With U2 sidelined by Bono's arm, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots cover 'Desire'

With U2 sidelined by Bono&#039;s arm, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots cover &#039;Desire&#039;

(Image credit: The Tonight Show/YouTube)

last updated 8 January 2015

If Jimmy Fallon can't have U2 on The Tonight Show this week, he'll settle for a cover band. Bono's injured arm prevented the Irish band from performing in residency this week, and on Monday night, Fallon put on a Bono outfit, grabbed a guitar, and did an impressive performance of "Desire" with his own house band, The Roots.

It's a lively rendition, but a little disconcerting: Fallon, 40, is halfway between Bono's age (28) when the album Rattle and Hum came out — "Desire" was the first single — and his age now (54). So the audience got an All That You Can't Leave Behind Bono lookalike performing a Joshua Tree-era song in a Songs of Innocence outfit. Bravo. --Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.