U2 honoured the Pike River miners during the song One Tree Hill.

Two of music's biggest acts paid tribute to the Pike River miners at a sold out Mt Smart Stadium on Thursday night.

There was little doubt that a band with the social conscience of U2 would acknowledge the tragedy, even during the entertainment behemoth that is their 360 tour.

"People have ways of dealing with grief, in Ireland we sing," said charismatic front man Bono before an emotional version of Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For.

They followed that with local favourite One Tree Hill as the names of the 29 dead scrolled down the massive screen at Mt Smart Stadium on Thursday night.

Earlier, hiphop mogul Jay Z dedicated Forever Young to the miners as he said "they will always be in our hearts and they will always be forever young".

Those were two moving moments in an otherwise upbeat night as U2 returned to New Zealand after an absence of exactly four years.

TRIBUTE: U2 honoured the Pike River miners during the song One Tree Hill.

In a show of more than 20 songs there was a run through their catalogue of hits including Beautiful Day, Elevation, Vertigo, Sunday Bloody Sunday, One and With or Without You.

They were interspersed with new songs like Magnificent and Get On Your Boots off their uneven 2009 album No Line on the Horizon.

- http://www.stuff.co.nz

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