10 September 1974: Bono's mother, Iris Hewson, dies of a brain aneurysm in Dublin four days after collapsing at her father's funeral.[5]
Autumn[when?]: Paul Hewson and his neighbourhood friends form the "Lypton Village," in which they create their own language, dress differently, and put on art installations. The group nicknames Hewson Bono after a Dublin hearing aid store.[6]
1976
25 September: The band that will become U2 forms in Dublin after Mullen posts a notice seeking musicians for a new band on the Mount Temple Comprehensive School notice board. Attending the first practice are Mullen (playing drums), The Edge and his older brother Dik Evans (playing guitar), the Evans brothers' friend Adam Clayton (playing bass guitar), Bono (performing lead vocals), and Mullen's friends Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin.[7]
September[when?]: The band name themselves "Feedback" because it was one of the few technical terms they knew.[8]
Autumn[when?]: Martin leaves the band after the first practice, and McCormick leaves within a few weeks.
Late 1976[when?]: Feedback give their first public performance at a talent contest held in the school canteen.[9]
April[when?]: Feedback change their name to "The Hype".[10]
1978
February: The Hype record a performance of "The Fool" for the RTÉ programme, Our Times.[11]
March: The Our Times performance airs, marking the band's first television appearance.[11]
4 March: The band played their last concert as The Hype at Presbyterian Hall in Sutton. During the performance, Dik Evans ceremonially leaves the stage, and the remaining four members play a set as "U2".[12][13]
18 March: As a four-piece playing under the name "U2", the band win a talent show in Limerick, Ireland. The prize is £500 and studio time to record a demo for CBS Ireland.[14]
9 September 1978: U2 play in support of The Stranglers at the Top Hat Ballroom, their biggest gig to date. They are paid £50.[5]
November 1978: Mullen's mother, Maureen Mullen, is killed in a car accident.[5]
December 1978: U2 play in support of The Greedy Bastards, a band made up of members of Sex Pistols, Thin Lizzy, and Boomtown Rats, at the Stardust nightclub in Dublin.[5]
1979
February: Using borrowed money, Bono travels to London to plug U2 at the offices of record companies and music magazines.[5]
May: U2 play the first of six-afternoon concerts at the Dandelion Market in Dublin. Organised for young people prohibited from the venues U2 normally play, the concerts greatly expand their Dublin audience.[18]
September: U2's first release, an Ireland-only EP entitled Three, becomes the band's first Irish chart success.[19]
5 October: U2 play their first television performance on RTÉ at a televised concert at the Cork Opera House.[5]
26 October: U2 are featured on the cover of Hot Press magazine.[5]
1 November: U2 receive their first cover story outside Ireland in British magazine Record Mirror.[5]
1 December: With £3,000 borrowed from family and friends, U2 begin a two-week tour of London clubs, their first shows outside Ireland.[20]
23 May: "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" is released in Ireland, and as the band's first internationally released single, in the UK.[22]
27 July: U2 play their first open-air festival to an audience of 15,000 at Leixlip Castle in Kildare. The Police top the bill which includes Squeeze and Q-Tips.[5]
14 October: The band play to a small audience in KRO Studios in Hilversum, The Netherlands. The show is broadcast the following day to coincide with the following day's first mainland European concert.[5]
15 October: U2 play their first continental Europe gig at Melkweg ("The Milkyway") in Amsterdam.[5]
20 October: The band's debut album, Boy, is released in Ireland and the United Kingdom. It peaks at No. 52 on the British charts.[5]
6 December: U2 play their first American concert at The Ritz in New York City as part of a 14-date tour.[27]
9 December: U2 perform their debut concert in Canada the day after John Lennon's death. The angry and emotional performance receives glowing reviews in Canadian media.[5]
1981
24 January – 28 February: U2 play dates in the United Kingdom and play their first tour of continental Europe.[28]
3 March:Boy is released in the United States.[citation needed]
3 March – 31 May: U2 commence their first major tour of the United States playing almost 60 dates across the country largely in clubs.[29]
4 June: U2 make their American television debut on the Tomorrow Show to promote the Boy album. Bono and the Edge are interviewed briefly by host Tom Snyder and the band plays "I Will Follow" and an incomplete version of "Twilight" during the credits
July – August: The band record their second album at Windmill Lane Studios, in Dublin. The sessions are complicated after the briefcase containing Bono's lyrics was lost earlier in the year during a show in Portland, Oregon.
5 October: "Gloria" is released as a single and makes the UK charts.[30] The video for "Gloria" is directed by Meiert Avis and shot in the Canal Basin in Dublin.
12 October: The band's second album, October, is released.[31] During the album's recording sessions, Bono and The Edge left the band due to spiritual conflicts, and U2 ceased to exist for a brief period of time.[32] The album received mixed reviews and limited radio play. It enters the UK charts at number 11.[30]
31 August: Bono marries high school sweetheart, Alison Stewart, in Raheny, Dublin. They honeymoon in Jamaica where Bono reportedly works on the lyrics for the new album.[33]
1 December: The pre-War Tour begins in Glasgow, Scotland.[34][35]
1983
January: The new album's first single, "New Year's Day" is released and becomes the band's first hit outside Ireland or the UK.[36]
28 February: The band release their third album War.[37] which debuts at number one in the UK.
29 August: The band's first tour of Australia and New Zealand begins in Christchurch. Dubbed, "Under Australian Skies Tour",[43] it comprises 15 concerts with Australian band Matt Finish and a largely War Tour setlist is played.[43]
September: "Pride (In the Name of Love)" is released as the album's first single and becomes the band's biggest hit to that point, including being their first to enter the U.S. top 40.[44]
1 December: The band play 10 dates in major United States cities. Demand for tickets significantly outstrip supply indicating that U2 will no longer be able to play these smaller theatres and halls.[46]
1985
1985:Rolling Stone magazine calls U2 the "Band of the 80s", saying that "for a growing number of rock-and-roll fans, U2 have become the band that matters most, maybe even the only band that matters".[47]
January – February: The band play 13 shows in Western Europe. The leg included 5 shows in Germany and the band's first concert in Italy.[48]
Late February – May: U2 play 40 shows in 29 cities in the United States and Canada. For the first time, the band play solely in arenas with multiple nights in many of the locations.
April: The album's second and final single, "The Unforgettable Fire", is released. It reaches No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 8 on the Dutch singles chart, but does not perform as well in the U.S.
Late May – mid July: U2 play nine concerts in the European festival season.
29 June: U2 play a homecoming concert at Dublin's Croke Park, their first headlining show in a stadium.[49]
13 July: U2 perform at the Live Aid benefit concert for Ethiopian famine relief at Wembley Stadium.[50] The band's performance, which included a 12-minute version of "Bad", is a pivotal point for the band's career,[51] showing a television audience of millions the personal connection that Bono could make with audiences.[52]
September: Bono and wife, Ali, volunteer as relief workers for World Vision in Ethiopia.[53]
15 October: The Edge and wife Aislinn's second child, Arran, is born.[54]
1986
30 January: Bono and Larry Mullen are interviewed for half an hour on the Irish TV show, TV Gaga, before the band play a song called "Womanfish", a rough early version of "Trip Through Your Wires", and a cover of "Knocking on Heaven's Door".[55]
February: The debut issue of Propaganda, U2's new fan club magazine, is published.[56]
27 February: U2 are among the readers’ choice in Rolling Stone's Music Awards, for Band of the Year. Best Songwriter was Bono, Best Live Performance was U2. In the Critics' Picks, the Band of the Year was U2.[citation needed]
17 May: U2 play the Self Aid festival in Dublin. The event is organised to create jobs and raise money during Ireland's unemployment crisis.[55]
4–15 June: U2 interrupt writing for their album to serve as a headline act on Amnesty International's A Conspiracy of Hope tour. Rather than distract, the tour adds extra intensity and power to their new music.[57]
3 July: U2 crew member Greg Carroll is killed in a motorcycle accident in Dublin.
10 July: Band members perform at Carroll's burial Kai-iwi Marae in New Zealand.
mid-July: Bono and wife Ali travel to Nicaragua on a visit organised by Central American Mission Partners (CAMP), which is dedicated to human rights and economic development in Latin America. They visit Ernesto Cardenal of the Sandinista government and musician Carlos Mejía Godoy.[58]
19 July: The group listens to President Daniel Ortega speak on the country's Revolution Day.[58]
20 July: Bono is moved by churchgoers calling out the names of loved ones who have died fighting the contras.[58]
late July: Bono and Ali's group flies to El Salvador for 4 to 5 days. They meet the group COMADRES – the Mothers of the Disappeared – a group of women whose children have been killed or disappeared at the hands of the government.[58] As the group walks through a remote rural area north of San Salvador, government troops shoot in their direction, scaring the group.[58]
1 August: The band recommence recording sessions at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin. Bono's first-hand experience of the conflicts in Central America became a central influence on songs such as "Bullet The Blue Sky" and "Mothers of the Disappeared". Motivated by friendships with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and Keith Richards, the band looked back to the roots of rock music, and Bono focused on his skills as a song and lyric writer.[59]
October: U2 see blues legend B.B. King play in Dublin and they meet him backstage.[58] The band and King later record the song "When Love Comes to Town".
November: Recording sessions for the new album finish.[citation needed]
14–16 December: U2 travel around the Californian desert with photographer Anton Corbijn and designer Steve Averill, shooting pictures in the desert landscape for the new album's cover.[58] On the evening after the first day's shooting, Corbijn tells the band about Joshua Trees and suggests their use on the sleeve. The following day they find an unusual lone-standing tree, images of which are used for the album sleeve, and the album is named The Joshua Tree.[60]
late December: U2 call in Steve Lillywhite to remix a few of the new songs which he works on into the new year.[58]
1987
January: U2 complete B-side recordings for the album's single releases, including the tracks "Walk to the Water", "Luminous Times", and "Spanish Eyes".[61]
February: U2 shoot a video for "Red Hill Mining Town",[62] which was intended to be one of the album's singles but it was not released. A video is also shot for "With or Without You" in Dublin.[62]
21 March: "With or Without You" is released and becomes the band's first number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100.[63]
27 March: U2 perform on the roof of a shop in downtown Los Angeles and film the video for "Where the Streets Have No Name".[64]
30 March: In rehearsals for The Joshua Tree Tour, Bono falls backwards off the stage and his chin is gashed. He still carries the scar.[64]The Joshua Tree enters the US Billboard 200 chart at number 7.[65]
2 April: U2 open The Joshua Tree Tour in Tempe, Arizona. The hot dry desert air affects Bono's voice, and he is barely able to sing on opening night. Concert promoter Barry Fey reads out a statement on behalf of the band denouncing Arizona Governor, Evan Mecham's intention to abolish the Martin Luther King Day holiday in that State.[64]
7 April:The Joshua Tree reaches number one on the US Billboard 200, where it remains for nine weeks.[65]
27 May: U2 begin the European leg of the Joshua Tree Tour at the Stadio Flaminio in Rome. Most of the leg's 31 shows are in outdoor stadia.[70]
2 June: After listening to Roy Orbison's "In Dreams" the night before, Bono starts writing a song for Orbison. After that night's show at Wembley Arena, Orbison makes a surprise visit backstage where Bono plays the song, "She's a Mystery to Me" for him.
4 July: The show at the Hippodrome de Vincennes in Paris is filmed for Island Records' 25th birthday celebrations. A canister of tear gas is set off in the crowd causing mild panic and the band interrupt their performance of "With or Without You".[71]
August: U2 find out that Island Records is in financial difficulties and cannot pay them $5 million in The Joshua Tree royalties. U2 reinvest the unpaid amount into the company in return for an estimated 10% stake in the company.[72]
26 September: U2 rehearse "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" with the New Voices of Freedom in a Harlem church, footage of which later appears in the documentary film Rattle and Hum.[73]
October:Eamon Dunphy's official biography of the band, Unforgettable Fire: The Definitive Biography of U2 is published.[74]
November: "In God's Country" is released as a single in Canada and the US. Import sales are so strong that it charts in the UK.
1 November: The Dalton Brothers make the first of three appearances on The Joshua Tree Tour as support act for U2. A country and western four-piece that plays two songs; they are actually U2 in disguise and all but the front few rows of the audience fail to recognise them.[75]
8 November: U2 play the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver. The same day, an IRA bomb had killed eleven people at a Remembrance Day ceremony in the Northern Irish town of Enniskillen. During the performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday", Bono condemned the violence and his "Fuck the revolution!" remark earned him the ire of the IRA. This performance and six other songs from the concert are later used in the Rattle and Hum film.
11 November: U2 play an impromptu "Save the Yuppie" concert in Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco as a mock benefit following the October 1987 stock market crash. A cover version of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" is captured for Rattle and Hum. During a performance of "Pride", Bono spray-painted "Rock and Roll Stops the Traffic" on the Vaillancourt Fountain. The city issues a warrant for Bono's arrest and Bono writes a letter of apology.[76]
29 November: U2 visit Graceland and footage from the visit is later included in the Rattle and Hum movie.[77]
19–20 December: The Joshua Tree Tour concludes with two performances at the Sun Devil Stadium in Arizona. Footage of five songs is later used in Rattle and Hum.
1988
February: U2 move to Los Angeles to work with Phil Joanou on the Rattle and Hum documentary. While in LA, they also record new songs at A&M Studios and STS Studios.[78]
March: "One Tree Hill" is released as a single exclusively in New Zealand.
2 March: At the Grammy Awards, U2 win "Best Vocal of the Year" for "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "Album of the Year" for The Joshua Tree.[78]
May: U2 record additional material for the movie at Dublin's Point Depot. Footage of performances of "Van Diemen's Land" and "Desire" are later used in the movie.[78]
September: "Desire" is released as the new album's first single. It is the band's first number one single in the UK.
10 October: The part live, part studio, double album Rattle and Hum is released.
27 October: The Rattle and Hum film has its world premiere.
November: The Edge joins Bryan Ferry on stage for a surprise appearance at the RDS in Dublin.
10 May: Bono and Ali's first child, Jordan, is born on Bono's 29th birthday.
13 June: "All I Want is You" is released as Rattle and Hum's fourth and final single. Its release in Australia is delayed until October to coincide with the Lovetown Tour. It reaches number one on the Australian charts.
Adam Clayton
6 August: Adam Clayton is arrested in Dublin on drug charges.
21 September: The Lovetown Tour starts in Australia.
30 December: Towards the end of the Lovetown Tour, Bono says on stage in Dublin that "this is just the end of something for U2" and that "we have to go away and … and dream it all up again".
"It's your future. The only limits are the limits of your imagination. Dream up the kind of world you want to live in. Dream out loud. At high volume.""
31 December: At midnight, U2 open the last of four Dublin shows with "Where The Streets Have No Name" as the audience counts down the last seconds of the 1980s. The show is played live on radio throughout Europe.[80]
1990
January: U2 begin their longest break to date, which includes a two-year break from public performance.[81]
18 February: U2 is named Best International Group at the Brit Awards.[82]
March: Bono writes two songs with the Neville Brothers called "Jah Love" and "Kingdom Come".[82]
April: Mullen writes the official anthem of Ireland's 1990 World Cup Football Team. It is released under a Mother Records subsidiary and reaches number one on the Irish Charts.[82]
June: U2 record "Night and Day" for the first of the Red Hot + Blue releases.[84] The song is recorded in Edge's basement and produced by Edge and Paul Barrett.
3 October: The band arrive in East Berlin to begin work on a new album. With producers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, they are seeking inspiration and renewal on the eve of German reunification.[86]
4 October: U2 shoot the music video for "Night and Day" at director Wim Wenders' home in Berlin.[87]
December: U2 do several photo shoots with Anton Corbijn around their hotel and at Hansa Studios, for the new album sleeve and also for publicity shots.[88]
Christmas: The members of U2 get together in Dublin to talk about the group's future after the difficulties of the Berlin sessions. They all agree to continue.[88]
1991
January: The band return to Berlin to finalise some recording work.[89]
9 February: U2 arrive in Tenerife for two weeks of photo and video shoots, which the band hopes will change its image. They dress in masks and join the crowds in the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. It is during this time that the photos of U2 in drag are taken.[89]
late February/March – July: Back in Dublin, U2 rent the Dalkey seaside manor, "Elsinore House", to continue work on the new album.[90]
Easter: The Edge separates from his wife, Aislinn. The pain of their separation strongly influences the album material which is being written.[85][91][92]
17 March: U2 meet with Willie Williams to continue discussions on the band's next tour.[90]
April: Tapes from the album's earlier Berlin session's are leaked and bootlegged.[93]
May: U2 sue the Sunday Independent over an October 1990 article based on third-hand reports about U2 behaving badly in a Dublin restaurant. The matter is settled out of court including a printed apology from the paper which says the original article had "no foundation in fact".[94]
mid-May: Island Records announces that it will pursue legal action against anyone selling U2's bootlegged studio tapes. In late May, authorities trace the tapes' distribution to Germany and a factory is shut down.[94]
Anton Corbijn's most famous, and longest standing, association is with U2.
June: Anton Corbijn is commissioned for another photo shoot, this time in Dublin, the results of which include the nude photo of Adam Clayton that is used on the album sleeve.[94]
14 June: U2 meets with Willie Williams and Catherine Owens to discuss the next tour. New ideas include placing TV monitors all over the stage and using Trabants as overhead light sources.[95]
July: U2, Anton Corbijn, and designer Steve Averill meet in Morocco for a four-day photo shoot.[95]
7 July: Bono and Ali's second child, Eve, is born.[95]
20 August: Electronic band, Negativland, release a single called "U2" which includes an unauthorised sample of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For".[95]
5 September: Island Records obtain an injunction against the sale and promotion of Negativland's "U2" single.[95]
13 September: Parts of the video for the new album's first single, "The Fly" are shot in Dublin. The rest of the video is shot in London a few weeks later.[95]
21 September: At the deadline for completion of the new album, U2 stay up all night choosing mixes and the album's running order.[95]
22 September: The Edge takes the tapes of the new album to the United States for final mastering.[95]
25 November: "Mysterious Ways" is released as Achtung Baby's second single. The song reaches Number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the band's fourth-highest-charting single.[citation needed]
29 February: The Zoo TV Tour begins in Lakeland, Florida.
March: The third single from Achtung Baby, "One", is released. It reaches number 7 in the UK charts, number 10 in the US charts, and number 1 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks and the US Modern Rock Tracks charts.
5 March: U2 issue a statement denying newspaper reports that the words shown on video screens during performances of "The Fly" include "Bomb Japan Now" and that they have no wish to offend the people of Japan.[99]
27 March: Bono orders 10,000 pizzas onstage for the audience at a concert in Detroit. The pizza supplier manages to deliver 100 pizzas.[78]
7 May: The European leg of the Zoo TV tour opens in Paris.[78]
31 May: Bono meets author Salman Rushdie for the first time backstage after a show in London.[100]
7 June: The fourth single from Achtung Baby, "Even Better Than the Real Thing" is released. It reaches number 32 in the US and number 12 in the UK. A remix version reaches number 8 in the UK.[100]
19 June: U2 play the "Stop Sellafield" show in Manchester. They play alongside Kraftwerk, Public Enemy, and Big Audio Dynamite II in protest against the operation of a second nuclear reactor at Sellafield.[78] The following day, the band participate in a demonstration organised by Greenpeace whereby protesters land on the beach at Sellafield in rubber dinghies and display 700 placards for the waiting media.[101]
7 August: After three weeks of stage erection and a week of rehearsals, U2 provide a public rehearsal. Morleigh Steinberg makes her debut as the belly dancer in "Mysterious Ways".[75]
12 August: The Outside Broadcast leg of the Zoo TV tour opens in New Jersey.[citation needed]
28 August: During a New York interview with Rockline, US presidential candidate Bill Clinton contacts U2 live on air.[78]
1993
20 January: Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton attend the inauguration of United States President Bill Clinton in Washington. That evening, together with R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe and Mike Mills, they perform "One" at the MTV 1993 Rock and Roll Inaugural Ball. They dub the one-off group, "Automatic Baby", after merging the names of the bands' most recent albums Automatic for the People and Achtung Baby.[103]
February: U2 start recording new material in Dublin.[78]
23 February: Bono brings model Naomi Campbell to a U2 organisation party to meet Adam Clayton, who has a crush on Campbell. They start dating over the following days.[104]
24 February:Achtung Baby: wins "Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Group or Duo" but loses "Album of the Year" to Eric Clapton's Unplugged.[104]
4 March: In Rolling Stone magazine's readers' poll U2 win Best Band, Artist of the Year, Comeback of the Year, Best Tour, Best Album, and Best Album Cover, and Best Single (for "One"). Bono is voted Best Male Singer, Best Songwriter and Sexiest Male Artist. Mullen is voted Best Drummer and Edge and Clayton are runners up in their respective categories. Critics are slightly less enthusiastic.[105]
Late April: Having almost finished the Zooropa album, U2 rehearse for the European concerts.[105]
9 May: Dubbed "Zooropa", the Zoo TV Tour recommences with a European stadium leg starting in Rotterdam. U2 play to 2,100,000 people over 43 shows.[106] The concert includes the premier of Bono's new alter-ego MacPhisto.[107] Throughout the month of May, the band often fly back to Dublin following concerts to finalise mixing of the Zooropa album.[108]
June: "Numb" is released as the first single from the new album. It is released on video only.[citation needed]
14 July: At a concert in Marseille, Bono's holds the first of a number of live on-stage interviews with documentary maker Bill Carter who is in the besieged city of Sarajevo.[109]
11 August: Author Salman Rushdie, the subject of a death Fatwa, joins U2 on stage in front of 70,000 people at Wembley Stadium.[78]
28 August: On the final Zooropa concert in Dublin, Clayton's fiancée, model Naomi Campbell appears on stage.[110]
September: "Lemon" is released as the second single from Zooropa.
3 September: At the MTV awards in Los Angeles, The Edge makes his first ever solo appearance where he performs "Numb" in front of a miniature version of the Zoo TV set.[110]
26 November: Adam Clayton doesn't play the first of two concerts in Sydney. Bono tells the audience that he is suffering from a virus and his guitar technician Stuart Morgan fills in. It is the first time a member of U2 has missed a performance. It is later revealed that Clayton was too hungover to play.[111]
27 November: The second Sydney concert is filmed and shown around the world as a pay per view TV show. The concert video is released the following year on VHS.[111]
10 December: U2 play the final gig of the Zoo TV tour at the Tokyo Dome.[111]
1994
February: U2 issue a writ challenging the Performing Rights Society on their exclusive rights to collect songwriting royalties for song performances.[78]
March:Zooropa wins "Best Alternative Album" award at the Grammys.[citation needed]
"It was my idea to relocate to New York for the year off and start a new life as non-drinker, which is commonly known as 'doing the geographic'. It was surprisingly easy to stop but it was difficult to stay stopped."
7 November: The Passengers album Original Soundtracks 1 is released worldwide. "Miss Sarajevo" featuring Luciano Pavarotti was the only single from the release. On the same day, Tina Turner releases the theme for the new James Bond film GoldenEye, written by Bono and the Edge, on Capitol Records.[78]
1996
January: U2 begin working on a new album in Dublin.[78]
April: The band move to Miami for further work on the album.[78]
1 May: Clayton and Mullen release their version of the Mission: Impossible theme track. It enters the charts in the Top 10 in the US, the UK, and other countries.[78]
11 May: Hot Press journalist Bill Graham dies at his home in Howth. The band fly back to Dublin from America to attend the funeral.[78]
1997
3 February: "Discothèque" is released as the first single from Pop.
4 March: U2 release Pop. The album debuts at number one in 35 countries and drew mainly positive reviews.[112][113] Sales were poor compared to previous U2 releases.[114]
20 September: U2 play a PopMart show at the Festival Site in Reggio Emilia, Italy to an estimated 150,000 people, making it the biggest concert on the entire PopMart Tour.
23 September: U2 play a concert in Sarajevo; they are the first major group to perform there following the Bosnian War.[115] Mullen described the concert as "an experience I will never forget for the rest of my life, and if I had to spend 20 years in the band just to play that show, and have done that, I think it would have been worthwhile."[116]
20 October: "Please" is released as the fourth single from Pop.
21 March: The PopMart Tour concludes in Johannesburg, South Africa.
26 April: One month following the conclusion of the PopMart Tour, U2 appeared on the 200th episode of The Simpsons, "Trash of the Titans", in which Homer Simpson disrupted the band on stage during a PopMart concert.[117]
23 December: Larry Mullen Jr and partner Ann Acheson have a baby girl whom they name Ava after the actress Ava Gardner.
1999
17 August: Bono and wife Ali have a baby boy who is named Elijah Bob Patricius Guggi Q.
2000
9 October: "Beautiful Day" is released as a single, debuting at Number 1 in Australia, Canada and the UK, and at Number 21 in the US.
30 October:All That You Can't Leave Behind is released. For many of those not won over by the band's 1990s music, it was considered a return to grace;[118]Rolling Stone called it U2's "third masterpiece" alongside The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby.[119] The album debuted at number one in 22 countries.[120]
2001
22 February: The single "Beautiful Day" wins 3 Grammy Awards. [citation needed] U2 perform in a scaled-down setting, returning to arenas after nearly a decade of stadium productions. A heart-shaped stage and ramp permitted greater proximity to the audience.
20 May: Bono and Ali have their fourth child, a son named John Abraham.[33]
12 June: "Elevation" is released as the third single from the album.
7 July: European Leg of the Elevation Tour starts in Copenhagen, Denmark.[citation needed]
21 August: Bono's father, Brendan Robert 'Bob' Hewson, dies of cancer on the day of U2's third performance at Earl's Court Arena in London, England. However, "the show goes on", with Aung San Suu Kyi appearing in a new video before "Bullet the Blue Sky".
25 August: U2 play two sold-out concerts at Slane Castle.[33]
10 October: U2 commence the second American leg of the Elevation Tour. Following the September 11 attacks, the new album gained added resonance.[121] U2 perform at Madison Square Garden in New York City from 24 to 27 October.
19 November: "Walk On" is released as All That You Can't Leave Behind's fourth and final single. The song is written about Aung San Suu Kyi and dedicated to her.
April: Bono is on the cover of Time Magazine as one of a group of great European Heroes.[33]
21 June: U2 perform "One" and "Pride" live at the Opening Ceremony of the 11th Special Olympics World Summer Games; Nelson Mandela joins them on stage at Dublin's Croke Park.[citation needed]
17 NovemberU2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle, a concert film from the European leg of U2's Elevation Tour is released. Bono dedicates a performance of "Kite" to his father, who had died on 21 August 2001, several days before the concert.
16 September: Bono is nominated a third time for the Nobel Peace Prize.
8 November: The new album's first single, "Vertigo", is released. It reaches number 1 on the UK Singles Chart, number 1 on the Billboard charts, and number 5 on the Australian charts.
The U2 Special Edition iPod accompanied the digital only release of The Complete U2.
23 November:How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is released. The album debuted at number one in the U.S. where first week sales doubled that of All That You Can't Leave Behind and set a record for the band.[124] The same day, The Complete U2 digital box set is released by Apple on the iTunes Store. It is the first major release of a purely digital online set by any artist. It contains the complete set of U2 albums and singles, and also contains live, rare and previously unreleased material from 1978 to 2004, with a total of 446 songs.[125] The release accompanies a U2 Special Edition iPod.
2005
2005:How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and its singles won Grammy Awards in all eight categories in which U2 were nominated.[citation needed]
27 April: U2 shoot a video for "City of Blinding Lights" at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia. Members of the public are invited into the venue as an audience backdrop.
6 June: "City of Blinding Lights" is released as the fourth single from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.
10 June: The European leg of the Vertigo Tour commences in Brussels, Belgium.
The band performing at Live 8.
2 July: U2 perform at Live 8 in London's Hyde Park, opening the show. The band plays "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" with Paul McCartney, "Beautiful Day", "Vertigo", and "One". The performance of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is released as a digital-single during the day and sets a world record as the fastest-selling online song.[128]
12 September: A second North American leg of the Vertigo Tour commences in Toronto, Ontario.[citation needed]
10 October: "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" and "All Because of You" are released as the fourth single from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb in North America and Europe respectively, switching territories from their earlier releases.
November: "Original of the Species" is released as the album's fifth and final single in a digital-only format.
14 November:Vertigo 2005: Live from Chicago is released on DVD.
2006
12 February: An eight-date Latin American leg of the Vertigo tour commences in Mexico.
March: U2 arrive in Australia to prepare for the Australian leg of the Vertigo Tour. The tour, however, is postponed until further notice due to Edge's 7-year-old daughter Sian's diagnosis of leukaemia.
3 April: A duet of "One" with Mary J. Blige is released as a single.
Mid-2006: The band begin work on material for a new album writing and recording with producer Rick Rubin; the material is later shelved.
August: The band incorporates its publishing business in The Netherlands following the capping of Irish artists' tax exemption at €250,000.[129] The move was criticised in the Irish parliament.[130][131]
June: The band continue writing and recording for the album, this time with Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno as co-writers and producers. A two-week trip to Fez, Morocco, where the six of them recorded, led to the band experimenting with North African influences.
20 November:The Joshua Tree is re-released as a 20th anniversary triple album.
2008
23 January: A 3-Dconcert film, U2 3D, filmed at nine concerts during the Latin America leg of the Vertigo Tour is released at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
19 February: The single "The Ballad of Ronnie Drew" - a collaboration between U2, The Dubliners, Kíla, and "A Band of Bowsies" - is released. All proceeds went towards the Irish Cancer Society; the song is an homage to Ronnie Drew, who was dying of cancer at the time.
31 March: U2 sign a 12-year deal with Live Nation worth an estimated $100 million (£50 million),[133] which includes Live Nation controlling the band's merchandise, sponsoring, and their official website.
Mid-2008:Boy, October, War, and Under a Blood Red Sky are remastered and released. Three different formats of each were made available, featuring remastered tracks, B-sides, live, and unreleased songs.
18 December: The band complete their twelfth studio album, No Line on the Horizon, and announce that the album will be released to the world on 2 March 2009.[citation needed]
4 May: "Magnificent" is released as the second single from the album.
30 June: The U2 360° Tour commences in Europe. The shows feature a 360-degree staging/audience configuration, in which the fans surround the stage from all sides.[136]
25 October: The band's concert at the Rose Bowl Stadium is live streamed on YouTube. With a sellout crowd of 97,014, it is the highest attendance on record for one U.S. show by a single headliner based on box office totals reported to Billboard. The previous record had been set by U2 in 1987.[139]
5 November: U2 are invited by the Berlin Lord Mayor to play a concert at the Brandenburg Gate to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall. They play a six-song set to 10,000 fans.[142]
21 May: Bono has emergency surgery on a back injury sustained during tour preparations, and the band postpones the North American leg of the U2 360° Tour[144][145] and their appearance at the Glastonbury Festival.
26 June: The Edge makes a special guest appearance with Muse at Glastonbury to perform "Where the Streets Have No Name".
13 July: U2 announce the rescheduled dates for the postponed North American leg of the U2 360° tour.[146]
6 August: The second European leg of the U2 360° Tour commences in Turin. It marks their first performance since Bono's recovery from his back injury.
25 November: U2 begin the Australasian leg of the 360° Tour at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand.
29 November: "Ordinary Love" is officially released as a single.
2014
16 January: U2 receive an Academy Award nomination for "Ordinary Love".
2 February: U2 release a charity single titled "Invisible", a song incorrectly believed to be included on the band's 13th studio album.
9 September: U2 perform at an Apple product launch event in Cupertino, California, and announce that their 13th studio album, Songs of Innocence, will be released through the iTunes Store to all customers at no cost that day. The first single from the album, "The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)", is also released.
16 November: Bono is involved in a "high energy bicycle accident" in New York's Central Park when he attempts to avoid another rider. Bono is rushed to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center's Emergency Department and undergoes "multiple X-rays and CAT scans" followed by five hours of surgery.[162]
9 December: "Every Breaking Wave" is released as the second single from Songs of Innocence.
2015
11 May: "Song for Someone" is released as the third single from Songs from Innocence.
4 September: The European leg of the Innocence + Experience Tour begins in Turin, Italy.
7 December: The Innocence + Experience Tour concludes in Paris, France. The performance is a rescheduling of their 15 November date due to the terrorist attacks the previous day. The performance is filmed and broadcast as Innocence + Experience: Live in Paris on HBO the same day.[163]
2016
10 June: The Innocence + Experience: Live in Paris concert film is released on DVD, Blu-ray Disc and via digital download.[164]
1 June:Sirius XM Satellite Radio launches a limited-time U2-exclusive radio station called "The U2 Experience" on channel 30, which features the band's music as well as interviews with the members.[168]
10 August: "Summer Love" is released as the fourth single from Songs of Experience.
31 August: The European leg of the Experience + Innocence Tour begins in Berlin, Germany.
13 November: The Experience + Innocence Tour concludes in Berlin.
2019
8 November: The Joshua Tree Tour 2019, a continuation of the 2017 tour of the same name, begins in Auckland, New Zealand.[169][170]
22 November: U2 release a non-album single titled "Ahimsa" with Indian musician A.R. Rahman to tie in with their first performance in India.[171]
15 December: The Joshua Tree Tour 2019 concludes in Mumbai, India.
2020
1 January: A 75-minute cut of the concert video eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE: Live in Berlin is screened on broadcast networks worldwide.[172]
1 July: A permanent U2-X Radio station on Sirius XM satellite radio launches.[173]
September: U2's official YouTube channel is relaunched by YouTube, Island, Interscope, Universal Music Enterprises, and Universal Music Catalogue to support the remastering of the band's video catalogue to HD. Weekly releases commence on the channel, consisting of the band's music videos, behind-the-scenes footage, and unseen live videos.[174]
30 October:All That You Can't Leave Behind is reissued on CD, vinyl, and digitally in commemoration of its 20th anniversary. The album was remastered and released in a Standard edition, a Deluxe edition, and a 51-track Super Deluxe edition.[175][176]
1 November: U2 join the social networking service TikTok and post a 30-second lyric video teasing the new song "Your Song Saved My Life".[177]
3 November: U2 digitally release "Your Song Saved My Life" from the soundtrack to the animated musical film Sing 2, in which Bono voices the character Clay Calloway.[178]
19 November: Achtung Baby is re-released in standard black vinyl and deluxe color vinyl editions to commemorate its 30th anniversary; a 50-track digital box set follows on 3 December.[179]
2022
9 April: Bono and the Edge record an acoustic rendition of "Walk On" for Global Citizen's Stand Up for Ukraine livestream, which was organised to urge world leaders to raise funds for Ukrainian refugees.[180]
6 October: Media outlets report that U2 are in discussions to sign with Irving and Jeffrey Azoff of Full Stop Management, following the end of Guy Oseary's nine-year tenure as the band's manager the week prior.[182]
1 November: Bono's memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, is released. The following day, he begins a 14-city book tour across North America and Europe called "Stories of Surrender" to promote it.[183]
3 December: U2 receive Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., for their contributions to performing arts.[184]
2023
10 January: U2 announce that the album Songs of Surrender, a compilation of 40 re-recorded and reinterpreted songs from the group's back catalogue, will be released on 17 March 2023.[185]
11 January: U2 release a re-recorded version of "Pride (In the Name of Love)" to promote Songs of Surrender.[186]
27 January: U2 release a re-recorded version of "With or Without You" to promote Songs of Surrender.[187]
12 February: A Super Bowl LVII television advertisement announces that U2 will perform a concert residency to inaugurate Sphere in the Las Vegas Valley in autumn 2023. Named U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere, the residency is to be focused on the group's 1991 album Achtung Baby. The announcement confirms that Mullen will not participate in order to allow him to recuperate from surgery,[189] marking the first time since 1978 that U2 will perform without him;[190] Dutch drummer Bram van den Berg from the band Krezip is announced as his replacement.[189] Earlier during the Super Bowl, a re-recorded version of "One" from Songs of Surrender soundtracks the NFL's presentation of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.[191]
3 March: U2 release a re-recorded version of "Beautiful Day" to promote Songs of Surrender.[192]
17 March:Songs of Surrender is released. Additionally, the television documentary special Bono and The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, With Dave Letterman is made available for streaming on Disney+; it documents Bono's and the Edge's travels around Dublin with David Letterman, as well as a concert performance at Ambassador Theatre.
16 April: Bono resumes the "Stories of Surrender" tour with the first of 11 shows for a residency at the Beacon Theatre in New York City.[193]
24 April – 12 May: Concert dates and ticket sale details for U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere are announced. Initially, five dates from 29 September to 8 October are announced.[194] The following day, seven additional dates are announced, spanning 11–25 October.[195] Two days later, another five dates are announced, spanning 27 October to 4 November.[196] On 12 May, eight additional shows are announced, spanning 1–16 December.[197]
16–17 September: U2 film a music video for a Las Vegas-themed single called "Atomic City" that ties in to their residency at the Sphere. The shoot culminates at midnight at the Carousel Bar in front of the Plaza Hotel & Casino, where the group are met by a crowd that includes 250 extras.[198]
29 September: U2 perform the first show of their U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere residency. The group also releases "Atomic City".[199]
19 October: U2 announce that U2:UV Achtung Baby Live will be extended with 11 additional concerts running from 26 January to 18 February 2024, bringing the residency's total number of shows to 36.[200]
4 December: U2 announce that U2:UV Achtung Baby Live will be extended for the final time with four additional concerts running from 23 February to 2 March 2024, bringing the residency's total length to 40 concerts. Ticket sales for the shows begin the following day.[201]
16 December: U2 perform their last concert of the year at Sphere.
2024
26 January: U2 resume U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere.
4 February: A performance of "Atomic City" from Sphere is included in the telecast of the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. After the performance, the band participate in an award presentation, announcing the winner for Best Pop Vocal Album.[202]
21 February: The documentary film Kiss the Future is released theatrically with early screenings at select AMC theatres, followed by a wide release on 23 February. The film, featuring interviews with Bono, the Edge, and Clayton, documents U2's involvement with Sarajevo during the 1990s and their 1997 concert in the city.[203]
1 March: Larry Mullen Jr. attends the penultimate show of U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere. The audience chants his name after Bono gives him a shout-out on stage.[204]
2 March: U2 play the final concert of U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere.[205]
5 April: U2 announce "To Love and Only Love – Deep Dives and B-Sides", a series of 12 remastered singles to be digitally re-released with their original B-sides and remixes.[206]
30 August: U2 release a five-song live EP taken from an August 1993 performance called ZOO TV – Live in Dublin 1993.[207]
26 September: U2 announce an upcoming reissue of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb for its 20th anniversary, which includes a companion album of tracks from the recording sessions called How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb. Two tracks from that companion, "Country Mile" and "Picture of You (X+W)", are released as singles.[209]
24 October: The song "Happiness" is released as a single from How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb.[210]
22 November: A remastered 20th anniversary edition of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is reissued on vinyl, CD, cassette tape, and digitally.[209] Coinciding with the release date, the band's Vertigo 2005: Live from Chicago concert video is livestreamed on YouTube.[211]
^Wall, Mick, (2005). Bono. Andre Deutsch Publishers. ISBN978-0-233-00159-3 (Promotional edition published by Paperview UK is association with the Irish Independent), p. 45
^Stokes (1996), p. 140; McCormick (2006), pp. 53–56
^"New Year's Day" reached number ten on the UK charts, and received extensive radio coverage in the US, almost breaking that country's Top 50. (McCormick (2006), p. 139); "Songfacts: New Year's Day by U2". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 6 September 2007.
^U asked U2!Archived 3 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine msn.com. Retrieved 15 January 2007; Furthermore, Bono described the show as "one of the toughest and one of the sweetest nights of my life". (Bono in Conversation.The Independent (26 September 1997). Retrieved 15 January 2007)
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