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At a Bob Dylan anniversary concert in October 1992, Kris Kristofferson went to Sinéad O’Connor as the crowd booed her and offered encouragement. O’Connor then sang Bob Marley’s “War” a cappella. The moment came amid the fallout from her recent Saturday Night Live protest.
What happened at the Bob Dylan concert?
O’Connor appeared at the October 1992 Bob Dylan anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden, where she faced sustained booing. The controversy followed her Saturday Night Live appearance, during which she tore up a photograph of Pope John Paul II. RTÉ describes that controversy as the backdrop to the concert incident; the reporting does not establish that every person in the audience was booing for the same reason. RTÉ’s retrospective account and contemporaneous coverage describe the episode.
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A Drew University student newspaper account says O’Connor was expected to sing “I Believe in You” but sang “War” instead. She performed Marley’s song a cappella. Accounts vary in which moments they emphasize, so the planned-song detail is best understood as that paper’s account rather than a complete second-by-second record. The Los Angeles Times’ contemporaneous coverage also reports on the concert.
What did Kris Kristofferson say to Sinéad O’Connor?
The Washington Post reported that Kristofferson approached O’Connor and told her, “Don’t let the bastards get you down.” The newspaper attributed the reply “I’m not down” to O’Connor. These are the newspaper’s reported quotations, not independently authenticated transcript excerpts. Read the contemporaneous Washington Post account.
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Why did Kristofferson defend her?
In a 2009 interview with The Irish Times, Kristofferson said his own experience of being booed in country music settings helped him recognize what O’Connor was facing. Recalling being shunned and booed by “patriot types” during his career, he said he knew how to advise her: “don’t let those bastards ever get you down.” This was his later explanation, not a comment reported from the stage in 1992. Read the interview in The Irish Times.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How did the concert moment connect to “Sister Sinéad”?
Kristofferson later wrote “Sister Sinéad” in response to O’Connor. The song appeared on his 2009 album Closer to the Bone, according to The Irish Times. It is a later musical response, distinct from his brief encouragement at the Madison Square Garden concert. The Irish Times interview discusses the song.
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