View source for U2

{{short description|Irish rock band}}
{{About|the Irish rock band}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=September 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name             = U2
| image            = U2 on Joshua Tree Tour 2017 Brussels 8-1-17.jpg
| caption          = U2 performing in Brussels, Belgium, August 2017. From left to right: Larry&nbsp;Mullen&nbsp;Jr.; The&nbsp;Edge; Bono; Adam&nbsp;Clayton.
| landscape        = yes
| alt              = The band onstage
| background       = group_or_band
| alias            = {{ubl|Feedback (1976–1977)|The Hype (1977–1978)}}
| origin           = [[Dublin]], Ireland
| genre            = {{flatlist|
* [[Rock music|Rock]]
* [[alternative rock]]
* [[pop rock]]
* [[post-punk]]
}}
<!--Please do not modify the genres without discussing it first on the talk page.-->
| works            = {{flatlist|
* [[U2 discography|Discography]]
* [[List of songs recorded by U2|songs]]
}}
| years_active     = 1976–present
| label            = {{flatlist|
* [[Island Records|Island]]
* [[Interscope Records|Interscope]]
* [[Mercury Records|Mercury]]
* {{nowrap|[[CBS Records International|CBS Ireland]]}}
}}
| awards           = [[List of awards and nominations received by U2|Full list]]
| website          = {{URL|u2.com}}
| current_members  = 
* [[Bono]]
* [[The Edge]]
* [[Adam Clayton]]
* [[Larry Mullen Jr.]]
| past_members     = 
* [[Dik Evans]]
* Ivan McCormick
}}

'''U2''' are<!-- ("They are") Please note that for collective nouns (like bands), British English uses the plural "are" instead of the American singular "is". See WP:ENGVAR. --> an Irish [[Rock music|rock]] band formed in [[Dublin]] in 1976.<!-- Please do not remove without discussing on the talk page first --> The group comprises [[Bono]] (lead vocals), [[the Edge]] (lead guitar, keyboards, and vocals), [[Adam Clayton]] (bass guitar), and [[Larry Mullen Jr.]] (drums and percussion). Initially rooted in [[post-punk]], U2's musical style has evolved throughout their career, yet has maintained an anthemic quality built on Bono's expressive vocals and the Edge's chiming, [[Effects unit|effects]]-based guitar sounds. Bono's lyrics, often embellished with spiritual imagery, focus on personal and sociopolitical themes. Popular for their live performances, the group have staged several elaborate tours over their career.

The band was formed when the members were teenaged pupils of [[Mount Temple Comprehensive School]] and had limited musical proficiency. Within four years, they signed with [[Island Records]] and released their debut album, ''[[Boy (album)|Boy]]'' (1980). Works such as their first UK number-one album, ''[[War (U2 album)|War]]'' (1983), and singles "[[Sunday Bloody Sunday]]" and "[[Pride (In the Name of Love)]]" helped establish U2's reputation as a politically and socially conscious group. Their fourth album, ''[[The Unforgettable Fire]]'' (1984), was their first collaboration with producers [[Brian Eno]] and [[Daniel Lanois]], whose influence resulted in a more abstract, [[ambient music|ambient]] sound for the band. By the mid-1980s, U2 had become renowned globally for their live act, highlighted by their performance at [[Live Aid]] in 1985. Their fifth album, ''[[The Joshua Tree]]'' (1987), made them international stars and was their greatest critical and commercial success. One of the world's [[List of best-selling albums|best-selling albums]] with 25 million copies sold, it yielded the group's only number-one singles in the US: "[[With or Without You]]" and "[[I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For]]".

Facing creative stagnation and a backlash to their documentary and double album ''[[Rattle and Hum]]'' (1988), U2 reinvented themselves in the 1990s. Beginning with their acclaimed seventh album, ''[[Achtung Baby]]'' (1991), and the multimedia spectacle of the [[Zoo TV Tour]], the band pursued a new musical direction influenced by [[alternative rock|alternative]], [[industrial music|industrial]], and [[electronic dance music]], and they embraced a more ironic, flippant image. This experimentation continued on ''[[Zooropa]]'' (1993) and concluded after ''[[Pop (U2 album)|Pop]]'' (1997) and the [[PopMart Tour]], which polarized audiences and critics. The group re-established a more conventional, mainstream sound on ''[[All That You Can't Leave Behind]]'' (2000) and ''[[How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb]]'' (2004), which were critical and commercial successes. Sales of subsequent albums declined, but the group remained a popular live act. The [[U2 360° Tour]] of 2009–2011 held records for the [[List of most-attended concert tours|most-attended]] and [[List of highest-grossing concert tours|highest-grossing concert tour]] until 2019. ''[[Songs of Innocence (U2 album)|Songs of Innocence]]'' (2014), the first of two companion albums in the 2010s, was criticised for its pervasive release through the [[iTunes Store]]. In 2023, U2 released ''[[Songs of Surrender]]'', an album of re-recorded songs, and began the [[U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere|U2:UV ''Achtung Baby'' Live]] concert residency to inaugurate [[Sphere (venue)|Sphere]] in the Las Vegas Valley.

U2 have released 15 studio albums and are one of the world's [[List of best-selling music artists|best-selling music artists]], having sold an estimated 150–170 million records worldwide.<ref name="170sales">{{bulleted list|{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u2-what-theyre-still-looking-for/3/|title=U2: What they're still looking for|website=[[CBS News]]|first=Anthony|last=Mason|date=24 May 2015|access-date=25 May 2015|archive-date=25 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525121713/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/u2-what-theyre-still-looking-for/3/|url-status=dead}}|{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/former-u2-manager-paul-mcguinness-cracking-crime-on-the-c%C3%B4te-d-azur-1.2237369|title=Former U2 manager Paul McGuinness: Cracking crime on the Côte d'Azur|last=Marlowe|first=Lara|date=7 June 2015|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|access-date=8 October 2015|archive-date=26 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426144730/https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/former-u2-manager-paul-mcguinness-cracking-crime-on-the-c%C3%B4te-d-azur-1.2237369|url-status=live}}}}</ref> [[List of awards and nominations received by U2|Their accolades]] include 22 [[Grammy Award]]s, eight [[Brit Awards]], four [[Ivor Novello Awards]], and two [[Golden Globe Awards]]. They were inducted into the [[UK Music Hall of Fame]] in 2004 and the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 2005. According to ''[[Pollstar]]'', they were the [[List of highest-grossing live music artists|second-highest-grossing live music artist]] from 1980 to 2022, earning US$2.13&nbsp;billion. ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked U2 at number 22 on its [[Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time|list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time"]].<ref name="rs100greatest"/> Throughout their career, as a band and as individuals, they have campaigned for human rights and social justice causes, working with organisations and coalitions that include [[Amnesty International]], [[Jubilee 2000]], [[DATA]]/the [[ONE Campaign]], [[Product Red]], [[War Child (charity)|War Child]], and [[Music Rising]].
{{TOC limit|limit=3}}

== History ==
{{For timeline}}

=== Formation and early years (1976–1980) ===
[[File:MountTempleClock.jpg|thumb|The band formed in 1976 while attending [[Mount Temple Comprehensive School]] (pictured in 2007) in Dublin.]]
In 1976, [[Larry Mullen Jr.]], then a 14-year-old pupil of [[Mount Temple Comprehensive School]] in Dublin, Ireland, posted a note on the school's notice board in search of musicians for a new band.<!--as an Irish topic, this article uses international dating, i.e., dd/mm/yyyy not American dating mm/dd/yyyy.--> For the first practice, which was held on 25&nbsp;September in Mullen's kitchen, Mullen played drums and was joined by at least five other people: [[Bono|Paul Hewson ("Bono Vox")]] on lead vocals; [[The Edge|David Evans ("the Edge")]] and his older brother [[Dik Evans]] on guitar; [[Adam Clayton]], a friend of the Evans brothers, on bass guitar; and Ivan McCormick. Mullen later described it as "'The Larry Mullen Band' for about ten minutes, then Bono walked in and blew any chance I had of being in charge." Peter Martin, a friend of Mullen and McCormick, loaned his guitar and amplifier for the first practice,<ref name="mccorm27">McCormick (2006), pp. 27, 29–30</ref> but he could not play and was quickly phased out;<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.hotpress.com/news/THE-UNBELIEVABLE-BOOK/1488562.html|title=The Unbelievable Book|magazine=[[Hot Press]]|first=Neil|last=McCormick|date=3 December 1987|issue=11|volume=23|access-date=16 December 2016|archive-date=22 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322182616/http://www.hotpress.com/news/THE-UNBELIEVABLE-BOOK/1488562.html|url-status=live}}</ref> sources differ on whether he was in attendance at the first meeting or not.<ref>Sources stating that Martin attended the first practice: {{bulleted list|Chatterton (2001), p. 130|Jobling (2014), p. 16|McGee (2008), p. 9}}
Sources disputing Martin's attendance: {{bulleted list|{{cite web|url=https://www.u2songs.com/news/u245_forty_five_years_of_u2_with_ivan_mccormick|title=U245: Forty Five Years of U2 with Ivan McCormick|website=U2Songs.com|first=Aaron|last=Sams|date=25 September 2021|access-date=19 October 2021|archive-date=18 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018064904/https://u2songs.com/news/u245_forty_five_years_of_u2_with_ivan_mccormick|url-status=live}}}}</ref> Within a few weeks, McCormick was also dropped from the group.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hotpress.com/U2/music/interviews/U240-U2-It-was-40-Years-Ago-Today/18931799.html|title=#U240 U2: It was 40 Years Ago Today|website=Hot Press|first=Colm|last=O'Hare|date=25 September 2016|access-date=16 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201174751/https://www.hotpress.com/music/u240-u2-it-was-40-years-ago-today-18931799|archive-date=1 December 2020|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The remaining five members settled on the name "Feedback" for the group because it was one of the few technical terms they knew. Early rehearsals took place in their music teacher's classroom at Mount Temple.<ref name="mccorm27"/> Most of their initial material consisted of [[cover version|cover songs]], which they admitted was not their forte.<ref>McCormick (2006), pp. 35, 40</ref> The emergence of [[punk rock]], in particular the influence of acts such as [[the Stranglers]],<ref name='strangledu2'>{{cite magazine |title=Hugh Cornwell talks to Adam of U2|magazine=Strangled|issue=20|publisher=SIS|date=February 1985|pages=4–9|url=https://archive.org/details/strangled-vol-2-no-20-1985-02/page/4/mode/2up|access-date=5 December 2021|quote="to be very honest, in those early days The Stranglers were much more of an influence than The Clash or The Pistols. The Clash were so much of an English working class movement we didn't feel part of"}}</ref> [[the Jam]], [[the Clash]], [[Buzzcocks]], and [[Sex Pistols]], convinced them that musical proficiency was not a prerequisite to success.<ref>McCormick (2008), p. 37</ref>

{{quote box
 | quote  = We couldn't believe it. I was completely shocked. We weren't of an age to go out partying as such but I don't think anyone slept that night&nbsp;... Really, it was just a great affirmation to win that competition, even though I've no idea how good we were or what the competition was really like. But to win at that point was incredibly important for morale and everyone's belief in the whole project.
 | source =&nbsp;—The Edge, on the band's winning a 1978 talent contest in [[Limerick]]<ref name="U2_by_U2_46-48"/>
 | width = 25em
 | align = left
 | style = padding:10px;
}}

In April 1977, Feedback played their first gig for a paying audience at [[St. Fintan's High School]]. Shortly thereafter, the band changed their name to "The Hype".<ref>McGee (2008), pp. 11–12</ref> Dik Evans, who was older and by that time attending college, was becoming the odd man out of the group. The other members were leaning towards the idea of a four-piece ensemble.<ref name="U2_by_U2_46-48">McCormick (2006), pp. 46–48</ref> In March 1978, the group changed their name to "U2",<ref>McGee (2008), p. 14</ref> selecting it from a list of six options suggested by [[Steve Averill]], a punk rock musician with [[the Radiators from Space]] and a family friend of Clayton. The band chose U2 for its open-ended interpretations, visual strength on posters, and because it was the name that they disliked the least.<ref>McCormick (2006), p. 44</ref> Dik Evans officially left the band with a farewell concert at the Presbyterian Hall in [[Sutton, Dublin|Sutton]] on 4 March. During the show, which featured the group playing cover songs as the Hype, Dik ceremonially walked offstage. The remaining four members returned later in the concert to play original material as U2.<ref name="U2_by_U2_46-48"/><ref>{{cite podcast|url=https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzLzY0NGI5ZmRmZDBmNmUyMDAxMjdjZjQ3Nw|title=Intermission - The Night The Hype Became U2|work=U2-Y|first=Gareth|last=Averill|date=22 May 2023|access-date=9 July 2023|via=[[Google Podcasts]]|archive-date=9 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709073158/https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzLzY0NGI5ZmRmZDBmNmUyMDAxMjdjZjQ3Nw|url-status=live}}</ref> Dik joined the [[Virgin Prunes]], a band made up of mutual friends of U2; early on, the Prunes served as U2's default [[opening act]], and the two groups often shared members for live performances to fill in for occasional absences.<ref>McGee (2008), p. 20</ref> On 18 March, the four-piece U2 won the "Pop Group '78" talent contest sponsored by the ''[[Evening Press]]'' and [[Guinness]]'s [[Harp Lager]] as part of [[Limerick]] Civic Week.<ref>{{bulleted list|{{Cite web|url=https://www.u2songs.com/news/pop_group_1978|title=Pop Group 1978|website=U2Songs.com|first=Aaron J.|last=Sams|date=18 March 2022|access-date=9 July 2023|archive-date=9 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709080812/https://www.u2songs.com/news/pop_group_1978|url-status=live}}|{{cite news|title=Dublin boys top of Pops!|newspaper=[[Evening Press]]|date=20 March 1978|page=3}}}}</ref> The win was an important milestone and affirmation for the fledgling act.<ref name="U2_by_U2_46-48"/> The contest prize consisted of {{GBP|500}} ({{Inflation|UK|500|1978|fmt=eq|cursign=£|round=-1}}) and a recording session for a demo that would be heard by the record label [[CBS Records International|CBS Ireland]].<ref name="mcg16">McGee (2008), pp. 16–18</ref> U2's demo tape was recorded at Keystone Studios in Dublin in April 1978,<ref name="mcg16"/> but the results were largely unsuccessful due to their inexperience.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.hotpress.com/U2/music/interviews/STORIES-OF-BOYS/549279.html|title=Stories of Boys|magazine=Hot Press|first=Jackie|last=Hayden|date=5 June 1985|access-date=29 December 2016|volume=9|issue=12|archive-date=3 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103173926/http://www.hotpress.com/U2/music/interviews/STORIES-OF-BOYS/549279.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:U2 plaque in Limerick commemorating Pop Group 78 contest win (cropped).jpeg|thumb|upright=0.85|A plaque commemorating U2's victory in the 1978 Limerick Civic Week "Pop Group" music talent contest]]
Irish magazine ''[[Hot Press]]'' was influential in shaping U2's future; in addition to being one of their earliest allies, the publication's journalist [[Bill Graham (author)|Bill Graham]] introduced the band to [[Paul McGuinness]], who agreed to be their [[Talent manager|manager]] in mid-1978.<ref name="mcg16"/><ref>McCormick (2006), pp. 53–56</ref> With the connections he was making within the music industry, McGuinness booked demo sessions for the group and sought to garner them a record deal. The band continued to build their fanbase with performances across Ireland,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/features/u2-the-early-years-there-was-a-presence-a-magnetism-4226|title=In the Name of Love|magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]|first=Stephen|last=Dalton|date=December 1999|issue=31|access-date=30 December 2016|archive-date=2 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702130919/http://www.uncut.co.uk/features/u2-the-early-years-there-was-a-presence-a-magnetism-4226|url-status=live}}</ref> the most famous of which were a series of weekend afternoon shows at Dublin's [[Stephen's Green Shopping Centre|Dandelion Market]] in mid-1979.<ref name="mcg21">McGee (2008), pp. 21–24</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.u2songs.com/news/u2_at_the_dandelion_an_interview_with_john_fisher|title=U2 at the Dandelion: An Interview with John Fisher|website=U2Songs.com|first=Harry|last=Kantas|date=24 February 2020|access-date=19 October 2021|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020033824/https://www.u2songs.com/news/u2_at_the_dandelion_an_interview_with_john_fisher|url-status=live}}</ref> 

In August 1979, U2 recorded demos at [[Windmill Lane Studios]] with CBS talent scout Chas de Whalley as producer, marking the first of the band's many recordings at the studio during their career.<ref>McGee (2008), pp. 23, 29</ref> The following month, three songs from the session were released by CBS in Ireland as the EP ''[[Three (U2 EP)|Three]]''. It was the group's first chart success, selling all 1,000 copies of its limited edition 12-inch vinyl almost immediately.<ref name="mcg21"/> In December 1979, the band performed in London for their first shows outside Ireland, although they were unable to gain much attention from audiences or critics.<ref>de la Parra (2003), p. 10</ref> On 26 February 1980, their second single, "[[Another Day (U2 song)|Another Day]]", was released on the CBS label, again only for the Irish market. The same day, U2 performed at the 2,000-seat [[National Stadium (Ireland)|National Stadium]] in Dublin as part of an Irish tour.<ref name="mcg27">McGee (2008), p. 27</ref><ref name="legends">{{cite episode|title=U2|series=[[VH1's Legends|Legends]]|network=[[VH1]]|season=1|number=6|airdate=11 December 1998}}</ref> Despite their gamble of booking a concert in such a large venue, the move paid off.<ref name="mcg27"/> Bill Stewart, an [[A&R]] representative for [[Island Records]], was in attendance and offered to sign them to the label.<ref name="RStone397">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/blessed-are-the-peacemakers-u2-102912/|title=Blessed Are the Peacemakers|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Henke|first=James|date=9 June 1983|access-date=2 July 2018|issue=397|pages=11–14|archive-date=2 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702204755/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/blessed-are-the-peacemakers-u2-102912/|url-status=live}}</ref> The following month, the band signed a four-year, four-album contract with Island, which included a {{GBP|50,000}} advance ({{Inflation|UK|50,000|1980|fmt=eq|cursign=£|round=-1}}) and {{GBP|50,000}} in tour support.<ref name="mcg29">McGee (2008), pp. 29–31</ref>

=== ''Boy'' and ''October'' (1980–1982) ===
[[File:Steve_Lillywhite_during_interview.jpg|thumb|[[Steve Lillywhite]] produced the band's first three studio albums: ''[[Boy (album)|Boy]]'', ''[[October (U2 album)|October]]'', and ''[[War (U2 album)|War]]''.]]
In May 1980, U2 released "[[11 O'Clock Tick Tock]]", their first international single and their debut on Island, but it failed to chart.<ref name="mcg29"/> [[Martin Hannett]], who produced the single, was in consideration to produce the band's debut album, ''[[Boy (album)|Boy]]'', but was replaced with [[Steve Lillywhite]].<ref name="mccorm96">McCormick (2006), pp. 96–100</ref> From July to September 1980, U2 recorded the album at Windmill Lane Studios,<ref name="mcg32">McGee (2008), p. 32</ref><ref name="pluckirish">{{cite magazine|title=U2: Pluck of the Irish|magazine=[[Trouser Press]]|first=Jim|last=Green|date=March 1982}}</ref> drawing from their nearly 40-song repertoire at the time.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Kings of the Celtic Fringe|magazine=[[NME]]|first=Gavin|last=Martin|date=14 February 1981}}</ref> Lillywhite employed an experimental approach as producer, setting up Mullen's drums in a stairwell and recording [[overdub]]s such as smashed bottles and cutlery skimmed against a spinning bicycle wheel.<ref name="mccorm96"/> The band found Lillywhite very encouraging and creative; Bono called him "such a breath of fresh air", and the Edge said he "had a great way of pulling the best out of everybody".<ref name="mccorm96"/> The album's lead single, "[[A Day Without Me]]", was released in August. Although it did not chart,<ref name="mcg32"/> the song was the impetus for the Edge's purchase of a [[delay (audio effect)|delay]] [[effects unit|effect unit]], the [[Electro-Harmonix]] Memory Man, which came to define his guitar playing style.<ref name="mcg29"/>

Released in October 1980,<ref name="mcg34">McGee (2008), p. 34</ref> ''Boy'' received generally positive reviews.<ref>Jobling (2014), p. 69</ref> [[Paul Morley]] of ''[[NME]]'' called it "touching, precocious, full of archaic and modernist conviction",<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Boy's Own Weepies|magazine=NME|first=Paul|last=Morley|author-link=Paul Morley|date=25 October 1980}}</ref> while Declan Lynch of ''Hot Press'' said he found it "almost impossible to react negatively to U2's music".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://hotpress.com/archive/492357.html|title=Boy|magazine=Hot Press|first=Declan|last=Lynch|date=10–24 October 1980|access-date=13 October 2011|volume=4|issue=10|archive-date=5 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405044251/http://hotpress.com/archive/492357.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Bono's lyrics reflected on adolescence, innocence, and the passage into adulthood,<ref>Jobling (2014), p. 67</ref> themes represented on the album cover by a closeup of an adolescent Peter Rowen, the younger brother of Bono's friend [[Guggi]].<ref name="mccorm96"/> ''Boy'' peaked at number 52 in the United Kingdom and number 63 in the United States.<ref name="mcg34"/><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1981/BB-1981-04-18.pdf|title=Billboard Top LPs & Tape|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=18 April 1981|page=139|volume=93|issue=15|access-date=28 December 2016|via=World Radio History}}</ref> The album included the band's first songs to receive airplay on US radio, including the single "[[I Will Follow]]",<ref name="edgeofu2"/> which reached number 20 on ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''{{'}}s [[Mainstream Rock (chart)|Top Tracks]] rock chart.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/80s/1981/BB-1981-04-25.pdf|title=Billboard Rock Albums & Top Tracks|magazine=Billboard|date=25 April 1981|page=28|volume=93|issue=16|access-date=28 December 2016}}</ref> ''Boy''{{'}}s release was followed by the Boy Tour, U2's first tour of continental Europe and the US.<ref>de la Parra (2003), pp. 16–17</ref> Reviewing the band's early live performances, critics complimented their ambition and Bono's exuberance, and found the shows to be illustrative of U2's potential despite lacking polish.<ref>{{bulleted list|{{cite news|title=A New Sound Under Pressure|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|first=Steve|last=Morse|date=7 March 1981|page=8}}|{{cite news|title=U2: Aiming for Number 1|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|first=Boo|last=Browning|date=27 February 1981|page=WK39}}|{{cite magazine|url=http://www.hotpress.com/music/interviews/U2-COULD-BE-IN-LA/549120.html|title=U2 Could Be in L.A.|magazine=Hot Press|first=Charlie|last=McNally|date=17 April – 1 May 1981|volume=5|issue=7|access-date=3 January 2017|archive-date=22 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322190604/http://www.hotpress.com/music/interviews/U2-COULD-BE-IN-LA/549120.html|url-status=live}}|{{cite news|title=U2: Intriguing New Band Explodes on the American Scene|newspaper=[[Orange County Register]]|first=C.P.|last=Smith|date=23 March 1981}}}}</ref>

[[File:Bono and Edge of U2 in Toronto 5-19-81.jpg|thumb|Bono and the Edge performing on the Boy Tour in May 1981]]
The band faced several challenges in writing their second album, ''[[October (U2 album)|October]].'' On an American leg of the Boy Tour, Bono's briefcase containing in-progress lyrics and musical ideas was lost backstage during a March 1981 performance at a nightclub in [[Portland, Oregon]].<ref name="mccorm113">McCormick (2006), pp. 113–120</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/history/2016/03/u2_portland_stolen_briefcase_h.html|title=How U2, a Portland bar and a missing briefcase altered music history (photos)|website=[[OregonLive.com]]|first=Joseph|last=Rose|date=22 March 2016|access-date=31 March 2016|archive-date=1 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301182354/http://www.oregonlive.com/history/2016/03/u2_portland_stolen_briefcase_h.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The band had limited time to write new music on tour and in July began a two-month recording session at Windmill Lane Studios largely unprepared,<ref name="mcg46">McGee (2008) pp. 46–47</ref> forcing Bono to quickly improvise lyrics.<ref name="mccorm113"/> Lillywhite, reprising his role as producer, called the sessions "completely chaotic and mad".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7511370.stm|title=U2's producer reveals studio secrets|website=[[BBC News]]|first=Mark|last=Savage|date=18 July 2008|access-date=24 December 2016|archive-date=11 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411144901/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7511370.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> ''October''{{'}}s lead single, "[[Fire (U2 song)|Fire]]", was released in July and was U2's first song to chart in the UK.<ref name="mcg46"/><ref name="ukcharts">{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/21874/u2/|title=U2 <nowiki>|</nowiki> full Official Chart history|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=24 December 2016|archive-date=29 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129145220/http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/21874/u2/|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite earning the band an appearance on UK television programme ''[[Top of the Pops]]'', the single fell in the charts afterwards.<ref name="mccorm113"/> On 16 August 1981, the group opened for [[Thin Lizzy]] at the inaugural [[Slane Concert]]; the Edge called it one of U2's worst shows.<ref name="mcg46"/> Adding to this period of self-doubt, Bono's, the Edge's, and Mullen's involvement in a [[Charismatic Christian]] group in Dublin called the "Shalom Fellowship" led them to question the relationship between their religious faith and the lifestyle of a rock band.<ref name="mccorm113"/><ref>Flanagan (1995), pp. 46–48</ref> Bono and the Edge considered quitting U2 due to their perceived spiritual conflicts before deciding to leave Shalom instead.<ref name="mccorm113"/><ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=October |title-link=October (U2 album) |others=U2 |year=2008 |last=McCormick |first=Neil |type=Remastered deluxe edition CD booklet |publisher=[[Island Records]] |id=B0010948-02}}</ref>

[[File:Dave and U2 in studio, 1982.jpg|thumb|U2 with radio host [[Dave Fanning]] ''(centre)'' in February 1982]]
''October'' was released in October 1981 and contained overtly spiritual themes.<ref name="mcg49">McGee (2008), pp. 49–50</ref> The album received mixed reviews and limited radio play.<ref>Jobling (2014), pp. 88–89</ref> It debuted at number 11 in the UK,<ref name="mcg49"/> but sold poorly elsewhere.<ref name="mccorm120">McCormick (2006), pp. 120, 130</ref> The single "[[Gloria (U2 song)|Gloria]]" was U2's first song to have its music video played on [[MTV]], generating excitement for the band during the [[October Tour]] of 1981–1982 in markets where the television channel was available.<ref>McCormick (2006), p. 125</ref> During the tour, U2 met Dutch photographer [[Anton Corbijn]],<ref>McGee (2008), p. 55</ref> who became their principal photographer and has had a major influence on their public image.<ref>McCormick (2006), p. 127</ref> In March 1982, the band played 14 dates as the opening act for [[the J. Geils Band]].<ref>McGee (2008), pp. 57–58</ref> U2 were disappointed by their lack of progress by the end of the October Tour. Having run out of money and feeling unsupported by their record label, the group committed to improving; Clayton recalled that "there was a firm resolve to come out of the box fighting with the next record".<ref name="mccorm120"/>

===''War'' and ''Under a Blood Red Sky'' (1982–1983)===
After the October Tour, U2 decamped to a rented cottage in Howth, where they lived, wrote new songs, and rehearsed for their third album, ''[[War (U2 album)|War]]''. Significant musical breakthroughs were achieved by the Edge in August 1982 during a two-week period of independent songwriting, while the other band members holidayed and Bono honeymooned with his wife, [[Ali Hewson|Ali]].<ref name="mcc135">McCormick (2006), pp. 130, 135</ref><ref name="mcg59">McGee (2008), pp. 59–60</ref> From September to November, the group recorded ''War'' at Windmill Lane Studios. Lillywhite, who had a policy of not working with an artist more than twice, was convinced by the group to return as producer for a third time.<ref name="warpeace">{{cite magazine|title=War & Peace|magazine=NME|first=Adrian|last=Thrills|date=26 February 1983}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Producer: Steve Lillywhite|magazine=U2 Magazine|first=Geoff|last=Parkyn|date=March 1985|issue=14}}</ref> The recording sessions featured contributions from violinist [[Steve Wickham]] and the female singers of [[Kid Creole and the Coconuts]].<ref name="warpeace"/> For the first time, Mullen played drums to a [[click track]] to keep time.<ref name="mcc135"/> After completing the album, U2 played a short tour of Western Europe in December.<ref>de la Parra (2003), pp. 35–37</ref>

{{listen
|pos=left
 | filename     = U2 Sunday Bloody Sunday.ogg
 | title        = "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (1983)
 | description  = "Sunday Bloody Sunday" features a martial drumbeat, raw guitar, and lyrically, a bleak emotionally charged response to violence.
 | format       = [[Ogg]]
}}
''War''{{'}}s lead single, "[[New Year's Day (U2 song)|New Year's Day]]", was released in January 1983. It reached number 10 in the UK and became the group's first hit outside Europe; in the US, it received extensive radio coverage and peaked at number 53.<ref name="mcg63">McGee (2008), pp. 63–64, 66, 72</ref> Resolving their doubts of the ''October'' period,<ref>Stokes (1996), p. 36</ref> U2 released ''War'' in February.<ref name="mcg63"/> Critically, the album received favourable reviews, although a few UK reviewers were critical of it.<ref>Jobling (2014), p. 102</ref> It was the band's first commercial success, debuting at number one in the UK, while reaching number 12 in the US.<ref name="mcg63"/> ''War''{{'}}s sincerity and "rugged" guitar were intentionally at odds with the trendier [[synthpop]] of the time.<ref>Graham (2004), p. 14</ref> Described as a record on which the band "turned pacifism itself into a crusade",<ref>Reynolds (2006), p. 367</ref> ''War'' was lyrically more political than their first two records,<ref>McPherson (2015), p. 14</ref> focusing on the physical and emotional effects of warfare.<ref name="warpeace"/> The album included the [[protest song]] "[[Sunday Bloody Sunday]]", in which Bono lyrically contrasted the events of the [[Bloody Sunday (1972)|1972 Bloody Sunday]] shooting with [[Easter|Easter Sunday]].<ref name="mcc135"/> Other songs addressed [[nuclear proliferation]] ("Seconds") and the Polish [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] movement ("New Year's Day").<ref>Jobling (2014), p. 98</ref> ''War'' was U2's first record to feature Corbijn's photography.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Anton Corbijn|magazine=Propaganda|publisher=U2 Information Service|date=April 1989|issue=10}}</ref> An adolescent Rowen was again featured on the album cover, with his previously innocent expression replaced by a fearful one.<ref name="mcg63"/>

[[File:U2 War Tour-1983-05-30 - Devore.jpg|thumb|alt=U2 playing on an outdoor stage. The Edge is on the left playing guitar, Bono in the centre with a microphone, and Adam Clayton on the right playing bass guitar. A drum set is partially visible on the right side.|U2 performing at the [[US Festival]] in May 1983]]

On the subsequent 1983 [[War Tour]] of Europe, the US and Japan,<ref name="mcg63"/> the band played progressively larger venues, moving from clubs to halls to arenas.<ref>de la Parra (2003), p. 42</ref> Bono attempted to engage the growing audiences with theatrical, often dangerous antics, climbing scaffolding and lighting rigs and jumping into the audience.<ref name="wsj85">Lambert, Paul, "U2: Keeping the Faith with Unforgettable Fire", ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', 2 April 1985. In Bordowitz (ed.), ''The U2 Reader'', pp. 44–47.</ref> The sight of Bono waving a white flag during performances of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" became the tour's iconic image.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://motherjones.com/media/1989/05/bono-bites-back|title=Bono Bites Back|magazine=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]|first=Adam|last=Block|date=1 May 1989|access-date=18 June 2010|archive-date=3 June 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100603072638/http://motherjones.com/media/1989/05/bono-bites-back|url-status=live}}</ref> The band played several dates at large European and American [[music festival]]s,<ref name="snow56">Snow (2014), p. 56</ref> including a performance at the [[US Festival]] on [[Memorial Day]] weekend for an audience of 125,000 people.<ref>Jobling (2014), p. 107</ref> Nearly rained out, the group's 5 June 1983 concert at [[Red Rocks Amphitheatre]] was singled out by ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' as one of "50 Moments that Changed the History of Rock and Roll".<ref name="redrocks">{{cite magazine|last=Cave|first=Damien|date=24 June 2004|title=U2's Gamble at Red Rocks|magazine=Rolling Stone|page=146|issue=951|display-authors=etal}}</ref> The show was recorded for the concert video ''[[U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky|Live at Red Rocks]]'', and was one of several concerts from the tour captured on their live album ''[[Under a Blood Red Sky]]''.<ref>Jobling (2014), pp. 108–111</ref> The releases received extensive play on MTV and the radio, expanding the band's audience and showcasing their prowess as a live act.<ref name="redrocks"/> During the tour, the group established a new tradition by closing concerts with the ''War'' track "[[40 (song)|40]]", during which the Edge and Clayton would exchange instruments and the band members would leave the stage one by one as the crowd continued to sing the refrain "How long to sing this song?".<ref>Graham (2004), pp. 20–21</ref><ref>McCormick (2006), p. 142</ref> The War Tour was U2's first profitable tour, grossing about {{USD|2&nbsp;million}}.<ref>Jobling (2014), p. 112</ref>

=== ''The Unforgettable Fire'' and Live Aid (1984–1985) ===
With their record deal with Island Records coming to an end, U2 signed a more lucrative extension in 1984. They negotiated the return of the copyrights of their songs, an increase in their royalty rate, and a general improvement in terms, at the expense of a larger initial payment.<ref name="band80s">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-keeping-the-faith-55384/|title=Keeping the Faith|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Connelly|first=Christopher|date=14 March 1985|access-date=2 July 2018|issue=443|pages=25+|archive-date=2 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702204911/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-keeping-the-faith-55384/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Following the ''War'' album and tour, U2 feared that they were in danger of becoming another "shrill", "sloganeering [[Arena rock|arena-rock]] band".<ref name="RS_JT">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/the-joshua-tree-252429/|title=Review: The Joshua Tree|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Steve|last=Pond|date=9 April 1987|access-date=2 July 2018|issue=497|archive-date=2 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702180202/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/the-joshua-tree-252429/|url-status=live}}</ref> While they were confident that fans would embrace them as successors to groups like [[the Who]] and [[Led Zeppelin]], according to Bono: "something just didn't feel right. We felt we had more dimension than just the next big anything, we had something unique to offer."<ref name="U2byU2_147">McCormick (2006), p. 147</ref> They sought experimentation for their fourth studio album, ''[[The Unforgettable Fire]]''.<ref name="COMPLETE_21">Graham (2004), p. 21</ref> Clayton said, "We were looking for something that was a bit more serious, more arty."<ref name="U2byU2_147" /> The Edge admired the [[ambient music|ambient]] and "weird works" of [[Brian Eno]], who, along with his [[audio engineering|engineer]] [[Daniel Lanois]], eventually agreed to produce the record. The decision to hire them was against the wishes of Island Records founder [[Chris Blackwell]], who believed that just when the band were about to achieve the highest levels of success, Eno would "bury them under a layer of [[Avant-garde music|avant-garde]] nonsense".<ref name="U2byU2_151"/>

{{Listen
 | pos=left
 | filename=Tuf sample.ogg
 |title="The Unforgettable Fire" (1984)
 |description="[[The Unforgettable Fire (song)|The Unforgettable Fire]]" has a rich, symphonic sound built from ambient instrumentation, a driving rhythm, and a lyrical "sketch".<ref name="STOKES_55">Stokes (1996), p. 55</ref>
 |format=[[Ogg]] | help = no
}}
Partly recorded in [[Slane Castle]], ''The Unforgettable Fire'' was released in October 1984 and marked a major change of style.<ref name="PARRA_52-56">de la Parra (2003), pp. 52–55</ref> It was ambient and abstract, and featured a rich, orchestrated sound. Under Lanois' direction, Mullen's drumming became looser, funkier, and more subtle, and Clayton's bass became more subtle.<ref name="STOKES_50-51">Stokes (1996), pp. 50–51</ref> Complementing the album's atmospheric sound, the lyrics were left open to interpretation, providing what the band called a "very visual feel".<ref name="PARRA_52-56"/> Due to a tight recording schedule, Bono felt songs like "[[Bad (U2 song)|Bad]]" and "[[Pride (In the Name of Love)]]" were incomplete "sketches".<ref name="U2byU2_151">McCormick (2006), p. 151</ref> The album reached number one in the UK,<ref>McGee (2008), p. 78</ref> and was successful in the US.<ref>{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p5723/charts-awards/billboard-albums|pure_url=yes}} |title=U2: Charts and Awards |website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=16 November 2014}}</ref> The lead single "Pride (In the Name of Love)", written about [[civil rights movement]] leader [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], was their first song to chart in the US top 40.<ref>Graham (2004), pp. 23–24</ref>

[[File:U2 on Unforgettable Fire Tour 09-09-1984.jpg|thumb|U2 performing in Sydney in September 1984 on [[the Unforgettable Fire Tour]]]]
Much of [[the Unforgettable Fire Tour]] moved into indoor arenas as U2 built their audience.<ref>de la Parra (2003), pp. 62–63</ref> The complex textures of the new studio-recorded tracks, such as "[[The Unforgettable Fire (song)|The Unforgettable Fire]]" and "Bad", was hard to translate to live performances.<ref name="PARRA_52-56"/> One solution was programming [[music sequencer]]s, which the band had previously been reluctant to use but now incorporate into the majority of their performances.<ref name="PARRA_52-56"/> Songs on the album had been criticised as being "unfinished", "fuzzy", and "unfocused", but were better received by critics when played on stage. ''Rolling Stone'', which was critical of the album version of "Bad", described its live performance as a "show stopper".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Henke|first=James|title=Review: Wide Awake in America|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=18 July 1985|issue=452–453}}</ref>

In March 1985, a ''Rolling Stone'' cover story called U2 the "Band of the '80s", saying that "for a growing number of rock & roll fans, U2{{nbsp}}... has become the band that matters most, maybe even the only band that matters".<ref name="band80s" /> On 13 July 1985, the group performed at the [[Live Aid]] concert at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] for [[1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia|Ethiopian famine]] relief,<ref>{{cite news|title=Live Aid's Legacy of Concern|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=2 July 1995|first=Steve|last=Morse|edition=City|at=sec. Arts & Film, p. A1}}</ref> before a crowd of 72,000 fans and a worldwide television audience of 1.5&nbsp;billion people.<ref name="rs-liveaid-bad">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/u2s-bad-break-12-minutes-at-live-aid-that-made-the-bands-career-242777/|title=U2's 'Bad' Break: 12 Minutes at Live Aid That Made the Band's Career|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|first=Gavin|last=Edwards|date=10 July 2014|access-date=13 July 2020|archive-date=3 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803130522/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/u2s-bad-break-12-minutes-at-live-aid-that-made-the-bands-career-242777/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="mcg88">McGee (2008), pp. 88–89</ref> During a 12-minute performance of "Bad", Bono climbed down from the stage to embrace and dance with a female fan he had picked out of the crowd,<ref name="rs-liveaid-bad"/> showing a global audience the personal connection that he could make with fans.<ref>de la Parra (2003), pp. 72–73</ref> The performance was a pivotal event in the band's career;<ref>McCormick (2006), p. 164</ref> ''[[The Guardian]]'' cited Live Aid as the moment that made stars of U2, and it included their performance on a list of 50 key events in rock history.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/12/u2-stars-live-aid|title=U2 become stars after Live Aid|website=[[The Guardian]]|first=Pete|last=Paphides|date=12 June 2011|access-date=7 November 2016|archive-date=7 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107223325/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/12/u2-stars-live-aid|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== ''The Joshua Tree'' and ''Rattle and Hum'' (1986–1990) ===
{{quote box
 | quote  = The wild beauty, cultural richness, spiritual vacancy and ferocious violence of America are explored to compelling effect in virtually every aspect of ''The Joshua Tree''—in the title and the cover art, the blues and country borrowings evident in the music&nbsp;... Indeed, Bono says that 'dismantling the mythology of America' is an important part of ''The Joshua Tree''{{'}}s artistic objective.
 | source =&nbsp;—[[Anthony DeCurtis]]<ref>Rolling Stone (1994), pp. 68–69</ref>
 | width  = 25em
 | align  = left
 | style  = padding:10px;
}}

For their fifth album, ''[[The Joshua Tree]]'', the band wanted to build on ''The Unforgettable Fire''{{'}}s textures, but instead of experimentation, sought a harder-hitting sound within the limitation of conventional song structures.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=DeCurtis|first=Anthony|title=U2 Releases The Joshua Tree|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=26 March 1987|issue=496}}</ref> Realising that "U2 had no tradition" and that their knowledge of music from before their childhood was limited, the group delved into [[American roots music|American]] and [[Folk music of Ireland|Irish roots music]].<ref>McCormick (2006), pp. 169, 177</ref> Friendships with [[Bob Dylan]], [[Van Morrison]], and [[Keith Richards]] motivated Bono to explore [[blues]], [[folk music|folk]], and [[gospel music]] and to focus on his skills as a songwriter and lyricist.<ref>McCormick (2006), p. 179</ref> U2 halted the album sessions in June 1986 to play as a headline act on the [[A Conspiracy of Hope|Conspiracy of Hope]] benefit concert tour for [[Amnesty International]]. Rather than distract the band, the tour invigourated their new material.<ref name="McCormick 2006, p. 174">McCormick (2006), p. 174</ref> The following month, Bono travelled to [[Nicaragua]] and [[El Salvador]] and saw first-hand the distress of peasants affected by political conflicts and US military intervention. The experience became a central influence on their new music.<ref name=westwon>{{cite magazine|title=How the West Was Won|magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]|first=Stephen|last=Dalton|date=October 2003|issue=77}}</ref>

[[File:U2 (1987 Island Records Publicity Photo).jpg|thumb|A promotional image of the band for their 1987 album ''The Joshua Tree'']]
''The Joshua Tree'' was released in March 1987. The album juxtaposes antipathy towards US foreign policy against the group's deep fascination with the country, its open spaces, freedom, and ideals.<ref>McCormick (2006), p. 186</ref> The band wanted music with a sense of location and a "cinematic" quality, and the record draws on imagery created by American writers whose works the band had been reading.<ref>Graham (2004), pp. 27–30</ref> ''The Joshua Tree'' was critically acclaimed; [[Robert Hilburn]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' said the album "confirms on record what this band has been slowly asserting for three years now on stage: U2 is what [[the Rolling Stones]] ceased being years ago—the greatest rock and roll band in the world".<ref name="latimes-joshua">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-03-15-ca-10491-story.html|title=U2's Roots Go Deeper|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|first=Robert|last=Hilburn|author-link=Robert Hilburn|date=15 March 1987|at=section Calendar, p. 61|access-date=15 October 2010|archive-date=6 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206152411/http://articles.latimes.com/1987-03-15/entertainment/ca-10491_1_joshua-tree|url-status=live}}</ref> The record went to number one in over 20 countries,<ref name="10things">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2s-the-joshua-tree-10-things-you-didnt-know-106885/|title=U2's 'The Joshua Tree': 10 Things You Didn't Know|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|first=Jordan|last=Runtagh|date=9 March 2017|access-date=2 July 2018|archive-date=2 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702180231/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2s-the-joshua-tree-10-things-you-didnt-know-106885/|url-status=live}}</ref> including the UK where it received a [[Music recording sales certification|platinum certification]] in 48 hours and sold 235,000&nbsp;copies in its first week, making it the fastest seller in British chart history at the time.<ref>Jobling (2014), p. 170</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/who-we-are/eighties/|title=The history of the Official Charts: the Eighties|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=13 May 2018|archive-date=19 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119235412/http://www.officialcharts.com/who-we-are/eighties/|url-status=live}}</ref> In the US, it spent nine consecutive weeks at number one.<ref>{{cite AV media|people=King, Philip, and Nuala O'Connor (directors)|title=[[Classic Albums]]: U2&nbsp;– The Joshua Tree|medium=Television documentary|publisher=Isis Productions|year=1999}}; McCormick (2006), p. 186</ref> The album included the hit singles "[[With or Without You]]", "[[I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For]]", and "[[Where the Streets Have No Name]]", the first two of which became the group's only number-one hits in the US. U2 became the fourth rock band to be featured on the cover of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine,<ref>Jobling (2014), p. 177</ref> which called them "Rock's Hottest Ticket".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19870427,00.html|title=Time Magazine Cover: U2 – April 27, 1987|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=27 April 1987|access-date=23 March 2016|archive-date=9 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209061709/http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19870427,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The album and its songs received four [[Grammy Award]] nominations, winning [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]] and [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal|Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal]].<ref name="grammy-wins-noms">{{Cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/u2/7858|title=U2 <nowiki>|</nowiki> Artist|website=[[Grammy Awards|Grammy.com]]|access-date=26 February 2022|archive-date=27 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227005423/https://www.grammy.com/artists/u2/7858|url-status=live}}</ref> Many publications, including ''Rolling Stone'', have cited ''The Joshua Tree'' as one of rock's greatest albums.<ref name="500Greatest">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/u2-the-joshua-tree-20120524|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|year=2012|editor=[[Jann Wenner|Wenner, Jann S.]]|issue=Special Collectors Issue|page=29|isbn=978-7-09-893419-6|access-date=27 February 2013|archive-date=19 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119092242/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/u2-the-joshua-tree-20120524|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[The Joshua Tree Tour]] was the first tour on which the band played shows in stadiums alongside smaller arena shows.<ref>de la Parra (2003), pp. 102–103, 111</ref> It was the highest-grossing North American tour of the year with {{USD|35.1&nbsp;million}} earned at the box office,<ref name="U287">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-01-23-ca-9654-story.html|title=U2's $35-Million Gross Is Highest for '87 Tour|first=Robert|last=Hilburn|author-link=Robert Hilburn|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=23 January 1988|at=sec. Calendar, p. 1|accessdate=1 September 2023|url-access=subscription|archive-date=2 January 2022|archive-url=https://archive.today/20220102033941/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-01-23-ca-9654-story.html}}</ref> and globally it grossed {{USD|56&nbsp;million}} from 3.17&nbsp;million tickets sold.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/the-making-of-the-joshua-tree-behind-the-scenes-of-u2-s-spectacular-live-tour-20191112-p539zp.html|title=Masters of stagecraft add wall of wonder|newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|first=Karl|last=Quinn|date=16 November 2019|page=24|access-date=6 September 2024}}</ref>

In October 1988, the group released ''[[Rattle and Hum]]'', a double album and theatrically released documentary film that captured the band's experiences with American roots music on the Joshua Tree Tour. The record featured nine studio tracks and six live U2 performances, including recordings at [[Sun Records|Sun Studio]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] and collaborations with Dylan and [[B.B. King]]. Intended as a tribute to American music,<ref>Stokes (1996), p. 78; Graham (2004), pp. 36–38</ref> one ''Rolling Stone'' editor spoke of the album's "excitement" and another described it as "misguided and bombastic".<ref name="rs-achtung-review">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/achtung-baby-251325/|title=U2's 'Achtung Baby': Bring the Noise|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|first=Elysa|last=Gardner|date=9 January 1992|issue=621|page=51|access-date=2 July 2018|archive-date=2 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702204419/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/achtung-baby-251325/|url-status=live}}</ref> The film's director, [[Phil Joanou]], described it as "an overly pretentious look at U2".<ref name="RS_xxiv">Rolling Stone (1994), p. xxiv</ref> The film underperformed at the box office and was withdrawn from theatres after three weeks,<ref>Jobling (2014), p. 197</ref> having grossed only {{USD|8.6&nbsp;million}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=u2rattleandhum.htm|title=U2: Rattle and Hum (1988)|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=21 June 2017|archive-date=30 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170330172224/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=u2rattleandhum.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite the criticism, the album sold 14&nbsp;million copies and reached number one worldwide.<ref>Stokes (2005), p. 78</ref> Lead single "[[Desire (U2 song)|Desire]]" became the band's first number-one song in the UK while reaching number three in the US.<ref>McGee (2008), p. 119</ref> Most of the album's new material was played on 1989–1990's [[Lovetown Tour]], which visited Australasia, Japan, and Europe. They had grown dissatisfied with their live performances; Mullen recalled, "We were the biggest, but we weren't the best".<ref name="fricke">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-finds-what-its-looking-for-189823/ |title=U2 Finds What It's Looking For |magazine=Rolling Stone |first=David |last=Fricke |author-link=David Fricke |date=1 October 1992 |access-date=2 July 2018 |issue=640 |pages=40+ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026111642/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/u2s_serious_fun |archive-date=26 October 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> With a sense of musical stagnation, Bono hinted at changes to come during a 30 December 1989 concert near the end of the tour; before a hometown crowd in Dublin, he said on stage that it was "the end of something for U2" and that they had to "go away and&nbsp;... just dream it all up again".<ref>McGee (2008), p. 129</ref><ref>McCormick (2006), p. 213</ref>
{{Clear}}

=== ''Achtung Baby'', Zoo TV, and ''Zooropa'' (1990–1993) ===
{{quote box
 | quote  = Buzzwords on this record were ''trashy, throwaway, dark, sexy,'' and ''industrial'' (all good) and ''earnest, polite, sweet, righteous, rockist'' and ''linear'' (all bad). It was good if a song took you on a journey or made you think your hifi was broken, bad if it reminded you of recording studios or U2&nbsp;...
 | source =&nbsp;—[[Brian Eno]], on the recording of ''[[Achtung Baby]]''<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Bringing Up Baby|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Brian|last=Eno|author-link=Brian Eno|date=28 November 1991|issue=618}}</ref>
 | width  = 25em
 | align  = right
 | style  = padding:10px;
}}

Stung by the criticism of ''Rattle and Hum'', the band sought to transform themselves musically.<ref>Flanagan (1995), pp. 4–6</ref> Seeking inspiration from [[German reunification]], they began work on their seventh studio album, ''[[Achtung Baby]]'', at Berlin's [[Hansa Studios]] in October 1990 with producers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno.<ref>Flanagan (1995), p. 7</ref> The sessions were fraught, as the band argued over their musical direction and the quality of their material. Clayton and Mullen preferred a sound similar to U2's previous work; Bono and the Edge were inspired by European [[industrial music]] and [[electronic dance music]] and advocated a change. Weeks of tension and slow progress nearly prompted the group to break up until they made a breakthrough with the improvised writing of the song "[[One (U2 song)|One]]".<ref>Flanagan (1995), pp. 6–11</ref> They returned to Dublin in 1991, where morale improved and the majority of the album was completed.

{{listen
 | pos=left
 | filename = Fly sample.ogg
 | title = "The Fly" (1991)
 | help = no
 | description = "[[The Fly (U2 song)|The Fly]]" features hip-hop beats, distorted vocals, and a hard industrial edge that differed from U2's typical sound.<ref>Flanagan (1995), p. 30; Graham (2004), p. 49; Stokes (1996), p. 102</ref> | format = [[Ogg]]
}}

''Achtung Baby'' was released in November 1991. The album represented a calculated change in musical and thematic style, their most dramatic since ''The Unforgettable Fire''.<ref>Flanagan (1995), pp. 4–6; Graham (2004), p. 43</ref> Sonically, the record incorporated influences from [[alternative rock]], dance, and industrial music, and Bono referred to it as "four men chopping down the Joshua Tree".<ref name="ach-stations">{{cite magazine|title=Achtung Stations|magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]|first=Stephen|last=Dalton|date=November 2004|issue=90|page=52}}</ref> Thematically, it was a more introspective and personal record; it was darker, yet more flippant than the band's previous work. Commercially and critically, it has been one of the band's most successful albums. It produced five hit singles, including "[[The Fly (U2 song)|The Fly]]", "[[Mysterious Ways (song)|Mysterious Ways]]", and "One", and was a crucial part of the band's early 1990s reinvention.<ref>Graham (2004), p. 44</ref> In 1993, ''Achtung Baby'' won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cheers for Clapton: Guitar Great Picks Up Six Awards at Grammys|newspaper=[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]|first=Barbara|last=Jaeger|date=25 February 1993|page=C09}}</ref> Like ''The Joshua Tree'', many publications have cited the record as one of rock's greatest.<ref name="500Greatest"/>

[[File:Bono as The Fly Cleveland 1992.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Bono in March 1992 on the [[Zoo TV Tour]] portraying his [[persona]] "The Fly", a leather-clad egomaniac meant to parody rock stardom|alt=Bono with black hair, black sunglasses, and a black leather attire speaking into a microphone.]]
Like ''Achtung Baby'', the 1992–1993 [[Zoo TV Tour]] was a break with the band's past. In contrast to the austere stage setups of previous U2 tours, Zoo TV was an elaborate multimedia event. It satirised the pervasive nature of television and its blurring of news, entertainment, and home shopping by attempting to instill "sensory overload" in its audience.<ref name="ach-stations" /><ref name="closer-to-edge">{{cite magazine|url=http://hotpress.com/archive/2627068.html|title=Closer to the Edge|first=Olaf|last=Tyaransen|author-link=Olaf Tyaransen|magazine=Hot Press|date=4 December 2002|access-date=26 April 2011|archive-date=18 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818015505/http://hotpress.com/archive/2627068.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>de la Parra (2003), pp. 139–141; Flanagan (1995), pp. 12, 13, 58–61; Stokes (1996), pp. 110–111</ref> The stage featured large video screens that showed visual effects, random video clips from [[pop culture]], and flashing text phrases, along with a lighting system partially made of [[Trabant]] cars.<ref>McGee (2008), p. 143</ref> U2 were known for their earnest performances in the 1980s, but the Zoo TV performances were intentionally ironic and self-deprecating.<ref name="ach-stations" /> Bono performed as several over-the-top characters, including the leather-clad egomaniac "The Fly",<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bono-behind-the-fly-the-rolling-stone-interview-88039/|title=Behind the Fly|first=Alan|last=Light|author-link=Alan Light|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=4 March 1993|access-date=2 July 2018|issue=651|pages=42+|archive-date=2 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702204630/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bono-behind-the-fly-the-rolling-stone-interview-88039/|url-status=live}}</ref> the greedy [[Televangelism|televangelist]] "Mirror Ball Man", and the devilish "MacPhisto".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|first=Adrian|last=Deevoy|date=September 1993}}</ref> Prank phone calls were made to US President [[George H. W. Bush]], the [[United Nations]], and others. Live satellite link-ups to [[Siege of Sarajevo|war-torn Sarajevo]] caused controversy.<ref>de la Parra (2003), pp. 153, 166</ref> Zoo TV was the highest-grossing North American tour of 1992, earning {{USD|67&nbsp;million}}.<ref name="wapo010693">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1993/01/06/u2-dead-top-92-concert-sales/d6e12afc-cf16-4b62-96fa-76ef324fbb26/|title=U2, Dead Top '92 Concert Sales|first=Richard|last=Harrington|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=6 January 1993|page=C7|url-access=subscription|access-date=26 November 2019}}</ref>

[[File:U2 performing in Lisbon on Zoo TV Tour on May 15 1993 (3).jpg|alt=An elaborate concert stage set, set in a dark stadium. Three automobiles hang above two projector screens, aiming their headlights towards the stage.|thumb|left|The Zoo TV Tour ''(pictured in May 1993)'' was a multimedia spectacle, featuring a stage that used dozens of video screens and a lighting system with Trabant cars.]]
In June 1993, U2 signed a six-album deal to remain with Island Records/[[PolyGram]].<ref>Flanagan (1996), pp. 232–233, 239</ref> The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' estimated that the deal was worth {{USD|60&nbsp;million}} to the band,<ref name="latimesdeal">{{Cite news|title=U2 Record Deal Rocks Industry|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|first=Chuck|last=Philips|date=4 June 1993|page=F1}}</ref> making them the highest-paid rock group ever.<ref name="mcg161">McGee (2008), pp. 161–162</ref> The following month, the group released a new album, ''[[Zooropa]]''. Quickly recorded during a break in the Zoo TV Tour in early 1993, it expanded on many of the themes from ''Achtung Baby'' and the tour. Initially intended to be an [[Extended play|EP]], ''Zooropa'' evolved into a full-length [[LP album]]. It delved further into [[electronic music|electronic]], industrial, and dance music.<ref>Graham (2004), p. 51</ref> [[Country music|Country]] musician [[Johnny Cash]] sang the lead vocals on the closing track "[[The Wanderer (U2 song)|The Wanderer]]". Most of the songs were played at least once during the 1993 legs of the tour, which visited Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan; half the album's tracks became long-term fixtures in the setlist.<ref>de la Parra (2003), pp. 166–172</ref> ''Zooropa'' reached the top ten in 26 countries,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Ivors Spotlight Take That's Barlow|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|first=Dominic|last=Pride|date=11 June 1994|volume=106|issue=24|page=38}}</ref> sold 7&nbsp;million copies,<ref>Bordowitz (2003), p. 289</ref> and won the 1994 [[Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album]], but the band regard it with mixed feelings; the Edge called it "an interlude".<ref name="u2byu2-248">McCormick (2006), pp. 248–249</ref>

Clayton's issues with alcohol came to a head on the final leg of the Zoo TV Tour. After experiencing a [[Blackout (drug-related amnesia)|blackout]], Clayton was unable to perform for the group's 26 November 1993 show in Sydney,<ref name="u2byu2-255">McCormick (2006), pp. 255–256</ref> which served as the dress rehearsal for a [[Zoo TV: Live from Sydney|worldwide television broadcast the following night]]. Bass guitar technician Stuart Morgan filled in for him, the first time a member of U2 had missed a concert since their earliest days.<ref name="mcg169">McGee (2008), pp. 169–170</ref> After the incident, Clayton resolved to stop drinking alcohol.<ref name="u2byu2-255"/> The tour concluded the following month in Japan. It earned 5.3&nbsp;million in ticket sales<ref>Cogan (2008), p. 154</ref> and {{USD|151&nbsp;million}} in gross revenues.<ref>{{bulleted list|{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/tait-towers-amish-music-concerts-stage|title=Inside the Amish town that builds U2, Lady Gaga, and Taylor Swift's live shows|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|first=Stephen|last=Armstrong|date=5 January 2018|access-date=10 March 2020|archive-date=6 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200506022049/https://www.wired.co.uk/article/tait-towers-amish-music-concerts-stage|url-status=live}}|{{cite web|url=https://www.houstonpress.com/music/five-more-epic-80s-tours-that-deserve-the-wall-treatment-6756725|title=Five More Epic '80s Tours That Deserve ''The Wall'' Treatment|website=[[Houston Press]]|first=Nathan|last=Smith|date=12 September 2014|access-date=10 March 2020|archive-date=12 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812185112/https://www.houstonpress.com/music/five-more-epic-80s-tours-that-deserve-the-wall-treatment-6756725|url-status=dead}}}}</ref> ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''{{'}}s Tom Doyle said in 2002 that Zoo TV was "the most spectacular rock tour staged by any band".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=10 Years of Turmoil Inside U2|first=Tom|last=Doyle|magazine=Q|date=November 2002|issue=196}}</ref>

=== Passengers, ''Pop'', and PopMart (1994–1998) ===
In 1995, following a long break, U2 contributed "[[Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me]]" to the [[Batman Forever (soundtrack)|soundtrack album]] of the film ''[[Batman Forever]]''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Studio Shake-Up Has Production Team Singing 'Blues'|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Daily News]]|first1=Marilyn|last1=Beck|first2=Stacy Jenel|last2=Smith|date=25 May 1995}}</ref> The song reached number one in Australia and Ireland, number two in the UK, and number 16 in the US.<ref>McGee (2008), p. 178</ref> In November, the band released an [[experimental music|experimental]] album called ''[[Original Soundtracks 1]]'', a collaboration with Brian Eno, who contributed as a full songwriting partner and performer. Due to his participation and the record's experimental nature, the band released it under the moniker "Passengers" to distinguish it from U2's conventional albums.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.atu2.com/news/passengers-original-soundtracks-1-3.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130102023947/http://www.atu2.com/news/passengers-original-soundtracks-1-3.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 January 2013|title=Eno, U2 Make An 'Original'|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|first=Jim|last=Sullivan|date=7 November 1995|access-date=30 September 2009|pages=59, 64}}</ref> Mullen said of the release: "There's a thin line between interesting music and self-indulgence. We crossed it on the Passengers record."<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Professionals|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|first=Tom|last=Doyle|date=April 1997|issue=127}}</ref> It was commercially unnoticed by U2 standards and it received mixed reviews.<ref>McGee (2008), p. 181</ref> The single "[[Miss Sarajevo]]" (featuring [[Luciano Pavarotti]]) was among Bono's favourite U2 songs.<ref>McCormick (2006), pp. 261–262</ref>

U2 began work on their next studio album, ''[[Pop (U2 album)|Pop]]'', in mid-1995, holding recording sessions with [[Nellee Hooper]], [[Flood (producer)|Flood]], and [[Howie B]]. The band mixed the contrasting influences of each producer into their music, in particular Howie B's experiences with electronica and dance music.<ref name="sound-on-sound-pop">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1997_articles/jul97/flood_u2.html |title=Pop Art: Flood & Howie B |magazine=Sound on Sound |date=July 1997 |first=Paul |last=Tingen |access-date=29 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150607055529/http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1997_articles/jul97/flood_u2.html|archive-date=7 June 2015}}</ref> Mullen was sidelined due to back surgery in November,<ref name="McCormick 2006, p. 262">McCormick (2006), p. 262</ref> prompting the other band members to take different approaches to songwriting, such as [[Programming (music)|programming]] drum [[tape loop|loops]] and playing to [[Sampling (music)|samples]] provided by Howie B.<ref name="sound-on-sound-pop"/> Upon Mullen's return in February 1996, the group began reworking their material but struggled to complete songs, causing them to miss their mid-year deadline to complete the record.<ref name="mcg182">McGee (2008), p. 182–185</ref> The band allowed manager Paul McGuinness to book their 1997–1998 [[PopMart Tour]] with the album still in progress;<ref name="mcc266">McCormick (2006), p. 266, 269–270</ref> Bono called it "the worst decision U2 ever made".<ref name="pop-nme-retrosp">{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/u2-463-1354442 |title=U2 Revisit Pop? |website=[[NME]] |date=23 May 2005 |access-date=12 March 2021 |archive-date=27 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927160052/https://www.nme.com/news/music/u2-463-1354442 |url-status=live }}</ref> Rushed to complete the album, the band delayed its release date a second time from late 1996 to March 1997,<ref name="mcg182"/><ref>{{cite news|title=The Trouble With U2|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|first=Brian|last=Boyd|date=19 October 1996|at=sec. The Week, p. 6}}</ref> cutting into tour rehearsal time.<ref name="legends"/><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/flashback-davy-jones-sings-daydream-believer-at-a-u2-concert-89758/|title=Flashback: Davy Jones Sings 'Daydream Believer' at a U2 Concert|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Andy|last=Greene|date=31 March 2015|access-date=2 July 2018|archive-date=5 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705150721/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/flashback-davy-jones-sings-daydream-believer-at-a-u2-concert-89758/|url-status=live}}</ref> Even with the additional recording time, U2 worked up to the last minute to complete songs.<ref name="sound-on-sound-pop"/><ref name="mcc266"/>

In February 1997,<ref name="mcg187">McGee (2008), pp. 187–189</ref> the group released ''Pop''{{'}}s lead single, "[[Discothèque (song)|Discothèque]]", a dance-heavy song with a music video in which the band wore [[Village People]] costumes.<ref>{{cite news|title=Don't Call It Disco. Well, OK, You Can If You Want To. But Whatever You Call It, Dance Music Is Back With a Vengeance|newspaper=[[The Buffalo News]]|first=Anthony|last=Violanti|date=7 February 1997}}</ref> The song reached number one in the UK, Japan, and Canada, but did not chart for long in the US despite debuting at number 10.<ref name="mcg187"/> Within days of the single's release, the group announced the PopMart Tour with a press conference in the lingerie section of a [[Kmart (United States)|Kmart]] department store.<ref name="mcg187"/> Tickets went on sale shortly after, but ''Pop'' would not be released until March.<ref name="job253">Jobling (2014), pp. 253–256</ref> The album represented U2's further exploration of [[nightclub]] culture, featuring heavy, funky dance rhythms.<ref>Graham (2004), pp. 62–63</ref> The record drew favourable reviews.<ref>{{bulleted list|{{cite magazine|title=Pop: Kitsch of Distinction|magazine=NME|date=1 March 1997}}|{{cite news|title=Pop|newspaper=[[The Sunday Times]]|first=Andrew|last=Smith|date=23 March 1997}}}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' stated that U2 had "defied the odds and made some of the greatest music of their lives".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/pop-193667/|title=Review: Pop|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Barney|last=Hoskyns|date=20 March 1997|access-date=2 July 2018|issue=756|archive-date=21 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121220914/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/pop-193667/|url-status=live}}</ref> Other critics felt that the album was a major disappointment.<ref>{{bulleted list|{{cite magazine|url=http://www.andrewmueller.net/display.lasso?id=88|title=U2's "Pop" Reconsidered|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100810120533/http://www.andrewmueller.net/display.lasso?id=88|first=Andrew|last=Mueller|author-link=Andrew Mueller|magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] Legends|volume=1|issue=3|date=May 2004|access-date=18 June 2010|archive-date=10 August 2010}}|{{cite news|first=Matt|last=Dentler|date= 30 October 2000| title=U2 makes album world is waiting for|newspaper=[[The Daily Texan]]}}|{{cite web|url=http://www.crosswalk.com/culture/music/the-best-of-1990-2000-11618586.html|title=The Best of 1990–2000&nbsp;– U2|website=[[Crosswalk.com]]|first=Russ|last=Breimeier|access-date=23 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319093618/http://www.crosswalk.com/culture/music/the-best-of-1990-2000-11618586.html|archive-date=19 March 2016|url-status=dead}}}}</ref> Despite debuting at number one in over 30 countries, ''Pop'' dropped off the charts quickly.<ref name="mcg187"/> Bono admitted that the album "didn't communicate the way it was intended to",<ref name="pop-nme-retrosp"/> while the Edge called it a "compromise project by the end".<ref name="mcc266"/>

{{Multiple image|direction=vertical|align=right|image1=U2 PopMart Tour, Belfast, August 1997 (01).jpg|image2=U2 PopMart Tour, Belfast, August 1997 (18).jpg|caption2=The [[PopMart Tour]] stage featured a golden arch, mirrorball lemon, and 150-foot-long LED screen. The band emerged from the lemon during encores, although it occasionally malfunctioned.}}
The PopMart Tour began in April 1997 and was intended as a satire of [[consumerism]].<ref name="job253"/> The stage included a 100-foot-tall (30 m) golden yellow arch reminiscent of the [[McDonald's]] logo, a 40-foot-tall (12 m) mirrorball lemon, and a 150-foot-long (46 m) LED video screen, at the time the world's largest.<ref name="gopopmart">{{cite press release |url=http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=34093 |title=U2 Go 'PopMart' |publisher=[[PR Newswire]] |date=12 February 1997 |access-date=12 December 2016 |archive-date=3 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503051222/http://www2.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=34093 |url-status=live }}</ref> U2's "big shtick" failed to satisfy many who were seemingly confused by the band's new kitsch image and the tour's elaborate set.<ref>{{bulleted list|{{cite magazine|last=Carter|first=Geoff|title=U2 live: Play-by-play of the concert|magazine=The Las Vegas Sun|date=27 April 1997}}|{{cite web|url=http://www.spin.com/2006/10/u2-brute/|title=U2, Brute?|website=Spin|last=Anderson|first=Kyle|date=4 October 2006|access-date=23 March 2016|archive-date=6 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306102839/http://www.spin.com/2006/10/u2-brute/|url-status=live}}}}</ref> The reduced rehearsal time for the tour affected the quality of early shows,<ref>de la Parra (2003), pp. 193–202</ref> and in some US markets, the band played to half-empty stadiums.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1997-06-09/lifestyle/9706060468_1_popmart-rock-group-u2-dates|title=U2 'Popmart' A Tough Sell in Some Cities|newspaper=[[Sun-Sentinel]]|first=Sean|last=Piccoli|date=9 June 1997|access-date=12 December 2016|page=3D|archive-date=20 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220125521/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1997-06-09/lifestyle/9706060468_1_popmart-rock-group-u2-dates|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="McCormick 2006, p. 277">McCormick (2006), p. 277</ref> On several occasions, the mirrorball lemon from which the band emerged for the encores malfunctioned, trapping them inside.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2008/03/ten_rock_star_stunts_even_more.html|title=Ten Rock-Star Stunts Even More Ridiculous Than Flying to Antarctica|website=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]|first=Tammy|last=Oler|date=28 March 2008|access-date=12 December 2016|archive-date=22 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222083014/http://www.vulture.com/2008/03/ten_rock_star_stunts_even_more.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite the mixed reviews and difficulties of the tour, Bono considered PopMart to be "better than Zoo TV aesthetically, and as an art project it is a clearer thought."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/just-the-2-of-u-1.711046|title=Just the 2 of U|website=Irish Times|first=Brian|last=Boyd|date=27 February 2009|access-date=23 March 2016|archive-date=2 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702122221/http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/just-the-2-of-u-1.711046|url-status=live}}</ref> He later explained, "When that show worked, it was mindblowing."<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Stairway to Devon − OK, Somerset!|magazine=Q |date=July 2010|issue=288|page=100 |author=((U2)) }}</ref>

The group's 20 September 1997 show in [[Reggio Emilia]] was attended by over 150,000 people, which was reported to have set a [[List of highest-attended concerts|world record for the largest paying audience]] for a one-act show.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=29052 |title=U2 Play to Biggest Audience Ever |publisher=[[PR Newswire]] |access-date=23 January 2017|date=21 September 1997|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706191525/http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/u2-play-to-biggest-paying-audience-ever-156005155.html|archive-date=6 July 2018}}</ref><ref>McGee (2008), p. 198</ref> U2 also [[U2 concert in Sarajevo|performed in Sarajevo on 23 September]], making them the first major group to stage a concert there following the [[Bosnian War]].<ref>de la Parra (2003), pp. 211–212</ref> Mullen described the show 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."<ref>{{cite episode |title=Jo Whiley interview with U2 |series=The Jo Whiley Show |airdate=November 1998 |network=[[BBC Radio 1]] |location=London}}</ref> Bono called the show "one of the toughest and one of the sweetest nights of my life."<ref name="Mueller2">{{cite news |title=U2 in Sarajevo: Part 2&nbsp;– The Rattle and Hum |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=26 September 1997 |first=Andrew |last=Mueller}}</ref> The tour concluded in March 1998 with gross revenues of {{USD|173.6&nbsp;million}} and 3.98&nbsp;million tickets sold.<ref name="kissfuture">{{cite magazine |title=Kissing the Future|magazine=Billboard|first=Ray|last=Waddell|page=19|volume=121|issue=10|date=14 March 2009}}</ref> The following month, U2 appeared on the [[Trash of the Titans|200th episode]] of the animated sitcom ''[[The Simpsons]]'',<ref>{{cite news|title=The Best... The Beautiful... and the Bizarre; Cast Aways; Cow-a-Bono, Dude|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|first=Janet|last=Kinosian|date=26 April 1998|at=sec. [[Los Angeles Times Magazine]], p. 10}}</ref> in which [[Homer Simpson]] disrupts the band on stage during a PopMart concert.<ref>{{cite news|title=Homer joins U2 on stage in 200th episode of 'Simpsons'|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|first=Roisin|last=Ingle|date=30 May 1998|edition=City|at=sec. Home News, p. 3}}</ref> In November 1998, U2 released their first compilation album, ''[[The Best of 1980–1990]]'',<ref name="mcg208">McGee (2008), pp. 208–209</ref> which featured a re-recording of a 1987 B-side, "[[Sweetest Thing]]", as its single.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1819098/the-31-best-u2-non-album-tracks/franchises/ultimate-playlist/|title=The 31 Best U2 Non-Album Tracks|website=[[Stereogum]]|first=Ryan|last=Leas|date=27 July 2015|access-date=12 December 2016|archive-date=13 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513072834/http://www.stereogum.com/1819098/the-31-best-u2-non-album-tracks/franchises/ultimate-playlist/|url-status=live}}</ref> The album broke a first-week sales record in the US for a greatest hits collection by a group,<ref>{{cite press release|title=U2's 'Best Of' Highest Greatest Hits Debut by Any Band in the History of SoundScan|publisher=[[Island Records]]|agency=[[PR Newswire]]|date=13 November 1998}}</ref> and "Sweetest Thing" topped the singles charts in Ireland and Canada.<ref name="mcg208"/>

=== ''All That You Can't Leave Behind'' and Elevation Tour (1998–2002) ===
Following their musical pursuits in the 1990s, U2 sought to simplify their sound; the Edge said that with ''Pop'', the group had "taken the deconstruction of the rock 'n' roll band format to its absolute 'nth degree".<ref name="mccorm289"/> For their tenth album, ''[[All That You Can't Leave Behind]]'', the group wanted to return to their old recording ethos of "the band in a room playing together".<ref name="mccorm289"/> Reuniting with Eno and Lanois, U2 began working on the album in late 1998.<ref name="mccorm289"/><ref>McGee (2008), p. 208</ref> After their experiences with being pressured to complete ''Pop'', the band were content to work without deadlines.<ref name="mccorm289"/> With Bono's schedule limited by his commitments to debt relief for [[Jubilee 2000]] and the other band members spending time with their families, the recording sessions lasted until August 2000.<ref name="mccorm289"/><ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Elastic Bono Band|magazine=Q|date=November 2000|issue=170}}</ref>

Released that October, ''All That You Can't Leave Behind'' was seen by critics as a "back to basics" album,<ref>{{bulleted list |{{cite news|title=Sound Check|newspaper=Los Angeles Daily News|first=Fred|last=Shuster|date=27 October 2000}}|{{cite news|title=U2001: The Year We Make Contact|newspaper=[[The Arizona Republic]]|first=Kerry|last=Lengel|date=26 April 2001|page=8}}|{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2015/10/how-daniel-lanois-brought-u2-back-home/|title=How Daniel Lanois Brought U2 Back Home|website=[[Consequence of Sound]]|first=Ryan|last=Bray|date=30 October 2015|access-date=22 December 2015|archive-date=11 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511104047/https://consequence.net/2015/10/how-daniel-lanois-brought-u2-back-home/|url-status=live}}}}</ref> on which the group returned to a more mainstream, conventional rock sound.<ref name="mccorm289">McCormick (2006), pp. 289–296</ref><ref>{{bulleted list|{{cite news|title=All That You Can't Leave Behind|newspaper=The Independent|first=Andy|last=Gill|date=27 October 2000}}|{{cite news|title=U2's Latest: 'Behind' the Times|newspaper=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|first=Tom|last=Moon|date=29 October 2000|page=I15}}}}</ref> For many of those not won over by the band's forays into dance music, it was considered a return to grace;<ref>{{bulleted list|{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/friday_review/story/0,,388228,00.html#article_continue|title=Time to Get the Leathers Out|website=The Guardian|first=Adam|last=Sweeting|date=27 October 2000|access-date=23 March 2016|archive-date=19 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019015653/http://www.theguardian.com/friday_review/story/0,,388228,00.html#article_continue|url-status=live}}|{{cite news|url=http://archive.boston.com/ae/music/packages/U2Fleetcenter/album_review_leave_behind/|title=U2 Leaves the Present Behind|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|first=Steve|last=Morse|date=27 October 2000|access-date=14 January 2017|page=E17|archive-date=16 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116172446/http://archive.boston.com/ae/music/packages/U2Fleetcenter/album_review_leave_behind/|url-status=live}}|{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=157247|title=U2: All That You Can't Leave Behind|newspaper=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|first=Russell|last=Baillie|date=28 October 2000|access-date=14 January 2017|archive-date=16 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116183129/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=157247|url-status=live}}}}</ref><ref name="spin-band01"/> ''Rolling Stone'' called it U2's "third masterpiece" alongside ''The Joshua Tree'' and ''Achtung Baby''.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/all-that-you-cant-leave-behind-202038/|first=James|last=Hunter|title=Review: All That You Can't Leave Behind|magazine=Rolling Stone|issue=853|date=9 November 2000|access-date=2 July 2018|archive-date=2 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702204519/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/all-that-you-cant-leave-behind-202038/|url-status=live}}</ref> The album debuted at number one in 32 countries<ref>McGee (2008), p. 221</ref> and sold 12&nbsp;million copies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/2014/09/18/how_u2_became_the_most_hated_band_in_america_partner/|title=How U2 became the most hated band in America|website=[[Salon (magazine)|Salon]]|first=Nico|last=Lang|date=18 September 2014|access-date=21 December 2016|archive-date=29 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229094220/http://www.salon.com/2014/09/18/how_u2_became_the_most_hated_band_in_america_partner/|url-status=live}}</ref> Its lead single, "[[Beautiful Day]]", reached number one in Ireland, the UK, Australia, and Canada, and number 21 in the US.<ref>McGee (2008), p. 220</ref> The song won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]], and [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year|Record of the Year]].<ref>{{cite news|title=A 'Beautiful' day for U2, Steely Dan; Old rockers steal thunder from Eminem at Grammys|newspaper=[[Boston Herald]]|first=Sarah|last=Rodman|date=22 February 2001}}</ref> At the awards ceremony, Bono declared that U2 were "reapplying for the job&nbsp;... [of] the best band in the world".<ref name=bonomission>{{cite magazine|last=Tyrangiel |first=Josh |date=4 March 2002 |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,212721,00.html |title=Bono's mission |magazine=Time |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020607181813/http://www.time.com/time/sampler/article/0%2C8599%2C212605%2C00.html |archive-date= 7 June 2002 |volume=159 |issue=9 }}</ref> The album's other singles, "[[Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of]]", "[[Elevation (song)|Elevation]]", and "[[Walk On (U2 song)|Walk On]]", reached number one in Canada,<ref>McGee (2008), pp. 226, 234, 239</ref> and charted in the top five in the UK and top ten in Australia.<ref name="ukcharts"/><ref>{{cite book|last=Ryan|first=Gavin|title=Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010|year=2011|publisher=Moonlight Publishing|location=Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia}}</ref>

{{Multiple image|direction=vertical|align=right|image1=U2 Elevation Tour Berlin 2001-07-29 (18351610).jpg|image2=HeartWideShot3.jpg|caption2=After the elaborate stadium productions of their previous two tours, U2's 2001 [[Elevation Tour]] was a scaled-down affair that featured a heart-shaped stage.}}
The band's 2001 [[Elevation Tour]] started in March, visiting North America and Europe across three legs.<ref>McGee (2008), pp. 225, 233, 238</ref> For the tour, U2 performed on a scaled-down stage, returning to arenas after nearly a decade of stadium productions.<ref name="spin-band01"/> Mirroring the album's themes of "emotional contact, connection, and communication", the tour's set was designed to bring the group closer to their fans;<ref>Young (2004), pp. 61–62</ref> a heart-shaped catwalk around the stage encircled many audience members,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=U2 Tour: From the Heart|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Chris|last=Heath|date=10 May 2001}}</ref> and [[festival seating]] was offered in the US for the first time in the group's history.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=General Admission a Go for U2|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Richard|last=Skanse|date=3 February 2001}}</ref> During the tour, U2 headlined two [[Slane Concert]]s in Ireland, playing to crowds of 80,000.<ref>{{cite news|title=More of the Slane; U2 Wind Up Tour with a Night of Pure Magic|newspaper=[[Sunday Mirror]]|first=Dulra|last=O'Riordain|date=2 September 2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=U2 back with the show of their lives; Stars and fans treated to a night to remember at Slane|newspaper=[[Belfast Telegraph]]|first=Nigel|last=Gould|date=27 August 2001}}</ref> Following the [[September 11 attacks]] in the US, ''All That You Can't Leave Behind'' found added resonance with American audiences,<ref name="mcc308">McCormick (2006), pp. 308–309</ref> as the album climbed in the charts and songs such as "Walk On" and "[[Peace on Earth (U2 song)|Peace on Earth]]" received radio airplay.<ref>McGee (2008), p. 237</ref> In October, U2 performed at [[Madison Square Garden]] in New York City for the first time since the attacks. Bono and the Edge said these shows were among their most memorable and emotional performances.<ref name="mcc308"/><ref>{{cite AV media|title=VH1: All Access: U2|medium=Television documentary|year=2005}}</ref> The Elevation Tour was the top-earning North American tour of 2001 with a gross of {{USD|109.7&nbsp;million}}, the second-highest amount ever at the time for a North American tour.<ref>{{bulleted list|{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/42644/elevation-u2-tops-2001-tours|title=Elevation! U2 Tops 2001 Tours|website=[[E! News]]|first=Josh|last=Grossberg|date=27 December 2001|access-date=12 January 2017|archive-date=18 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118102231/http://www.eonline.com/news/42644/elevation-u2-tops-2001-tours|url-status=live}}|{{cite news|title=By scaling down, U2 rises to the top of 2001 concert circuit|newspaper=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|first=Dean|last=Goodman|date=31 December 2001|page=D6}}}}</ref> Globally, it grossed {{USD|143.5&nbsp;million}} from 2.18&nbsp;million tickets sold,<ref name="kissfuture"/> making it the year's highest-grossing tour overall.<ref>{{cite news|title=U2 elevates itself to top-grossing tour of the year|newspaper=[[The Post-Crescent]]|first=Steven|last=Hyden|author-link=Steven Hyden|date=27 December 2001|at=sec. Encore, p. 2}}</ref> ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' named U2 the "Band of the Year" for 2001, saying they had "schooled bands half their age about what a rock show could really accomplish".<ref name="spin-band01">{{cite magazine|title=Rock's Unbreakable Heart |magazine=Spin |first=Alan |last=Light |date=January 2002 |volume=18|issue=1|pages=56–62}}</ref>

On 3 February 2002, U2 performed during the [[Super Bowl XXXVI halftime show]]. In a tribute to those who died in the 11 September attacks, the victims' names were projected onto a backdrop, and at the end, Bono opened his jacket to reveal an American flag in the lining.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/04/sports/critic-s-notebook-singers-smoothly-merge-politics-with-patriotism.html|title=Critic's Notebook; Singers Smoothly Merge Politics With Patriotism|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|first=Caryn|last=James|date=4 February 2002|at=sec. D, p. 9|edition=National|access-date=8 January 2017|archive-date=16 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116182801/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/04/sports/critic-s-notebook-singers-smoothly-merge-politics-with-patriotism.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'', ''Rolling Stone'', and ''[[USA Today]]'' ranked the band's performance as the best halftime show in Super Bowl history.<ref>{{bulleted list|{{cite web|url=https://www.si.com/nfl/photos/2013/02/03-3the-10-best-super-bowl-halftime-shows|title=Top 10 Super Bowl Halftime shows|website=[[SI.com]]|date=3 February 2013|access-date=23 March 2016|archive-date=3 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403083710/http://www.si.com/nfl/photos/2013/02/03-3the-10-best-super-bowl-halftime-shows|url-status=live}}|{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/super-bowl-halftime-shows-ranked-from-worst-to-best-14201/u2-2002-2-228005/|title=Super Bowl Halftime Shows Ranked: From Worst to Best|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|first=Rob|last=Sheffield|author-link=Rob Sheffield|date=17 January 2020|access-date=28 May 2020|archive-date=9 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809131720/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/super-bowl-halftime-shows-ranked-from-worst-to-best-14201/u2-2002-2-228005/|url-status=live}}|{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2015/01/28/super-bowl-halftime-shows-five-best-ranked-u2-prince/22331535/|title=Ranking the 5 best Super Bowl halftime shows|website=[[USA Today]]|first=Brian|last=Mansfield|date=28 January 2015|access-date=8 January 2017|archive-date=15 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161215111019/http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2015/01/28/super-bowl-halftime-shows-five-best-ranked-u2-prince/22331535/|url-status=live}}}}</ref> Later that month, U2 received four additional Grammy Awards; ''All That You Can't Leave Behind'' won [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Album|Best Rock Album]], while "Walk On" was named Record of the Year, the first time an artist had won the award in consecutive years for songs from the same album.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Grammys: U2 and sharp keys; Soul star, Bono tops with 'O Bro'|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|first=Phil|last=Gallo|date=28 February 2002}}</ref> In November 2002, the band released their second compilation, ''[[The Best of 1990–2000]]'', which featured several remixed 1990s songs and two new tracks, including the single "[[Electrical Storm (song)|Electrical Storm]]".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.hotpress.com/U2/music/reviews/albums/The-Best--The-BSides-Of-19902000/2618378.html|title=Review: The Best & the B-Sides of 1990–2000|magazine=Hot Press|first=Peter|last=Murphy|date=24 October 2002|access-date=11 January 2017|archive-date=8 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170108151043/http://www.hotpress.com/U2/music/reviews/albums/The-Best--The-BSides-Of-19902000/2618378.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== ''How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'' and Vertigo Tour (2003–2006) ===
Looking for a harder-hitting rock sound than that of ''All That You Can't Leave Behind'',<ref name="mccorm317">McCormick (2006), pp. 317–321</ref> U2 began recording their eleventh studio album, ''[[How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb]]'', in February 2003 with producer [[Chris Thomas (record producer)|Chris Thomas]].<ref name="u2dropsbomb">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-drops-bomb-240810/|title=U2 Drops Bomb|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=David|last=Fricke|author-link=David Fricke|date=30 December 2004|issue=964/965|pages=56–58, 62|access-date=2 July 2018|archive-date=2 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702204747/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-drops-bomb-240810/|url-status=live}}</ref> After nine months of work, the band had an album's worth of material ready for release, but they were not satisfied with the results; Mullen said that the songs "had no magic".<ref name="mccorm317"/> The group subsequently enlisted Steve Lillywhite to take over as producer in Dublin in January 2004.<ref>McGee (2008), p. 266</ref> Lillywhite, along with his assistant [[Jacknife Lee]], spent six months with the band reworking songs and encouraging better performances.<ref name="mccorm317"/> Several other producers received credits on the album, including Lanois, Eno, Flood, Carl Glanville, and Nellee Hooper;<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Bombs Away! U2 Sets Sights on Top of Charts|magazine=Billboard|first=Melinda|last=Newman|date=27 November 2004|volume=116|issue=48|pages=1, 64}}</ref> Bono acknowledged that the involvement of multiple producers affected the record's "sonic cohesion".<ref>McCormick (2006), p. 329</ref>

{{listen
 | pos = right
 | filename = U2 Vertigo.ogg
 | title = "Vertigo" (2004)
 | help = no
 | description = "[[Vertigo (U2 song)|Vertigo]]", which the Edge described as "visceral rock 'n' roll",<ref name="mccorm317"/> became a hit worldwide and was used in a cross-promotion with [[Apple Inc.|Apple]].
 | format = [[Ogg]]
}}
Released in November 2004, ''How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'' received favourable reviews from critics.<ref name="mcg276">McGee (2008), p. 276–277</ref> The album featured lyrics touching on life, death, love, war, faith, and family.<ref>{{bulleted list|{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-nov-21-ca-u221-story.html|title=U2's spirit is still on an upward drive|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|first=Robert|last=Hilburn|author-link=Robert Hilburn|date=21 November 2004|page=E43|access-date=23 January 2017|archive-date=27 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227152548/http://articles.latimes.com/2004/nov/21/entertainment/ca-u221|url-status=live}}|{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2004/11/24/atomic-bomb-u2-achieves-maximum-yield/acf694db-29aa-4be6-ae96-a2e78cd3ae6b/|title='Atomic Bomb': U2 Achieves Maximum Yield|newspaper=The Washington Post|first=Allison|last=Stewart|date=24 November 2004|access-date=30 November 2019|archive-date=18 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818113527/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2004/11/24/atomic-bomb-u2-achieves-maximum-yield/acf694db-29aa-4be6-ae96-a2e78cd3ae6b/|url-status=live}}}}</ref> It reached number one in 30 countries,<ref name="mcg276"/> including the US, where first-week sales of 840,000 copies nearly doubled those of ''All That You Can't Leave Behind'', setting a personal best for the band.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=U2 Lands Seventh No. 1; Kelly Clarkson Up Next|magazine=Billboard|page=41|volume=121|issue=11|date=21 March 2009}}</ref> Overall, it sold 9&nbsp;million copies globally.<ref name="totalsales">{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u-idUSTRE51Q1WR20090303|title=New York City honors U2 by renaming street|newspaper=Reuters|first=Michelle|last=Nichols|date=3 March 2009|access-date=9 August 2011|archive-date=30 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030201359/http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/03/03/us-u-idUSTRE51Q1WR20090303|url-status=live}}</ref> For the album's release, U2 partnered with [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] for several cross-promotions: the first single, "[[Vertigo (U2 song)|Vertigo]]", was featured in a television advertisement for the company's [[iPod]] music player, while a U2-branded iPod and [[The Complete U2|digital box set]] exclusive to the [[iTunes Store]] were released.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bono and the Edge launch U2 special edition iPod digital music player|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|first=Jamie|last=Smyth|date=27 October 2004}}</ref> "Vertigo" was an international hit, topping the charts in Ireland and the UK,<ref>McGee (2008), p. 275</ref> and reaching number two in Canada and number five in Australia.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Billboard Hits of the World|magazine=Billboard|date=27 November 2004|pages=46–47|volume=116|issue=48}}</ref> The song won three Grammy Awards, including one for [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Song|Best Rock Song]].<ref>{{cite news|title=The Grammy Winners|newspaper=The Washington Post|agency=Associated Press|date=14 February 2005|page=C03}}</ref> Other singles from the album were also hits; "[[Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own]]", written as a tribute to Bono's late father, went to number one in the UK and Canada, while "[[City of Blinding Lights]]" reached number two in both regions.<ref>{{bulleted list|McGee (2008), pp. 281, 287–288|{{cite magazine|title=Billboard Hits of the World|magazine=Billboard|date=23 April 2005|volume=117|issue=17|page=40}}}}</ref> In March 2005, U2 were inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] by [[Bruce Springsteen]] in their first year of eligibility.<ref name="RRHOF">{{cite news|url=http://archive.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2005/03/15/u2_leads_newest_members_into_rocks_hall_of_fame/|title=U2 leads newest members into rock's hall of fame|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|first=Steve|last=Morse|date=15 March 2005|page=C2|access-date=6 January 2017|archive-date=5 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205101302/http://archive.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2005/03/15/u2_leads_newest_members_into_rocks_hall_of_fame/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/14/arts/arts-briefly-u2-others-to-join-rock-hall-of-fame.html|title=Arts, Briefly; U2, Others to Join Rock Hall of Fame|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|first=Jeff|last=Leeds|date=14 December 2004|at=sec. E, p. 2|edition=National|access-date=6 January 2017|archive-date=23 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023234314/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/14/arts/arts-briefly-u2-others-to-join-rock-hall-of-fame.html|url-status=live}}</ref> During his speech, Springsteen said the band had "beaten [the odds] by continuing to do their finest work and remaining at the top of their game and the charts for 25 years".<ref name="mcg282">McGee (2008), pp. 282–283</ref>

[[File:U2 brussels fly 2005-10-06.jpg|thumb|left|The outdoor stage of the [[Vertigo Tour]], pictured in June 2005, featured a massive LED screen.]]
U2's 2005–2006 [[Vertigo Tour]] was preceded by several complications. A sudden illness afflicting the Edge's daughter nearly resulted in the tour's cancellation, before the group decided to adjust the tour schedule to accommodate her treatment.<ref>McCormick (2006), pp. 332–335</ref> Additionally, ticket presales on the band's website were plagued with issues, as subscribing members encountered technical glitches and limited ticket availability, partially due to [[scalper]]s exploiting the system.<ref>McGee (2008), pp. 280–281</ref> Commencing in March 2005,<ref name="mcg282"/> the Vertigo Tour consisted of arena shows in North America and stadium shows internationally across five legs.<ref>{{bulleted list|Snow (2014), p. 201|{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/468753/u2-set-to-wrap-biggest-concert-tour-ever|title=U2 Set to Wrap Biggest Concert Tour Ever|magazine=Billboard|first=Ray|last=Waddell|date=29 July 2011|access-date=3 February 2017|archive-date=18 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161118100345/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/468753/u2-set-to-wrap-biggest-concert-tour-ever|url-status=live}}}}</ref> The indoor stage replaced the heart-shaped ramp of the Elevation Tour with an elliptical one and featured retractable video curtains around the stage,<ref>{{cite news|title=Feeling of Vertigo U2 Adds Technology, Intimacy to Music Old and New|newspaper=Los Angeles Daily News|first=Simone|last=Schramm|date=1 April 2005}}</ref> while the stadium stage used a massive LED video screen.<ref name="joshua-to-palm">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1063493/from-joshua-trees-to-palm-trees|title=From Joshua Trees To Palm Trees|magazine=Billboard|first=Jonathan|last=Cohen|date=6 January 2007|volume=119|issue=1|pages=16–17|access-date=16 December 2016|archive-date=20 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920173258/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1063493/from-joshua-trees-to-palm-trees|url-status=live}}</ref> Setlists on tour varied more than in the group's past and included songs they had not played in decades.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mixing It Up U2 Blends Old, New, In No Particular Order|newspaper=[[Rocky Mountain News]]|first=Mark|last=Brown|date=20 April 2005}}</ref> Like its predecessor, the Vertigo Tour was a commercial success, ranking as the top-earning tour of 2005 with {{USD|260&nbsp;million}} grossed.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/60363/u2s-vertigo-leads-years-top-tours|title=U2's Vertigo Leads Year's Top Tours|magazine=Billboard|first=Ray|last=Waddell|date=13 December 2005|access-date=27 February 2013|archive-date=3 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603043322/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/60363/u2s-vertigo-leads-years-top-tours|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:2005-11-21_U2_%40_MSG_by_ZG.JPG|thumb|U2 performing at [[Madison Square Garden]] on 21 October 2005]]
In February 2006, U2 received five additional Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year for "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own", and Best Rock Album and Album of the Year for ''How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'';<ref name="mcg307">McGee (2008), pp. 307–309</ref> the awards made the album and its singles winners in all eight categories in which U2 were nominated, spanning two separate Grammy ceremonies.<ref>Snow (2014), p. 205</ref> The group resumed the Vertigo Tour that month with a Latin American leg,<ref name="mcg307"/> on which several shows were filmed for the concert film ''[[U2 3D]]''.<ref name="u23d-pr">{{cite press release
|url=https://nationalgeographicpartners.com/press/?pageID=pressReleases_detail&siteID=1&cid=1235579034124
|title=National Geographic Entertainment and 3ALITY Digital's 'U2 3D' Hits $20 Million in Box Office in Advance of Japan Opening
|publisher=[[National Geographic Society]]
|location=Washington D.C.
|date=25 February 2009
|access-date=20 January 2017
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519145959/http://press.nationalgeographic.com/pressroom/index.jsp?pageID=pressReleases_detail&siteID=1&cid=1235579034124
 |archive-date=19 May 2012
|url-status=live
}}</ref> It was released in theatres nearly two years later,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.cnet.com/Sundance-Stars,-snow,-and-social-cyborgs/2100-1026_3-6226475.html|title=Sundance: Stars, snow, and social cyborgs|first=Michelle|last=Myers|date=17 January 2008|access-date=14 April 2015|website=[[CNET]]}}</ref> and was the world's first live-action digital [[3D film]].<ref name="u23d-pr"/> In March, the band postponed the tour's remaining shows until the end of the year due to the health of the Edge's daughter.<ref name="mcg307"/> On 25 September 2006, U2 and [[Green Day]] performed at the [[Louisiana Superdome]] prior to an [[National Football League|NFL]] football game, the [[New Orleans Saints]]' first home game in the city since [[Hurricane Katrina]]. The two bands covered the [[Skids (band)|Skids]]' song "[[The Saints Are Coming]]" during the performance and for a [[benefit single]],<ref name="mg314">McGee (2008), pp. 314–316</ref> which reached number one in Australia and throughout Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=U2+and+Green+Day&titel=The+Saints+Are+Coming&cat=s|title=U2 and Green Day – The Saints Are Coming|website=lescharts.com|publisher=Hung Medien|access-date=12 January 2017|archive-date=3 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603211131/http://www.lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=U2+and+Green+Day&titel=The+Saints+Are+Coming&cat=s|url-status=live}}</ref> U2 issued an official autobiography, ''[[U2 by U2]]'', that month,<ref name="mg314"/> followed in November by their third compilation album, ''[[U218 Singles]]''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bono Keeps the Magic Alive|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)]]|first=Kathy|last=McCabe|date=10 November 2006}}</ref> The Vertigo Tour concluded in December, having sold 4.6&nbsp;million tickets and having earned {{USD|389&nbsp;million}}, the second-highest gross ever at the time.<ref name="joshua-to-palm"/>

In August 2006, the band incorporated its [[Music publisher|publishing]] business in the Netherlands following the capping of Irish artists' tax exemption at {{Euro|250,000}}.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/u2-move-their-rock-empire-out-of-ireland-26415082.html|title=U2 move their rock empire out of Ireland|date=6 August 2006|access-date=23 March 2016|last=McConnell|first=Daniel|website=Irish Independent|archive-date=16 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516165448/http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/u2-move-their-rock-empire-out-of-ireland-26415082.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Edge stated that businesses often seek to minimise their tax burdens.<ref name="bloomberg"/> The move was criticised in the [[Oireachtas|Irish parliament]].<ref name="bloomberg">{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&refer=home&sid=aef6sR60oDgM|title=Bono, Preacher on Poverty, Tarnishes Halo With Irish Tax Move|first=Fergal|last=O'Brien|date=15 October 2006|website=Bloomberg|access-date=19 August 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805043350/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&refer=home&sid=aef6sR60oDgM|archive-date=5 August 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=They live like aristocrats. Now they think like them |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2006/dec/09/comment.music |newspaper=The Guardian |first=Marina |last=Hyde |date=9 December 2006 |access-date=23 March 2016 |archive-date=6 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306071422/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2006/dec/09/comment.music |url-status=live }}</ref> The band defended themselves, saying approximately 95% of their business took place outside Ireland, that they were taxed globally because of this, and that they were all "personal investors and employers in the country".<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music/news/u2-reject-tax-avoidance-claims-28469190.html |title=U2 reject tax avoidance claims |website=The Belfast Telegraph |date=26 February 2009 |access-date=27 February 2013 |archive-date=26 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426211613/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music/news/u2-reject-tax-avoidance-claims-28469190.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Bono later said, "I think U2's tax business is our own business and I think it is not just to the letter of the law but to the spirit of the law."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/u2-tax-switch-in-spirit-of-the-law-says-bono-29372504.html|title=U2 tax switch 'in spirit of the law' says Bono|website=Irish Independent|first=Louise|last=Hogan|date=26 June 2013|access-date=23 March 2016|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304213349/http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/u2-tax-switch-in-spirit-of-the-law-says-bono-29372504.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== ''No Line on the Horizon'' and U2 360° Tour (2006–2011) ===
Recording for U2's twelfth album, ''[[No Line on the Horizon]]'', began with producer [[Rick Rubin]] in 2006, but the sessions were short-lived and the material was shelved.<ref name="All areas">{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/u2-access-all-areas-26545329.html|title=U2: Access all areas |website=Irish Independent |first=Brendan |last=O'Conner |date=21 June 2009 |access-date=5 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090828031251/http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/u2-access-all-areas-1782416.html |archive-date=28 August 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> In May 2007, the group began new sessions with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois in [[Fez, Morocco]], involving the producers as full songwriting partners.<ref>{{bulleted list|McGee (2008), pp. 327–328|{{cite news |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/futuristic-spirituals-daniel-lanois-talks-about-recording-the-new-u2-album |title=U2's No Line on the Horizon: A track-by-track exclusive with producer/co-writer Daniel Lanois |website=[[National Post]] |first=Brad |last=Frenette |date=10 March 2009 |access-date=31 March 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20091020204444/http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/theampersand/archive/2009/03/10/behind-the-scenes-on-u2-s-no-line-on-the-horizon-a-track-by-track-exclusive-with-producer-co-writer-daniel-lanois.aspx |archive-date=20 October 2009 |url-status=live }} }}</ref> Intending to write "future hymns"—songs that would be played forever—the group spent two weeks recording in a [[Moroccan Riad|riad]] and exploring local music.<ref name="wanderers">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/feb/15/u2-no-line-on-the-horizon |title=The Wanderers |website=[[The Guardian]] |first=Sean |last=O'Hagan |date=15 February 2009 |access-date=15 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100424052201/http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/feb/15/u2-no-line-on-the-horizon |archive-date=24 April 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{bulleted list|{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/woman/celeb-news/-26526961.html |title=Taking care of business |website=Irish Independent |first=Brian |last=Hiatt |date=5 April 2009 |access-date=2 May 2017 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5kjAvxiXo?url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/news-gossip/taking-care-of-business--the-u2-interview-1698937.html |archive-date=23 October 2009 |url-status=live}}|{{cite magazine|url=http://www.telquel-online.com/277/arts1_277.shtml |title=Exclusive: Bono's Pilgrimage |magazine=[[TelQuel]] |first=Jean |last=Barry |date=18 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080331111427/http://www.telquel-online.com/277/arts1_277.shtml |archive-date=31 March 2008 |language=fr |url-status=dead}}}}</ref> The Edge called it "a very freeing experience" that "reminded [him] in many ways of early on and why [they] got into a band in the first place. Just that joy of playing."<ref name="betweenline">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.hotpress.com/U2/music/interviews/Reading-between-the-line-part-1/5294628.html|title=Reading Between the Line|magazine=[[Hot Press]]|first=Olaf|last=Tyaransen|date=11 March 2009|volume=33|issue=4|access-date=14 January 2017|archive-date=7 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107213047/http://www.hotpress.com/U2/music/interviews/Reading-between-the-line-part-1/5294628.html|url-status=live}}</ref> As recording on the album continued in New York, London, and Dublin, the band scaled back their experimental pursuits, which Eno said "sounded kind of synthetic" and were not easily married with the group's sound.<ref>{{cite web |title=Brian Eno |first=Joshua |last=Klein |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/7723-brian-eno/ |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=2 November 2009 |access-date=10 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091105012414/http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/7723-brian-eno |archive-date=5 November 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref>

''No Line on the Horizon'' was released in February 2009, more than four years after ''How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'', the longest gap between albums of the band's career to that point.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=The Superleague of Extraordinary Gentlemen |magazine=[[NME]] |date=23 February 2009}}</ref> It received generally positive reviews, including their first five-star ''Rolling Stone'' review, but critics found it was not as experimental as originally billed.<ref>{{bulleted list|{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12730-no-line-on-the-horizon/ |title=No Line on the Horizon |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |first=Ryan |last=Dombal |date=2 March 2009 |access-date=5 May 2018 |archive-date=6 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091006112523/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12730-no-line-on-the-horizon/ |url-status=live }} |{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1482512/u2-albums-from-worst-to-best/franchises/counting-down/attachment/no-line-on-the-horizon/|title=No Line On The Horizon (2009)|website=[[Stereogum]]|first=Ryan|last=Leas|date=1 October 2013|access-date=5 May 2018|archive-date=20 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180520124048/https://www.stereogum.com/1482512/u2-albums-from-worst-to-best/franchises/counting-down/attachment/no-line-on-the-horizon/|url-status=live}}}}</ref> The album debuted at number one in over 30 countries,<ref name="Reuters">{{cite news|title=New U2 album is No. 1 in 30 countries |work=Reuters |date=11 March 2009 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/music-u-idUSN1054376520090311 |access-date=5 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090820011703/http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSN1054376520090311 |archive-date=20 August 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> but its sales of 5&nbsp;million were seen as a disappointment by U2 standards and it did not contain a hit single.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/u2-the-band-who-fell-to-earth/news-story/44bc1101daad4ab41c4b1516503f027d|title=U2: The Band who fell to Earth |newspaper=[[Herald Sun]]|first=Neala |last=Johnson |date=9 September 2010 |access-date=5 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615004928/http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/u2-the-band-who-fell-to-earth/story-e6frf96f-1225916526194 |archive-date=15 June 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="guard-sales">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/oct/26/u2-bono-disappointed-album-sales |title=U2's Bono disappointed with latest album sales |last=Michaels |first=Sean |newspaper=The Guardian|date=26 October 2009 |access-date=27 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002165223/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/oct/26/u2-bono-disappointed-album-sales |archive-date=2 October 2013 |url-status=live | location=London}}</ref> Following the album's release, the band discussed tentative plans for a follow-up record entitled ''Songs of Ascent''.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-talk-horizon-follow-up-spider-man-musical-in-rolling-stone-cover-story-113047/|title=U2 Talk 'Horizon' Follow Up, Spider-Man Musical in Rolling Stone Cover Story |first=Brian |last=Hiatt |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=4 March 2009 |access-date=5 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090512194434/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/03/04/u2-talk-horizon-follow-up-spider-man-musical-in-rolling-stone-cover-story/ |archive-date=12 May 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> Bono described the project as "a more meditative album on the theme of pilgrimage".<ref name="wanderers"/>

[[File:U2 360 Tour Croke Park 2.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|alt=A concert stage; four large legs curve up above the stage and hold a video screen which is extended down to the band. The legs are lit up in green. The video screen has multi-coloured lights flashing on it. The audience surrounds the stage on all sides.|At 164 feet tall, the stage structure from the [[U2 360° Tour]] was the largest ever constructed. The tour became the highest-grossing in history, having earned {{USD|736&nbsp;million}}.]]
The group embarked on the [[U2 360° Tour]] in June 2009. It was their first live venture for [[Live Nation Entertainment|Live Nation]] under a 12-year, {{USD|100&nbsp;million}} ({{GBP|50 million}}) contract signed the year prior.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/269275/exclusive-u2-readies-360-global-tour|title=Exclusive: U2 Readies '360' Global Tour|magazine=Billboard|first=Ray|last=Waddell|date=6 March 2009|access-date=27 February 2013|archive-date=6 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106015856/http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/exclusive-u2-to-kiss-the-future-on-global-1003948418.story|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-livenation-u-idUSN3040810420080331|title=Live Nation agrees to 12-year pact with U2|website=[[Reuters]]|date=31 March 2008|access-date=23 March 2016|archive-date=4 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404130457/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-livenation-u-idUSN3040810420080331|url-status=live}}</ref> As part of the deal, the company assumed control over U2's touring, merchandising, and official website.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/2787228/U2-ties-the-knot-with-Live-Nation-deal.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/2787228/U2-ties-the-knot-with-Live-Nation-deal.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=U2 ties knot with Live Nation deal|website=The Daily Telegraph |first=Emma|last=Thelwell|date=31 March 2008|access-date=17 August 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The 360° Tour concerts featured the band playing stadiums "[[Theatre in the round|in the round]]", allowing the audience to surround them on all sides.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hotpress.com/archive/5293385.html |title=Exclusive: Paul McGuinness on U2's World Tour |website=Hot Press |date=4 March 2009 |access-date=29 October 2009 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=17 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170717205833/http://www.hotpress.com/archive/5293385.html |url-status=live }}</ref> To accommodate the stage configuration, a large four-legged structure nicknamed "The Claw" was built above the stage, with the sound system and a cylindrical, expanding video screen on top of it. At {{convert|164|ft|m}} tall, it was the largest stage ever constructed.<ref name="rs032309">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/26841404/inside_u2s_plans_to_rock_stadiums_around_the_globe |title=Inside U2's Plans to Rock Stadiums Around the Globe |last=Hiatt |first=Brian |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=2 April 2009 |access-date=21 July 2009 |issue=1075|page=14|archive-date=26 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426031859/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/26841404/inside_u2s_plans_to_rock_stadiums_around_the_globe |url-status=dead}}</ref> The tour visited Europe and North America in 2009. On 25 October 2009, U2 set a new US record for single concert attendance for one headline act, performing to 97,014 people at the [[Rose Bowl (stadium)|Rose Bowl]] in Pasadena.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/266855/u2s-rose-bowl-show-breaks-attendance-record |title=U2's Rose Bowl Show Breaks Attendance Record |magazine=Billboard |first=Bob |last=Allen |date=30 October 2009 |access-date=30 October 2009 |archive-date=4 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104050605/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/266855/u2s-rose-bowl-show-breaks-attendance-record |url-status=live }}</ref> In May 2010, while rehearsing for the next leg of the tour, Bono suffered a [[Spinal disc herniation|herniated disk]] and severe compression of the [[sciatic nerve]], requiring emergency back surgery.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2010/05/25/u2s-north-american-tour-including-chicago-date-postponed-while-bono-recovers-from-surgery/|title=U2's North American tour, including Chicago date, postponed while Bono recovers from surgery|website=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=25 May 2010|access-date=5 May 2018|archive-date=20 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180520192604/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-05-25/entertainment/chi-100521-bono-u2-emergency-surgery_1_u2-com-u2-s-north-american-live-nation|url-status=live}}</ref> The band were forced to postpone the North American leg of the tour and a headlining performance at the [[Glastonbury Festival 2010]] until the following year.<ref>{{bulleted list|{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-announce-return-to-the-stage-in-homemade-video-2-245662/ |title=U2 announce return to the stage in homemade video |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=13 July 2010 |access-date=5 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716004334/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/17386/180384 |archive-date=16 July 2010 |url-status=dead }} |{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/feb/24/u2-glastonbury|title=U2 confirm Glastonbury headline spot|website=[[The Guardian]]|first1=Ben|last1=Quinn|first2=Alexandra|last2=Topping|date=23 February 2011|access-date=5 May 2018|archive-date=20 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180520124447/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/feb/24/u2-glastonbury|url-status=live}}}}</ref> After Bono's recovery, U2 resumed the 360° Tour in August 2010 with legs in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, during which they began to play new, unreleased songs live.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-debut-another-new-song-on-european-tour-238937/|title=U2 Debut Another New Song on European Tour|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Daniel|last=Kreps|date=23 August 2010|access-date=5 July 2018|archive-date=2 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702204740/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-debut-another-new-song-on-european-tour-238937/|url-status=live}}</ref> By its conclusion in July 2011, U2 360° had set records for the [[List of highest-grossing concert tours|highest-grossing concert tour]] ({{USD|736&nbsp;million}}) and [[List of most-attended concert tours|most tickets sold for a tour]] (7.3&nbsp;million).<ref name="360-records">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1099191/billboard-power-100-u2-paul-mcguinness |title=Billboard Power 100: 27&nbsp;– U2 & Paul McGuinness |first=Ray |last=Waddell |magazine=Billboard |date=4 February 2012 |pages=18–19 |volume=124 |issue=4 |access-date=3 February 2017 |archive-date=1 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201055212/http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1099191/billboard-power-100-u2-paul-mcguinness |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== ''Songs of Innocence'' and Innocence + Experience Tour (2011–2015) ===
[[File:U2 at Apple keynote event 9-9-14.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|U2 performing at the Apple product launch at which ''[[Songs of Innocence (U2 album)|Songs of Innocence]]'' was announced in September 2014]]
Throughout the 360° Tour, the band worked on multiple projects, including a rock album produced by [[Danger Mouse (musician)|Danger Mouse]], a dance record produced by [[RedOne]] and [[will.i.am]], and ''Songs of Ascent''.<ref name="guard-trio-11">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/13/new-u2-album-delayed-2012|title=New U2 album delayed until 2012|website=The Guardian|first=Sean|last=Michaels|date=13 June 2011|access-date=11 September 2014|archive-date=12 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812072545/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/13/new-u2-album-delayed-2012|url-status=live}}</ref> The latter was not completed to their satisfaction, and by December 2011, Clayton admitted it would not come to fruition.<ref>MacDonald (2014), pp. 232–235</ref> The sessions with Danger Mouse formed the foundation of U2's next album, and they worked with him until May 2013 before enlisting the help of producers [[Paul Epworth]], [[Ryan Tedder]], Declan Gaffney, and Flood. The band suspended work on the album late in 2013 to contribute a new song, "[[Ordinary Love (U2 song)|Ordinary Love]]", to the film ''[[Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom]]''.<ref name="thr-ol">{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/u2-interview-oscar-hopes-unfinished-679321|title=U2 Interview: Oscar Hopes, That Unfinished Album, Anxiety About Staying Relevant|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|first=Hal|last=Espen|date=12 February 2014|access-date=18 February 2014|archive-date=21 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221132736/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/u2-interview-oscar-hopes-unfinished-679321|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/10/17/mandela-long-walk-to-freedom-trailer-features-new-u2-song-ordinary-love/|title='Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom' Trailer Features New U2 Song 'Ordinary Love'|website=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|first=Christopher John|last=Farley|date=17 October 2013|access-date=18 October 2013|archive-date=17 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017234920/http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/10/17/mandela-long-walk-to-freedom-trailer-features-new-u2-song-ordinary-love/|url-status=live}}</ref> The track, written in honour of [[Nelson Mandela]], won the 2014 [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song]].<ref name="thr-ol"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goldenglobes.com/song/ordinary-love|title=Ordinary Love|website=[[Golden Globes|GoldenGlobes.com]]|access-date=23 March 2016|archive-date=6 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406032106/http://www.goldenglobes.com/song/ordinary-love|url-status=dead}}</ref> In November 2013, U2's manager Paul McGuinness stepped down as part of a deal with Live Nation to acquire his management firm, Principle Management. McGuinness, who had managed the group for over 30 years, was succeeded by [[Guy Oseary]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-u2-manager-paul-mcguinness-guy-oseary-live-nation-20131115-story.html|title=U2 manager steps down|website=Los Angeles Times|first=Randy|last=Lewis|date=16 November 2013|page=B3|access-date=18 February 2014|archive-date=4 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304064154/http://articles.latimes.com/2013/nov/15/entertainment/la-et-ms-u2-manager-paul-mcguinness-guy-oseary-live-nation-20131115|url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2014, the single "[[Invisible (U2 song)|Invisible]]", debuted in a [[Super Bowl commercials|Super Bowl television advertisement]] and was made available in the iTunes Store at no cost to launch a partnership with [[Product Red]] and [[Bank of America]] to fight [[AIDS]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Download U2 song, fight global disease|newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|first=Elysa|last=Gardner|date=1 February 2014|page=16}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-offer-free-downloads-of-new-track-invisible-to-help-fight-aids-183743/|title=U2 Offer Free Downloads of New Track 'Invisible' to Help Fight AIDS|first=Kory|last=Grow|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=2 February 2014|access-date=5 July 2018|archive-date=2 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702204829/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-offer-free-downloads-of-new-track-invisible-to-help-fight-aids-183743/|url-status=live}}</ref> Bono called the track a "sneak preview" of their pending record.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-say-invisible-is-a-sneak-preview-of-new-album-190785/|title=U2 Say 'Invisible' Is a 'Sneak Preview' of New Album|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Jason|last=Newman|date=31 January 2014|access-date=5 July 2018|archive-date=2 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702204905/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-say-invisible-is-a-sneak-preview-of-new-album-190785/|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 9 September 2014, U2 appeared at an Apple product launch event to make a [[Surprise album|surprise announcement]] of their thirteenth studio album, ''[[Songs of Innocence (U2 album)|Songs of Innocence]]''. They released it digitally the same day to all iTunes Store customers at no cost,<ref name="verge">{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/9/9/6126711/u2-releases-its-new-album-for-free-today-exclusively-on-itunes|title=U2 releases its new album for free today exclusively on iTunes|website=[[The Verge]]|first=Nathan|last=Ingraham|date=9 September 2014|access-date=9 September 2014|archive-date=19 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519030515/http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/9/6126711/u2-releases-its-new-album-for-free-today-exclusively-on-itunes|url-status=live}}</ref> making it available to over 500&nbsp;million people in what Apple CEO [[Tim Cook]] called "the largest album release of all time".<ref name="nyt-soi-deal">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/10/business/media/u2-appears-at-apple-event-and-songs-of-innocence-appears-free-on-itunes.html|title=U2 Appears at Apple Event, and 'Songs of Innocence' Appears Free on iTunes|website=[[The New York Times]]|first=Ben|last=Sisario|date=9 September 2014|access-date=10 September 2014|archive-date=10 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910200108/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/10/business/media/u2-appears-at-apple-event-and-songs-of-innocence-appears-free-on-itunes.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Apple reportedly paid [[Universal Music Group]] and U2 a lump sum for a five-week exclusivity period in which to distribute the album<ref>{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2014/09/09/u2-apple-and-the-deal-behind-getting-songs-of-innocence-free-of-charge/|title=U2, Apple and the Deal Behind Getting 'Songs of Innocence' Free of Charge|website=The Wall Street Journal|first=John|last=Jurgensen|date=9 September 2014|access-date=10 September 2014|archive-date=10 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910200314/http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2014/09/09/u2-apple-and-the-deal-behind-getting-songs-of-innocence-free-of-charge/|url-status=live}}</ref> and spent {{USD|100&nbsp;million}} on a promotional campaign.<ref name="nyt-soi-deal"/> ''Songs of Innocence'' recalls the group members' youth in Ireland, touching on childhood experiences, loves and losses, while paying tribute to their musical inspirations.<ref>{{cite news|last=Pareles|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Pareles|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/11/arts/music/with-songs-of-innocence-u2-recasts-its-youth.html?_r=1|title=On New Album, Rock Veterans Revisit Youth|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=15 July 2015|date=10 September 2014|archive-date=7 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907215126/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/11/arts/music/with-songs-of-innocence-u2-recasts-its-youth.html?_r=1|url-status=live}}</ref> Bono described it as "the most personal album we've written".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-29132508|title=New U2 album given away for free to iTunes users|website=[[BBC News]]|date=9 September 2014|access-date=10 September 2014|archive-date=10 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910160615/http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-29132508|url-status=live}}</ref> The record received mixed reviews and was criticised for its digital release strategy; it was automatically added to users' iTunes accounts, which for many, triggered an unprompted download to their electronic devices.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/11086403/Why-is-the-new-U2-album-in-your-iTunes-library.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/11086403/Why-is-the-new-U2-album-in-your-iTunes-library.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Why is the new U2 album in your iTunes library?|website=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|first=Rupert|last=Hawksley|date=10 September 2014|access-date=10 September 2014|location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/09/everyone-mad-at-apple-for-u2-stunt.html|title=Everyone Is Mad at Apple for Forcing Them to Download a U2 Album|website=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|first=Kevin|last=Roose|date=11 September 2014|access-date=11 September 2014|archive-date=11 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911210822/http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/09/everyone-mad-at-apple-for-u2-stunt.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-apples-free-u2-gift-a-sign-of-things-to-come/|title=Apple's free U2 "gift" angers many customers|website=[[CBS MoneyWatch]]|first=Kim|last=Peterson|date=12 September 2014|access-date=12 September 2014|archive-date=12 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140912205415/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-apples-free-u2-gift-a-sign-of-things-to-come/|url-status=live}}</ref> Chris Richards of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' called the release "rock-and-roll as dystopian junk mail".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2014/09/10/u2-apple-and-rock-and-roll-as-dystopian-junk-mail/|title=U2, Apple and rock-and-roll as dystopian junk mail|newspaper=The Washington Post|first=Chris|last=Richards|date=10 September 2014|access-date=10 May 2016|archive-date=4 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604024345/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2014/09/10/u2-apple-and-rock-and-roll-as-dystopian-junk-mail/|url-status=live}}</ref> The group's press tour for the album was interrupted after Bono was seriously injured in a bicycle accident in [[Central Park]] on 16 November 2014. He suffered fractures of his shoulder blade, [[humerus]], [[orbit (anatomy)|orbit]], and pinky finger,<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bono-treated-with-metal-plates-intensive-therapy-after-bike-injury-203099/ |title=Bono Treated With Metal Plates, 'Intensive Therapy' After Bike Injury |magazine=Rolling Stone |first=Jason |last=Newman |date=19 November 2014 |access-date=5 July 2018 |archive-date=2 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702180154/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bono-treated-with-metal-plates-intensive-therapy-after-bike-injury-203099/ |url-status=live }}</ref> leading to uncertainty that he would ever be able to play guitar again.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jan/02/bono-reveals-he-may-never-play-guitar-again-after-bike-accident|title=Bono says he may never play guitar again after cycling accident|website=The Guardian|first=Tim|last=Jonze|date=2 January 2015|access-date=6 February 2015|archive-date=6 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150106190405/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jan/02/bono-reveals-he-may-never-play-guitar-again-after-bike-accident|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:U2 in Paris, Dec 7 2015 (22980117714).jpg|thumb|left|U2 performing in Paris on 7 December 2015, the final date of the Innocence + Experience Tour. It was filmed for [[Innocence + Experience: Live in Paris|an HBO-broadcast concert video]].]]
Following Bono's recuperation, U2 embarked on the [[Innocence + Experience Tour]] in May 2015,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/u2-guitarist-the-edge-falls-off-edge-of-stage-in-vancouver-1.3075493|title=U2 guitarist The Edge falls off edge of stage in Vancouver|website=[[CBC News]]|date=15 May 2015|access-date=15 May 2015|archive-date=17 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150517004106/http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/u2-guitarist-the-edge-falls-off-edge-of-stage-in-vancouver-1.3075493|url-status=live}}</ref> visiting arenas in North America and Europe from May to December.<ref name="bb-tour-announce">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6334847/u2-innocence-experience-tour-dates-2015|title=U2 Announces 'Innocence + Experience' Tour|magazine=Billboard|first=Ray|last=Waddell|date=3 December 2014|access-date=14 December 2014|archive-date=9 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209121652/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6334847/u2-innocence-experience-tour-dates-2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The group structured their concerts around a loose autobiographical narrative of "innocence" passing into "experience", with a fixed set of songs for the first half of each show and a varying second half, separated by an intermission—a first for U2 concerts.<ref name="flighttonow">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/03/arts/music/u2s-flight-to-now-turbulence-included.html|title=U2's Flight to Now (Turbulence Included)|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|first=Jon|last=Pareles|author-link=Jon Pareles|date=3 May 2015|page=AR1|edition=New York}}</ref> The stage spanned the length of the venue floor and had three sections: a rectangular main stage, a smaller circular [[B-stage]], and a connecting walkway.<ref name="flighttonow"/> The centrepiece of the set was a {{convert|96|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} double-sided video screen that featured an interior catwalk, allowing the band members to perform amidst the video projections.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-live-reviews/u2-reinvent-the-arena-show-at-triumphant-innocence-tour-opener-44684/|title=U2 Reinvent the Arena Show at Triumphant 'Innocence' Tour Opener|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Andy|last=Greene|date=15 May 2015|access-date=5 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2015/05/15/u2-tour-opener-vancouver/|title=At U2's Tour Opener in Vancouver, Bono Sucks His Thumb, the Edge Falls off the Edge|website=The Wall Street Journal|first=Chris |last=Kornelis |date=15 May 2015|access-date=15 May 2015}}</ref> U2's sound system was moved to the venue ceilings and arranged in an oval array to improve the sound.<ref name="flighttonow"/> The tour grossed {{USD|152.2&nbsp;million}} from 1.29&nbsp;million tickets sold.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.pollstarpro.com/files/charts2016/011816Top20WorldwideTours.pdf|title=2015 Pollstar Year End Top 20 Worldwide Tours|magazine=[[Pollstar]]|access-date=30 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160803052549/http://www.pollstarpro.com/files/charts2016/011816Top20WorldwideTours.pdf|archive-date=3 August 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> The final date of the tour, one of two Paris shows rescheduled due to the [[November 2015 Paris attacks|13 November 2015 attacks]] in the city, was filmed for the video ''[[Innocence + Experience: Live in Paris]]'' and broadcast on the American television network [[HBO]].<ref name="parisattacks">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2015/11/13/u2-postpones-its-paris-concert-that-was-to-air-live-on-hbo-saturday-night/|title=U2 postpones its Paris concert that was to air live on HBO Saturday night|newspaper=The Washington Post|first=Bethonie|last=Butler|date=13 November 2015 |access-date=15 November 2015}}</ref><ref name="paris-reschedule">{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-u2-paris-shows-rescheduled-20151123-story.html|title=U2 reschedules Paris concerts, HBO will air Dec. 7 show|website=[[Chicago Tribune]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=23 November 2015|access-date=23 November 2015}}</ref>

===''The Joshua Tree'' anniversary tours and ''Songs of Experience'' (2016–2019)===
In 2016, U2 worked on their next studio album, ''[[Songs of Experience (U2 album)|Songs of Experience]]'', a [[companion piece]] to ''Songs of Innocence''.<ref name="mojo-apr17">{{cite magazine|title=American Dreams|magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]|first=Tom|last=Doyle|date=April 2017|issue=281|pages=72–86}}</ref> The group had mostly completed the album and planned to release it that year, but after the shift of global politics in a [[conservatism|conservative]] direction, highlighted by the UK's [[Brexit]] [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|referendum]] and the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 US presidential election]], they put the record on hold to reassess its tone.<ref>{{cite episode|url=http://www.edge.ca/2017/09/06/u2-speaks-with-the-edge-about-new-single-youre-the-best-thing-about-me/|title=U2 speaks with The Edge about new single, 'You're The Best Thing About Me'|series=Carly Meyers|network=[[CFNY-FM]]|date=6 September 2017|type=Radio broadcast|author=[[The Edge]] (interviewee)|access-date=6 September 2017}}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The group spent the extra time rewriting lyrics, [[Arrangement|rearranging]] and remixing songs, and pursuing different production styles.<ref name="mojo-apr17"/><ref name="edge-rs-mortality">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/the-edge-on-u2s-songs-of-experience-bonos-brush-with-mortality-253290/|title=The Edge on U2's 'Songs of Experience,' Bono's 'Brush With Mortality'|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|first=Andy|last=Greene|date=18 September 2017|access-date=5 July 2018}}</ref> Further impacting the lyrical direction of the album was a "brush with mortality" that Bono experienced;<ref name="edge-rs-mortality"/><ref name="bono-rs-soe-evolve">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/bono-on-how-u2s-songs-of-experience-evolved-taking-on-donald-trump-253312/|title=Bono on How U2's 'Songs of Experience' Evolved, Taking on Donald Trump|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|first=Andy|last=Greene|date=20 September 2017|access-date=5 July 2018}}</ref> in December 2016, he underwent [[open-heart surgery]] due to an [[aortic aneurysm]] that formed over time as a result of having a [[bicuspid aortic valve]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/u2-frontman-bono-reveals-he-had-heart-surgery-in-2016-in-new-memoir-surrender-3342136|title=Bono had heart surgery in 2016 to repair 'blister' on his aorta|website=[[NME]]|first=Tom|last=Skinner|date=3 November 2022|access-date=16 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Bono |date=2022 |title=Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story |chapter=Lights of Home |publisher=Knopf |isbn=978-0593663691}}</ref>

[[File:U2 on tree stage on Joshua Tree Tour 2017 in Kansas City 9-12-17.jpg|thumb|[[The Joshua Tree Tour 2017]] commemorated the 30th anniversary of the eponymous record. It was the highest-grossing tour of the year, earning {{USD|316&nbsp;million}}.]]
U2 [[The Joshua Tree Tour 2017|toured in 2017]] to commemorate the 30th anniversary of ''The Joshua Tree'', with each show featuring a performance of the entire album.<ref name="edge-breakdown">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/the-edge-breaks-down-u2s-upcoming-joshua-tree-tour-111050/|title=The Edge Breaks Down U2's Upcoming 'Joshua Tree' Tour|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Andy|last=Greene|date=9 January 2017|access-date=5 July 2018}}</ref> It was the first time the group toured in promotion of an album from their back catalogue.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/u2-to-outline-tour-dates-for-the-joshua-tree-on-monday-1.2929263|title=U2 to outline tour dates for The Joshua Tree on Monday|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|first=Brian|last=Boyd|date=8 January 2017|access-date=5 March 2017}}</ref> The Edge cited the same world events that caused the group to delay ''Songs of Experience'' for what he judged to be renewed resonance of ''The Joshua Tree''{{'}}s subject matter and a reason to revisit it.<ref name="edge-breakdown"/> The tour's stage featured a [[8K resolution|7.6K]] video screen measuring {{convert|200|x|45|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ohio.com/akron/entertainment/pop-music/u2-brings-massive-joshua-tree-tour-to-cleveland-s-firstenergy-stadium|title=U2 brings massive Joshua Tree Tour to Cleveland's FirstEnergy Stadium|website=[[Akron Beacon Journal|Ohio.com]]|first=Malcolm X|last=Abram|date=28 June 2017|access-date=6 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701000332/http://www.ohio.com/entertainment/pop-music/u2-brings-massive-joshua-tree-tour-to-cleveland-s-firstenergy-stadium-1.777300|archive-date=1 July 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> that was, according to ''[[The Guardian]]'', the largest and highest resolution screen used on a concert tour.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2017/may/15/u2-joshua-tree-tour-anton-corbijn-america-trump|title=U2's Joshua Tree tour: stuck in the past, or a new sense of purpose?|website=[[The Guardian]]|first=Barry|last=Nicolson|date=15 May 2017|access-date=8 June 2017}}</ref> The tour included a headlining appearance at the [[Bonnaroo Music Festival]] in June.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nashvillescene.com/music/spin/article/20864286/u2-turns-great-stage-park-into-joshua-tree-friday-night-at-bonnaroo|title=U2 Turns Great Stage Park Into Joshua Tree Friday Night at Bonnaroo|website=[[Nashville Scene]]|author=The Spin|date=10 June 2017|access-date=6 July 2017}}</ref> The tour grossed more than {{USD|316&nbsp;million}} from over 2.7&nbsp;million tickets sold,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/u2-the-joshua-tree-2017-tour-earnings/|title=U2's Joshua Tree 2017 Tour Wraps With $316 Million Earned|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|first=Bob|last=Allen|date=1 November 2017|access-date=14 December 2017}}</ref> making it the highest-grossing tour of the year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/biz/news/u2-tops-pollstars-year-end-touring-chart-with-316-million-gross-veteran-male-acts-dominate-top-20-1202649383/|title=U2 Tops Pollstar's Year-End Touring Chart With $316 Million Gross, Veteran Male Acts Dominate Top 20|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|first=Jem|last=Aswad|date=28 December 2017|access-date=29 December 2017}}</ref>

''Songs of Experience'' was released on 1 December 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/06/arts/music/u2-songs-of-experience-interview.html|title=U2 Offer 'Songs of Experience' to a World That's on Fire|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|first=Jon|last=Pareles|author-link=Jon Pareles|date=10 September 2017|at=sec. AR, p. 109|edition=New York|access-date=6 September 2017}}</ref> Lyrically, the album reflects the "political and personal apocalypse" that Bono felt in 2016.<ref name="q-hardwon">{{cite magazine|title=Hard-Won Experience|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|first=Tom|last=Doyle|date=December 2017|pages=10–13|issue=379}}</ref> The first single, "[[You're the Best Thing About Me]]",<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/hear-u2s-lustrous-new-single-youre-the-best-thing-about-me-204832/|title=Hear U2's Lustrous New Single 'You're the Best Thing About Me'|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|first=Elias|last=Leight|date=6 September 2017|access-date=5 July 2018}}</ref> is one of several songs from the record for which Bono wrote the lyrics as letters addressed to people and places closest to his heart.<ref name="edge-rs-mortality"/><ref name="bono-rs-soe-evolve"/> ''Songs of Experience'' received mixed reviews from critics;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.inquisitr.com/4669220/u2-songs-of-innocence-mediocre-reviews-high-sales/|title=U2's 'Songs of Experience' Receives Mediocre Reviews, But Concert Ticket Album Bundle Disguises Poor Sales|work=[[The Inquisitr]]|first=Daryl|last=Deino|date=7 December 2017|access-date=8 December 2017|archive-date=8 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208041332/https://www.inquisitr.com/4669220/u2-songs-of-innocence-mediocre-reviews-high-sales/|url-status=live}}</ref> it was the sixth-best-selling album globally in 2017 with 1.3&nbsp;million copies sold.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2018/04/24/these-were-the-10-bestselling-albums-in-the-world-in-2017/#921e944608d2|title=These Were The 10 Bestselling Albums In The World In 2017|work=[[Forbes (magazine)|Forbes]]|first=Hugh|last=McIntyre|date=24 April 2018|access-date=24 April 2018|archive-date=24 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180424191855/https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2018/04/24/these-were-the-10-bestselling-albums-in-the-world-in-2017/#921e944608d2|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:U2 performing on Experience and Innocence Tour in London 10-24-18 (3).jpg|thumb|left|U2 performing in London in October 2018 during the [[Experience + Innocence Tour]], a sequel to their 2015 tour]]
In May 2018, the band embarked on the Experience + Innocence Tour, which consisted of arena shows across North America and Europe.<ref name="ei-bb-wrapup">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/u2-experience-innocence-tour-wrap/|title=U2 Wraps Experience + Innocence Tour With $125 Million Earned|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|first=Eric|last=Frankenberg|date=20 November 2018|access-date=21 November 2018}}</ref> 
It was a sequel to their 2015 Innocence + Experience Tour, reprising its loose narrative and using a similar stage set. Several enhancements were made, such as a higher resolution and more transparent video screen and the addition of LED panels to the B-stage floor.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://plsn.com/articles/video-production/u2s-2018-experience-innocence-tour/|title=U2's 2018 eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour|magazine=Projection Lights and Staging News|first=Nook|last=Schoenfeld|date=July 2018|volume=19|issue=6|pages=54–56|access-date=29 August 2018}}</ref> The band incorporated [[augmented reality]] into the shows, releasing a mobile app for concertgoers to use and reviving Bono's demonic stage character MacPhisto from the 1993 Zoo TV Tour with the help of a camera [[Filter (social media)|filter]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dezeen.com/2018/05/09/es-devlin-augmented-reality-avatar-bono-u2-set-design/|title=Giant augmented reality avatar of Bono appears on Es Devlin's U2 stage set|website=[[Dezeen]]|first=Natashah|last=Hitti|date=9 May 2018|access-date=31 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avinteractive.com/features/case-studies/storytelling-tech-07-12-2018/|title=Storytelling tech|website=[[Metropolis International|AV Magazine]]|first=Zoe|last=Mutter|date=7 December 2018|access-date=27 September 2023|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221060039/https://www.avinteractive.com/features/case-studies/storytelling-tech-07-12-2018/|archive-date=21 February 2020}}</ref> The tour concluded in Berlin in November with total revenues of {{USD|126.2 million}} from 924,000 tickets sold, according to ''Billboard''.<ref name="ei-bb-wrapup"/>

U2's ''Joshua Tree'' anniversary concert tour [[The Joshua Tree Tour 2019|visited Oceania and Asia in 2019]], their first time playing Australia and New Zealand since the 360° Tour in 2010,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8514077/u2-sets-joshua-tree-tour-australia-nz-asia|title=U2 Sets 'Joshua Tree' Tour of Australia, NZ and Asia|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|first=Lars|last=Brandle|date=3 June 2019|access-date=5 June 2019}}</ref> and their first time performing in South Korea, Singapore, India, and the Philippines.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radio.com/music/classic-rock/u2-to-finish-2019-joshua-treetour-with-first-trip-to-india|title=U2 to Finish 2019 'The Joshua Tree' Tour With First Trip to India|website=[[Radio.com]]|first=Bob|last=Diehl|date=18 September 2019|access-date=13 November 2019|archive-date=21 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921164234/https://www.radio.com/music/classic-rock/u2-to-finish-2019-joshua-treetour-with-first-trip-to-india|url-status=dead}}</ref> The band released the single "Ahimsa" with Indian musician [[A.R. Rahman]] to promote their December concert in India.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://rollingstoneindia.com/exclusive-a-r-rahman-and-u2-collaborate-on-new-single-ahimsa/ |title=Exclusive: A.R. Rahman and U2 Collaborate on New Single 'Ahimsa'|last=Chakraborty |first=Riddhi |date=22 November 2019 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] India |access-date=22 November 2019}}</ref> The group's 2019 shows grossed {{USD|73.8&nbsp;million}} and sold 567,000 tickets, bringing the cumulative totals for their ''Joshua Tree'' anniversary tours to {{USD|390.8&nbsp;million}} grossed and 3.3&nbsp;million tickets sold.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8548371/u2-joshua-tree-anniversary-show-earnings|title=U2 Earn $73 Million From Just 15 'Joshua Tree' Anniversary Shows in 2019|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|first=Eric|last=Frankenberg|date=17 January 2020|access-date=18 January 2020}}</ref>

===''Songs of Surrender'' and concert residency at Sphere (2020–current)===
Over a two-year period during [[COVID-19 lockdowns|lockdowns]] for the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the group worked on ''[[Songs of Surrender]]'', an album of re-recorded and reinterpreted versions of 40 songs from their back catalogue.<ref name="billboard-sos-announce">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/u2-songs-of-surrender-new-album-1235197073/|title=U2 to Revisit 40 Classic Tracks on 'Songs of Surrender' Collection|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|first=Gil|last=Kaufman|date=11 January 2023|access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2023/music/news/u2-songs-of-surrender-album-march-40-tracks-remakes-1235484056/|title=U2 Set to Release 'Songs of Surrender' Album in March, With 40 Remakes of Older Songs|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|first=Chris|last=Willman|date=10 January 2023|access-date=10 January 2023}}</ref> Largely the effort of the Edge and Bono,<ref>{{cite magazine|title='We are turning the amps on.'|magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]|first=Tom|last=Doyle|date=April 2023|issue=353|page=84}}</ref> the album was recorded with collaborators that included [[Bob Ezrin]], Duncan Stewart, Declan Gaffney, and [[Stjepan Hauser]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/u2-new-album-las-vegas-achtung-baby-1234689183/|title=U2 at the Crossroads: Inside the Band's Ambitious Reinvention for 2023|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|first=Andy|last=Greene|date=6 March 2023|access-date=10 March 2023}}</ref> The reimagined songs feature stripped-down and acoustic [[arrangement]]s,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a43328454/u2-songs-of-surrender-review/|title=''Songs of Surrender'' Puts U2's Songwriting Legacy on the Line|website=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]|first=Alan|last=Light|author-link=Alan Light|date=17 March 2023|access-date=4 July 2023}}</ref> in different keys and tempos and often with re-written lyrics.<ref name="edge-telegraph">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/interviews/edge-going-difficult-break-u2/|title='Bono gets too much for me sometimes...'|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|first=Neil|last=McCormick|author-link=Neil McCormick|date=4 March 2023|at=sec. Review, pp. 4–5|access-date=5 March 2023|url-access=registration}}</ref><ref name="apnews-release">{{cite web|url=https://fortune.com/2023/03/14/u2-songs-of-surrender-40-old-songs-the-edge-no-guitar-lockdown/|title=U2 is recording new versions of 40 old songs because The Edge started experimenting with keyboards during lockdown|website=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]|first=David|last=Bauder|agency=Associated Press|date=14 March 2023|access-date=14 March 2023}}</ref> The project was conceived as a companion to Bono's memoir ''Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story''.<ref name="billboard-sos-announce"/>

In October 2022, several media outlets reported that U2 were in discussions to sign with [[Irving Azoff]] and his son Jeffrey of Full Stop Management, following the end of Guy Oseary's nine-year tenure as the band's manager.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/u2-manager-irving-jeffrey-azoff-split-guy-oseary/|title=U2 in Talks With Azoffs for Management — But Deal's Not Done|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|first=Dave|last=Brooks|date=6 October 2022|access-date=13 February 2023}}</ref>

After releasing his memoir in November 2022, Bono embarked on a [[book tour]] that month called "Stories of Surrender", initially consisting of 14 dates across North America and Europe.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/bono-stories-of-surrender-book-tour-1235149619/|title=Bono Sets 'Stories of Surrender' Book Tour|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|first=Lars|last=Brandle|date=4 October 2022|access-date=1 April 2023}}</ref> During the shows, Bono performed U2 songs in stripped-down arrangements mirroring those from ''Songs of Surrender''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/live/bono-live-in-london-u2-stories-of-surrender-memoir-3350844|title=Bono live in London: U2 frontman brings his memoir to life with songs and fascinating stories|website=[[NME]]|first=Damian|last=Jones|date=17 November 2022|access-date=1 April 2023}}</ref> The record was released in March 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/13585/U2-Songs-Of-Surrender.aspx |title=Songs Of Surrender by U2 reviews|website=AnyDecentMusic?|access-date=31 March 2023}}</ref> It was the group's first number-one album in the UK since 2009,<ref name="uk-debut">{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/u2-secure-11th-uk-number-1-album-with-songs-of-surrender__38864/|title=U2 secure 11th UK Number 1 album with Songs of Surrender|website=[[Official Charts Company]]|first=Carl|last=Smith|date=24 March 2023|access-date=25 March 2023}}</ref> but sales quickly tapered off; it charted in the UK for three weeks, and in the US for one week after reaching number five.<ref name="ukcharts"/><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/u2/chart-history/tlp/|title=U2: Chart History – Billboard 200|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=4 July 2023}}</ref> The album's release coincided with a television documentary film, ''Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, With Dave Letterman'', that premiered on [[Disney+]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/bono-the-edge-special-david-letterman-disney-plus-1235488878/|title='Bono & The Edge' Documentary Special With David Letterman Greenlit at Disney+ Ahead of Upcoming U2 Album|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|first=Selome|last=Hailu|date=13 January 2023|access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref> In April, Bono resumed his "Stories of Surrender" book tour with an 11-show [[Concert residency|residency]] at the [[Beacon Theatre (New York City)|Beacon Theatre]] in New York City.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/bono-adds-shows-to-stories-of-surrender-run-at-beacon-theatre/|title=Bono adds shows to 'Stories of Surrender' run at Beacon Theatre|website=[[BrooklynVegan]]|first=Amanda|last=Hatfield|date=5 January 2023|access-date=1 April 2023}}</ref>

[[File:U2 performing at Sphere in Las Vegas on Sept 30 2023 by Paul White (37).jpg|thumb|U2 during a September 2023 show at [[Sphere (venue)|Sphere]], as part of [[U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere|a 40-date concert residency]] to inaugurate the venue]]
From September 2023 to March 2024, U2 staged a 40-date concert residency<ref name="hp-sphere-40shows">{{cite web|url=https://www.hotpress.com/music/u2-add-4-new-dates-to-their-sphere-run-due-to-high-demand-22999000|title=U2 add 4 new dates to their Sphere run due to high demand|website=[[Hot Press]]|first=Riley|last=Glaister-Ryder|date=5 December 2023|access-date=5 December 2023}}</ref> called [[U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere|U2:UV ''Achtung Baby'' Live]] to inaugurate [[Sphere (venue)|Sphere]] in the Las Vegas Valley. The residency was announced during a [[Super Bowl LVII]] television advertisement. Performances were focused on the group's 1991 album ''Achtung Baby'' and leveraged the venue's immersive video and sound capabilities, which include a [[16K resolution]] wraparound LED screen and speakers with [[beamforming]] and [[wave field synthesis]] technologies. Mullen did not participate in the concerts in order to recuperate from surgery,<ref name="variety-sb-u2uv">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2023/music/news/u2-achtung-baby-concerts-without-larry-mullen-1235520643/|title=U2 Announces 'Achtung Baby' Concerts at New Las Vegas Venue — Without Drummer Larry Mullen Jr.|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|first=Jem|last=Aswad|date=12 February 2023|access-date=12 February 2023}}</ref> marking the first time since 1978 that U2 performed without him;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/the-edge-bono-concerts-las-vegas-d1b80ac30f309c05b30b1982c48cfd3d|title=U2 returning to stage in Las Vegas, minus one of quartet|work=[[Associated Press]]|first=David|last=Bauder|date=13 February 2023|access-date=13 February 2023}}</ref> Dutch drummer [[Bram van&nbsp;den&nbsp;Berg]] from the band [[Krezip]] filled in.<ref name="variety-sb-u2uv"/> Coinciding with the beginning of the residency, the group released the Las Vegas-inspired single "[[Atomic City (U2 song)|Atomic City]]".<ref name="atomic">{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/u2-share-new-song-atomic-city-ahead-of-las-vegas-concerts-listen/ |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |title=U2 Share New Song 'Atomic City' Ahead of Las Vegas Concerts: Listen |last=Minsker |first=Evan |date=29 September 2023 |access-date=29 September 2023}}</ref>

U2:UV ''Achtung Baby'' Live was highly acclaimed by critics;<ref name="hp-sphere-40shows"/><ref name="irishtimes">{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/2023/09/30/u2uv-achtung-baby-live-at-sphere-in-las-vegas-what-the-first-reviews-say/|title=U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere in Las Vegas: What the first reviews say|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] | date=30 September 2023|access-date=30 September 2023}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s Andy Greene called it "a quantum leap forward for concerts",<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-live-reviews/u2-sphere-opening-concert-las-vegas-1234836122/|title=U2 Launch New Era of Live Music at Stunning Sphere Opening Concert in Las Vegas|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|first=Andy|last=Greene|date=30 September 2023|access-date=30 September 2023}}</ref> and [[Neil McCormick]] of ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'' said it would "change live entertainment forever".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/concerts/u2-sphere-las-vegas-review/|title=U2, Sphere review: this spectacular concert will change live entertainment forever|website=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|first=Neil|last=McCormick|author-link=Neil McCormick|date=30 September 2023|access-date=1 October 2023}}</ref> The residency grossed {{USD|244.5&nbsp;million}} from 663,000 tickets sold,<ref name="pollstar-final-boxoff">{{cite web|url=https://news.pollstar.com/2024/03/14/auf-wiedersehen-baby-u2-wraps-sphere-run/|title=Auf Wiedersehen, Baby: U2 Wraps Sphere Run|website=[[Pollstar]]|first=J. R.|last=Lind|date=14 March 2024|access-date=14 March 2024}}</ref> making it the [[List of highest-grossing concert residencies|fourth-highest-grossing concert residency]] of all time.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/top-grossing-concert-residencies-all-time/u2-u2-uv-achtung-baby-live-at-sphere-2023-24/|title=25 Biggest Concert Residencies of All Time|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|first=Eric|last=Frankenberg|date=5 April 2024|access-date=5 April 2024}}</ref> It was filmed for the immersive concert film ''V-U2'', which began screening exclusively at Sphere in September 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.pollstar.com/2024/08/21/spheres-next-attraction-u2-concert-film/|title=Sphere's Next Attraction: Immersive U2 Concert Film|website=[[Pollstar]]|first=J. R.|last=Kind|date=21 August 2024|access-date=21 August 2024}}</ref>

== Musical style ==
Bono's songwriting exhibits a penchant for social, political, and personal subject matter, while maintaining a grandiosity. The Edge has described U2 as a fundamentally live band.<ref name="edge-musician86">{{cite magazine|title=U2's Leading Edge|magazine=[[Musician (magazine)|Musician]]|first=John|last=Hutchinson|date=September 1986|issue=95|pages=32+}}</ref> U2's early sound was [[punk rock|punk]]-influenced [[alternative rock]],<ref>{{cite book|page=1104|editor-last=Hochman|editor-first=Steve|year=1999|title=Popular Musicians: Sonny and Cher-ZZ Top|publisher=Salem Press|isbn=9780893569907}}</ref> and the group were associated with the [[post-punk]] movement.<ref>{{cite book|page=30|last=Kootnikoff|first=David|year=2010|title=U2: A Musical Biography|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=9780313365232}}</ref> Their influences included acts such as [[Television (band)|Television]], [[Siouxsie and the Banshees]],<ref>Morley, Paul. ''Boy'' remastered 2008 Liner Notes, Mercury Records Ltd (London), ASIN: B0013LPS6Q</ref> and [[Joy Division]], and their resulting sound was described as containing a "sense of exhilaration" that resulted from the Edge's "radiant chords" and Bono's "ardent vocals".<ref>Reynolds (2006), p. 368</ref> According to [[Bob Stanley (musician)|Bob Stanley]], "U2 rejected post-punk's own rejection of pop as [[lingua franca]], its hunkering down in regional particularity, and its raised finger to [[populist]] communication."<ref>{{cite book|last=Stanley|first=Bob|author-link=Bob Stanley (musician)|year=2014|title=Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!: The Story of Pop Music from Bill Haley to Beyoncé|publisher=W. W. Norton|isbn=9780393242706|page=365}}</ref> U2 were initially labelled by some critics as [[neo-psychedelia]] or [[psychedelic rock]], receiving comparisons to groups such as [[the Teardrop Explodes]], [[the Psychedelic Furs]], and [[Echo & the Bunnymen]] from ''[[Newsday]]'',<ref>{{cite news|title=Neo-psychedelic rock from Britain|newspaper=[[Newsday]]|first=Wayne|last=Robins|date=15 February 1981|at=Part II, pp. 33–34}}</ref> ''[[The Boston Globe]]'',<ref>{{cite news|title=Furs and Burma step into the fog|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]|first=Jim|last=Sullivan|date=2 July 1981|page=42}}</ref> and the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''.<ref>{{cite news|title=U2 brings U.S. an original sound|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|first=Lynn|last=Van Metre|date=13 April 1981|at=Sec. 2, p. 2}}</ref>

U2 developed a melodic sound under the early influence of record producer [[Steve Lillywhite]] at a time when they were not known for musical proficiency.<ref name="u2dropsbomb"/> Their songs began as minimalistic and uncomplicated instrumentals heard on ''Boy'' and ''October'', before evolving with ''War'' to include aspects of rock anthem, [[funk]], and dance rhythms to become more versatile and aggressive.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Review: War|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=J.D.|last=Considine|date=20 January 1983| issue=387}}</ref> ''Boy'' and ''War'' were labelled "muscular and assertive" by ''Rolling Stone'',<ref name="RS_JT"/> influenced in large part by Lillywhite's production. ''The Unforgettable Fire'', which began with the Edge playing more keyboards than guitars, as well as follow-up ''The Joshua Tree'', were produced by [[Brian Eno]] and [[Daniel Lanois]]. With their influence, both albums achieved a "diverse texture".<ref name="RS_JT"/> The songs from ''The Joshua Tree'' and ''Rattle and Hum'' placed more emphasis on Lanois-inspired rhythm as they mixed distinct and varied styles of gospel and blues music, which stemmed from the band's fascination with America.

In the 1990s, U2 began using synthesisers, [[distortion (guitar)|distortion]], and [[electronica|electronic]] beats derived from [[noise music]], [[electronic dance music|dance]], and [[Hip hop|hip-hop]] on ''Achtung Baby'',<ref name="rs-achtung-review"/> ''Zooropa'', and ''Pop''.<ref name="NYT_POP">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/28/arts/under-a-golden-arch-sincerely-u2.html|title=Under A Golden Arch, Sincerely U2|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|first=Jon|last=Pareles|author-link=Jon Pareles|date=28 April 1997|at=sec. C, p. 13|edition=National|access-date=18 June 2010}}</ref> According to [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]], "U2 was able to sustain their popularity in the '90s by reinventing themselves as a [[post-modern]], self-consciously ironic dance-inflected [[pop-rock]] act, owing equally to the experimentalism of late '70s [[David Bowie|Bowie]] and '90s [[electronic dance music|electronic dance]] and [[techno]]".<ref>{{cite book|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|chapter=U2|title=All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul|editor1-last=Bogdanov|editor1-first=Vladimir|editor2-last=Woodstra|editor2-first=Chris|editor3-last=Erlewine|editor3-first=Stephen Thomas|page=1169|year=2002|publisher=[[Hal Leonard Corporation]]|isbn=087930653X}}</ref> They have also been called a pop-rock band by biographer [[Michael Heatley]]<ref>{{cite book|page=101|last=Heatley|first=Michael|author-link=Michael Heatley|year=1996|title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Rock: The World's Most Comprehensive Illustrated Rock Reference|publisher=Virgin|isbn=9781852276669}}</ref> and musicologist [[Gerry Smyth]].<ref>{{cite book|page=100|last=Smyth|first=Gerry|author-link=Gerry Smyth|year=2005|title=Noisey Island: A Short History of Irish Popular Music|publisher=[[Cork University Press]]|isbn=9781859183878}}</ref> The band's 1990s output has been regarded as an [[art rock]] phase in commentaries by biographer John Jobling,<ref>Jobling (2014), p. 300.</ref> ''[[Salon.com|Salon]]'' journalist Nico Lang,<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Lang|first=Nico|date=18 September 2014|url=https://www.salon.com/2014/09/18/how_u2_became_the_most_hated_band_in_america_partner/|title=How U2 became the most hated band in America|magazine=[[Salon.com|Salon]]|access-date=19 June 2021}}</ref> and music critic [[Jim DeRogatis]],<ref>{{cite news|date=23 February 2009|last=DeRogatis|first=Jim|author-link=Jim DeRogatis|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2009/2/23/18538441/u2-no-line-on-the-horizon-universal-3-5-stars|title=U2, "No Line on the Horizon" (Universal)|newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|access-date=19 June 2021}}</ref> as well as in an interview by Bono.<ref>{{cite web|last=Leas|first=Ryan|date=3 July 2013|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1398731/zooropa-turns-20/reviews/the-anniversary/|title=Zooropa Turns 20|website=[[Stereogum]]|access-date=19 June 2021}}</ref> ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine's [[Josh Tyrangiel]] went further in saying that, "In the towering period that spanned ''The Joshua Tree'' to ''Zooropa'', U2 made stadium-size art rock with huge melodies that allowed Bono to throw his arms around the world while bending its ear about social justice."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Tyrangiel|first=Josh|author-link=Josh Tyrangiel|date=26 February 2009|url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,1881980,00.html|title=U2's Unsatisfied — and Unsatisfying — New Album|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=19 June 2021}}</ref>

In the 2000s, U2 returned to more stripped-down rock and pop sounds,<ref>{{cite book|last=Fast|first=Susan|chapter=Music, Contexts, and Meaning in U2|editor1-last=Everett|editor1-first=Walter|editor-link=Walter Everett (musicologist)|year=2008|title=Expression in Pop-rock Music: Critical and Analytical Essays|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9780415979597|page=176}}</ref> with more conventional rhythms and reduced usage of synthesisers and effects,<ref name="mcc289">McCormick (2006), p. 289</ref> "reinvent[ing] themselves as a quality pop band", according to music journalist [[Chris Charlesworth]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Charlesworth|first=Chris|author-link=Chris Charlesworth|year=2008|title=25 Albums That Rocked the World!|publisher=Omnibus|page=231|isbn=978-1-84772-626-1}}</ref> U2's music has been regarded as pop in analyses by writers [[David Hawke]],<ref>{{cite book|page=501|editor-last=Hawke|editor-first=David|year=1994|title=Proceedings, Inaugural Joint Conference, New Zealand Geographical Society and Institute of Australian Geographers, Auckland, January 1992|publisher=The Society}}</ref> [[Robert Christgau]],<ref name="CG">{{cite web|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=n.d.|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=U2|title=CG: U2|website=robertchristgau.com|access-date=16 June 2021}}</ref> and [[Niall Stokes]].<ref name="Stokes">{{cite magazine|last=Stokes|first=Niall|author-link=Niall Stokes|year=1997|url=https://www.hotpress.com/music/the-history-of-pop-392675|title=The History of Pop|magazine=[[Hot Press]]|access-date=16 June 2021}}</ref> In an interview with Stokes for ''[[Hot Press]]'', Bono explained the band's struggles in the 1980s among highbrow circles who patronised them for being a successful pop group, leading to their embrace of the term "pop" by the 1990s.<ref name="Stokes"/> Reviewing their 2000 album ''All That You Can't Leave Behind'', Christgau remarked that, "since they'd been calling themselves pop for half of their two-decade run, maybe they'd better sit down and write some catchy songs. So they did."<ref name="CG"/> Summing up U2's stylistic evolution since ''Boy'', ''Guitar'' journalist Owen Bailey said that they "have gone on to conquer the world's airwaves and arenas in a number of different incarnations, ranging from earnest, politically charged new-wave flagbearers to wide-eyed art-rock musicologists to purveyors of irony-laden alt-rock and ever onward", with the Edge remaining "at the heart of their sound".<ref>{{cite web|last=Bailey|first=Owen|date=19 January 2021|url=https://guitar.com/guides/essential-guide/the-edges-20-greatest-guitar-moments-ranked/|title=The Edge's 20 Greatest Guitar Moments, Ranked|website=Guitar|access-date=19 June 2021}}</ref>

===Vocals===
[[File:U2 in Tokyo (49182846331).jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|Bono performing in Amsterdam in July 2017]]
Bono is known for his impassioned vocal style, often delivered in a high [[vocal register|register]] through open-throated [[Belting (music)|belting]].<ref name="latimes-joshua"/><ref>Fast (2000), pp. 33–53</ref><ref name="nzherald">{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10411209|title=Album review: The Joshua Tree|newspaper=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|date=20 March 1987|first=Colin|last=Hogg|access-date=15 October 2010}}</ref><ref>Rooksby (2001), pp. 122–123</ref> He has been classified as a [[tenor]],<ref name="nyt-achtung">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/17/arts/recordings-view-u2-takes-a-turn-from-the-universal-to-the-domestic.html?scp=2 |title=U2 Takes a Turn From the Universal To the Domestic |newspaper=The New York Times |first=Jon |last=Pareles |author-link=Jon Pareles |date=17 November 1991|edition=National|at=sec. Arts and Leisure, p. 29|access-date=13 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928170832/http://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/17/arts/recordings-view-u2-takes-a-turn-from-the-universal-to-the-domestic.html?scp=2 |archive-date=28 September 2013 |url-status=live  }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.seattlepi.com/ae/music/article/On-Music-U2-s-latest-CD-takes-time-to-settle-in-1301425.php| title = On Music: U2's latest CD takes time to settle in| work=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]] |date=2 March 2009|access-date=12 May 2018| first=Gene| last=Stout}}</ref> and according to him has a three-[[octave]] [[Voice classification in non-classical music|vocal range]];<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.hotpress.com/music/even-better-than-the-surreal-thing-2613082|title=Even Better Than the Surreal Thing|magazine=[[Hot Press]]|first=Joe|last=Jackson|date=16 June 1993|volume=17|issue=11}}</ref> one analysis found it to span from C{{music|sharp}}{{sub|2}} to G{{music|sharp}}{{sub|5}} on studio recordings over the course of his career.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.concerthotels.com/worlds-greatest-vocal-ranges|title=The Vocal Ranges of the World's Greatest Singers|website=ConcertHotels.com|access-date=2 September 2019}}</ref> He frequently employs "[[Non-lexical vocables in music|whoa-oh-oh]]" vocalisations in his singing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-20286274.html|title=U2's Songs of Innocence Forget the hype: what about the music?|website=[[Irish Examiner]]|first=Ed|last=Power|date=15 September 2014|access-date=3 September 2020}}</ref> Rock musician [[Billie Joe Armstrong]] of Green Day said: "He's a physical singer, like the leader of a gospel choir, and he gets lost in the melodic moment. He goes to a place outside himself, especially in front of an audience, when he hits those high notes." He added that Bono is "not afraid to go beyond what he's capable of".<ref name="Lethem 67–108">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-147019/bono-8-222931/|title=The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Jonathan|last=Lethem|date=27 November 2008|issue=1066|pages=67–108|access-date=5 July 2018}}</ref>

In the early days of U2, Bono unintentionally developed an English vocal accent as a result of him mimicking his musical influences such as Siouxsie and the Banshees.<ref>McCormick (2006), p. 58</ref> He said that he found his own singing voice after attending a [[Ramones]] concert and hearing [[Joey Ramone]] sing.<ref>{{cite web|first=Bjørn |last=Hammershaug|url=https://tidal.com/magazine/article/age-of-innocence-u2s-dublin-beginnings/1-9360|title=Age of Innocence: U2's Dublin Beginnings|website=[[Tidal (service)|Tidal]]|date=23 October 2014 |access-date=1 December 2021}}</ref> Bono's vocal style evolved during the band's exploration of roots music for ''The Joshua Tree''; ''Spin'' said that he learned to command "the full whisper-to-shout range of blues mannerisms".<ref name="spin">{{cite magazine|title=Spins: U2&nbsp;– The Joshua Tree|magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|first=John|last=Piccarella|date=June 1987|issue=3|volume=3|pages=32–33}}</ref> Bono attributed this maturation to "loosening up", "discover[ing] other voices", and employing more restraint in his singing.<ref name="worldabout">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.hotpress.com/archive/551797.html |title=The World About Us |magazine=[[Hot Press]] |first=Niall |last=Stokes |author-link=Niall Stokes |author2=Graham, Bill |date=26 March 1987 |access-date=27 April 2011 |volume=11 |issue=5 |archive-date= 16 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016162124/http://www.hotpress.com/archive/551797.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> For "Where the Streets Have No Name", he varied the [[timbre]] of his voice extensively and used [[tempo rubato|rubato]] to vary its timing,<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Butler |first=Mark |title=Taking it seriously: intertextuality and authenticity in two covers by the Pet Shop Boys |magazine=Popular Music |volume=22 |issue=1 |date=January 2003 |pages=1–19 |doi=10.1017/S0261143003003015 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |jstor=853553}}</ref> while author Susan Fast found "With or Without You" to be the first track on which he "extended his vocal range downward in an appreciable way".<ref>Fast (2000), p. 48</ref>

Bono continued to explore a lower range in the 1990s, using what Fast described as "breathy and subdued colors" for ''Achtung Baby''.<ref name="exp">Fast (2000), pp. 45–48</ref> One technique used on the album is [[octave doubling]], in which his vocals are sung in two different octaves, either simultaneously or alternating between verses and choruses. According to Fast, this technique introduces "a contrasting lyrical idea and vocal character to deliver it", leading to both literal and ironic interpretations of Bono's vocals.<ref>Fast (2000), pp. 49–50</ref> On tracks such as "[[Zoo Station (song)|Zoo Station]]" and "The Fly", his vocals were highly [[Audio signal processing|processed]],<ref name="nyt-achtung"/><ref name="globe">{{cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/ae/music/packages/U2Fleetcenter/album_review_achtung_baby |title=U2 bounces back |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |first=Steve |last=Morse |date=15 November 1991 |access-date=13 October 2009 |pages=53–54|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212124705/http://www.boston.com/ae/music/packages/U2Fleetcenter/album_review_achtung_baby/ |archive-date=12 December 2009 |url-status=live  }}</ref><ref name="ew">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ew.com/article/1991/11/29/achtung-baby |title=Burn, Bono, Burn|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|issue=94 |first=Bill |last=Wyman |date=29 November 1991|page=90|access-date=6 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220184857/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C316330%2C00.html |archive-date=20 February 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> giving them a different emotional feel from his previous work.<ref name="stokes96">Stokes (2005), p. 96</ref> Bono said that lowering his voice helped him find a new vocal vocabulary, which he felt was limited to "certain words and tones" by his tenor voice.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-aug-08-ca-hilburn8-story.html|title='Where craft ends and spirit begins'|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|first=Robert|last=Hilburn|author-link=Robert Hilburn|date=8 August 2004|pages=E1, E40–E41|access-date=14 December 2020}}</ref> His singing on ''Zooropa'' was an even further departure from U2's previous style; throughout the record, Bono "underplay[ed] his lung power", according to [[Jon Pareles]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/04/arts/recordings-view-a-raucous-u2-moves-farther-out-on-a-limb.html?pagewanted=all|title=A Raucous U2 Moves Farther Out on a Limb|last=Pareles|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Pareles|date=4 July 1993|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=8 October 2009|at=sec. Arts and Leisure, p. 22}}</ref> and he also used an operatic [[falsetto]] he calls the "Fat Lady" voice on the tracks "[[Lemon (U2 song)|Lemon]]" and "[[Numb (U2 song)|Numb]]".<ref name="u2byu2-248"/><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Bono vs. The Beast|magazine=[[Musician (magazine)|Musician]]|first=Joe|last=Jackson|date=August 1993}}</ref> As he has aged, Bono has continued to evolve his singing, relying more on "the [[Crooner|croon]] than the belt", according to ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s Joe Gross.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/u2-songs-of-surrender-1234693586/|title=U2 Go Back to Basics and Revisit Their Epic Career on 'Songs of Surrender'|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|first=Joe|last=Gross|date=14 March 2023|access-date=14 March 2023}}</ref>

=== Guitar ===
[[File:U2 performing in Belfast 10-27-18 (45611776892).jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|left|The Edge playing his signature guitar, the [[Gibson Explorer]]]]
The Edge's style of playing guitar is distinguished by his chiming [[timbre]]s,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newsweek.com/stop-name-love-329516|title=Stop in the Name of Love|magazine=[[Newsweek]]|first=Jim|last=Miller|date=31 December 1984|access-date=26 October 2019}}</ref><ref name="guitargods">Gulla (2009), pp. 57–65</ref> echoing notes,<ref name="edgeofu2">{{cite magazine|title=The Edge of U2|magazine=[[Guitar Player]]|first1=Tom|last1=Nolan|first2=Jas|last2=Obrecht|date=June 1985|volume=19|pages=54+}}</ref> sparse [[Voicing (music)|voicings]],<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Basic Instincts: The Edge Brings the U2 Sound Full Circle|magazine=[[Guitar Player]]|first=Darrin|last=Fox|date=January 2001|volume=35|issue=1|pages=100–108}}</ref> and extensive use of [[effects unit]]s.<ref name="10things-edge">{{cite magazine|title=10 Things You Gotta Do to Play Like The Edge|magazine=[[Guitar Player]]|first=Vincent|last=DeMasi|date=November 2008|volume=42|issue=11|pages=117–124}}</ref> He favours the [[perfect fifth]] [[Interval (music)|interval]] and often plays [[power chord]]s, which are [[Guitar chord|chord]]s consisting of just the [[fifth (chord)|fifth]] and [[root (chord)|root]] notes without the [[third (chord)|third]].<ref name="edgestyle-u2byu2">McCormick (2006), pp. 72–75</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=U2 Takes the Fifth|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|first=Jon|last=Pareles|author-link=Jon Pareles|date=11 March 1981}}</ref> This style is not explicitly in a minor or major [[key (music)|key]], but implies both, creating a musical ambiguity.<ref name="edgestyle-u2byu2"/><ref name="edgeofu2"/> For these chords, he often plays the same notes on multiple strings, some of which are left [[Open string (music)|open]], creating an Irish-influenced [[drone (music)|drone]].<ref name="edge-musician86"/><ref name="guitargods"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/u2-0722.aspx|title=Gibson Guitars and U2's The Edge: Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Boy|work=[[Gibson (guitar company)|Gibson]]|first=Ted|last=Drozdowski|date=22 July 2010|access-date=19 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630070528/http://www.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/u2-0722.aspx|archive-date=30 June 2017}}</ref> Against this drone, he changes other notes to imply a [[harmony]].<ref name="playlikeedge">{{cite magazine|title=How to Play Like .... The Edge|magazine=[[Guitar Player]]|first=Andy|last=Ellis|date=February 2005|volume=39|issue=2|page=122}}</ref><ref>Calhoun (2018), p. 17</ref> Among the Edge's signature techniques are playing [[arpeggio]]s,<ref name="pluckirish"/><ref name="playlikeedge"/> [[sixteenth note]] percussive strumming,<ref>{{bulleted list|{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-04-20-ca-1124-story.html|title=A Subdued U2 Rebounds for the '80s|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|first=Chris|last=Willman|date=20 April 1987|access-date=26 October 2019|at=sec. Calendar, pp. 1, 5}}|{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/150899-u2-achtung-baby-20th-anniversary-edition-2495921552.html|title=U2: Achtung Baby (20th Anniversary Edition)|website=[[Popmatters]]|first=AJ|last=Ramirez|date=10 November 2011|access-date=26 October 2019}}|{{cite news|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2001-12-04-0112030462-story.html|title=U2 closes tour on consoling note|newspaper=[[South Florida Sun-Sentinel]]|first=Sean|last=Piccoli|date=4 December 2001|access-date=26 October 2019|page=3E}}|{{cite web|url=https://www.musicradar.com/tuition/guitars/how-to-play-guitar-like-the-edge-617919|title=How to play guitar like The Edge|website=[[MusicRadar]]|first=Steve|last=Allsworth|date=17 March 2015|access-date=26 October 2019}}}}</ref> and [[String harmonic|harmonics]],<ref name="edgestyle-u2byu2"/> the latter of which he described as "so pure and finely-focused that [they have] the incredible ability to pierce through [their] environment of sound, just like lightning".<ref name="edge-musician86"/> His approach to guitar playing is relatively understated and eschews [[Virtuoso|virtuosity]] in favour of "atmospherics, subtlety, minimalism, and clever [[Audio signal flow|signal processing]]".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Shaking the Tree: Exploring the Edge's Sonic Innovations on the 30th Anniversary of U2's ''The Joshua Tree''|magazine=[[Guitar Player]]|first=Vinnie|last=DeMasi|date=September 2017|volume=51|issue=9|pages=62–64}}</ref> Rather than emulate common playing styles, the Edge is interested in "tearing up the rule book" and finding new ways to approach the instrument.<ref name="edgeofu2"/> He cited guitarists such as [[Tom Verlaine]] of Television, [[John McGeoch]],<ref name="worldabout"/> [[Rory Gallagher]], and [[Patti Smith]] as some of his strongest influences.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/edge-pays-tribute-to-legendary-bluesman-who-laid-road-for-u2-26380018.html|title=Edge pays tribute to legendary bluesman who 'laid road' for U2|work=[[Irish Independent]]|first=Treacy|last=Hogan|date=17 June 2006|access-date=10 August 2018}}</ref><ref name="edge-musician86"/>

The Edge's guitar sound is frequently modulated with a [[delay (audio effect)|delay]] set to a [[dotted note|dotted]] [[eighth note]] for rhythmic effect.<ref name="guitargods"/><ref name="bosso">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/edge-u2-interview-memory-man|title=Memory Man|magazine=[[Guitar World]]|first=Joe|last=Bosso|date=September 2005|volume=26|issue=9|access-date=21 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{bulleted list|{{cite web|url=https://www.gibson.com/news-lifestyle/features/en-us/the-edge-classic-u2-guitar-sound-0924-2012.aspx|title=How The Edge Created a Classic Guitar Sound|website=Gibson|first=Daniel|last=Eriksson|date=24 September 2012|access-date=7 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109045926/https://www.gibson.com/news-lifestyle/features/en-us/the-edge-classic-u2-guitar-sound-0924-2012.aspx|archive-date=9 January 2017}}|{{cite web|url=https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/creating-using-custom-delay-effects|title=Creating & Using Custom Delay Effects|website=[[Sound on Sound]]|first=Geoff|last=Smith|date=May 2012|access-date=7 April 2019}}}}</ref> After acquiring his first delay pedal, the Electro-Harmonix Memory Man,<ref name="mcg29"/> he became fascinated with how to use its return echo to "fill in notes that [he's] not playing, like two guitar players rather than one".<ref name="imgl">{{cite video|people=The Edge, [[Davis Guggenheim]] (director)|title=[[It Might Get Loud]]|medium=film|publisher=[[Sony Pictures Classics]]|date=2008}}</ref> The effect unit became a mainstay in his guitar rig and had a significant impact on the band's creative output.<ref name="mcg29"/> The Edge became known for his extensive use of effects units, and for his meticulous nature in crafting specific sounds and guitar tones from his equipment choices.<ref name="10things-edge"/><ref name="musicradar-360">{{cite web|url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/u2-exclusive-the-edges-stage-setup-revealed-223342|title=U2 Exclusive: The Edge's stage setup revealed|website=[[MusicRadar]]|first=Joe|last=Bosso|date=14 October 2009|access-date=22 May 2020}}</ref> [[Led Zeppelin]] guitarist [[Jimmy Page]] called him a "sonic architect",<ref name="imgl"/> while [[Neil McCormick]] described him as an "effects maestro".<ref>{{cite news|title=Has the axeman lost his mojo?|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|first=Neil|last=McCormick|author-link=Neil McCormick|date=20 August 2009|page=25}}</ref> Critics have variously referred to the Edge's guitar sounds as evoking the image of fighter planes on "[[Bullet the Blue Sky]]",<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/u2-the-joshua-tree-re-mastered-r1987|title=U2&nbsp;– The Joshua Tree Re-Mastered (R1987)|magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]|first=Andrew|last=Mueller|author-link=Andrew Mueller|access-date=20 March 2017|archive-date=23 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123222141/http://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/u2-the-joshua-tree-re-mastered-r1987|url-status=dead}}</ref> resembling a "dentist's drill" on "[[Love Is Blindness]]",<ref name="ew"/> and resembling an "airplane turbine" on "[[Mofo (song)|Mofo]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2009/05/guilty-pleasure-u2-pop/|title=Guilty Pleasure: U2 – Pop|website=[[Consequence of Sound]]|first=Joe|last=Marvilli|date=9 May 2009|access-date=21 December 2018}}</ref> The Edge said that rather than using effects merely to modify his sound, he uses them to spark ideas during his songwriting process.<ref name="bosso"/>

The Edge developed his playing style during his teenage years, partially as a result of him and Mullen trying to accommodate the "eccentric" bass playing of Clayton by being the timekeepers of the band.<ref name="edgestyle-u2byu2"/> In their early days, the Edge's only guitar was his 1976 [[Gibson Explorer]] Limited Edition,<ref name="bosso"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gibson.com/news-lifestyle/features/en-us/10-things-about-the-edge-and-his-guitars.aspx|title=10 Things About The Edge and His Guitars|website=Gibson|first=Daniel|last=Eriksson|
date=21 July 2013|access-date=27 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418063845/https://www.gibson.com/news-lifestyle/features/en-us/10-things-about-the-edge-and-his-guitars.aspx|archive-date=18 April 2018}}</ref> which became a signature of the group.<ref>McGee (2008), p. 18</ref> He found the sound of the Explorer's bass strings unsatisfactory and avoided them in his playing early on, resulting in a [[Treble (sound)|trebly]] sound. He said by focusing "on one area of the [[Fingerboard|fretboard]] [he] was developing a very stylized way of doing something that someone else would play in a normal way".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=On the Edge of Success |magazine=U2 Magazine|first=Tom|last=Nolan |number=3 |date=May 1982}}</ref> His 1964 [[Vox AC30]] "Top Boost" amplifier (housed in a 1970s cabinet) is favoured for its "sparkle" tone, and is the basis for his sound both in the studio and live.<ref name="musicradar-360"/> Rather than hold his [[Guitar pick|plectrum]] with a standard grip, the Edge turns it sideways or upside down to use the dimpled edge against the strings, producing a "rasping top end" to his tone.<ref name="edgeofu2"/>

===Rhythm section===
As a rhythm section, Mullen and Clayton often play the same patterns, giving U2's music a driving,<ref>{{cite news|title=U2 conquers Toronto!|newspaper=[[The Windsor Star]]|first=Owen|last=Jones|date=27 March 1992|page=C1}}</ref><ref name="jan84-mod-drum">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.moderndrummer.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/md51cs-1.pdf|title=Style and Analysis: U2's Larry Mullen|magazine=[[Modern Drummer]]|first=Michael|last=Bettine|date=January 1984|volume=8|issue=1|pages=32–33|access-date=18 August 2020|archive-date=28 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128112632/https://www.moderndrummer.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/md51cs-1.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> pulsating beat<ref>{{cite news|title=U2 'tore down the walls' in dynamic Atlanta show|newspaper=[[The Greenville News]]|first=Lynne|last=Lucas|date=11 December 1987|at=Motions magazine, p. 2}}</ref> that serves as a foundation for the Edge's guitar work.<ref name="jan84-mod-drum"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abs-cbn.com/life/12/12/19/concert-review-u2-lights-the-way-for-manila-fans|title=Concert review: U2 lights the way for Manila fans|website=[[ABS-CBNnews.com]]|first=Alcuin|last=Papa|date=12 December 2019|access-date=26 August 2020}}</ref> For his drumming, Mullen locks into the Edge's guitar playing, while Clayton locks his bass playing into Mullen's drumming.<ref name="bp-groundcontrol"/> Author [[Bill Flanagan]] said that their playing styles perfectly reflected their personalities: "Larry is right on top of the beat, a bit ahead—as you'd expect from a man who's so ordered and punctual in his life. Adam plays a little behind the beat, waiting till the last moment to slip in, which fits Adam's casual, don't-sweat-it personality."<ref name="flan208"/>

[[File:U2 in Melbourne (49094332793).jpg|thumb|left|Mullen in November 2019]]
Mullen's drumming style is influenced by his experience in marching bands during his adolescence,<ref name="larry-prop22-int">{{cite magazine|title=The Larry Mullen Jr. Interview|magazine=Propaganda|publisher=U2 World Service|last=Cunningham|first=Mark|date=Spring–Summer 1995|issue=22}}</ref><ref name="larry85-mod-drum">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.moderndrummer.com/article/august-1985-u2s-larry-mullen-jr-2/|title=Larry Mullen, Jr.|magazine=[[Modern Drummer]]|first=Connie|last=Fisher|date=August 1985|volume=9|issue=8|pages=8–13, 38, 42, 44, 48, 50–52|access-date=17 June 2020|url-access=subscription}}</ref> which helped contribute to the militaristic beats of songs such as "[[Sunday Bloody Sunday]]".<ref name="mcc135"/> Flanagan said that he plays "with a martial rigidity but uses his kit in a way a properly trained drummer would not"; he tends to transition from the [[snare drum]] onto [[tom-tom drum|tom-toms]] positioned on either side of him, contrasting with how they are traditionally used.<ref name="flan208">Flanagan (1996), pp. 208–209</ref> Mullen occasionally rides a tom-tom the way other drummers would play a cymbal, or rides the [[hi-hat]] how others would play a snare.<ref name="larry85-mod-drum"/> He admitted his [[bass drum]] technique is not a strength, as he mostly played the snare in marching bands and did not learn to properly combine the separate drumming elements together on a full [[drum kit|kit]]. As a result, he uses a [[floor tom]] to his left to create the effect of a bass drum. He said, "I couldn't do what most people would consider a normal beat for the song, so I chose alternatives." He was heavily influenced by [[glam rock]] acts of the 1970s when first learning to play.<ref name="larry-prop22-int" /> In the early days of U2, Mullen had what Bono called a "florid" drumming style, before he pared down his rhythms.<ref name="larry85-mod-drum"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://usa.yamaha.com/artists/l/larry-mullen-jr.html|title=Larry Mullen Jr.|website=[[Yamaha Corporation|Yamaha]]|access-date=14 August 2020}}</ref> His drumming leaves open space, owing to what ''[[Modern Drummer]]'' described as his understanding of "when to hit and when not to hit".<ref name="larry85-mod-drum"/> As he matured as a timekeeper, he developed an excellent sense of rhythm; Eno recounted one occasion when Mullen noticed that his [[click track]] had been set incorrectly by six milliseconds.<ref name="eno">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/04/25/the-possibilian|title=The Possibilian|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|first=Burkhard|last=Bilger|date=25 April 2011|access-date=24 June 2020}}</ref> Under the tutelage of Lanois, Mullen learned more about his musical role as the drummer in filling out the band's sound, while Flood helped him learn to play along with electronic elements such as [[drum machine]]s and [[sampling (music)|samples]].<ref name="larry-prop22-int"/> His kit has a tambourine mounted on a cymbal stand,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theblackpage.net/articles/the-almighty-tambourine|title=The Almighty Tambourine|website=TheBlackPage.net|first=Jayson|last=Brinkworth|date=2 March 2010|access-date=24 June 2020|archive-date=26 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626222702/https://www.theblackpage.net/articles/the-almighty-tambourine|url-status=dead}}</ref> which he uses as an accent on certain beats for songs such as "With or Without You".<ref name="larry85-mod-drum"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://reverb.com/news/spicing-up-songs-with-hand-percussion|title=Spicing Up Songs with Hand Percussion|website=[[Reverb.com]]|first=Sam|last=Hill|date=3 March 2016|access-date=24 June 2020}}</ref>

[[File:U2 performing in Belfast 10-27-18 (31789918068).jpg|thumb|Clayton in October 2018]]
Clayton's style of bass guitar playing is noted for what instructor Patrick Pfeiffer called "harmonic [[syncopation]]". With this technique, Clayton plays a consistent rhythm that stresses the [[eighth note]] of each [[bar (music)|bar]], but he "anticipates the harmony by shifting the [[tonality]]" before the guitar chords do. This gives the music a feeling of "forward motion".<ref>Jobling (2014), p. 243</ref> In the band's early years, Clayton had no formal musical training,<ref>McCormick (2006), pp. 30, 34</ref> and he generally played simple bass parts in [[4/4 time|{{music|time|4|4}} time]] consisting of steady eighth notes emphasising the roots of chords.<ref name="bassplayer-dec00">{{cite magazine|title=Reluctant Rock Star: How U2's Adam Clayton Learned to Play – and Conquer the World Onstage |magazine=[[Bass Player (magazine)|Bass Player]]|first=Gregory|last=Isola|date=December 2000 |volume=11|issue=12|pages=54+}}</ref> Over time, he incorporated influences from [[Motown#Motown sound|Motown]] and [[reggae]] into his playing style, and as he became a better timekeeper, his playing became more melodic.<ref name="bassplayer-dec00"/> Flanagan said that he "often plays with the swollen, vibrating bottom sound of a Jamaican [[Dub music|dub]] bassist, covering the most sonic space with the smallest number of notes".<ref name="flan208"/> Clayton relies on his own instincts when developing [[bassline]]s, deciding whether to follow the chord progressions of the guitars or play a [[counter-melody]], and when to play an octave higher or lower.<ref name="bp-groundcontrol">{{cite magazine|title=U2's Ground Control|magazine=[[Bass Player (magazine)|Bass Player]]|first=Brian|last=Fox|date=January 2006|volume=17|issue=1|pages=34–41, 43}}</ref> He cites bassists such as [[Paul Simonon]], [[Bruce Foxton]], [[Peter Hook]], [[Jean-Jacques Burnel]],<ref name="bassplayer-dec00"/> and [[James Jamerson]] as major influences on him.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/may/22/adam-clayton-u2-soundtrack-of-my-life|title=Adam Clayton: Soundtrack of my life|website=[[The Guardian]]|last=Grundy |first=Gareth |date=22 May 2011|access-date=26 October 2018}}</ref> Describing his role in the rhythm section, Clayton said, "Larry's drums have always told me what to play, and then the chords tell me where to go".<ref name="bassplayer-dec00"/>

=== Lyrics and themes ===
[[File:Desaparecidosu2.jpg|thumb|alt=A light-skinned man with brown hair singing into a microphone on a stand, which has a flag draped over it. His shirt and trousers are both grey and feature a design of many overlapping circles. He faces to the right. A line of women stand behind him, each one holding up a sign that says "Donde Estan" or "Justcia". Every sign has an image of a different person below the text.|U2 performing "[[Mothers of the Disappeared]]" in Chile in 1998 with the families of ''[[Detenido desaparecido|Detenidos Desaparecidos]]''. The song was written as a tribute to the women whose children were killed or [[Forced disappearance|forcibly disappeared]] at the hands of the Pinochet dictatorship.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.desaparecidos.org/chile/eng.html|title = Project Disappeared: Chile}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Augusto-Pinochet|title = Augusto Pinochet &#124; Biography, General, Dictatorship, & Facts| newspaper=Encyclopedia Britannica }}</ref>]]
U2's lyrics are known for their social and political themes, and often contain Christian and spiritual imagery.<ref name="lyrics">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/arts/music/u2-the-catharsis-in-the-cathedral.html|title=The Catharsis in the Cathedral|first=Jon|last=Pareles|author-link=Jon Pareles|date=14 November 2004|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|at=sec. 2, p. 29|edition=National|access-date=17 August 2007}}</ref> Songs such as "[[Sunday Bloody Sunday]]", "Silver and Gold", and "[[Mothers of the Disappeared]]" were motivated by current events. The first was written about [[the Troubles]] in Northern Ireland,<ref>McCormick (2006), pp. 135, 139</ref> while the last was a tribute to [[COMADRES]], the women whose children were killed or [[Forced disappearance|forcibly disappeared]] at the hands of the Salvadoran government during the [[Salvadoran Civil War|country's civil war]].<ref>McGee (2008), p. 98</ref> The song "[[Running to Stand Still]]" from ''The Joshua Tree'' was inspired by the heroin addiction that was sweeping through Dublin—the lyric "I see seven towers, but I only see one way out" references the [[Ballymun Flats|Ballymun Towers]] of Dublin's Northside and the imagery throughout the song personifies the struggles of addiction.<ref>Stokes (1995), pp. 62–77</ref>

Bono's personal conflicts and turmoil inspired songs like "[[Mofo (song)|Mofo]]", "[[Tomorrow (U2 song)|Tomorrow]]" and "[[Kite (U2 song)|Kite]]". An emotional yearning or pleading frequently appears as a lyrical theme,<ref name="ABOUT_TOP10">{{cite web|url=http://80music.about.com/od/artistsqu/tp/topu2songs.htm|first=Steve|last=Peake|title=Top 10 U2 Songs of the '80s|website=[[About.com]]|access-date=17 August 2010|archive-date=25 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525055736/http://80music.about.com/od/artistsqu/tp/topu2songs.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> in tracks such as "[[Yahweh (song)|Yahweh]]",<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/u2-how-to-dismantle-an-atomic-bomb|title=U2&nbsp;– How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb Review|magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]|date=December 2004|page=136|issue=91|access-date=23 March 2016|archive-date=12 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412001955/http://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/u2-how-to-dismantle-an-atomic-bomb|url-status=dead}}</ref> "[[Peace on Earth (U2 song)|Peace on Earth]]", and "[[Please (U2 song)|Please]]". Much of U2's songwriting and music is motivated by contemplations of loss and anguish, along with hopefulness and resilience, themes that are central to ''The Joshua Tree''.<ref name="RS_JT"/> Some of these lyrical ideas have been amplified by Bono and the band's personal experiences during their youth in Ireland, as well as Bono's campaigning and activism later in his life. U2 have used tours such as [[Zoo TV Tour|Zoo TV]] and [[PopMart Tour|PopMart]] to caricature social trends, such as media overload and consumerism, respectively.<ref name="NYT_POP"/>

While the band and its fans often affirm the political nature of their songs, U2's lyrics and music were criticised as apolitical by ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' in 2002 for their perceived vagueness and "fuzzy imagery", and a lack of any specific references to people.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/assessment/2002/01/u2.html|title=The soaring nothingness of U2|first=David|last=Plotz|website=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|date=25 January 2002|access-date=27 February 2013}}</ref>

=== Influences ===
<!--This is not intended to be a comprehensive list; no more artists need to be added-->
The band cite [[the Who]],<ref>McCormick (2006), p. 113</ref> [[the Clash]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2600669.stm|title=Clash Star Strummer Dies|website=BBC News  |date=27 December 2002|access-date=18 June 2010}}</ref> Television,<ref name="RStone397"/> [[Ramones]],<ref name="Walker">{{cite news|url=http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,107223,00.html?internalid=ACA|title=Eulogy: Bono Remembers Joey Ramone|author=Bono|magazine=Time|date=April 2001|access-date=23 March 2016}}</ref> [[the Beatles]],<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/07/24/1058853193517.html | date = 26 July 2003| title = Saint Bono | website=The Age | access-date =7 January 2008 | location=Melbourne}}</ref> Joy Division,<ref>''NewOrderStory'' [DVD]. Warner Bros., 2005.</ref> Siouxsie and the Banshees,<ref>McCormick (2006), p. 56, 58, 96</ref> [[Elvis Presley]],<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Immortals&nbsp;– The Greatest Artists of All Time: Elvis Presley |author=Bono |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=15 April 2004}}</ref> [[Patti Smith]],<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Bono&nbsp;– The Rolling Stone Interview |magazine=Rolling Stone |first=Jann |last=Wenner |date=3 November 2005}}</ref> [[Kraftwerk]],<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/9-biggest-revelations-in-bonos-bbc-interview-about-u2-172174/|title=9 Biggest Revelations in Bono's 'BBC' Interview About U2|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Jason|last=Newman|date=3 February 2014|access-date=5 July 2018}}</ref> and [[The Associates (band)|the Associates]]<ref>{{cite book|title=The Glamour Chase: The Maverick Life of Billy MacKenzie |last=Doyle |first=Tom |publisher=Polygon |isbn=978-1846972096 |year=2011}}</ref> as influences. [[Van Morrison]] has been cited by Bono as an influence,<ref>Bayles (1994), p. 321</ref> and the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] mentioned his influence on U2.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rockhall.com/inductees/van-morrison/|title=Van Morrison: Induction year 1993|website=[[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame|rockhall.com]]|access-date=18 June 2010|archive-date=11 June 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100611012301/http://rockhall.com/inductees/van-morrison|url-status=dead}}</ref> U2 have also worked with or had influential relationships with artists including [[Johnny Cash]], [[Green Day]], [[Leonard Cohen]], [[Bruce Springsteen]], [[B.B. King]], [[Lou Reed]], [[Bob Dylan]] and [[Luciano Pavarotti]].<ref>McCormick (2006), pp. 39, 113, 343</ref> Bono said that [[David Bowie]] helped him discover the works of [[Bertolt Brecht]], [[William Burroughs]], Springsteen, and Brian Eno.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/bono-remembers-david-bowie-he-is-my-idea-of-a-rock-star-225955/|title=Bono Remembers David Bowie: 'He Is My Idea of a Rock Star'|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=27 January 2016|access-date=18 March 2019}}</ref>

== Activism and philanthropy ==
[[File:Bush and Bono.jpg|thumb|Bono with then-[[President of the United States|US President]] [[George W. Bush]] in 2006]]
<!-- Please do not include here that Bono was nominated for Nobel Prize as the records are sealed for 50 years, therefore this is not verifiable. Thanks.-->
Since the early 1980s, the members of U2—as a band and individually—have collaborated with other musicians, artists, celebrities, and politicians to address issues concerning poverty, disease, and social injustice.

In 1984, Bono and Clayton participated in [[Band Aid (band)|Band Aid]] to raise money for the [[1983–85 famine in Ethiopia]]. This initiative produced the hit charity single "[[Do They Know It's Christmas?]]", the first of several collaborations between U2 and [[Bob Geldof]]. In July 1985, U2 performed at [[Live Aid]], a follow-up to Band Aid's efforts. Bono and his wife Ali, invited by [[World Vision]], visited Ethiopia that year where they witnessed the famine first-hand. Bono later said that this laid the groundwork for his Africa campaigning and some of his songwriting.<ref name=bonomission/><ref name="mcc289"/> In 1986, U2 participated in the [[Self Aid]] benefit concert for unemployment in Ireland and the [[Conspiracy of Hope]] benefit concert tour in support of [[Amnesty International]]. The same year, Bono and Ali also visited Nicaragua and El Salvador at the invitation of the [[Sanctuary movement]] and saw the effects of the [[Salvadoran Civil War]]. These 1986 events greatly influenced ''The Joshua Tree'' album, which was being recorded at the time.<ref name="McCormick 2006, p. 174"/><ref name=westwon/>

During their Zoo TV Tour in 1992, U2 participated in the "Stop [[Sellafield]]" concert with [[Greenpeace]] to protest a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant.<ref>McCormick (2006), p. 238</ref> Events in Sarajevo during the [[War in Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnian War]] inspired their song with Brian Eno called "[[Miss Sarajevo]]", which they debuted at a September 1995 [[Pavarotti & Friends]] concert to benefit the [[War Child (charity)|War Child]] charity.<ref name="McCormick 2006, p. 262"/> U2 fulfilled a 1993 promise to play in Sarajevo during the PopMart Tour in 1997.<ref name="McCormick 2006, p. 277"/> In May 1998, they performed in [[Belfast]] to promote [[1998 Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement referendum|Northern Ireland's referendum]] over the [[Good Friday Agreement]], which ended [[the Troubles]]. During the show, Bono brought Northern Irish political leaders [[David Trimble]] and [[John Hume]] on stage to shake hands; the referendum ultimately was passed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hotpress.com/opinion/on-this-day-in-1998-u2-ash-john-hume-and-david-trimble-took-part-in-the-historic-good-friday-agreement-gig-in-belfast-22906975|title=On this day in 1998: U2, Ash, John Hume and David Trimble took part in the historic Good Friday Agreement gig in Belfast|website=[[Hot Press]]|first=Stuart|last=Bailie|date=19 May 2022|access-date=31 March 2024}}</ref> Later that year, all proceeds from the release of the "[[Sweetest Thing]]" single went towards supporting the [[Chernobyl Children's Project International|Chernobyl Children's Project]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/regionals/herald/alis-chernobyl-trip-to-hit-screens/27883314.html|title=Ali's Chernobyl trip to hit screens|website=[[The Herald (Ireland)|The Herald]]|first=Lorna|last=Nolan|date=27 August 2008|access-date=20 June 2017}}</ref>

[[File:U2 with Brazil president Rousseff in 2011.jpg|thumb|U2 with [[President of Brazil|Brazilian president]] [[Dilma Rousseff]] in 2011 (from left to right): Mullen, Bono, Rousseff, Clayton, and the Edge]]
The band dedicated their 2000 song "[[Walk On (U2 song)|Walk On]]" to Burma's pro-democracy leader [[Aung San Suu Kyi]], who had been under [[house arrest]] since 1989.<ref>McCormick (2006), pp. 295–296</ref> In late 2003, Bono and the Edge participated in the South Africa HIV/AIDS awareness [[46664 (concerts)|46664]] series of concerts hosted by [[Nelson Mandela]].<ref>{{cite news|title=U2 set for 2nd Mandela gig|newspaper=[[The Sunday People|The People]]|first=Tine|last=Calder|date=26 December 2004}}</ref> In 2005, the band played the [[Live 8]] concert in London, which Geldof helped stage on the 20th anniversary of Live Aid to support the [[Make Poverty History]] campaign. The band and manager Paul McGuinness were awarded [[Amnesty International]]'s [[Ambassador of Conscience Award]] for their work in promoting human rights.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.artforamnesty.org/aoc/events_2005.html |title=Ambassador of Conscience Award: 2005 Award Ceremony |access-date=5 February 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202073104/http://www.artforamnesty.org/aoc/events_2005.html |archive-date= 2 February 2007|website=artforamnesty.org}}</ref>

Since 2000, Bono's campaigning has included [[Jubilee 2000]] with Geldof, [[Muhammad Ali]], and others to promote the [[Debt relief|cancellation]] of [[Debt of developing countries|third-world debt]] during the [[Great Jubilee]]. In January 2002, Bono co-founded the multinational NGO [[DATA]], with the aim of improving the social, political, and financial state of Africa. He continued his campaigns for debt and HIV/AIDS relief into June 2002 by making high-profile visits to Africa.<ref>{{bulleted list|{{cite web|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/05/24/bono.africa.cnna/index.html|title=CNN Access: Bono backs 'effective aid' for Africa|website=CNN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614020843/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/05/24/bono.africa.cnna/index.html|first=Aaron|last=Brown|date=24 May 2002|access-date=18 June 2010|archive-date=14 June 2012}}|{{cite web|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/africa/05/30/bono.oneill.kagan.otsc/index.html|title=Bono and O'Neill in Africa: Summing up the trip|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130406223349/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/africa/05/30/bono.oneill.kagan.otsc/index.html|website=CNN|first=Daryn|last=Kagan|date=30 May 2002|access-date=27 February 2013|archive-date=6 April 2013}}|{{cite web|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/africa/06/20/Bono.chirac/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130406210936/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/africa/06/20/bono.chirac/index.html|title=Bono wins Chirac aid boost pledge|website=CNN|date=21 June 2002|access-date=27 February 2013|archive-date=6 April 2013}}}}</ref> [[Product Red]], a for-profit licensed brand seeking to raise money for the [[The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria|Global Fund]], was co-founded by Bono in 2006.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bono unveils clothes brand|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|first=Gary|last=Silverman|date=26 January 2006}}</ref> The [[ONE Campaign]], originally the US counterpart of Make Poverty History, was shaped by his efforts and vision.

In November 2005, the Edge and producer [[Bob Ezrin]] helped introduce [[Music Rising]], an initiative to replace instruments for musicians in the New Orleans area impacted by [[Hurricane Katrina]] and [[Hurricane Rita]].<ref>{{cite news|title=U2's Edge offers musical relief to New Orleans|newspaper=[[Calgary Herald]]|first=Edna|last=Gundersen|author-link=Edna Gundersen|date=22 November 2005|page=E9}}</ref> In 2006, U2 collaborated with [[Green Day]] to record a remake of the song "[[The Saints Are Coming]]" by [[the Skids]] to benefit Music Rising.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-green-day-unite-for-new-orleans-benefit-song-245325/|title=U2, Green Day Unite For New Orleans Benefit Song|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Brian|last=Hiatt|date=5 October 2006|access-date=5 July 2018}}</ref> A live version of the song recorded at the [[Louisiana Superdome]] was released on the single.

U2 have provided funding for music education on several occasions. In 2010,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/u2-couldnt-be-prouder-as-music-generation-provides-education-to-more-than-85000-children/a1026615633.html|title=U2 'couldn't be prouder' as Music Generation provides education to more than 85,000 children|website=[[Irish Independent]]|first=Adrianna|last=Wrona|date=12 March 2024|access-date=30 March 2024}}</ref> an education programme for children called Music Generation was established from funds provided by U2 and [[the Ireland Funds]].<ref name="hp-music-gen-2017">{{cite web|url=https://www.hotpress.com/news/U2s-iJoshua-Treei-Tour-will-help-fund-musical-tuition-for-young-people-across-Ireland/20388371.html|title=U2's Joshua Tree Tour will help fund musical tuition for young people across Ireland.|work=[[Hot Press]]|first=Mark|last=Conroy|date=19 July 2017|access-date=19 July 2017}}</ref> The band initially gave {{Euro|5 million}} for the programme's creation, followed by donations of {{Euro|2 million}} in 2015<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/2024/03/05/u2-rank-music-education-scheme-as-one-of-their-proudest-achievements/|title=U2 rank music education scheme as one of their proudest achievements|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|first=Ronan|last=McGreevy|date=5 March 2024|access-date=30 March 2024}}</ref> and some of their earnings from their Joshua Tree Tour 2017.<ref name="hp-music-gen-2017"/> The programme provided tuition to 116,000 children in 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2024/07/03/music-project-linked-to-u2-now-teaching-one-in-12-children-in-the-state/|title=Music project linked to U2 now teaching one in 12 children in the State|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|first=Ronan|last=McGreevy|date=3 July 2024|access-date=3 September 2024}}</ref> Following U2's residency at Sphere in the Las Vegas Valley, the [[University of Nevada, Las Vegas]]'s College of Fine Arts announced in January 2025 that the band had made a donation of $300,000 to the U2:UV Music Scholarship and Experiential Fund for music education.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/entertainment-columns/kats/u2-makes-a-lavish-gift-to-unlv-3268275/|title=Legendary rockers make a $300K gift to UNLV|website=[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]]|first=John|last=Katsilometes|author-link=John Katsilometes|date=21 January 2025|access-date=22 January 2025}}</ref>

In April 2020, the group donated {{Euro|10&nbsp;million}} to purchase [[personal protective equipment]] for Irish healthcare workers working during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland|COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/world-news/coronavirus/u2-donates-10-million-to-support-frontline-workers-in-fight-against-coronavirus-in-ireland-39115850.html|title=U2 donates €10 million to support frontline workers in fight against coronavirus in Ireland|website=[[Irish Independent]]|first=David|last=Young|date=9 April 2020|access-date=9 April 2020}}</ref> The band also donated {{USD|1.5&nbsp;million}} to ease the [[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the music industry|impact of the pandemic on the music industry]], including a {{Euro|200,000}} donation to the Songs from an Empty Room fundraiser.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9427058/u2-donate-live-music-covid19|title=U2 Donates Whopping Sum to Live Music Industry During Pandemic|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|first=Joe|last=Lynch|date=30 July 2020|access-date=31 July 2020}}</ref> In January 2025, U2 donated $1&nbsp;million to [[FireAid]] to benefit those affected by the [[January 2025 Southern California wildfires|Southern California wildfires]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/fireaid-los-angeles-wildfire-relief-concert-8f87ea97d9fa7a36507fa098dc4433d8|title=Nirvana reunite at FireAid as music's biggest acts raise money for LA wildfire relief|publisher=Associated Press|first=Maria|last=Sherman|date=31 January 2025|access-date=31 January 2025}}</ref>

U2 were honoured with the Innovator Award at the [[3rd iHeartRadio Music Awards]] in April 2016 for their "impact on popular culture and commitment to social causes".<ref>{{cite news|title=U2 to be honored at iHeartRadio event|newspaper=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|agency=Associated Press|date=28 March 2016|page=D2}}</ref> Bono has received many awards for his music and activism, including the [[Legion of Honour]] from the French Government in 2003,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Marlowe |first1=Lara |title=Francophile Bono receives honour from a grateful nation |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/francophile-bono-receives-honour-from-a-grateful-nation-1.1465771 |access-date=7 December 2018 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=17 July 2013}}</ref> ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''{{'}}s [[Time Person of the Year|Person of the Year]] for 2005 (along with [[Bill Gates]] and [[Melinda Gates]]),<ref>{{cite magazine |title=PERSONS OF YEARS PAST Bono |url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1946375_1947772_1947758,00.html |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=16 December 2009 |access-date=7 December 2018}}</ref> and an [[Honorary knighthood|honorary British knighthood]] in 2007.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bono becomes knight of empire|newspaper=[[The Desert Sun]]|first=Shawn|last=Pogatchnik|date=30 March 2007|page=D3}}</ref> Some news sources have questioned the efficacy of Bono's campaign to relieve debt and provide assistance to Africa.<ref>{{bulleted list|{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=1955664&page=4|title=Will More Foreign Aid End Global Poverty?|website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|author1=Stossel, John|author2=Patrick McMenamin|date=12 May 2006|access-date=19 January 2008}}|{{cite web | url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/article783901.ece | title=Bono aid is making Africa sick | access-date=19 January 2008 | website=The Sunday Times | date=1 January 2006 | first1=Roland | last1=Watson | first2=Miles | last2=Costello | first3=Sam | last3=Fleming | archive-date=13 March 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070313230810/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/article783901.ece | url-status=dead }}}}</ref>

== Other projects and collaborations ==
The members of U2 have undertaken side projects, sometimes in collaboration with some of their bandmates. In 1985, Bono recorded the song "[[In a Lifetime]]" with the Irish band [[Clannad (musical group)|Clannad]]. The Edge recorded a [[Captive (soundtrack)|solo soundtrack album]] for the film ''[[Captive (1986 film)|Captive]]'', which was released in 1986<ref>McCormick (2006), p. 169</ref> and included a vocal performance by [[Sinéad O'Connor]] on the song "Heroine" that predates her own debut album by a year. For [[Robbie Robertson]]'s 1987 [[Robbie Robertson (album)|self-titled solo album]], U2 performed on the songs "Sweet Fire of Love" and "Testimony".<ref name="10things"/> Bono and the Edge wrote the song "[[She's a Mystery to Me]]" for [[Roy Orbison]], which was featured on his 1989 album ''[[Mystery Girl]]''.<ref>McCormick (2006), p. 211</ref> In 1990, Bono and the Edge provided the original score to the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] London's [[A Clockwork Orange: A Play with Music|stage adaptation of ''A Clockwork Orange'']]. One track, "Alex Descends into Hell for a Bottle of Milk/Korova 1", was on the B-side to "[[The Fly (U2 song)|The Fly]]" single.<ref name="m215">McCormick (2006), p. 215</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/20-insanely-great-u2-songs-only-hardcore-fans-know-10906/15-alex-descends-into-hell-for-a-bottle-of-milk-212647/|title=15. 'Alex Descends into Hell for a Bottle of Milk'|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Andy|last=Greene|date=14 March 2014|access-date=5 July 2018}}</ref> That same year, Mullen produced and played drums on "[[Put 'Em Under Pressure]]", a song for the [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Ireland national team]] for the [[1990 FIFA World Cup]]; the song topped the Irish charts for 13 weeks.<ref>{{bulleted list|McGee (2008), p. 130|{{cite book|last1=Keane|first1=Trevor|title=Gaffers: 50 Years of Irish Football Managers|date=1 October 2010|publisher=Mercier Press Ltd|page=211}}|{{cite web|url=http://www.irishcharts.ie/facts/most_weeks_at_no1.htm|title=Facts & Figures - Most Weeks at No. 1|website=IrishCharts.ie|access-date=5 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120907023415/http://www.irishcharts.ie/facts/most_weeks_at_no1.htm|archive-date=7 September 2012|url-status=dead}}}}</ref> For the 1995 [[James Bond]] film ''[[GoldenEye]]'', Bono and the Edge wrote the title song "[[GoldenEye (song)|GoldenEye]]", which was performed by [[Tina Turner]].<ref>de la Parra (2003), p. 141</ref> Clayton and Mullen reworked [[Lalo Schifrin]]'s "[[Theme from Mission: Impossible|Theme from ''Mission: Impossible'']]" for the [[Mission: Impossible (film)|franchise's 1996 film]].<ref>de la Parra (2003), p. 132</ref> Bono and the Edge ventured into theatre again by writing the music and lyrics for the [[Broadway musical]] ''[[Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://observer.com/2009/03/gossip-girl-sings-sonic-youth-returns-and-wheres-your-famous-blue-raincoat/|title=Gossip Girl Sings! Sonic Youth Returns! And Where's Your Famous Blue Raincoat?|website=[[The New York Observer]]|first=Joe|last=Pompeo|date=3 March 2009|access-date=27 February 2013}}</ref> which opened in June 2011.<ref name="opening">{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |title=Believe It or Not! ''Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark'' Opens on Broadway June 14 |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/believe-it-or-not-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark-opens-on-broadway-june-14-com-180036 |website=Playbill |access-date=4 January 2023 |date=14 June 2011}}</ref> Bono and the Edge collaborated with Dutch DJ [[Martin Garrix]] on the 2021 track "[[We Are the People (Martin Garrix song)|We Are the People]]", which served as the official song of the [[UEFA Euro 2020]] tournament.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/martin-garrixs-song-we-are-the-people-featuring-bono-the-edge-1169353/|title=Hear Martin Garrix's New Song 'We Are the People,' Featuring Bono and the Edge|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|first=Andy|last=Greene|date=13 May 2021|access-date=13 May 2021}}</ref>

In addition to collaborating with fellow musicians, U2 have worked with several authors. American author [[William S. Burroughs]] had a guest appearance in U2's video for "[[Last Night on Earth (U2 song)|Last Night on Earth]]" shortly before he died.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/beastie-boys/51338|title=Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch to release documentary about Beat writer William S Burroughs&nbsp;– video|website=[[NME]]|first=Adam|last=Bychawski|date=3 June 2010|access-date=13 January 2016}}</ref> Video footage of him reading his poem "[[Tornado Alley (book)|Thanksgiving Prayer]]" was used during a Zoo TV Tour television special.<ref>Flanagan (1996), pp. 110–111</ref> Other collaborators include [[Allen Ginsberg]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/1zp065/up-on-the-roof-with-u2-allen-ginsberg|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215054356/https://www.mtv.com/news/1zp065/up-on-the-roof-with-u2-allen-ginsberg|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 February 2023|title=Up On The Roof With U2 & Allen Ginsberg|website=[[MTV.com]]|first=Gil|last=Kaufman|date=8 March 1997|access-date=15 February 2023}}</ref> and [[Salman Rushdie]]. Lyrics from Rushdie's 1999 book ''[[The Ground Beneath Her Feet]]'' were adapted by U2 into the song "[[The Ground Beneath Her Feet (song)|The Ground Beneath Her Feet]]",<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1999/01/23/rushdie-puts-words-to-u2s-music/3c82ad85-682d-441f-80c8-b2d48a9020f1/|title=Rushdie Puts Words to U2's Music|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=23 January 1999|page=C10|access-date=15 February 2023}}</ref> which was one of three tracks the group contributed to ''[[The Million Dollar Hotel]]'' [[The Million Dollar Hotel: Music from the Motion Picture|movie soundtrack]] in 2000.

In April 2017, U2 were featured on a [[Kendrick Lamar]] song, "[[XXX (Kendrick Lamar song)|XXX]]", from his album ''[[Damn (Kendrick Lamar album)|DAMN]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/music-news/u2-and-kendrick-lamar-join-forces-for-new-song-but-some-fans-are-unhappy-35613723.html|title=U2 and Kendrick Lamar join forces for new song but some fans are unhappy|website=[[Irish Independent]]|first1=Joe|last1=Nerssessian|first2=Sasha|last2=Brady|date=11 April 2017|access-date=12 April 2017}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
{{Main|List of awards and nominations received by U2}}
[[File:The Edge and Bono performing in Belfast on Nov 19 2015.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|''Rolling Stone'' ranked the Edge and Bono among the greatest guitarists and singers, respectively.|alt=The Edge and Bono clothed in leather jackets, as the Edge holds a guitar vertically. A large dangling light bulb hangs between them.]]
U2 have sold an estimated 150–170&nbsp;million records worldwide, placing them among the [[List of best-selling music artists|best-selling music artists in history]].<ref name="170sales"/> The group's fifth studio album, ''[[The Joshua Tree]]'', is one of the [[List of best-selling albums in the United States|best-selling albums in the US]] (10&nbsp;million copies shipped) and [[List of best-selling albums|worldwide]] (25&nbsp;million copies sold).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=u2&adv=SEARCH#search_section|title=Gold & Platinum|publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]]|access-date=23 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/sunday-times-rich-list/profile/article/new-u2-album-no-line-on-the-horizon-given-lukewarm-reception-df8h3cgmht9|title=New U2 album No Line on the Horizon given lukewarm reception|newspaper=[[The Times]] |first=Adam |last=Sherwin |date=3 March 2009|access-date=16 November 2019|url-access=subscription}}</ref> With 52&nbsp;million certified units by the RIAA, U2 rank as the [[List of best-selling music artists in the United States|24th-highest-selling music artist in the US]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=top_tallies&ttt=TAA#search_section|title=Gold & Platinum&nbsp;– Top Artists (Albums)|publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]]|access-date=26 March 2023}}</ref> U2 have eight albums that have reached number one in the US, the third-most of any group. They were the first group to attain number-one albums in the US in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/u2-songs-of-experience-billboard-200-chart/|title=U2 Scores Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Songs of Experience'|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|first=Keith|last=Caulfield|date=10 December 2017|access-date=10 December 2017}}</ref> In the UK, the group have had seven number-one singles, [[List of artists by number of UK Singles Chart number ones|tied for the 17th-most of any artist]], and eleven number-one albums, [[List of artists by number of UK Albums Chart number ones|tied for the 8th-most of any artist]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/acts-with-the-most-number-1-albums-on-the-official-uk-chart__15643/|title=Acts with the most Number 1 albums on the Official UK Chart|website=[[Official Charts Company]]|first=Justin|last=Myers|date=5 April 2024|access-date=5 April 2024}}</ref> The band's 1,468 weeks spent on the UK music charts [[List of artists who have spent the most weeks on the UK music charts|ranks 18th all-time]].<ref name="ukcharts"/> In their native Ireland, U2 hold the record for most number-one singles with 21,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/acts-with-the-most-number-1-singles-in-ireland__23468/|title=Acts with the most Number 1 singles in Ireland|website=[[Official Charts Company]]|first=Rob|last=Copsey|date=30 October 2020|access-date=7 April 2023}}</ref> and they have 10 number-one albums.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2023/0325/1366329-u2-clinch-11th-uk-number-one-with-sos/|title=U2 clinch 10th Irish number one album with SOS|website=[[RTÉ]]|date=26 March 2023|access-date=26 March 2023}}</ref>

In the 1980s, U2 "dominated the alternative rock scene", according to cultural critic [[Kevin J. H. Dettmar]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Dettmer|first=Kevin J. H.|author-link=Kevin J. H. Dettmar|page=113|chapter=Nothing Succeeds Like Failure|title=Exploring U2|year=2011|publisher=[[Scarecrow Press]]|isbn=9780810881587|editor-last=Calhoun|editor-first=Scott}}</ref> Similarly, in the next decade, they were one of the most famous alternative rock bands worldwide and among the highest-selling rock bands.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kallen|first=Stuart A.|year=2012|title=The History of Alternative Rock|publisher=Lucent Books|isbn=9781420509724|page=82}}</ref> In the 35-year history of ''Billboard''{{'}}s [[Alternative Airplay]] chart, U2 holds records for most songs charted (42), most number ones in the 1980s (2, tied), and most number ones in the 1990s (6).<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/35-highlights-35-years-alternative-airplay-chart/longest-leading-no-1-of-the-20s/|title=35 Highlights From 35 Years of Billboard's Alternative Airplay Chart: Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, Billie Eilish & More|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|first=Gary|last=Trust|date=7 September 2023|access-date=7 September 2023}}</ref> Record sales declined in the 2000s and the music industry entered an age of often illegal [[Music download|digital downloading]], but according to author [[Mat Snow]], U2 prospered more than younger acts because of a loyal following that held an attachment to the album format. Snow said, "Children of the [[album era]] as they were, U2 would never stop regarding the album as the core statement of their creativity", despite progressively decreasing sales, while he noted that live shows consequently became the group's greatest source of revenue.<ref>Snow (2014), p. 186</ref>

Based on data from ''[[Pollstar]]'', U2 were the [[List of highest-grossing live music artists|second-highest-grossing musical act]] from 1980 to 2022, earning {{USD|2.127 billion}} in revenue from 26.178 million tickets sold.<ref>{{cite web |date=10 June 2022 |title=Top Touring Artist of the Pollstar Era |url=https://data.pollstar.com/Chart/2022/07/072522_top.touring.artists_1020.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805190603/https://data.pollstar.com/Chart/2022/07/072522_top.touring.artists_1020.pdf |archive-date=5 August 2022 |access-date=4 August 2022 |work=[[Pollstar]] |pages=1–4}}</ref> According to ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] Boxscore'', the band grossed {{USD|1.67&nbsp;billion}} in ticket sales from 1990 to 2016, second only to the Rolling Stones.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/madonna-extends-record-highest-grossing-solo-touring-artist/ |title=Madonna Extends Record as Highest-Grossing Solo Touring Artist: $1.31 Billion Earned|magazine=Billboard|first=Bob|last=Allen|date=23 March 2016|access-date=26 March 2016}}</ref> U2 were the only group in the top 25 touring acts from 2000 to 2009 to sell out every show they played.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/266415/top-touring-artists-of-the-decade|title=The Decade in Music: Decade-End Top 25 Tours|magazine=Billboard|date=19 December 2009|volume=121|issue=50|page=166|access-date=24 November 2019}}</ref> According to ''Pollstar'', the band grossed {{USD|1.038&nbsp;billion}} and sold 9,300,500 tickets from 255 shows played between 2010 and November 2019, earning the publication's title of touring artist of the 2010s decade; U2 were the only artist to surpass {{USD|1&nbsp;billion}} grossed during that span.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pollstar.com/article/artist-of-the-decade-u2s-experience-dominance-142820|title=Artist Of The Decade: U2's Experience + Dominance|website=[[Pollstar]]|first=Ryan|last=Borba|date=22 November 2019|access-date=24 November 2019}}</ref> U2 ranked as the second-best-selling live artist from 2001 to 2025 based on ''Pollstar''{{'}}s data, with 20.216&nbsp;million tickets sold from 594 shows for gross revenues of  {{USD|2.187 billion}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.pollstar.com/2025/12/08/coldplay-u2-sheeran-dmb-top-pollstars-25-most-popular-touring-artists-of-the-millennium/|title=Coldplay, U2, Ed Sheeran, Dave Matthews Band, Taylor Swift Top Pollstar's 25 Most Popular Touring Artists Of The Millennium|website=[[Pollstar]]|first=Bob|last=Allen|date=8 December 2025|access-date=11 December 2025}}</ref> ''[[Forbes]]'' has named U2 the world's annual [[Forbes list of highest-earning musicians|highest-earning music artist]] a record five times.<ref>U2 were the world's highest-earning music artist in five different years:
*2002: {{cite web|url=http://www.forbes.com/lists/results.jhtml?passListId=53&passYear=2002&passListType=Person&searchParameter1=&searchParameter2=&resultsStart=1&resultsHowMany=25&resultsSortProperties=+numberfield2,+stringfield1&resultsSortCategoryName=money_rank&passKeyword=&category1=&category2=|title=Forbes Celebrity 100|date=16 February 2006|website=[[Forbes (magazine)|Forbes]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060216221837/http://www.forbes.com/lists/results.jhtml?passListId=53&passYear=2002&passListType=Person&searchParameter1=&searchParameter2=&resultsStart=1&resultsHowMany=25&resultsSortProperties=+numberfield2,+stringfield1&resultsSortCategoryName=money_rank&passKeyword=&category1=&category2=|archive-date=16 February 2006}}
*2006: {{cite web|url=https://images.forbes.com/lists/2006/53/Musicians_Rank.html|title=The Celebrity 100|website=Forbes}}
*2010: {{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/u2-beyonce-britney-make-forbes-top-earning-musicians-list-957300/|title=U2, Beyonce, Britney Make Forbes 'Top-Earning Musicians' List|magazine=Billboard|first=Melanie|last=Fried|date=19 July 2010}}
*2011: {{cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/17/u2-top-highest-paid-list|title=U2 top list of world's highest-paid musicians|date=17 June 2011|website=The Guardian}}
*2018: {{cite web|url=https://etcanada.com/news/393398/u2-tops-forbes-list-of-2018s-highest-earning-musicians-as-joshua-tree-tour-grosses-316m/|title=U2 Tops Forbes' List Of 2018's Highest-Earning Musicians As Joshua Tree Tour Grosses $316M|website=[[Entertainment Tonight Canada]]|first=Brent|last=Furdyk|date=4 December 2018|access-date=28 July 2022|archive-date=27 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220727064701/https://etcanada.com/news/393398/u2-tops-forbes-list-of-2018s-highest-earning-musicians-as-joshua-tree-tour-grosses-316m/|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[The Sunday Times]]''{{'}} 2020 Irish Rich List estimated the group's collective wealth at {{Euro|670&nbsp;million}}.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/sunday-times-irish-rich-list/article/irish-rich-list-2020-profiles-18-50-featuring-u2-and-michael-oleary-lmrz88j5p|title=Irish Rich List 2020: profiles 18-50, featuring U2 and Michael O'Leary|website=[[The Sunday Times]]|date=18 October 2020|access-date=18 October 2020}}</ref>

U2 are regarded as one of the greatest pop-rock acts of all time.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Greenburg|first=Zack O'Malley|author-link=Zack O'Malley Greenburg|date=11 September 2014|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2014/09/11/what-u2s-apple-album-launch-means-for-u2/?sh=16f1ce847d7f|title=What U2's Apple Album Launch Means for U2|magazine=[[Forbes]]|access-date=14 June 2021}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' placed U2 at number 22 on its list of "[[Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time|The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time]]",<ref name="rs100greatest">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-artists-147446/u2-10-92368/|first=Chris |last=Martin |author-link=Chris Martin|title=The 50th Anniversary of Rock: The Immortals – 22: U2|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=15 April 2004|access-date=2 July 2018|issue=946|page=102}}</ref> while ranking Bono the 32nd-greatest singer,<ref name="Lethem 67–108"/> the Edge the 38th-greatest guitarist,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitarists-20111123/the-edge-20111122|title=The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=8 December 2011|issue=1145|pages=49–76|access-date=10 June 2020|archive-date=2 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202013720/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitarists-20111123/the-edge-20111122|url-status=dead}}</ref> and Mullen the 96th-greatest drummer.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-drummers-of-all-time-20160331/larry-mullen-jr-20160329|title=100 Greatest Drummers of All Time|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|first1=Matt|last1=Diehl|first2=Jon|last2=Dolan|first3=Richard|last3=Gehr|date=31 March 2016|access-date=31 March 2016|display-authors=etal|archive-date=3 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403134023/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-drummers-of-all-time-20160331/larry-mullen-jr-20160329|url-status=dead}}</ref> The magazine placed Bono and the Edge at number 35 on its list of the "[[Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time|100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time]]".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/interactive/lists-100-greatest-songwriters/#bono-and-the-edge|title=The 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=13 August 2015|access-date=5 July 2018}}</ref> In 2004, ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' ranked U2 as the fourth-biggest band in a list compiled based on album sales, time spent on the UK charts, and largest audience for a headlining show.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/q-which-is-biggest-band-of-all-time-a-and-readers-say-6160587.html|title=Q: Which is biggest band of all time? A: And readers say&nbsp;...|website=[[The Independent]]|first=Anthony|last=Barnes|date=3 October 2004|access-date=27 February 2013|location=London|archive-date=4 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120804190837/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/q-which-is-biggest-band-of-all-time-a-and-readers-say-6160587.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[VH1]] placed U2 at number 19 on its 2010 list of "The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.vh1.com/2010-08-25/who-will-come-out-on-top-of-vh1s-100-greatest-artists-of-all-time/|title=Who Will Come Out on Top of VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time?|website=[[VH1.com]]|first=Rich|last=Juzwiak|date=25 August 2010|access-date=27 February 2013|archive-date=1 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701153718/http://blog.vh1.com/2010-08-25/who-will-come-out-on-top-of-vh1s-100-greatest-artists-of-all-time/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2010, eight of U2's songs appeared on ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s updated list of "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]", with "One" ranking the highest at number 36.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-151127/|title=500 Greatest Songs of All Time|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|year=2010|issue=Special collectors edition}}</ref> Five of the group's twelve studio albums were ranked on the magazine's 2012 list of "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]]"—''The Joshua Tree'' placed the highest at number 27.<ref name="500Greatest" /> Reflecting on the band's popularity and worldwide impact, [[Jeff Pollack (media consultant)|Jeff Pollack]] for ''[[The Huffington Post]]'' said, "like [[the Who]] before them, U2 wrote songs about things that were important and resonated with their audience".<ref>{{cite web |last=Pollack |first=Jeff|title=10 Bands That Shook The World|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-pollack/10-bands-that-shook-the-w_1_b_819903.html |website=[[The Huffington Post]]|date=7 February 2011|access-date=18 August 2011}}</ref> ''[[Houston Press]]'' journalist John Seaborn Gray attributed U2's pioneering impact on pop-rock music largely to the Edge's unique guitar style.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gray|first=John Seaborn|date=14 October 2009|url=https://www.houstonpress.com/music/the-best-u2-songs-not-actually-written-by-u2-6780573|title=The Best U2 Songs Not Actually Written by U2|newspaper=[[Houston Press]]|access-date=14 June 2021|archive-date=14 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614060056/https://www.houstonpress.com/music/the-best-u2-songs-not-actually-written-by-u2-6780573|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:U2 at the 2022 Kennedy Center Honors Dinner (52542570840).jpg|thumb|U2 were recipients of [[Kennedy Center Honors]] in 2022.]]
U2 received their first [[Grammy Award]] in 1988 for ''The Joshua Tree'', and they have won 22 in total out of 46 nominations,<ref name="grammy-wins-noms"/> more than any other group.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music/2011/07/24/U2-s-success-moves-in-mysterious-ways/stories/201107240243|title=U2: success moves in mysterious ways|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]|first=Scott|last=Mervis|date=24 July 2011|pages=E-1, E-3|access-date=9 April 2020}}</ref> These include [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal|Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group]], [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]], [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year|Record of the Year]], [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]], and [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Album|Best Rock Album]]. In the UK, U2 have received 8 [[Brit Awards]] out of 20 nominations from the [[British Phonographic Industry]], including five wins for [[Brit Award for International Group|International Group of the Year]]. They were the first international group to win the [[Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/ireland-at-the-brit-awards-look-back-at-every-irish-winner-and-nominee__25596/|title=Ireland at the BRIT Awards: look back at every Irish winner and nominee|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|first=Jack|last=White|date=19 February 2019|access-date=19 February 2019}}</ref> In Ireland, U2 have won 14 [[Meteor Music Awards]] since they began in 2001. Other awards won by the band and their members include one [[American Music Award]], four [[Ivor Novello Awards]], six [[MTV Video Music Awards]], eleven [[Q Awards]], two [[Juno Award]]s, five [[NME Awards]], and two [[Golden Globe Award]]s. The band were inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in March 2005.<ref name="RRHOF"/> In 2006, all four members of the band received [[ASCAP]] awards for writing the songs "[[I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For]]" and "[[Vertigo (U2 song)|Vertigo]]".<ref name="ASCAP1">{{cite web|url=http://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/awards/prs/2006/completelistofwinners.aspx|title=ASCAP Awards, London&nbsp;– Wednesday, October 11, 2006: Complete List of Winners|website=[[ASCAP]]|access-date=27 February 2013|archive-date=14 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314171544/http://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/awards/prs/2006/completelistofwinners.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2022, the group received [[Kennedy Center Honors]] for their contributions in the performing arts,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/04/george-clooney-gladys-knight-among-kennedy-center-honorees.html|title=George Clooney, Gladys Knight among Kennedy Center honorees|website=[[CNBC]]|agency=Associated Press|date=4 December 2022|access-date=5 December 2022}}</ref> making them only the fifth musical group to be so honoured.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/12/05/kennedy-center-honors-2022-cheer-clooney-u-2-amy-grant-gladys-knight/10837040002/|title=Kennedy Center Honors 2022: Julia Roberts salutes George Clooney, Eddie Vedder channels U2|website=[[USA Today]]|first=Melissa|last=Ruggieri|date=5 December 2022|access-date=20 December 2022}}</ref> In May 2025, the members of U2 received the [[Ivors Academy]] Fellowship for their songwriting, making them the first Irish songwriters to be so honoured.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/u2-get-highest-honour-britains-ivors-songwriting-awards-2025-03-20/|title=U2 to get highest honour at Britain's Ivors songwriting awards|work=[[Reuters]]|date=20 March 2025|access-date=20 March 2025}}</ref>

== Members ==
[[File:U2 in Sydney (49139991797).jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|U2 in November 2019 ''(from left to right)'': The Edge, Bono, Clayton, Mullen]]

=== Current members ===
* [[Bono]]&nbsp;(Paul Hewson) – lead vocals, harmonica (1976–present); rhythm guitar (1978–2014)
* [[The Edge]]&nbsp;(David Evans) – lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (1976–present)
* [[Adam Clayton]]&nbsp;– bass guitar (1976–present)
* [[Larry Mullen Jr.]]&nbsp;– drums, percussion (1976–present)

=== Touring musicians ===
* Terry Lawless&nbsp;– keyboards (2001–present)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/live-ish-at-a-venue-near-you-are-miming-rock-stars-undermining-the-music-experience-9920527.html|title=Live (ish) at a venue near you|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|first=Simon|last=Hardeman|date=13 December 2014|at=sec. Music, p. 16|access-date=15 February 2023}}</ref>
* [[Bram van den Berg]]&nbsp;– drums, percussion (2023–2024)<ref name="variety-sb-u2uv"/>

=== Former members ===
* [[Dik Evans]]&nbsp;– guitar (1976–1978)
* Ivan McCormick&nbsp;– guitar (1976)

==== Timeline ====
{{#tag:timeline|ImageSize = width:850 height:auto barincrement:30
PlotArea = left:90 bottom:110 top:5 right:0
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period = from:25/09/1976 till:31/12/2024
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3
ScaleMajor = increment:5 start:1977
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1977
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3

Colors =
 id:vocals   value:red        legend:Lead_vocals,_harmonica
 id:lguitar   value:teal      legend:Lead_guitar,_keyboards,_backing_vocals
 id:rguitar   value:brightgreen      legend:Rhythm_guitar
 id:bass     value:blue       legend:Bass
 id:drums    value:orange     legend:Drums,_percussion
 id:lines    value:black      legend:Studio_album
 id:bars      value:gray(0.95)

BackgroundColors = bars:bars

LineData =
 color:black layer:back
 at:20/10/1980
 at:12/10/1981
 at:28/02/1983
 at:01/10/1984
 at:09/03/1987
 at:10/10/1988
 at:18/11/1991
 at:05/07/1993
 at:03/03/1997
 at:30/10/2000
 at:22/11/2004
 at:27/09/2009
 at:09/09/2014
 at:01/12/2017
 at:17/03/2023

BarData =
 bar:Bono   text:Bono
 bar:Edge     text:The Edge
 bar:Dik   text:Dik Evans
 bar:Ivan   text:Ivan McCormick
 bar:Adam    text:Adam Clayton
 bar:Larry   text:Larry Mullen Jr.
 
PlotData =
 width:13
 color:Vocals 
  bar:Bono    from:start till:end

 color:rguitar
 bar:Bono    from:04/03/1978 till:16/11/2014 width:3
 bar:Dik from:start till:04/03/1978
 bar:Ivan   from:start till:30/11/1976

 color:lguitar
 bar:Edge from:start till:end

 color:bass 
 bar:Adam from:25/09/1976 till:end 
 
 color:drums
 bar:Larry   from:25/09/1976 till:end
}}

== Discography ==
{{Main|U2 discography|List of songs recorded by U2}}
<!--As per WP:CRYSTAL, DO NOT add any future albums until they are officially announced with a proper release date. Any additions will be removed.-->
<!-- Please don't put anything here apart from the studio albums in this list. ''[[Wide Awake in America]]'' and ''[[Under a Blood Red Sky]]'' are live recordings.-->
{{div col}}
* ''[[Boy (album)|Boy]]'' (1980)
* ''[[October (U2 album)|October]]'' (1981)
* ''[[War (U2 album)|War]]'' (1983)
* ''[[The Unforgettable Fire]]'' (1984)
* ''[[The Joshua Tree]]'' (1987)
* ''[[Rattle and Hum]]'' (1988) <!-- Please don't remove Rattle & Hum. It has 9 newly released studio songs (outtakes or not, they are new studio releases).-->
* ''[[Achtung Baby]]'' (1991)
* ''[[Zooropa]]'' (1993)
* ''[[Pop (U2 album)|Pop]]'' (1997)
* ''[[All That You Can't Leave Behind]]'' (2000)
* ''[[How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb]]'' (2004)
* ''[[No Line on the Horizon]]'' (2009)
* ''[[Songs of Innocence (U2 album)|Songs of Innocence]]'' (2014)
* ''[[Songs of Experience (U2 album)|Songs of Experience]]'' (2017)
* ''[[Songs of Surrender]]'' (2023)
{{div col end}}

== Live performances ==

[[File:The Edge performing on Zoo TV Tour in Melbourne Nov 13 1993.jpg|thumb|The Edge during the band's Zoo TV Tour in November 1993]]

===Concert tours===
{{col div}}
* U2-3 Tour (1979–1980)
* 11 O'Clock Tick Tock Tour (1980)
* [[Boy Tour]] (1980–1981)
* [[October Tour]] (1981–1982)
* [[War Tour]] (1982–1983)
* [[The Unforgettable Fire Tour]] (1984–1985)
* [[The Joshua Tree Tour]] (1987)
* [[Lovetown Tour]] (1989–1990)
* [[Zoo TV Tour]] (1992–1993)
* [[PopMart Tour]] (1997–1998)
* [[Elevation Tour]] (2001)
* [[Vertigo Tour]] (2005–2006)
* [[U2 360° Tour]] (2009–2011)
* [[Innocence + Experience Tour]] (2015)
* [[The Joshua Tree Tours 2017 and 2019|The Joshua Tree Tour 2017]] (2017)
* [[Experience + Innocence Tour]] (2018)
* [[The Joshua Tree Tours 2017 and 2019|The Joshua Tree Tour 2019]] (2019)
{{col div end}}

===Concert residencies===
*[[U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere|U2:UV ''Achtung Baby'' Live at Sphere]] (2023–2024)

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== General and cited references ===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bayles |first=Martha |year=1994 |title=Hole in Our Soul: Loss of Beauty and Meaning in American Popular Music |url=https://archive.org/details/holeinoursoullos00bayl |publisher=Free Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0-02-901962-7}}
* {{Cite book|title=The U2 Reader: A Quarter Century of Commentary, Criticism, and Reviews|editor-first=Hank|editor-last=Bordowitz|publisher=[[Hal Leonard Corporation]]|location=Milwaukee|year=2003|isbn=0-634-03832-X|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/u2readerquarter00bord}}
* {{Cite book |last=Chatterton |first=Mark |year=2001 |title=U2: The Complete Encyclopedia |location=London |publisher=Firefly Publishing |isbn=978-0-946719-41-9}}
* {{Cite book |last=Cogan |first=Višnja |year=2008 |title=U2: An Irish Phenomenon |location=New York |publisher=Pegasus Books |isbn=978-1-933648-71-2}}
* {{Cite book |last=de la Parra |first=Pimm Jal |year=2003 |title=U2 Live: A Concert Documentary |edition=Updated |location=London |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=978-0-7119-9198-9}}
* {{Cite book |last=Flanagan |first=Bill |author-link=Bill Flanagan |year=1995 |title=U2 at the End of the World |url=https://archive.org/details/u2atendofworld00flan |location=New York |publisher=Delacorte Press |isbn=978-0-385-31154-0}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Graham |first1=Bill |first2=Caroline |last2=van Oosten de Boer |year=2004 |title=U2: The Complete Guide to Their Music |location=London |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=978-0-7119-9886-5}}
* {{Cite book |last=Gulla |first=Bob |author-link=Bob Gulla |year=2009 |title=Guitar Gods: The 25 Players Who Made Rock History |location=Westport, Conn. |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=978-0-313-35806-7 |oclc=1043463351}}
* {{Cite book |last=Jobling |first=John |year=2014 |title=U2: The Definitive Biography |url=https://archive.org/details/u2definitivebiog0000jobl |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=Thomas Dunne Books |isbn=978-1-250-02789-4}}
* {{Cite book |last=MacDonald |first=Bruno |year=2014 |title=The Greatest Albums You'll Never Hear |location=London |publisher=Aurum Press |isbn=978-1-78131-219-3}}
* {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sv5DDwAAQBAJ|title=U2 and the Religious Impulse: Take Me Higher|chapter='Edge, Ring Those Bells': The Guitar and Its Spiritual Soundscapes in Early U2|first=Henrik|last=Marstal|editor-first=Scott|editor-last=Calhoun|year=2018|publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]]|location=London|isbn=9781350032569}}
* {{Cite book |last=McGee |first=Matt |year=2008 |title=U2: A Diary |location=London |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=978-1-84772-108-2}}
* {{Cite book |last=McPherson |first=Alan |year=2015 |title=The World and U2: One Band's Remaking of Global Activism |location=Lanham, MD |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4422-4933-2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Reynolds |first=Simon |year=2006 |title=Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984 |url=https://archive.org/details/ripitupstartagai00reyno |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0-14-303672-2}}
* {{Cite book |author=Rolling Stone |author-link=Rolling Stone |year=1994 |title=U2: The Ultimate Compendium of Interviews, Articles, Facts and Opinions from the Files of Rolling Stone |location=London |publisher=Sidgwick & Jackson |isbn=978-0-283-06239-1}}
* {{Cite book |last=Snow |first=Mat |author-link=Mat Snow |year=2014 |title=U2: Revolution |url=https://archive.org/details/u2revolution0000snow |url-access=registration |publisher=Race Point Publishing |location=New York |isbn=978-1-937994-99-0}}
* {{Cite book |last=Stokes |first=Niall |author-link=Niall Stokes |year=1996 |title=Into the Heart: The Stories Behind Every U2 Song |url=https://archive.org/details/u2byu200u2ne |url-access=registration |location=London |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=978-0-00-719668-5}}
* {{Cite book |author=((U2)) |editor-first=Neil |editor-last=McCormick |editor-link=Neil McCormick |year=2006 |title=U2 by U2 |url=https://archive.org/details/u2byu200u2ne |url-access=registration |location=London |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=0-00-719668-7}}
* {{Cite book |last=Young |first=Clive |year=2004 |title=Crank It Up: Live Sound Secrets of the Top Tour Engineers |location=San Francisco |publisher=Backbeat Books |isbn=978-0-879-30778-3}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|d=Q396|commons=Category:U2 (musical group)|n=Category:U2|s=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|mw=no|m=no|species=no|wikt=no}}
{{Stack|{{Spoken Wikipedia|U2.ogg|date=7 March 2011}}}}
* {{Official website}}
*{{AllMusic}}
*{{Discogs artist}}
*{{MusicBrainz artist}}
* {{Rockhall}}

{{U2|state=expanded}}
{{U2 songs}}
{{Navboxes
|title = [[List of awards and nominations received by U2|Awards for U2]]
|list =
{{American Music Award for Artist of the Year}}
{{Brit International Group}}
{{Grammy Award for Album of the Year}}
{{Grammy Award for Record of the Year}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Music Film}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Music Video}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Rock Album}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal}}
{{Kennedy Center Honorees 2020s}}
{{Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award}}
{{MTV Europe Music Award for Best Group}}
{{MTV Europe Music Award for Best Live Act}}
{{MTV Europe Music Award for Global Icon}}
{{MTV Video Music Award – Viewer's Choice}}
{{2005 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:U2| ]]
[[Category:1976 establishments in Ireland]]
[[Category:Arena rock musical groups]]
[[Category:Art rock musical groups]]
[[Category:Brit Award winners]]
[[Category:CBS Records artists]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Interscope Records artists]]
[[Category:Irish alternative rock groups]]
[[Category:Irish musical quartets]]
[[Category:Irish pop rock music groups]]
[[Category:Irish post-punk music groups]]
[[Category:Island Records artists]]
[[Category:Ivor Novello Award winners]]
[[Category:Juno Award for International Entertainer of the Year winners]]
[[Category:Kennedy Center honorees]]
[[Category:MTV Europe Music Award winners]]
[[Category:Mercury Records artists|U2]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1976]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:Postmodern musicians]]
[[Category:Sports Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:World Music Awards winners]]
[[Category:1970s in Irish music]]
[[Category:1980s in Irish music]]
[[Category:1990s in Irish music]]
[[Category:2000s in Irish music]]
[[Category:2010s in Irish music]]
[[Category:2020s in Irish music]]