It's the final Late Late Show of the unprecedented year that has been 2020, and this Friday night is a very special one with The Late Late Show Busk for Simon.
Ten years ago, Glen Hansard first took to Grafton Street with an ensemble of well-known musician friends to raise money for Ireland's homeless, a tradition that Glen has kept going since. This year, the traditional Christmas Eve busk cannot take place in Dublin city centre, but The Late Late Show will be bringing the magic of that Grafton Street evening directly into viewer's homes in aid of the Simon Community.
U2's Bono and The Edge will perform on the night, pledging their support for Glen and the Simon Community, as will a cast of Ireland's top musical talent including Imelda May, Hozier, John Sheahan, Finbar Furey, Shane MacGowan, Danny O'Reilly, Roisin O, Declan O'Rourke, Lisa O'Neill, and Kodaline's Steve Garrigan and many more.
The evening will be filled with special performances as well as stories and chat about memories of the busk from down the years, and the enduring importance of the work of the Simon Community, especially this Christmas.
"This will certainly be a night to remember with the best of Irish talent in one room coming together for some incredible performances," Ryan Tubridy said.
"In return, our friends here are asking viewers to dig deep to donate to the Simon Community and to help our brothers and our sisters who are currently homeless to get off the streets, to be safe, to be warm, to be treated with dignity and decency and ultimately to get the type of secure housing that everyone deserves."
During the show, Grafton Street Busk veteran Imelda May will join from London for a spellbinding performance of On Raglan Road, with John Sheahan, Finbar Furey, Lisa O'Neill, Glen Hansard, and Shane MacGowan joining in from The Late Late Show studio.
Ryan will also interview special guest Philip Powell, who was staying in a hostel when he struck up a friendship with Glen Hansard and became a staple performer of the Grafton Street busk. Philip will speak of his experiences of being homeless on and off for two decades.
Bono and The Edge will perform a beautiful acoustic version of U2's Walk On, as well as lead a special Christmas number for viewers, and chat to Ryan about their experiences with the busk, the power of music to carry people through, and life off the road from the band.
All of this, plus more, on The Late Late Show Busk for Simon on RTÉ One Friday, December 18 at 9:35pm.
