sombr had a very special St. Patrick’s Day eve surprise in store for his fans at Dublin’s 3Arena on Monday night (March 16) when he was joined by Cranberries guitarist Noel Hogan and bassist Mike Hogan on stage. The “Back to Friends” singer invited the founding members of the Irish band to perform the group’s biggest hit, 1993’s Billboard Hot 100 No. 8 “Linger.”
Wearing a bright green blouse with ruffled cuffs unbuttoned to his navel and black trousers, the singer crooned the song’s iconic, longing refrain, “You know I’m such a fool for you/ You got me wrapped around your finger/ Do you have to let it linger?/ Do you have to, do you have to, do you have to let it linger?” while Noel Hogan played the track’s hypnotic guitar part.
The Cranberries formed in Limerick, Ireland in 1989 and went on hiatus in 2003 before reuniting in 2009 and releasing their sixth studio album, Roses, in February 2012. They canceled a planned 2017 European and North American tour citing singer Dolores O’Riordan’s health issues and broke up permanently in 2018 following the tragic death of O’Riordan, 46, who accidentally drowned due to alcohol intoxication in her hotel room’s bathtub in January 2018.
sombr, 20, made news last month when he was seemingly rushed by a man as he performed his hit song “Undressed” at the BRIT Awards, with the unnamed intruder pushing the singer off his platform in a shocking incident that confused the audience. Security appeared to quickly apprehend the man and escorted him away as sombr returned to the mic and completed the performance. The set continued when the glittery backdrop fell to reveal his full band, who deftly broke into somber’s chart-topping “Back to Friends,” which hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s Pop Airplay chart earlier this year.
Considering the man was wearing a shirt that read “Sombr is a Homewrecker,” some fans were left wondering if the entire thing was set up. Afterward, a rep for sombr (born Shane Michael Boose) confirmed that the incident was a staged part of the show.
Check out sombr performing “Linger” with the Hogans below.
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