U2 Celebrate Brian Eno With Secret Show at London’s Tate Museum: Best Moments

Playfully called the “fish tank” by Bono, the concrete structure appeared fairly unassuming as lucky punters and industry bigwigs – including Noel Gallagher and Lily Allen – filtered into the seated venue; Fine art students, invited from local colleges and schools, lounged on beanbags at the foot of the stage. The room’s bare walls were brought to life by Brian Eno, a close collaborator integral to the band’s story, who produced their best-selling LPs The Joshua Tree (1987) and Achtung Baby (1991), among others.

Eno’s impressionistic work 77 Million Paintings was projected onto the walls, filling the room with an ever-changing backdrop of soft, vibrant colours and playful squiggles. Developed in 2006, the generative software randomly combines different shades and shapes to create something completely unique with every transition. “We’re here to celebrate the work of Brian tonight,” Bono said, frequently returning to acknowledge an irreplaceable collaborator; each of the songs performed on the night was produced by Eno.

U2 has a number of undroppable songs on its usual setlist — take your pick! — but “Bad” had surprisingly been absent from the band’s sets since 2019; the brooding epic did not feature in the band’s celebrated Sphere residency in Las Vegas. But when it arrived as this show’s second song and sounded just as impassioned as it does in the biggest venues, though Bono’s usual post-chorus yelps of “I’m wide awake” are now sung with a greater clarity and purpose.

Given the unique setting, Bono took the opportunity to discuss relatively unheard stories, particularly their connection to the art world. He referenced the late French-American artist Louise Bourgeois, whose Maman – a 30ft bronze spider sculpture – christened the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall upon its opening in 2000. Clayton, Bono said, purchased his first work by Bourgeois in the 1990s, and the frontman once sang “Amazing Grace” for her in her apartment, “despite not knowing the second verse.” He improvised, he said, and did the same during this performance, creating a makeshift trumpet out of his hands, reflecting on how art can inspire creation even when the words won’t come.

Carnaval de Luze arrives amidst something of a creative purple patch for the band, following the release of the Days of Ash and Easter Lily EPs earlier this spring. Original material in the past two decades has been left wanting, but two unreleased tracks – “Can’t Stop Us Now” and “The Greatest Show on Earth” – held their own in a setlist that included “Beautiful Day,” “Pride (In the Name of Love),” “One,” and more classics. The latter in particular skilfully brings together each individual element – The Edge’s airy guitar, Clayton’s driving bass, and the punchy beat of Mullen Jr. – in one of the quartet’s most impactful songs in years. They’re delivered with supreme confidence, too, a recognition that U2 is in such a strong position right now.

Prior to “In a Little While,” Bono revealed that the song’s origins came from a drinking session featuring Spanish wine recommended by Eno – which, he claimed, has a particular inspiration for painters. The resulting song, which features on 2000’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind, was written on a mighty hangover, Bono explained, hence its hushed, reverent tone.

Eno loomed large in the evening, with each song played in the 11-song setlist produced or written alongside him. During the closing song “With or Without You,” Bono prowled the room searching for Eno, bringing him on stage for a round of applause during the song’s soaring crescendo.