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On September 25, 2026, U2 took a heartfelt journey back to their roots, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moment it all began. It was on that day in 1976 when drummer Larry Mullen Jr. first posted a simple note at Dublin’s Mount Temple High School: “drummer seeks musicians to form band.” That small step sparked the legendary career of one of rock’s most enduring bands.
To mark this milestone, Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. returned to their old school for a special performance in front of current students, faculty, and even their former religious education teacher. The band made a memorable entrance to Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out,” a playful nod to their past, before launching into a set that spanned their career-from early hits like “I Will Follow” and “Out of Control” to classics like “Vertigo” and “Beautiful Day.”
Bono took a moment to honor Mullen as “the man who pinned the note on the noticeboard” and paid tribute to Reverend Jack Heaslip, the school chaplain who supported the band as their spiritual advisor on tour for many years. With his trademark humor, Bono joked with the students, “Thanks for showing up. I suppose you’d nowhere else to go.”
The emotional highlight came during a stirring rendition of “One,” where teenage musicians from the Music Generation program-an initiative co-funded by U2-joined the band on stage, adding harp, violin, and viola to the performance.
Looking forward, U2 used the occasion to debut “Silencio,” a new track from their upcoming album Carnaval de Luz, set to release on November 13. This marks their first album of original material in nine years and features a poignant finale with “Torn,” showcasing the final vocal performance by the late Dolly Parton.
From humble beginnings in a Dublin kitchen to global superstardom, and now a return to the very place where it all started, U2’s journey is a testament to the power of that first step.