U2 return to Dublin school playground for 50th anniversary show
Fifty years after a note on a school noticeboard started U2, the band went back to play the playground.
U2 returned to Mount Temple High School in Dublin for a career-spanning gig in the playground to mark the 50th anniversary of the band's formation, as reported by Rolling Stone. The playground became a stage. The set mixed early material with new music ahead of an album due in November.
The story began at the same school. Drummer Larry Mullen Jr pinned a "drummer seeks musicians" notice on the noticeboard there 50 years ago. That advert brought together Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Mullen, the four members who still make up the band. U2 was formed in Dublin in 1976.
The anniversary set opened with "I Will Follow". The band also played "Vertigo" and "Beautiful Day" alongside "Out Of Control" from 1979. That last song comes from U2 3, their debut EP, a short record longer than a single but shorter than an album.
New music sat at the centre of the night. U2 gave the first live performance of "Silencio", described as a single, an individual song released on its own. The track is the second song on Carnaval De Luz and was already out when the band announced the album on 24 September, according to U2.com.
One song brought other musicians on stage. The performance of "One" featured teenage harpists, violinists and viola players. They learned through the Music Generation programme, which the band co-funds.
Carnaval De Luz will be released on 13 November, the band has confirmed. It is their 16th studio album, a full-length collection of new recordings, and their first album of new songs in nine years, according to Stereogum. The 12-track album was produced by Garret "Jacknife" Lee. It closes with "Torn" featuring Dolly Parton's final vocal performance.
There was a familiar face in the crowd. Reverend Jack Heaslip worked at Mount Temple before becoming U2's chaplain and spiritual adviser on tour.
For fans, this means the next chapter started where the first one did. An old school playground held songs from across five decades and the first public airing of what comes next.
