U2 have shared another new single, ‘The Greatest Show On Earth’, and announced the first dates of their 2027 world tour. Listen and find all the details below.
The epic track is the latest preview of the Irish band’s 16th studio album, ‘Carnaval De Luz’, which is released on November 13.
Co-written by U2 and Brian Eno, the song is described as “a story of lovers fighting to keep faith in each other – and faith itself”.
“Love is a business that works at night/ I sold myself for less than was right/ You taught me what I was worth/ In the greatest show on earth,” Bono sings towards the end of the expansive single, boasting towering guitar work from The Edge. “Made a profession out of breaking your heart/ You call it lies, I call it art/ I was some of your best work/ We were once the greatest show on earth…”
He adds: “The light scatters things can get worse/ These dark matters of the universe/ Could not compete with us/ We were once the greatest show on earth.”
‘The Greatest Show On Earth’ arrives with an official Anton Corbijn-directed video, filmed in the Californian desert. The black-and-white visuals satirise U2 as a masked religious cult where women do all the heavy lifting.
The track follows on from previous singles ‘Silencio’ and ‘Street Of Dreams’.
U2 have also confirmed the first shows on their 2027 world stadium tour, set to take place in Mexico City, São Paulo and Buenos Aires in February and March. Support at these concerts will come from Beck.
“‘The Greatest Show On Earth’? Now that’s a throwdown. It’s a dare, to ourselves as much as anyone, to try and have the best night of anybody’s life,” the group explained in a statement. “A bit of showman, a bit of shaman, a riot of colour, unreasonable guitar, bass and drums, and tunes you can hold onto. Because if people are gonna show up, we certainly are.”
Tickets go on general sale at 10am local time on Thursday October 22 – you’ll be able to buy yours here. Alternatively, U2.com subscribers will be able to access a pre-sale at the same time on Monday (October 19).
Further dates for the UK, Europe and North America are due to be announced in the coming weeks, according to a press release. U2’s upcoming live return to Ireland is currently in the works, too.
23 – Estadio GNP Seguros, Mexico City
26 – Estadio GNP Seguros, Mexico City
10 – Estádio MorumBIS, São Paulo
12 – Estádio MorumBIS, São Paulo
23 – Estadio River Plate, Buenos Aires
26 – Estadio River Plate, Buenos Aires
The forthcoming tour will mark the group’s first full-scale concerts since they wrapped up their residency at Las Vegas’ Sphere in early 2024. Bono and co. revealed last month that they were back in rehearsals for a new stadium tour, with drummer Larry Mullen Jr. making his full return to the stage after undergoing surgery.
The closing number of ‘Carnaval De Luz’, titled ‘Torn’, serves as Dolly Parton’s last-ever recorded performance. Elsewhere on the record, U2 honour the “extraordinary artist” Rosalía on the song ‘The Mirror Maker (Rosalía)’. The Spanish singer said Bono had reached out to ask for her help with some lyrics while working on the track.
In other news, U2 have joined forces with Jack White‘s Third Man Records for a limited edition vinyl version of ‘Carnaval De Luz’.
U2’s previous album, ‘Songs Of Experience’, arrived in 2017. Their collection of reimagined classics, ‘Songs Of Surrender’, was then released in 2023. They shared two EPs – ‘Days Of Ash’ and ‘Easter Lily’ – earlier this year.