- Published
Exactly 50 years after they formed, U2 returned to Dublin to play a gig at the school where they met.
asserted
they → publish → school
”We‘ve escaped from the lab,” declared Bono, as they quartet took to a stage in the playground.
asserted
quartet → escape → playground
“How’s the experiment working for you?”
asserted
experiment → work → you
The pupils of Mount Temple Comprehensive may not have been born when U2 were the world’s biggest band, but they gave them a hero's welcome, waving signs that said, “I love U2“, “It’s a beautiful day - no school”, and, “Bono, my mum says hi!”
uncertain
mum → bear → U2
The group treated them to a career-spanning set that included hits like I Will Follow, Vertigo and With Or Without You, as well as their latest single, Silencio.
asserted
I → treat → You
As they played, teachers pulled down pupils who’d climbed on their classmates' shoulders, before getting swept up in the moment and dancing along themselves.
asserted
who → play → themselves
As he looked out from the same stage where U2 made their debut in 1976, Bono became emotional.
asserted
Bono → look → 1976
“Thanks for, er… Yeah... I didn’t…
asserted
I → do → ?
Wow,” said the frontman, temporarily lost for words.
asserted
frontman → say → words
The U2 story began in those same halls and corridors five decades ago, when 14-year-old Larry Mullen Jr pinned a handwritten note to the school noticeboard.
"Drummer seeks musicians to form band."
Auditions were held a couple of days later, on 25 September, 1976, in Larry's parents' kitchen.
Among the hopeful "misfits", as their school-friend Frank Kearns called them, were Bono, The Edge and Adam Clayton – who arrived wearing a full-length Afghan coat.
asserted
who → begin → coat
Initially called Feedback, and then The Hype, they conquered the world as U2, transforming themselves from a scrappy punk outfit into stadium-conquering rock titans, whose big ideas and big anthems attracted millions of admirers, and almost as many detractors.
asserted
ideas → call → admirers
Speaking to BBC News, Mullen confessed the infamous wanted advert had been his father's idea all along.
asserted
advert → speak → News
"I'd been playing on my own, in my house, and my dad was pretty frustrated," he says.
asserted
he → play → house
"I wasn't very good at many things, and playing the drums was included in that.
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playing → play → that
So I think he, out of frustration, said I should try and play with other people.
asserted
I → think → people
"
"And unfortunately," adds Bono, "he got the three of us."
asserted
he → add → us
Bono, then known as Paul Hewson, had actually been tempted to skip the audition.
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Bono → know → audition
He was two years older, and concerned about looking out of place.
asserted
He → look → place
"I wouldn't be hanging out with second years, and particularly really good-looking ones," he says.
asserted
he → hang → years
Eventually, his friend Reggie Manuel persuaded him to attend, even giving him a lift on his rickety old motorbike.
asserted
friend → persuade → motorbike
"I can tell myself it was a Harley Davidson," the singer jokes, "but really it was a Yamaha DX100."
asserted
it → tell → myself
The first band practice didn't exactly show promise.
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practice → show → promise
Clayton, a bassist who couldn't play bass, was selected on account of having "the best hair".
asserted
who → play → hair
And Bono, who wanted to be the guitarist, didn't bring a guitar.
asserted
who → want → guitar
"I was never any good with gear," he reflects.
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he → reflect → gear
Even so, there were signs the band would attract an adoring legion of fans.
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band → be → fans
Half-way through the rehearsal, a group of screaming girls tried to climb the garden wall.
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group → scream → wall
For Clayton, that was the moment that sealed the deal.
asserted
that → seal → deal
"Larry already had a fan club, and we thought, 'Well, if he's got a fan club, that looks pretty good to us.
asserted
that → have → us
Maybe if we hang out with this guy, it might stretch a little further'.
uncertain
it → hang → guy
"
Mullen, forever the band's stoic moral compass, was not impressed by the invasion.
asserted
Mullen → impress → invasion
"As I recall, Larry Mullen took a hose to the fans," laughs Bono.
asserted
Bono → recall → fans
"I don't know what possessed me," the drummer grimaces, while trying to insist the hosing "was an act of kindness and love because it was a hot day".
asserted
it → know → kindness
"They enjoyed it," he protests.
asserted
he → enjoy → it
Bono jumps in to save his friend's embarrassment….
asserted
Bono → jump → embarrassment
He doesn't even want to have fans, but we quite like them."
asserted
we → want → them
From that kitchen in Rosemount Avenue, U2 became the world's biggest rock band.
asserted
U2 → become → Avenue
Anthems like With Or Without You, One and Beautiful Day have always sounded majestic yet personal; powered by The Edge's cascading guitar tone and Bono's lyrics which, for all their proselytising, remain grounded in a belief in humanity.
asserted
which → sound → humanity
They made a stylistic swerve in the 1990s, embracing electronics, dance music and irony on the albums Achtung Baby, Zooropa and Pop.
asserted
They → make → albums
Along the way, they reinvented stadium concerts with the Zoo TV tour, whose stage was crammed full of multimedia screens and satellite feeds, while Bono made nightly prank calls to the White House.
asserted
Bono → reinvent → House
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
