Rock band U2 marks fifty years with surprise hometown shows in Dublin

Irish rock band U2 marked fifty years since their formation with surprise performances in Dublin on Friday, returning to both central Dublin and the school where the band members first met. The legendary group performed at Mount Temple Comprehensive School for hundreds of students and staff members. Later, a crowd of more than 1,000 fans gathered in central Dublin near Bewley's Oriental Cafe after rumours spread of another pop-up show, singing 'Happy Birthday U2' on a main city street. Cheers erupted when the band stepped onto the cafe balcony to play an hour-long set. The performance began with their 1980 hit 'I Will Follow' and featured classic tracks like 'With or Without You' and 'Out of Control'. The group also played their new single 'Silencio' from an upcoming album titled 'Carnaval de Luz', which was announced alongside the anniversary. Set for release on November 13, the new album includes a track named 'Torn' featuring a duet between U2 frontman Bono and country music icon Dolly Parton. The band stated that the song, co-written by Parton, U2, and singer Johnny McDaid, marks Parton's final recorded vocal performance. Kathrin Schanz, a 50-year-old fan who travelled from Germany to Dublin for the milestone, described the city centre event as one of the band's most special concerts ever. The band's history traces back five decades when drummer Larry Mullen pinned a handwritten note to his school noticeboard looking for musicians to form a band. Their first rehearsal took place on September 25, 1976. Opening the school performance, Bono asked the student audience, 'We've escaped from the lab. How's the experiment going for you?'