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U2 returned to Dublin’s Mount Temple Comprehensive School to mark the 50th anniversary of the band’s formation, performing on the same school grounds where they first began their musical journey.
“We’ve escaped from the lab,” frontman Bono told pupils as the quartet took to a stage in the playground, according to the BBC. “How’s the experiment working for you?”
The students welcomed the band with handmade signs, including “I love U2”, “It’s a beautiful day - no school” and “Bono, my mum says hi!” U2 performed seven songs, including “I Will Follow”, “Vertigo”, “Beautiful Day”, “Out of Control”, “Silencio”, “One” and “With or Without You”.
U2’s story began at Mount Temple
The band’s origins date back to September 1976, when 14-year-old Larry Mullen Jr posted a handwritten notice on the school’s bulletin board seeking musicians.
Auditions took place two days later in Mullen’s parents’ kitchen. Among those who attended were Bono, The Edge and Adam Clayton. The group initially performed under the names Feedback and The Hype before becoming U2.
The band played its first concert at a school talent competition, covering Peter Frampton’s “Show Me the Way” and the Bay City Rollers’ “Bye Bye Baby”. They later developed their sound through dozens of performances at Dublin’s McGonagles venue.
Looking back on the early days, Mullen said his father had encouraged him to form a band after becoming frustrated with his son playing drums alone. Bono joked that the suggestion had resulted in the other three members joining Mullen.
Bono becomes emotional on anniversary stage
As Bono looked out from the stage where U2 made their debut, he became emotional and briefly struggled to find the words to address the pupils.
He thanked Mount Temple for supporting the band and said the encouragement of its teachers had helped them understand that what they needed might already be “around us, just under our feet”. He also dedicated the performance to school counsellor Jack Heaslip, who later travelled with the band as a pastor and died from motor neurone disease in 2015.
The concert ended with an orchestral version of “One”, performed with students from Ireland’s Music Generation education programme, which U2 helped establish and fund 15 years ago.
Band announces 16th studio album
Earlier in the day, U2 announced their 16th studio album, “Carnaval de Luz”, due for release in November. The record follows the “Days of Ash” EP, released in February, and the “Easter Lily” EP, released in April.
The Edge described the new album as “a messy, provocative, sacred collection of songs”, while Bono promised “loud guitars, deep bass and ecstatic rhythms”.
The album’s 12th and final track, “Torn”, was co-written by Dolly Parton and was described as a country song about broken family ties with wider implications.
