Nobody was ready for the unexpected death of Dolores O’Riordan earlier this year. Her band The Cranberries were in the middle of recording new music for an upcoming release, and a recently released phone message from O’Riordan the night of her death shows that she was in good spirits and keen to record the next day. In the days and weeks after her death we’ve seen tributes of all kinds from across the musical spectrum and now Canadian superstars Arcade Fire have done their own tribute to the late singer with a cover of The Cranberries song “Linger” from their show in Dublin earlier tonight.
It’s a rousing acoustic interpretation of the Irish bands hit single which leads directly into their own song “Everything Now.” Paying tribute to hometown heroes has become something of a trend lately with musicians like Lorde doing a cover of a local legends song at every stop on her tour. While the cynical minded might say it’s an easy way to ingratiate yourself with an audience, this solo rendition By Ward Butler –who encouraged the audience to sing along– had a supernatural, almost hymnal feel to it.
Dolores made personal music, political music, and wrote songs that managed to touch a generation. It’s heartening to know an arena full of people are keeping her energy alive through the music she made.
