Thousands of fans flooded Dublin’s Grafton Street on Friday as U2 marked their 50th anniversary with a surprise performance from the balcony of Bewley’s Café, delivering a career-spanning set that capped off a day of celebrations across the Irish capital.
What began as a poorly kept secret rippling through the city all afternoon culminated in mass gatherings outside the historic cafe, where four large speakers blew the cover off the unannounced event. Fans from around the world made the pilgrimage to witness the band celebrate five decades since their formation in drummer Larry Mullen’s Artane kitchen on a Saturday in September 1976.
Hugh Maguire, an older gentleman who happened upon Dublin’s Grafton Street on Friday afternoon, noted that the band had really made a go of it, to use a silly phrase,
before heading home to Ranelagh at about 4pm. Charlie O’Neill, a 69-year-old street photographer living in Santry, north Dublin, was among the crowd and recalled seeing U2 perform at the very first concert to take place at Slane Castle when they supported Thin Lizzy. I’m very proud that they’re Irish and the way they’ve blazed the trail,
he said.
O’Neill had just come from the lower end of Grafton Street, estimating it took him seven or eight minutes to walk 10 yards
as the street quickly became impassable. Amid the narrow passage that security attempted to keep clear, a teenage girl was heard ringing friends and excitedly telling them Westlife is playing a surprise concert
.
From Mount Temple Roots to a Grafton Street Balcony
Hugh Maguire and Charlie O’Neill
The surprise gig followed an earlier appearance by the Dublin rock titans at Mount Temple Comprehensive School. By mid-afternoon, Grafton Street was packed shoulder-to-shoulder, leaving passersby navigating narrow passages amid blocked shop entrances and heavy security barricades. Around the corner, sections of South Anne Street were being closed off, resulting in chaos for delivery riders attempting to collect orders from Xi’an Street Food, eventually leading to an almost uninterrupted stream of spice bags being handed over the barricades.
International fans joined local devotees in the crush. Tilles Tijmes, a Dutch man living in Denmark and a member of the Flanders U2 fan club, said: Craig Molloy and his wife Stacey traveled from Derbyshire, England; Molloy had previously proposed to his wife during the band’s 2017 concert at the 3Arena, noting, It’s the only place he’d ever do it.
Todd and Lara Garrison-Gebhart flew in from Michigan in the United States, continuing a fandom that began when the band brought out their first records in the early 1980s and attended The Joshua Tree concert in 1987. U2 is always a good excuse to come to Dublin,
Todd said.
Emer Bolger, who traveled from Tullow, Co Carlow, with her six-year-old son Senan, said she had been a fan since 1985. The only tour I missed since 1987 was the Zoo TV tour. I’ve been to everything else,
she said, remembering sitting in front of her TV in 1986 when Self Aid aired and recording the concert to play it back repeatedly.
Five Decades of Sound and a Poignant Dublin Tribute
Larry Mullen on the Balcony at 7pm
When Mullen appeared on the balcony at 7pm, anticipation boiled over into a roar. The band launched straight into their post-punk roots, opening the set with I Will Follow from their seminal debut album, Boy, followed by Out of Control.
Spanning eight of their celebrated studio albums, the stripped-back arrangements wove timeless anthems together with unexpected fragments of music history.
- One
- I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
- With or Without You
- Beautiful Day
- Vertigo
The band interspersed these arrangements with evocative snippets of Prince’s Purple Rain, Molly Malone, and a joyful chorus of Elbow’s One Day Like This. Bono, leaning out over the railings with vocals and high notes belying his five-decade career, also debuted Silencio live following its initial live outing in Clontarf — a new single from their upcoming album, Carnaval de Luz, which features Dolly Parton’s final recording on Torn.
A deeply emotional moment arrived when Bono paid tribute to Glen Hansard, the legendary Dublin musician who tragically passed away in July. The Edge took lead vocals for a moving cover of Falling Slowly. For the encore, under an inky blue evening sky, the band accepted a fan request and played 40 from their 1983 record War.
Enduring Artistry Against a Changing Dublin Skyline
Las Vegas Sphere and Glen Hansard Tribute
The surprise anniversary concert offered a sharp contrast to the glamour of the Las Vegas Sphere, bringing a rare, salient sense of innocence and community in the air where people across ages and backgrounds were united by song. Young children watched history unfold from their parents’ shoulders along the barricaded thoroughfare, with a group of Spanish tourists looking on in bewilderment and asking, “U Dos?”
“The greatest band in the world,” replied an older lady with a smile. “Before your time.”
September 1976 to Artane Kitchen
Reflecting on the milestone, the band’s journey from a simple notice board note reading ‘Drummer seeks musicians to form band’ on an ordinary Saturday in September 1976 to remaining one of the world’s bestselling musical acts and greatest bands of all time continues to anchor generations of fans.
