U2 perform surprise 50th-anniversary gigs in Dublin, including at the school where they met
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U2 frontman and singer Bono (left) and The Edge (right) performing with the band in June. The Irish rockers had their first rehearsal on Sept 25, 1976, before taking the music world by storm in the 1980s and 1990s.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- U2 celebrated their 50th anniversary with surprise gigs in Dublin, performing at their old school and a city centre cafe to hundreds of fans.
- They debuted their upcoming album Carnaval De Luz, including the new single Silencio and a duet with the late Dolly Parton.
- Fans expressed excitement and nostalgia, marking the band's origin 50 years ago from a school notice seeking musicians to their global rock success.
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DUBLIN – Irish rockers U2 returned to where it all started five decades ago on Sept 25, with surprise 50th-anniversary gigs in central Dublin and at the school where the bandmates met.
They performed at their old stomping grounds, the Mount Temple Comprehensive School, for an audience of hundreds of students, teachers and staff.
Fans later gathered in central Dublin as rumours swirled of a surprise gig at the famous Bewley’s Oriental Cafe, with more than 1,000 people packing into one of the city’s main thoroughfares, singing “Happy Birthday U2”.
The crowd burst into cheers as the band appeared on the balcony of the cafe, playing an hour-long setlist which opened with 1980 hit I Will Follow and included classics like Out Of Control (1979) and With Or Without You (1987).
They also played their new single Silencio, part of their 16th album Carnaval De Luz, announced ahead of the landmark anniversary.
The album, their first offering of new material since 2017’s Songs Of Experience and set to be released on Nov 13, includes a track featuring a duet between U2 frontman and singer Bono, 66, and country music icon Dolly Parton, who died at the age of 80 in August.
The band said the song Torn – which was co-written by Parton, U2 and Irish singer Johnny McDaid – was the American singer’s “last recorded vocal performance”.
Kathrin Schanz, who called herself a lifelong U2 fan, had travelled from Germany to the Irish capital for the anniversary. The 50-year-old said it was “amazing to be here”.
“It was one of their most special concerts ever,” Schanz said of the Dublin city centre performance.
Five decades ago, U2 drummer Larry Mullen, 64, is said to have pinned a handwritten note stating “drummer seeks musicians to form band” on his school noticeboard.
The bandmates – also comprising guitarist The Edge, 65, and bassist Adam Clayton, 66 – had their first rehearsal on Sept 25, 1976, releasing their debut album four years later before taking the world of rock music by storm in the 1980s and 1990s.
Bono opened the 35-minute set at their alma mater by asking: “We’ve escaped from the lab. How’s the experiment going for you?” AFP