U2 will launch their first stadium tour since 2019 by kicking off the Carnaval De Luz presents: The Greatest Show on Earth tour in Mexico City on February 23rd, 2027, with support from Beck.
Essential Tour and Album Details
- The tour begins in Mexico City on February 23rd, 2027, at Estadio GNP Seguros, followed by dates in São Paulo and Buenos Aires.
- The 16th studio album, Carnaval De Luz, arrives on November 13th, marking the band’s first collection of new material in nine years.
- A U2.com subscriber presale begins on Monday, October 19th, at 10am local time, with general ticket sales following on October 22nd and 23rd.
Stadium Returns and Latin American Itinerary
The upcoming trek marks U2’s first return to a stadium setting since they concluded The Joshua Tree Tour at Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium on December 15th, 2019, after playing to almost 3 million fans worldwide. Between stadium eras, the band performed 40 concerts during a residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas throughout 2023 and 2024. The 2027 itinerary opens with two nights at Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City on February 23rd and 26th. U2 will then travel to São Paulo for shows at Estádio MorumBIS on March 10th and 12th, before concluding the initial Latin American leg with performances at Estadio River Plate in Buenos Aires on March 23rd and 25th. These six dates represent the only Latin American cities the tour will visit next year, with European and North American concerts to be announced in the coming weeks alongside an expected Irish homecoming.
Album Production and Guest Collaborations
The stadium tour supports the release of Carnaval De Luz, U2’s 16th studio album, scheduled for release on November 13th, 2026. Recorded by Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr., the record was helmed by producer Jacknife Lee. The album emerged from the same creative period that produced the band’s 2026 EPs, Days of Ash and Easter Lily. The record features “Torn,” a duet between Bono and the late Dolly Parton, marking Parton’s final recorded vocal performance. The track was co-written by U2, Parton, and Johnny McDaid. Another track, “The Mirror Maker (Rosalía),” is dedicated to the Grammy award-winning Spanish singer Rosalía.
| City | Venue | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico City, Mexico | Estadio GNP Seguros | February 23 & 26, 2027 |
| São Paulo, Brazil | Estádio MorumBIS | March 10 & 12, 2027 |
| Buenos Aires, Argentina | Estadio River Plate | March 23 & 25, 2027 |
Single Releases and Visuals
Alongside the tour announcement, U2 released the album’s third single, “The Greatest Show on Earth,” co-written by the band and Brian Eno. The track features Bono singing over elegiac, juddering guitars by The Edge. An accompanying music video, directed by Anton Corbijn and filmed in the California desert, portrays the band as a religious cult where women do all the heavy lifting. The song follows earlier album previews “Street of Dreams” and “Silencio.”
Larry Mullen Jr. and Tour Preparation
The rigorous demands of a stadium tour come after drummer Larry Mullen jnr was forced to sit out the band’s Las Vegas Sphere shows due to a neck injury that almost forced his retirement. Following surgery in Dublin, Mullen undertook a recovery process that required relearning his drumming technique. In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, Mullen stated that he will assess his fitness level night by night on the road. “Even if I can’t play for 2½ hours, if I can play for an hour, that’s enough,” he said. The tour announcement follows recent celebrations of the band’s 50th anniversary, which included surprise pop-up performances in Dublin at Mount Temple Comprehensive School and on Grafton Street.
