THE Irish rock band U2 have been criticised for going ahead with the Scottish leg of their worldwide PopMart tour at Murrayfield stadium in Edinburgh last night as the country mourned the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Lothian and Borders Police reported major traffic congestion around the stadium as an estimated 50,000 people flocked to see the band.
The had group paid their own tribute to the princess at their last show in their native Dublin on Sunday, when they lit up a giant video screen with a picture of Diana, accompanied by lead singer Bono's rendition of a few emotive lines from the song MLK, originally written as a tribute to Martin Luther King.
The decision not to cancel the only Scottish date brought condemnation from the deputy leader of the city council, Ms Susan Dalgety.
Ms Dalgety, who had tickets for the show but said she would not be using them, said: ''I think it's disrespectful. It would have captured the mood of the city and the country if they had postponed the show.''
She said the open-air nature of the show ensured it would also encroach on grieving citizens around the city.
The associate minister of nearby Murrayfield Parish Church, the Rev Bill Taylor, said the decision to proceed was out of step with the sombre mood of the nation.
However, the Catholic Church maintained that cancellation was not the solution. Spokesman Father Tom Connelly said: ''Young people can say their prayer and then go to the concert. If people are saying a prayer then that's what's important.''
Local MP Donald Gorrie said it had been up to individuals to decide. ''I don't think I would be included in demands that it be cancelled.''
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