U2 teamed up with long-time producer Brian Eno to showcase upcoming tracks from their new album Carnaval De Luz during a surprise, intimate concert recorded inside The South Tank at London’s Tate Modern for the BBC, nme.com reported.
The problem is this. While stadium tours and multi-billion-dollar venues like Las Vegas’s Sphere have defined the band’s recent live footprint, this particular session scaled everything down to an art-gallery basement. Noel Gallagher, Mayor Sadiq Khan, and director Richard Curtis watched from the room as the band ran through rare cuts and fresh material.
- The surprise one-off performance took place on November 3 inside the underbelly of the Tate Modern Museum.
- The setlist featured the first airing of ‘The Unforgettable Fire’ since 2018, alongside new tracks ahead of the album release.
- BBC Two and BBC Radio 2 will broadcast the recorded concert in late November, paired with new band interviews.
Introduced by Jo Whiley against a pre-recorded backdrop of Brian Eno’s 360-degree artwork 77 Million Paintings, Bono opened the night by shouting out fans sitting on beanbags at the front. The band immediately launched into ‘The Unforgettable Fire’, marking its first live performance since 2018. They followed with 1984 classic ‘Bad’, working in lyrics from The Rolling Stones’ ‘Ruby Tuesday’ much like their historic Live Aid performance in 1985, nme.com reported.
Bono told the crowd it was a privilege to play the venue, noting that late artist Louise Bourgeois first opened the space in 2000 with a giant spider sculpture. He also recalled visiting Bourgeois at her Chelsea home with Irish whiskey, an encounter that inspired him to sing hymns like ‘Amazing Grace’.
The intimate gig served as a launchpad for material from their upcoming record Carnaval De Luz, set for release on November 13. The band debuted the rocky new track ‘Can’t Stop Us Now’, which features an upbeat chorus and a vocal trade-off between Bono and guitarist The Edge towards the end, nme.com reported.
Later in the evening, they played ‘COEXIST (I Will Bless The Lord At All Times?)’ from their recent Easter Lily EP, another song produced by Eno.
The main set culminated in a performance of ‘Beautiful Day’ that prompted the frontman to jump into the audience. Bono then brought Eno up on stage for the final closer, ‘With Or Without You’, leading the room in a football chant celebrating the producer’s surname.
The entire Tate Modern session will air on BBC Two in late November as part of a dedicated evening of programming. BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds will broadcast the audio portion on Monday, November 30, between 7 pm and 9 pm, featuring fresh interviews with the band members, nme.com reported.
Following these broadcasts, the specials will become accessible on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds. The group will also appear on Vernon Kay’s Radio 2 show for Tracks of My Years, where they will pick ten songs that soundtracked their lives and careers.
The release of Carnaval De Luz on November 13 marks the band’s first full-length collection of brand-new material since 2017’s Songs Of Experience. Looking further ahead, U2 will take the new music on the road for ‘The Greatest Show On Earth’ world stadium tour in 2027, which includes a string of summer dates at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
