys

Asher Makeba Williams: vocals

Nia McClain: vocals

Shannon McClain: vocals

Corey "C.O." Evans: vocals

TINY DESK TEAM

Producers: Bobby Carter, Sidney Madden

Director: Maia Stern

Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin 

Editor: Joshua Bryant

Creative Director: Bob Boilen 

Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Sofia Seidel

Audio Assistant: Neil Tevault 

Production Assistants: Jill Britton, Alanté Serene

Tiny Desk Team: Suraya Mohamed, Maia Stern, Marissa Lorusso, Hazel Cills, Ashley Pointer, Pilar Galván

VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#NPRMusic #TinyDesk #Trina

Brittany Howard's Tiny Desk concert

Alabama Shake's Brittany Howard's gritty storytelling is in full force in her Tiny Desk concert.

SET LIST "Stay High" "Georgia" "Baby" "Goat Head"
MUSICIANS Brittany Howard: vocals, guitar; Nate Smith: drums; Alex Chakour: guitar; Brad Allen Williams: guitar; Zac Cockrell: bass; Lloyd Buchanan: keys; Paul Horton: keys; Shanay Johnson: vocals; Karita Law: vocals CREDITS Producers: Bob Boilen, Morgan Noelle Smith; Creative Director: Bob Boilen; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Noelle Smith, Kara Frame, Beck Harlan, CJ Riculan; Associate Producer: Bobby Carter; Executive Producer: Lauren Onkey; VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann; Photo: Laura Beltran Villamizar/NPR