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Bono and Adam Clayton performing at Bewley's. Alamy Stock Photo
rattle and bun
U2 continue 50th 'birthday' celebrations with second gig of the day from Bewley's balcony
Earlier, the group took to a makeshift stage in the yard of their former school as they celebrated five decades in business.
LAST UPDATE | 25 Sep
THE FOUR MEMBERS of U2 took to the balcony of Bewley’s on Grafton Street this evening for the second of two ‘secret’ Dublin gigs marking the 50th anniversary of the band’s formation.
It followed a separate gig for the students and staff of their former school, across the Liffey at Mount Temple, earlier this afternoon.
Fans started to gather outside the landmark city centre café from mid-afternoon after the group’s team were spotted setting up equipment.
Meanwhile, journalists – including a large number of reporters who had flown in from across Europe – were played tracks from U2′s upcoming album at a venue nearby.
Those tracks included the group’s duet with the late Dolly Parton. The track, Torn, was described to the room as a heartfelt ballad about a matriarch worried about two family members being driven apart by rival populist politicians.
Amongst the songs played out in the venue, it received by far the best reception from the gathered media.
As the listening party ended, the band themselves were gearing up around the corner – with Bono and co emerging to a rapturous reception shortly before seven.
The group launched into I Will Follow and another early track, Out of Control, with the veteran frontman adding snippets of ‘It’s My Birthday and I’ll Cry if I Want to’.
U2 playing their second 'surprise' gig of the day, from the balcony of Bewleys of Grafton Street. pic.twitter.com/aW1GOIoWVt
— Daragh Brophy (@DaraghBroph) September 25, 2026
Several thousand fans, including hundreds of delighted tourists, were packed into the street for the concert.
Gardaí had a large section of Grafton Street cordoned off, and were operating a ‘one-in, one out’ policy as the crowd ballooned.
Mount Temple
It’s fifty years since the group’s drummer, Larry Mullen, placed his ‘drummer seeks musicians’ note on the Mount Temple noticeboard.
Taking to a concrete ledge in the corner of the school’s yard at two this afternoon, the group played to a crowd of around a thousand students, staff, media and invited guests.
Mid-way through the set, Bono introduced Larry as “the man who pinned the note on the noticeboard” and bassist Adam Clayton as “the streaker of the green corridor”.
Again, they played a mix of their earliest songs and biggest hits including I Will Follow, Vertigo and Beautiful Day.
They also gave the first live performance of their new single Silencio.
As the band closed their main set with One, Bono introduced a group of young harpists, violin and viola players who had been taught via the Music Generation programme, which U2 co-funds alongside the Irish state.
After a short break and loud cheers and chants, they returned to the stage one last time to play a re-arranged version of With Our Without You.
Delighted to be off lessons for the afternoon, the Mount Temple students waved towards cameras and held up homemade placards.
“Thanks for showing up,” Bono told the students.
“I suppose you’d nowhere else to go.”
Friends and family of the band were seated in a separate section – including former manager Paul McGuinness, painter and sculptor Guggi, who grew up alongside the group, and broadcaster Dave Fanning, who was among the first to play the band’s music on radio.
The group announced a new album, Carnaval De Luz, earlier this week. Their first studio album in nine years, it will be released in November.
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