U2 celebrates 50th anniversary with surprise Dublin performances

To mark their 50th anniversary, the Irish rock band U2 performed two surprise concerts in Dublin on September 25, 2026. The band, consisting of Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr., returned to Mount Temple Comprehensive School, the location where the group originally formed in 1976 following a handwritten recruitment notice posted by Mullen.

The schoolyard performance drew approximately 1,000 students and staff. The setlist included classics such as ‘I Will Follow’, ‘Vertigo’, ‘Beautiful Day’, and ‘With or Without You’, as well as the debut of their new single, ‘Silencio’. During the performance of ‘One’, the band was joined by young musicians from the Music Generation educational program.

Following the school appearance, the band held a second impromptu concert on the balcony of Bewley’s Café on Grafton Street for a large crowd of fans. These celebrations coincide with the upcoming release of their 16th studio album, ‘Carnaval De Luz’, scheduled for November. The anniversary has also prompted renewed public discussion in Ireland regarding the band's cultural legacy and past controversies, including their 2014 digital album distribution with Apple.