The global elites of U2 are at it again.
From behind the gates of their multimillion-dollar estates — protected by private security, surveillance systems, and the very rule of law they now question — the Irish rock band has released a six-track EP titled Days of Ash. Its opening track, “American Obituary,” is a melodramatic tribute to Renee Good, the Minnesota woman fatally shot by a federal agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.
Frontman Bono delivers lines dripping with theatrical grief, framing the shooting as symbolic of a fallen America. He calls the track “a song of fury” and “a song of grief,” lamenting what he describes as the death of an America that would have at least launched an inquiry.
Let’s pause.
U2 — one of the wealthiest bands in the world — is lecturing Americans about law enforcement while living in fortified compounds, surrounded by armed guards, and benefiting from the very systems that keep their own families safe.
It’s the same tired script from the Woke Music Machine: condemn ICE, condemn law enforcement, inflame public distrust — all while enjoying the insulation of unimaginable wealth.
The band follows in the footsteps of fellow rock icon Bruce Springsteen, who has also lashed out at Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Apparently, when you’ve sold hundreds of millions of records and own multiple estates, it’s easy to demand that federal officers “get out” of cities you don’t actually live in.
Bono insists the song calls for peace. But the framing — complete with emotionally charged lyrics and pointed commentary about law enforcement credibility — feels less like healing and more like gasoline on an already volatile national debate.
Here’s what makes the spectacle so absurd: the same celebrities who denounce ICE would be the first to demand immediate protection if protesters showed up at their gates. They rely on the structure, security, and order that law enforcement provides — they just don’t want to acknowledge it.
If U2 truly wants to write songs of grief, perhaps they should start by acknowledging the complexity of dangerous law enforcement encounters instead of reducing them to poetic slogans.
America doesn’t need more millionaire musicians moralizing from mansions.
It needs facts. It needs accountability on all sides. And it needs less celebrity-driven hysteria disguised as art.
The Woke Music Machine strikes again — and once again, it’s completely out of touch.
"U2 Concert - Bono" by Anirudh Koul is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
