U2 have announced a new BBC live special, capturing their recent intimate show at London’s Tate Modern. Find all the details below.
The legendary Irish band played an 11-song session at the Bankside museum last Tuesday (November 3) to launch their 16th studio album, ‘Carnaval de Luz’, which is released today (Friday November 13).
Bono and co. gave their recent single ‘The Greatest Show On Earth’ its live debut, and premiered the new song ‘Can’t Stop Us Now’. They also performed some classics from earlier in their career, such as ‘The Unforgettable Fire’, ‘With Or Without You’, ‘Bad’, ‘One’ and ‘Beautiful Day’.
The one-off concert was set against an immersive backdrop of the artwork ‘77 Million Paintings’ by longtime U2 producer and musician Brian Eno, who was also in the audience.
Now, the BBC has confirmed that it’ll broadcast the exclusive session – titled U2: Live On The BBC At Tate Modern – on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer next Saturday (November 28) at 10:10pm GMT.
The concert will be simulcast outside the UK on BBC Music’s YouTube channel, too.
Fans can get a sneak peek at the programme by watching the Tate Modern performance of ‘The Greatest Show On Earth’ below.
The set will also air on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds on Monday November 30 between 7pm and 9pm as part of Jo Whiley’s show, along with a new interview with members of the band.
Jonathan Rothery, Head of BBC Popular Music TV, said: “U2 are one of the world’s most loved bands, so it was a privilege to have them perform such a special session for the BBC.
“Their music has been connecting with audiences for decades and this exclusive performance, to sit within a dedicated evening on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer, promises to be a real treat for fans.”
Whiley commented: “U2’s performance at Tate Modern was truly memorable. I don’t think I’ve heard them in better form, and to see them once again push the boundaries of performance, this time honouring their long-term collaborator Brian Eno in such a creative and unique way, was thrilling for all to see.”
You can check out NME‘s full report on what went down at U2’s intimate London date here.
The special show followed U2’s recent 50th anniversary celebration gigs in Dublin in September, and came ahead of their massive ‘The Greatest Show On Earth’ 2027 UK and European tour with Wolf Alice. They’ve announced further dates in Mexico City and South America.
U2 have since previewed the spectacular stage production for the upcoming tour, with Bono explaining: “We’re playing with this idea of show business. We never thought we were in show business. For us, we’re making art. So it’s a little play on shamanism and show business.”
In a three-star review of ‘Carnaval de Luz’, NME said that the record “delivers on the lightness of touch that its title promises; for the first time in a long time, U2 sound more playful than preachy”.
NME has spoken to Bono and The Edge about the “messy, sacred, defiant, luminescent, and unreasonable” new album, how true collaboration is the glue of all great bands, and what the world could learn from that, America “waking up”.
They also praised their future openers Wolf Alice, declared themselves “huge fans” of Fontaines D.C., and discussed paying tribute to the “completely unique and different” Rosalía on ‘Carnaval de Luz’.
Looking ahead to their stadium trek, Bono told NME that fans could expect “the history of showbusiness and shamanism, no less”.
The Edge added: “We’re exploring lots of different themes. And actually, it’ll all come together at the end. But between now and then [there’ll be] a lot of chaos in our worlds, trying to figure it out. But the songs will tell us what to do.”
The UK leg of U2’s huge tour for next year includes four nights at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London in June. Find any remaining tickets here.
In other news, comedian and actor Andy Richter has revealed that U2’s The Edge wrote a sequel to Will Ferrell’s festive classic Elf.
