U2 play surprise gig at their old Dublin school for 50th anniversary

U2 played a surprise show in the playground of Mount Temple school in Dublin on 25 September 2026, marking 50 years since Larry Mullen Jr. pinned a note on the school noticeboard looking for bandmates. According to Consequence, the audience was 1,000 students and staff, and the band walked on to Alice Cooper's “School's Out.”

The set included “I Will Follow,” “Vertigo,” “Beautiful Day,” “Out of Control” and “With Or Without You.” The school also hosted the first live performance of the new single “Silencio,” from the album “Carnaval De Luz.” For “One,” the band were joined by 32 young string players from the Music Generation programme.

The album, U2's first full set of new songs since 2017, is due on 13 November via Interscope Records. Rolling Stone reports it was produced by Garret “Jacknife” Lee and closes with “Torn,” featuring Dolly Parton's final vocal performance.