U2 marked their 50th anniversary with a surprise concert at the Dublin school where the band was formed, before appearing on a balcony above Grafton Street to perform for hundreds of fans.
The Irish rock group returned to Mount Temple Comprehensive School on Friday, exactly 50 years after drummer Larry Mullen Jnr put a note on the school notice board asking fellow students if they wanted to join a band.
The concert took place on the school grounds, including outside the building where the group was photographed in 1977. U2 performed “I Will Follow”, their first hit from their debut album, Boy, released three years later.
Lead singer Bono joked to Ireland’s national broadcaster RTÉ that guitarist The Edge had been concerned the pupils might not like the performance.
“But they can’t ask for their money back,” Bono said. “Because it’s free.”
The Edge also reflected on the contrast between the group’s early performances and their return to the school. “I think we were good. I think the sound was better this time, is my sense, and I was more in tune,” he said.
The set included “Vertigo”, “Beautiful Day”, “With or Without You” and “Silencio”. U2 finished with “One”, joined by music students playing violins, cellos and harps.
U2 surprise Dublin crowd with second performance
Several hours later, rumours of another free concert drew a crowd to Grafton Street, one of Dublin’s main pedestrian thoroughfares and a well-known spot for buskers.
The band appeared on the first-floor balcony of Bewley’s Café and played “I Will Follow”, “Out of Control”, “One”, “Where the Streets Have No Name”, “Silencio” and “With or Without You”.
They also paid tribute to Irish songwriter Glen Hansard, who died in July and had a long association with Grafton Street. U2 performed “Falling Slowly”, the song Hansard wrote and performed with Markéta Irglová for the film Once.
U2’s next album, Carnaval de Luz, is due to be released in November and includes a track co-written and performed with American singer Dolly Parton.
