U2 marked the 50th anniversary of their formation on September 25, 2025, by returning to Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin for a surprise pop-up concert. Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. performed for around 1,000 students and staff in the school yard, exactly half a century after a 14-year-old Mullen pinned a notice to a school bulletin board looking for musicians.
Return to Mount Temple Comprehensive School
The anniversary homecoming took place at 2 p.m. on Friday, September 25, 2025, at Mount Temple Comprehensive on the Malahide Road on Dublin’s northside, where the founding members first gathered on September 25, 1976. As students gathered in the yard, Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” played over the loudspeakers before the band took to a stage rigged up on top of a porta-cabin. The quartet last played an official gig at the location in 1978.
Opening with “I Will Follow,” the band delivered a compact set featuring “Vertigo,” “Beautiful Day,” “Out of Control”—which originally appeared on their 1979 release U2-3—and the live debut of their new garage rock single “Silencio.” During the performance, Bono addressed the students from the stage, pointing to the nearby science lab and reflecting on the band’s origins. The band also welcomed young musicians from the educational NGO Music Generation to join them on stage for a rendition of “One,” and closed the school set with “With or Without You.”
Grafton Street Rooftop Performance
Following the afternoon appearance at Mount Temple, the anniversary celebrations moved to Dublin city centre. Later that evening, U2 brought Grafton Street to a halt with an impromptu rooftop performance from the balcony of Bewley’s Hotel. Thousands of spectators gathered below as the band performed a sprawling set that included “I Will Follow,” “Out of Control,” “One,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’M Looking For”—interwoven with a rendition of “Molly Malone”—”With or Without You,” “Silencio,” “All I Want Is You,” “Falling Slowly” (sung by The Edge in tribute to the late Glen Hansard), “Beautiful Day,” “Vertigo,” and “40,” which featured The Edge and Adam Clayton swapping instruments.
The dual surprise performances coincided with the announcement of the band’s first full-length album of new material in nine years. Titled Carnaval De Luz and produced by Jacknife Lee, the 12-track project is scheduled for release on November 13, 2025, and features a collaboration with Dolly Parton on a duet with Bono.
Related reading