The day before the show, I got an email from U2’s PR that simply said, “Mark, call me.” When I rang her, she told me the band were playing Mount Temple the next day and asked if I’d like to go. Of course I said yes.
I stood on a platform at the back of the schoolyard as the students filtered in. Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” played over the PA. Then Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. appeared, and the students went wild.
Credit: Rich Fury
U2 opened with “I Will Follow.” The band sounded great, though Bono’s vocal was hard to hear for the first half of the song. Once the mix settled, they moved into “Vertigo” and “Beautiful Day.”
The moment that brought the setting into focus came during “Out of Control.” Bono introduced Larry as the man who had pinned a note to the Mount Temple noticeboard looking for musicians. Here they were, 50 years later, playing their first single back in the schoolyard.
Credit: Rich Fury
The band had announced their new album, Carnaval De Luz, and released “Silencio” the night before. Hearing it live, I thought it was their best single since “Vertigo.” That was exciting in the middle of a show celebrating everything they’d already done.
Credit: Rich Fury
For “One,” 32 young string players from Music Generation joined U2 onstage, with one representing each county on the island of Ireland. “One” is always special live, and having those young musicians play it with the band at Mount Temple gave it something extra.
U2 left the stage after “One,” but the crowd began shouting, “One more song!” They returned for “With or Without You,” which Bono introduced as “a little ditty.” He said they hadn’t played this arrangement before.
Credit: Rich Fury
I’ve seen U2 play on a much bigger scale, but watching them perform for the students at the school where they formed was an experience I won’t forget. Afterwards, we went to McGonagles, where three more songs from Carnaval De Luz were played for us. “The Greatest Show on Earth” is another U2 epic, while “Can’t Stop Us Now” sounds like the future. We also heard “Torn,” featuring Dolly Parton.
Fifty years after Larry pinned that note to the Mount Temple noticeboard, U2 show no signs of standing still.