LONDON – Irish band U2 returned to school Friday to put on a surprise class in rock and roll where they formed a half century ago.
The band ripped through a seven-song set including an encore of “With or Without You” for hundreds of students in the schoolyard of Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin. Many fans gathered outside, including construction workers on a nearby building who were lucky enough to hear the music.
“We escaped the lab — how’s the experiment going for you?” Bono joked, pointing to the science classrooms as they started their set.
U2’s journey began 50 years ago when a 14-year-old drummer named Larry Mullen posted a note on a school message board: “Drummer seeks musicians to form band.” This led to the creation of a group known initially as Feedback, which included Bono (Paul Hewson), The Edge (David Evans), and Adam Clayton.
The band’s name would eventually change to U2, and in 1980, they released their first album, “Boy,” featuring the hit “I Will Follow,” the very first song they played for the students.
This 30-minute concert wasn’t as secretive as it may have seemed, with cameras rolling and international media present. A talented group of 32 students joined U2 for their powerful song, “One.”
The performance was part of a promotional campaign for their new album, “Carnaval De Luz,” which includes a duet between Bono and the late Dolly Parton, who passed away from cancer last month.
After the school show, U2 took their music to the streets, performing from a balcony to a crowd of fans on Grafton Street in central Dublin. Students, some peering out from classroom windows, cheered and sang along, capturing the moment on their phones. Many expressed their admiration, shouting, “I love you, Bono!”
Bono thanked the students, adding humorously that they had “nowhere else to go.” When it came time for “Vertigo,” he counted down in Spanish with his signature line: “uno, dos, tres, catorce” (one, two, three, 14), joking, “If you’re taking Spanish lessons, don’t take them from me.”
Reflecting on their school days, Bono shared a heartfelt message about the importance of education, expressing gratitude for the lessons learned at Mount Temple. He noted that it was here they began to understand the value of community support in their journey. “Maybe all we needed was around us, just under our feet — if we could see it in our mates, our wider community that was going to help us get through the next 50 years,” he said. “So we want to thank them — and the wider community around this rock ‘n’ roll high school.”
