Timeline of U2

This is a timeline of the history of rock band U2:

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align="center"|Notes
References

Pre-1976

File:MountTempleClock.jpg where Larry Mullen Jr. posted a notice looking for musicians to form a band.]]

13 March 1960: Adam Clayton is born in Chinnor, Oxfordshire.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0165651/ |title=Adam Clayton (I) |website=IMDb |access-date=1 November 2009}}
10 May 1960: Paul David Hewson (Bono) is born in Dublin.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0095104/ |title=Bono |website=IMDb |access-date=1 November 2009}}
8 August 1961: David Howell Evans (The Edge) is born in Essex.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0857253/ |title=The Edge |website=IMDb |access-date=1 November 2009}}
31 October 1961: Larry Mullen Jr. is born in Artane, Dublin.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0611979/ |title=Larry Mullen Jr. |website=IMDb |access-date=1 November 2009}}
10 September 1974: Bono's mother, Iris Hewson, dies of a brain aneurysm in Dublin four days after collapsing at her father's funeral.Stokes (1996), p. 140.
Autumn{{When|date=October 2022}}: Paul Hewson and his neighbourhood friends form the "Lypton Village," in which they create their own language, dress differently, and put on art installations. The group nicknames Hewson Bono after a Dublin hearing aid store.McGee (2008), p. 9

1976

25 September: The band that will become U2 forms in Dublin after Mullen posts a notice seeking musicians for a new band on the Mount Temple Comprehensive School notice board. Attending the first practice are Mullen (playing drums), The Edge and his older brother Dik Evans (playing guitar), the Evans brothers' friend Adam Clayton (playing bass guitar), Bono (performing lead vocals), and Mullen's friends Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin.Chatterton (2001), p. 130
September{{When|date=October 2022}}: The band name themselves "Feedback" because it was one of the few technical terms they knew.McCormick (2006), p. 30
Autumn{{When|date=October 2022}}: Martin leaves the band after the first practice, and McCormick leaves within a few weeks.
Late 1976{{When|date=October 2022}}: Feedback give their first public performance at a talent contest held in the school canteen.Parra (1996), p. 6.

1977

April{{When|date=October 2022}}: Feedback play their first gig for a paying audience at St. Fintan's High School.McGee (2008), pp.11-12
April{{When|date=October 2022}}: Feedback change their name to "The Hype".

1978

February: The Hype record a performance of "The Fool" for the RTÉ programme, Our Times.
March: The Our Times performance airs, marking the band's first television appearance.McGee (2008), p. 14
4 March: The band played their last concert as The Hype at Presbyterian Hall in Sutton. During the performance, Dik Evans ceremonially leaves the stage, and the remaining four members play a set as "U2".McCormick (2006), pp. 46–48{{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}}
18 March: As a four-piece playing under the name "U2", the band win a talent show in Limerick, Ireland. The prize is £500 and studio time to record a demo for CBS Ireland.{{cite web|title=Limerick appeal for U2 to lend helping hand with gig|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-20259192.html|newspaper = The Irish Examiner|date=19 Feb 2014|first=Jimmy|last=Woulfe|accessdate=16 March 2022}}
28 April: Bill Graham publishes his first interview with U2 in Hot Press.{{cite journal| last = Graham | first = Bill | title = Yep, It's U2 | journal= Hot Press| date = 28 April 1978|url = http://www.atu2.com/news/yep-its-u2.html | access-date =5 November 2009}}
April{{When|date=October 2022}}: U2 record their first demo tape at Keystone Studios, Dublin.Wall, Mick, (2005). Bono. Andre Deutsch Publishers. {{ISBN|978-0-233-00159-3}} (Promotional edition published by Paperview UK is association with the Irish Independent), p. 45

File:Paul McGuinness crop.jpg

25 May 1978: Paul McGuinness agrees to become U2's manager.Stokes (1996), p. 140; McCormick (2006), pp. 53–56
9 September 1978: U2 play in support of The Stranglers at the Top Hat Ballroom, their biggest gig to date. They are paid £50.
November 1978: Mullen's mother, Maureen Mullen, is killed in a car accident.
December 1978: U2 play in support of The Greedy Bastards, a band made up of members of Sex Pistols, Thin Lizzy, and Boomtown Rats, at the Stardust nightclub in Dublin.Stokes (1996), p. 140.

1979

February: Using borrowed money, Bono travels to London to plug U2 at the offices of record companies and music magazines.
May: U2 play the first of six-afternoon concerts at the Dandelion Market in Dublin. Organised for young people prohibited from the venues U2 normally play, the concerts greatly expand their Dublin audience.de la Parra (1994), p. 8; Stokes (1996), p. 140.
September: U2's first release, an Ireland-only EP entitled Three, becomes the band's first Irish chart success.de la Parra (1994), p. 8
5 October: U2 play their first television performance on RTÉ at a televised concert at the Cork Opera House.
26 October: U2 are featured on the cover of Hot Press magazine.
1 November: U2 receive their first cover story outside Ireland in British magazine Record Mirror.
1 December: With £3,000 borrowed from family and friends, U2 begin a two-week tour of London clubs, their first shows outside Ireland.{{Citation

| last = McCullough | first =David | title = Honesty goes out of control | newspaper = Sounds magazine | date = 8 December 1979 | url = http://www.atu2.com/news/honesty-goes-out-of-control.html | access-date = 4 November 2009}}; Stokes (1996), p. 140.

1980

File:Windmill Lane Studio.jpg where U2 recorded their first album]]

15 January: U2 perform "Stories for Boys" live on The Late Late Show.
26 February: U2's second single, "Another Day", is released on the CBS label for the Irish market only.Stokes (1996), p. 142; McCormick (2006), p. 88
19 March: U2 share the bill with Berlin and The Virgin Prunes at the Sense of Ireland festival. Record company executives are present.
23 March: U2 sign an international deal with Island Records.
March – September: The band record their first album at Windmill Lane Studios.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
23 May: "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" is released in Ireland, and as the band's first internationally released single, in the UK.Stokes (1996), p. 142
27 July: U2 play their first open-air festival to an audience of 15,000 at Leixlip Castle in Kildare. The Police top the bill which includes Squeeze and Q-Tips.
August: "A Day Without Me" is released as a single.
6 September – 4 December: The band play a 57-date tour of Europe.Parra (1996), pp. 15–17.
27 September: U2 support Echo and the Bunnymen in London's Lyceum Ballroom.
October: "I Will Follow" is released as a single and peaks at number 20 on the Mainstream Rock charts.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
14 October: The band play to a small audience in KRO Studios in Hilversum, The Netherlands. The show is broadcast the following day to coincide with the following day's first mainland European concert.
15 October: U2 play their first continental Europe gig at Melkweg ("The Milkyway") in Amsterdam.
19 October: U2 play the Lyceum Ballroom, opening for Slade with the hardcore punk fame Discharge and Last Words.{{cite web |url=http://www.u2theearlydayz.com/19101980-lyceum-ballroom-london2.html |title=Ghostown The Dublin music scene 1976 - 1980 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628181538/http://www.u2theearlydayz.com/19101980-lyceum-ballroom-london2.html |archive-date=28 June 2017 |df=dmy-all }}{{cite web |url=http://www.sladeinengland.co.uk/Press/live%20reviews/slade_lyceum_ballroom_80.htm |title=Slade/ U2/ Discharge Lyceum}}{{cite web |url=https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2741/5762178825_e25ff62cb6_b.jpg |title=Slade/ U2/ Discharge show flyer at the Lyceum Ballroom |access-date=29 June 2018 |archive-date=29 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629211254/https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2741/5762178825_e25ff62cb6_b.jpg |url-status=dead }}
20 October: The band's debut album, Boy, is released in Ireland and the United Kingdom. It peaks at No. 52 on the British charts.
6 December: U2 play their first American concert at The Ritz in New York City as part of a 14-date tour.Parra (1996), p. 17.
9 December: U2 perform their debut concert in Canada the day after John Lennon's death. The angry and emotional performance receives glowing reviews in Canadian media.

1981

24 January – 28 February: U2 play dates in the United Kingdom and play their first tour of continental Europe.de la Parra (2003), pp. 18–19
3 March: Boy is released in the United States.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
3 March – 31 May: U2 commence their first major tour of the United States playing almost 60 dates across the country largely in clubs.Parra (1996), pp.19–24.
4 June: U2 make their American television debut on the Tomorrow Show to promote the Boy album. Bono and the Edge are interviewed briefly by host Tom Snyder and the band plays "I Will Follow" and an incomplete version of "Twilight" during the credits
July: The single "Fire" is released.
July – August: The band record their second album at Windmill Lane Studios, in Dublin. The sessions are complicated after the briefcase containing Bono's lyrics was lost earlier in the year during a show in Portland, Oregon.
5 October: "Gloria" is released as a single and makes the UK charts.Parra (1996), p. 25. The video for "Gloria" is directed by Meiert Avis and shot in the Canal Basin in Dublin.
12 October: The band's second album, October, is released.{{Cite web |url=http://u2.com/discography/index/album/albumId/4001/tagName/studio_albums |title=U2 > Discography > Albums > October |access-date=1 November 2009 |archive-date=3 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703021918/https://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/albumId/4001/tagName/studio_albums |url-status=dead }} During the album's recording sessions, Bono and The Edge left the band due to spiritual conflicts, and U2 ceased to exist for a brief period of time.{{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}} The album received mixed reviews and limited radio play. It enters the UK charts at number 11.

1982

March: The single "A Celebration" is released.
18 July: U2 support Rory Gallagher at Punchestown Racecourse festival where acts such as Simple Minds and Phil Lynott were also on the bill.
31 August: Bono marries high school sweetheart, Alison Stewart, in Raheny, Dublin. They honeymoon in Jamaica where Bono reportedly works on the lyrics for the new album.{{Cite book |title=U2 by U2 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=978-0-06-077674-9 |last1=Bono |author-link1=Bono |last2=The Edge |author-link2=The Edge |last3=Clayton |first3=Adam |author-link3=Adam Clayton |last4=Mullen |first4=Larry Jr. |author-link4=Larry Mullen Jr. |date=9 October 2007}}
1 December: The pre-War Tour begins in Glasgow, Scotland.{{cite web |url=http://u2tours.com/find.src?TOUR=Pre-War&Concert=&x=11&y=9 |title=U2 tour details |date=1 January 2000 |access-date=29 February 2008 |archive-date=1 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301075314/http://u2tours.com/find.src?TOUR=Pre-War&Concert=&x=11&y=9 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://podcast.atu2.com/index.php?post_id=312271 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080423002215/http://podcast.atu2.com/index.php?post_id=312271 |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 April 2008 |title=@U2 Podcast, Edition 4–2 "The @U2 Warcast |date=29 February 2008 |access-date=29 February 2008 }}

1983

January: The new album's first single, "New Year's Day" is released and becomes the band's first hit outside Ireland or the UK."New Year's Day" reached number ten on the UK charts, and received extensive radio coverage in the US, almost breaking that country's Top 50. (McCormick (2006), p. 139); {{cite web | url = http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=892 | title = Songfacts: New Year's Day by U2 | publisher = Songfacts.com | access-date = 6 September 2007}}
29 January: The band hire Willie Williams to be part of the design team of the forthcoming tour, beginning a creative relationship that lasts more than forty years.
28 February: The band release their third album War.Stokes (1996), p. 36 which debuts at number one in the UK.
11 March: The single "Two Hearts Beat as One" is releasedStokes (1996), p. 142. in Europe, North America, and Australia. In Germany and The Netherlands, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is released instead.
23 April: The American leg of the War Tour starts in Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
30 May: US Festival at Glen Helen Regional Park, San Bernardino, CA, USA {{cite web | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/u2-at-the-us-festival-in-1983-premiere-20131119 | title = U2 at the US Festival in 1983 – Premiere | date = 19 November 2013 | publisher = rollingstone.com | access-date = 3 June 2015}}
5 June: U2 plays in the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
12 July: The Edge marries Aislinn O'Sullivan with Bono serving as best man.
November: The live mini album Under a Blood Red Sky is released alongside the video of the Denver concert, Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky.{{cite web | url = http://netmusiccountdown.com/inc/artist.php?artist=U2 | title = Net Music Countdown: U2 | publisher = netmusiccountdown.com | access-date = 6 September 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070820163335/http://www.netmusiccountdown.com/inc/artist.php?artist=U2 | archive-date = 20 August 2007 | url-status = dead }}
22 November: U2 play their first Japanese concert, debuting in Osaka.

File:U2 21081983 01 800b.jpg, Norway, near the end of the War Tour on 21 August 1983.]]

30 November: The War Tour ends.
December: U2 is voted "Band of the Year" in the Rolling Stone magazine writer's poll.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}

1984

1984: U2 re-sign with Island Records under far more lucrative terms.{{cite magazine | last = Connelly | first = Christopher | title = Keeping the Faith | magazine = Rolling Stone | date = 14 March 1984 }}
7 May – 5 June: U2 work on their fourth album at Slane Castle. The band hired Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois as producers.
6 June – 7 August: U2 complete work on their fourth album at Windmill Lane Studios.McGee (2008), p. 75
4 July: The Edge's wife Aislinn gives birth to their first child, Hollie.
1 August: U2 establish Mother Records.
29 August: The band's first tour of Australia and New Zealand begins in Christchurch. Dubbed, "Under Australian Skies Tour", it comprises 15 concerts with Australian band Matt Finish and a largely War Tour setlist is played.
September: "Pride (In the Name of Love)" is released as the album's first single and becomes the band's biggest hit to that point, including being their first to enter the U.S. top 40.Graham, (2004), pp. 23–24
1 October: U2's fourth album, The Unforgettable Fire, is released.Parra, Pimm Jal de la U2 Live: A Concert Documentary, pp. 52–55, 1996, Harper Collins Publishers, {{ISBN|0-7322-6036-1}}
October – November: The Unforgettable Fire Tour plays 21 shows in halls and arenas in Western Europe.Parra (1994), pp. 55–58
1 December: The band play 10 dates in major United States cities. Demand for tickets significantly outstrip supply indicating that U2 will no longer be able to play these smaller theatres and halls.Parra (1994), pp. 58–60.

1985

1985: Rolling Stone magazine calls U2 the "Band of the 80s", saying that "for a growing number of rock-and-roll fans, U2 have become the band that matters most, maybe even the only band that matters".Peake, Steve. [http://80music.about.com/od/artistsqu/p/u2profile.htm U2, the Only Band that Mattered in the '80s?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070221215317/http://80music.about.com/od/artistsqu/p/u2profile.htm |date=21 February 2007 }} about.com. Retrieved 31 January 2007.
January – February: The band play 13 shows in Western Europe. The leg included 5 shows in Germany and the band's first concert in Italy.Parra (1994), pp. 60–62.
Late February – May: U2 play 40 shows in 29 cities in the United States and Canada. For the first time, the band play solely in arenas with multiple nights in many of the locations.
April: The album's second and final single, "The Unforgettable Fire", is released. It reaches No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 8 on the Dutch singles chart, but does not perform as well in the U.S.
May: The four-track EP Wide Awake in America is released.
Late May – mid July: U2 play nine concerts in the European festival season.
29 June: U2 play a homecoming concert at Dublin's Croke Park, their first headlining show in a stadium.Parra (1996), pp. 71–72.
13 July: U2 perform at the Live Aid benefit concert for Ethiopian famine relief at Wembley Stadium.Kaufman, Gil (29 Jun 2005). [https://web.archive.org/web/20050706052516/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1504968/20050629/story.jhtml Live Aid: A Look Back At A Concert That Actually Changed The World] MTV.com. Retrieved 31 October 2006. The band's performance, which included a 12-minute version of "Bad", is a pivotal point for the band's career,McCormick (2006), p. 164 showing a television audience of millions the personal connection that Bono could make with audiences.de la Parra (2003), pp. 72–73
September: Bono and wife, Ali, volunteer as relief workers for World Vision in Ethiopia.McCormick (2006), pp. 89–90; McGee (2008), p. 167.
15 October: The Edge and wife Aislinn's second child, Arran, is born.McCormick (2006), p. 172.

1986

30 January: Bono and Larry Mullen are interviewed for half an hour on the Irish TV show, TV Gaga, before the band play a song called "Womanfish", a rough early version of "Trip Through Your Wires", and a cover of "Knocking on Heaven's Door".Parra (1996), p. 74.
February: The debut issue of Propaganda, U2's new fan club magazine, is published.McGee (2008), p. 93.
27 February: U2 are among the readers’ choice in Rolling Stone's Music Awards, for Band of the Year. Best Songwriter was Bono, Best Live Performance was U2. In the Critics' Picks, the Band of the Year was U2.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
17 May: U2 play the Self Aid festival in Dublin. The event is organised to create jobs and raise money during Ireland's unemployment crisis.
4–15 June: U2 interrupt writing for their album to serve as a headline act on Amnesty International's A Conspiracy of Hope tour. Rather than distract, the tour adds extra intensity and power to their new music.McCormick (2006), p. 174
3 July: U2 crew member Greg Carroll is killed in a motorcycle accident in Dublin.
10 July: Band members perform at Carroll's burial Kai-iwi Marae in New Zealand.
mid-July: Bono and wife Ali travel to Nicaragua on a visit organised by Central American Mission Partners (CAMP), which is dedicated to human rights and economic development in Latin America. They visit Ernesto Cardenal of the Sandinista government and musician Carlos Mejía Godoy.McGee (2008), p. 98.
19 July: The group listens to President Daniel Ortega speak on the country's Revolution Day.
20 July: Bono is moved by churchgoers calling out the names of loved ones who have died fighting the contras.
late July: Bono and Ali's group flies to El Salvador for 4 to 5 days. They meet the group COMADRES – the Mothers of the Disappeared – a group of women whose children have been killed or disappeared at the hands of the government. As the group walks through a remote rural area north of San Salvador, government troops shoot in their direction, scaring the group.
1 August: The band recommence recording sessions at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin. Bono's first-hand experience of the conflicts in Central America became a central influence on songs such as "Bullet The Blue Sky" and "Mothers of the Disappeared". Motivated by friendships with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and Keith Richards, the band looked back to the roots of rock music, and Bono focused on his skills as a song and lyric writer.McCormick (2006), p. 179; Stokes (1996), p. 141.
October: U2 see blues legend B.B. King play in Dublin and they meet him backstage. The band and King later record the song "When Love Comes to Town".
November: Recording sessions for the new album finish.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}

File:Blue-Joshua 2 - July-2011.jpg, the band's fifth album was named after this plant.]]

14–16 December: U2 travel around the Californian desert with photographer Anton Corbijn and designer Steve Averill, shooting pictures in the desert landscape for the new album's cover. On the evening after the first day's shooting, Corbijn tells the band about Joshua Trees and suggests their use on the sleeve. The following day they find an unusual lone-standing tree, images of which are used for the album sleeve, and the album is named The Joshua Tree.King and Nuala (1998)
late December: U2 call in Steve Lillywhite to remix a few of the new songs which he works on into the new year.

1987

January: U2 complete B-side recordings for the album's single releases, including the tracks "Walk to the Water", "Luminous Times", and "Spanish Eyes".McGee (2008), p. 99.
February: U2 shoot a video for "Red Hill Mining Town",McGee (2008), p. 100. which was intended to be one of the album's singles but it was not released. A video is also shot for "With or Without You" in Dublin.
9 March: U2's fifth studio album, The Joshua Tree, is released and goes to number one in 22 countries.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
21 March: "With or Without You" is released and becomes the band's first number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100.{{cite magazine | last =Pond | first =Steve | title =The Joshua Tree Album Review | magazine =Rolling Stone | date=9 April 1987 | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/u2/albums/album/108063/review/6067670/the_joshua_tree | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070223074443/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/u2/albums/album/108063/review/6067670/the_joshua_tree | url-status = dead | archive-date = 23 February 2007 | access-date = 8 February 2008}}
27 March: U2 perform on the roof of a shop in downtown Los Angeles and film the video for "Where the Streets Have No Name".Parra (1996), p. 79.
30 March: In rehearsals for The Joshua Tree Tour, Bono falls backwards off the stage and his chin is gashed. He still carries the scar. The Joshua Tree enters the US Billboard 200 chart at number 7.Parra (1996), p. 97.
2 April: U2 open The Joshua Tree Tour in Tempe, Arizona. The hot dry desert air affects Bono's voice, and he is barely able to sing on opening night. Concert promoter Barry Fey reads out a statement on behalf of the band denouncing Arizona Governor, Evan Mecham's intention to abolish the Martin Luther King Day holiday in that State.Parra (1996), p. 79.
7 April: The Joshua Tree reaches number one on the US Billboard 200, where it remains for nine weeks.
12 April: Following a concert in Las Vegas, the band film the video clip for "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" in the neon-lit streets.
14 April: Maria McKee performs a duet with Bono on U2's cover of "I Shall Be Released" during their concert in San Diego.
20 April: Bob Dylan joins the band onstage to sing "I Shall Be Released" and "Knocking on Heaven's Door"."[https://web.archive.org/web/20070210114325/http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19870427,00.html Rock's Hottest Ticket]" Time Archive, April 1987. Retrieved on 20 January 2007.
27 April: U2 become the fourth rock band to be featured on the cover of Time magazine,The Beatles, The Band, and The Who were the first three. which declares U2 "Rock's Hottest Ticket".
30 April: U2 play their first headlining stadium show in the United States at the Pontiac Silverdome.Parra (1996), p. 100.
May: Sales of The Joshua Tree surpass seven million.Stokes (1996), p. 204 "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is released and reaches number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
27 May: U2 begin the European leg of the Joshua Tree Tour at the Stadio Flaminio in Rome. Most of the leg's 31 shows are in outdoor stadia.Parra (1996), pp. 103–110.
2 June: After listening to Roy Orbison's "In Dreams" the night before, Bono starts writing a song for Orbison. After that night's show at Wembley Arena, Orbison makes a surprise visit backstage where Bono plays the song, "She's a Mystery to Me" for him.
4 July: The show at the Hippodrome de Vincennes in Paris is filmed for Island Records' 25th birthday celebrations. A canister of tear gas is set off in the crowd causing mild panic and the band interrupt their performance of "With or Without You".Parra (1996), p. 107.
August: "Where the Streets Have No Name" is released as The Joshua Tree's third single.
August: U2 find out that Island Records is in financial difficulties and cannot pay them $5 million in The Joshua Tree royalties. U2 reinvest the unpaid amount into the company in return for an estimated 10% stake in the company.McGee (2008), pp. 108–109.
26 September: U2 rehearse "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" with the New Voices of Freedom in a Harlem church, footage of which later appears in the documentary film Rattle and Hum.McGee (2008), pp. 110–111.
October: Eamon Dunphy's official biography of the band, Unforgettable Fire: The Definitive Biography of U2 is published.McGee (2008), p. 111.
November: "In God's Country" is released as a single in Canada and the US. Import sales are so strong that it charts in the UK.
1 November: The Dalton Brothers make the first of three appearances on The Joshua Tree Tour as support act for U2. A country and western four-piece that plays two songs; they are actually U2 in disguise and all but the front few rows of the audience fail to recognise them.Parra (1994)
8 November: U2 play the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver. The same day, an IRA bomb had killed eleven people at a Remembrance Day ceremony in the Northern Irish town of Enniskillen. During the performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday", Bono condemned the violence and his "Fuck the revolution!" remark earned him the ire of the IRA. This performance and six other songs from the concert are later used in the Rattle and Hum film.
11 November: U2 play an impromptu "Save the Yuppie" concert in Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco as a mock benefit following the October 1987 stock market crash. A cover version of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" is captured for Rattle and Hum. During a performance of "Pride", Bono spray-painted "Rock and Roll Stops the Traffic" on the Vaillancourt Fountain. The city issues a warrant for Bono's arrest and Bono writes a letter of apology.McGee (2008), pp. 112–113
29 November: U2 visit Graceland and footage from the visit is later included in the Rattle and Hum movie.McGee (2008), p. 114
19–20 December: The Joshua Tree Tour concludes with two performances at the Sun Devil Stadium in Arizona. Footage of five songs is later used in Rattle and Hum.

1988

February: U2 move to Los Angeles to work with Phil Joanou on the Rattle and Hum documentary. While in LA, they also record new songs at A&M Studios and STS Studios.Stokes (1996), p. 141.

File:One Tree Hill Auckland by Sajeewa.jpg in 2008.]]

March: "One Tree Hill" is released as a single exclusively in New Zealand.
2 March: At the Grammy Awards, U2 win "Best Vocal of the Year" for "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "Album of the Year" for The Joshua Tree.
May: U2 record additional material for the movie at Dublin's Point Depot. Footage of performances of "Van Diemen's Land" and "Desire" are later used in the movie.
September: "Desire" is released as the new album's first single. It is the band's first number one single in the UK.
10 October: The part live, part studio, double album Rattle and Hum is released.
27 October: The Rattle and Hum film has its world premiere.
November: The Edge joins Bryan Ferry on stage for a surprise appearance at the RDS in Dublin.
6 December: Roy Orbison, for whom Bono and the Edge had recently written "She's a Mystery to Me", dies in the United States before the release of his Mystery Girl album.
17 December: "Angel of Harlem" is released as Rattle and Hum{{'}}s second single.

1989

April: "When Love Comes to Town" is released as Rattle and Hum's third single.
10 May: Bono and Ali's first child, Jordan, is born on Bono's 29th birthday.
13 June: "All I Want is You" is released as Rattle and Hum's fourth and final single. Its release in Australia is delayed until October to coincide with the Lovetown Tour. It reaches number one on the Australian charts.

File:Adam clayton u2 brasilia 2011.jpg

6 August: Adam Clayton is arrested in Dublin on drug charges.
21 September: The Lovetown Tour starts in Australia.
30 December: Towards the end of the Lovetown Tour, Bono says on stage in Dublin that "this is just the end of something for U2" and that "we have to go away and … and dream it all up again".

{{Quote box|width=27%|align=right|quote="It's your future. The only limits are the limits of your imagination. Dream up the kind of world you want to live in. Dream out loud. At high volume.""|source=—Bono, 31 December 1989{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,964182,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210063348/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,964182,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 February 2007 |title=U2: Band on The Run |author=Cocks, Jay |magazine=Time |date=27 April 1987 |author-link=Jay Cocks}}}}

31 December: At midnight, U2 open the last of four Dublin shows with "Where The Streets Have No Name" as the audience counts down the last seconds of the 1980s. The show is played live on radio throughout Europe.McGee (2008), p. 129.

1990

January: U2 begin their longest break to date, which includes a two-year break from public performance.de la Parra (1994), pp. 138–149.
17 January: With the rest of U2 in attendance, Bono inducts The Who into the Rock and Roll Hall of FameMcGee (2008), p. 130.
6 February: The Royal Shakespeare Company's theatrical version of A Clockwork Orange debuts in London. Bono and Edge provide the score.McCormick (2006), p. 215.
18 February: U2 is named Best International Group at the Brit Awards.
March: Bono writes two songs with the Neville Brothers called "Jah Love" and "Kingdom Come".
April: Mullen writes the official anthem of Ireland's 1990 World Cup Football Team. It is released under a Mother Records subsidiary and reaches number one on the Irish Charts.
June: U2 record "Night and Day" for the first of the Red Hot + Blue releases.McGee (2008), p. 131. The song is recorded in Edge's basement and produced by Edge and Paul Barrett.
mid-1990: The band record demos at STS studios in Dublin that later evolve into "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses", "Until the End of the World", "Even Better Than the Real Thing", and "Mysterious Ways".McCormick (2006), pp. 216, 221.
3 October: The band arrive in East Berlin to begin work on a new album. With producers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, they are seeking inspiration and renewal on the eve of German reunification.Flanagan (1995), p. 7
4 October: U2 shoot the music video for "Night and Day" at director Wim Wenders' home in Berlin.McGee (2008), p. 132.
December: U2 do several photo shoots with Anton Corbijn around their hotel and at Hansa Studios, for the new album sleeve and also for publicity shots.McGee (2008), p. 133.
Christmas: The members of U2 get together in Dublin to talk about the group's future after the difficulties of the Berlin sessions. They all agree to continue.

1991

January: The band return to Berlin to finalise some recording work.McGee (2008), p. 134.
9 February: U2 arrive in Tenerife for two weeks of photo and video shoots, which the band hopes will change its image. They dress in masks and join the crowds in the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. It is during this time that the photos of U2 in drag are taken.
late February/March – July: Back in Dublin, U2 rent the Dalkey seaside manor, "Elsinore House", to continue work on the new album.McGee (2008), p. 135.
Easter: The Edge separates from his wife, Aislinn. The pain of their separation strongly influences the album material which is being written.Fricke (1993).Gardner (1994), p. xxv.
17 March: U2 meet with Willie Williams to continue discussions on the band's next tour.
April: Tapes from the album's earlier Berlin session's are leaked and bootlegged.[http://lyrics.interference.com/u2/lyrics/rarities/salome/info.html The Origins and History of Salome] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013130407/http://lyrics.interference.com/u2/lyrics/rarities/salome/info.html |date=13 October 2007 }}
May: U2 sue the Sunday Independent over an October 1990 article based on third-hand reports about U2 behaving badly in a Dublin restaurant. The matter is settled out of court including a printed apology from the paper which says the original article had "no foundation in fact".McGee (2008), p. 136.
mid-May: Island Records announces that it will pursue legal action against anyone selling U2's bootlegged studio tapes. In late May, authorities trace the tapes' distribution to Germany and a factory is shut down.

File:Anton Corbijn (Berlinale 2012).jpg's most famous, and longest standing, association is with U2.]]

June: Anton Corbijn is commissioned for another photo shoot, this time in Dublin, the results of which include the nude photo of Adam Clayton that is used on the album sleeve.
14 June: U2 meets with Willie Williams and Catherine Owens to discuss the next tour. New ideas include placing TV monitors all over the stage and using Trabants as overhead light sources.McGee (2008), p. 137.
July: U2, Anton Corbijn, and designer Steve Averill meet in Morocco for a four-day photo shoot.
7 July: Bono and Ali's second child, Eve, is born.
20 August: Electronic band, Negativland, release a single called "U2" which includes an unauthorised sample of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For".
5 September: Island Records obtain an injunction against the sale and promotion of Negativland's "U2" single.
13 September: Parts of the video for the new album's first single, "The Fly" are shot in Dublin. The rest of the video is shot in London a few weeks later.
21 September: At the deadline for completion of the new album, U2 stay up all night choosing mixes and the album's running order.
22 September: The Edge takes the tapes of the new album to the United States for final mastering.
October: The video of "Mysterious Ways" is shot in Fez in Morocco by director Stéphane Sednaoui, and Anton Corbijn photographs the band.McGee (2008), p. 138
12 October: Actung Baby's first single, "The Fly", is released. It becomes U2's second number one single in the UK.{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/u2/ |title=U2 {{!}} Artist |publisher=Official Charts Company |access-date=13 February 2014}}
19 November: U2 release Achtung Baby.
25 November: "Mysterious Ways" is released as Achtung Baby's second single. The song reaches Number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the band's fourth-highest-charting single.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}

1992

15 January: The Edge inducts The Yardbirds into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On stage he joins Keith Richards, Neil Young, and Jimmy Page for a version of "Big River".Stokes (1996), p. 141; Flanagan (1994).
29 February: The Zoo TV Tour begins in Lakeland, Florida.
March: The third single from Achtung Baby, "One", is released. It reaches number 7 in the UK charts, number 10 in the US charts, and number 1 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks and the US Modern Rock Tracks charts.
5 March: U2 issue a statement denying newspaper reports that the words shown on video screens during performances of "The Fly" include "Bomb Japan Now" and that they have no wish to offend the people of Japan.McGee (2008), pp. 144–145
27 March: Bono orders 10,000 pizzas onstage for the audience at a concert in Detroit. The pizza supplier manages to deliver 100 pizzas.
7 May: The European leg of the Zoo TV tour opens in Paris.
31 May: Bono meets author Salman Rushdie for the first time backstage after a show in London.McGee (2008), p. 148
7 June: The fourth single from Achtung Baby, "Even Better Than the Real Thing" is released. It reaches number 32 in the US and number 12 in the UK. A remix version reaches number 8 in the UK.
11 June: In a Stockholm show, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson from ABBA join the band for a performance of "Dancing Queen".
19 June: U2 play the "Stop Sellafield" show in Manchester. They play alongside Kraftwerk, Public Enemy, and Big Audio Dynamite II in protest against the operation of a second nuclear reactor at Sellafield. The following day, the band participate in a demonstration organised by Greenpeace whereby protesters land on the beach at Sellafield in rubber dinghies and display 700 placards for the waiting media.McGee (2008), p. 148.
29 June: Bono records a solo version of "Can't Help Falling in Love".McGee (2008), p. 150.

File:1993 - Zooropa Tour 1993-05-15 - Lisbon mysterious ways em alvalade 93 640.jpg performing a belly dance in 1993.]]

7 August: After three weeks of stage erection and a week of rehearsals, U2 provide a public rehearsal. Morleigh Steinberg makes her debut as the belly dancer in "Mysterious Ways".
12 August: The Outside Broadcast leg of the Zoo TV tour opens in New Jersey.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
August: The fifth and final single from Achtung Baby, "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses", is released.
28 August: During a New York interview with Rockline, US presidential candidate Bill Clinton contacts U2 live on air.

1993

20 January: Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton attend the inauguration of United States President Bill Clinton in Washington. That evening, together with R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe and Mike Mills, they perform "One" at the MTV 1993 Rock and Roll Inaugural Ball. They dub the one-off group, "Automatic Baby", after merging the names of the bands' most recent albums Automatic for the People and Achtung Baby.Parra (1994), p. 159.
February: U2 start recording new material in Dublin.
23 February: Bono brings model Naomi Campbell to a U2 organisation party to meet Adam Clayton, who has a crush on Campbell. They start dating over the following days.McGee (2008), p. 159; Flanagan (1995)
24 February: Achtung Baby: wins "Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Group or Duo" but loses "Album of the Year" to Eric Clapton's Unplugged.
4 March: In Rolling Stone magazine's readers' poll U2 win Best Band, Artist of the Year, Comeback of the Year, Best Tour, Best Album, and Best Album Cover, and Best Single (for "One"). Bono is voted Best Male Singer, Best Songwriter and Sexiest Male Artist. Mullen is voted Best Drummer and Edge and Clayton are runners up in their respective categories. Critics are slightly less enthusiastic.McGee (2008), p. 159.
Late April: Having almost finished the Zooropa album, U2 rehearse for the European concerts.
9 May: Dubbed "Zooropa", the Zoo TV Tour recommences with a European stadium leg starting in Rotterdam. U2 play to 2,100,000 people over 43 shows.Parra (1996), p. 160. The concert includes the premier of Bono's new alter-ego MacPhisto.Parra (1996), p. 161. Throughout the month of May, the band often fly back to Dublin following concerts to finalise mixing of the Zooropa album.Parra (1996), p. 163.
June: "Numb" is released as the first single from the new album. It is released on video only.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
5 July: U2 release Zooropa.
14 July: At a concert in Marseille, Bono's holds the first of a number of live on-stage interviews with documentary maker Bill Carter who is in the besieged city of Sarajevo.Parra (1996), p. 166.
11 August: Author Salman Rushdie, the subject of a death Fatwa, joins U2 on stage in front of 70,000 people at Wembley Stadium.
28 August: On the final Zooropa concert in Dublin, Clayton's fiancée, model Naomi Campbell appears on stage.Parra (1996), p. 170.
September: "Lemon" is released as the second single from Zooropa.
3 September: At the MTV awards in Los Angeles, The Edge makes his first ever solo appearance where he performs "Numb" in front of a miniature version of the Zoo TV set.
November: Bono records the vocal for his duet with Frank Sinatra on "I've Got You Under My Skin" in Dublin.
12 November: U2 commence the "Zoomerang" leg of Zoo TV in Melbourne.Parra (1996), p. 172.
22 November: "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" is released as Zooropa's third single.
26 November: Adam Clayton doesn't play the first of two concerts in Sydney. Bono tells the audience that he is suffering from a virus and his guitar technician Stuart Morgan fills in. It is the first time a member of U2 has missed a performance. It is later revealed that Clayton was too hungover to play.
27 November: The second Sydney concert is filmed and shown around the world as a pay per view TV show. The concert video is released the following year on VHS.Parra (1996), p. 172.
10 December: U2 play the final gig of the Zoo TV tour at the Tokyo Dome.

1994

February: U2 issue a writ challenging the Performing Rights Society on their exclusive rights to collect songwriting royalties for song performances.
March: Zooropa wins "Best Alternative Album" award at the Grammys.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}

{{Quote box|width=27%|align=right|quote="It was my idea to relocate to New York for the year off and start a new life as non-drinker, which is commonly known as 'doing the geographic'. It was surprisingly easy to stop but it was difficult to stay stopped."|source=—Adam Clayton on quitting alcohol.}}

1994: Clayton and Mullen move to New York City to study music.
April: Mullen and Clayton record four tracks with Nanci Griffith for her Flyer album.
17 May: The Zoo TV concert film, Zoo TV: Live from Sydney, is released in Europe and Australia.
November: U2 and Brian Eno record new music over two weeks in a West London studio.

1995

February: Bono and the Edge record "North and South of the River" with Christy Moore.
Mid-1995: U2, Brian Eno, and Howie B form Passengers and spend five weeks recording in Dublin.
1 June: U2 release the single, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me", which features in the Batman Forever soundtrack. It reaches Number 2 in the UK, Number 16 in America, and Number 1 in Australia and Ireland.
12 September: Bono, The Edge and Brian Eno premiere "Miss Sarajevo" at the annual Pavarotti and Friends concert in Modena, Italy.

{{Quote box |align=right|width=27%|quote="I love it, because it's so different to our normal work."|source=—The Edge on Original Soundtracks 1|style=padding:8px;}}

7 November: The Passengers album Original Soundtracks 1 is released worldwide. "Miss Sarajevo" featuring Luciano Pavarotti was the only single from the release. On the same day, Tina Turner releases the theme for the new James Bond film GoldenEye, written by Bono and the Edge, on Capitol Records.

1996

January: U2 begin working on a new album in Dublin.
April: The band move to Miami for further work on the album.
1 May: Clayton and Mullen release their version of the Mission: Impossible theme track. It enters the charts in the Top 10 in the US, the UK, and other countries.
11 May: Hot Press journalist Bill Graham dies at his home in Howth. The band fly back to Dublin from America to attend the funeral.

1997

3 February: "Discothèque" is released as the first single from Pop.
4 March: U2 release Pop. The album debuts at number one in 35 countries and drew mainly positive reviews.{{cite magazine | url = http://www.u2.com/music/index.php?mode=full&news_id=1111&news_type=review | title = (U2 have) relaxed sufficiently to allow a certain funk into their music... | magazine = NME | access-date = 31 October 2006 | archive-date = 27 September 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927201511/http://www.u2.com/music/index.php?mode=full&news_id=1111&news_type=review | url-status = dead }}; {{cite web | url = http://www.u2.com/music/index.php?mode=full&news_id=1110&news_type=review | date = 28 February 2007 | title = U2 have not reinvented themselves so much as rediscovered themselves... | work = Sunday Times (UK) | access-date = 31 October 2006 | archive-date = 27 September 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927201453/http://www.u2.com/music/index.php?mode=full&news_id=1110&news_type=review | url-status = dead }}{{cite magazine|title =Rolling Stone Pop Review| magazine = Rolling Stone| issue = 756 |date=March 1997| url =http://www.u2station.com/news/archives/1997/03/index.php| access-date = 8 February 2008}} Sales were poor compared to previous U2 releases.{{cite web|url=http://www.andrewmueller.net/display.lasso?id=88 |title=U2's Pop reconsidered |author=Mueller, Andrew |publisher=andrewmueller.net |access-date=7 January 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031100932/http://www.andrewmueller.net/display.lasso?id=88 |archive-date=31 October 2007 }}; {{cite web | url = http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/reviews/2002/thebestof19902000.html | title = The Best of 1990–2000 – U2 | work = Christianity Today | author= Breimeier, Russ| date = November 2002 | access-date = 7 January 2008}}
15 April: "Staring at the Sun" is released as Pop's second single.

File:U2 PopMart Tour, Belfast, August 1997 (04).jpg

25 April: The PopMart Tour commences in Las Vegas.
14 July: "Last Night on Earth" is released as the third single from Pop.
8 September: The live EP PopHeart is released.
20 September: U2 play a PopMart show at the Festival Site in Reggio Emilia, Italy to an estimated 150,000 people, making it the biggest concert on the entire PopMart Tour.
23 September: U2 play a concert in Sarajevo; they are the first major group to perform there following the Bosnian War.[http://www.rockonthenet.com/artists-u/u2_main.htm Rock On The Net: U2] rockonthenet.com. Retrieved 31 October 2006 Mullen described the concert 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."[http://entertainment.msn.com/news/article.aspx?news=106185&mpc=2 U asked U2!] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103141658/http://entertainment.msn.com/news/article.aspx?news=106185&mpc=2 |date=3 November 2007 }} msn.com. Retrieved 15 January 2007; Furthermore, Bono described the show as "one of the toughest and one of the sweetest nights of my life". ([http://www.u2station.com/news/archives/1997/09/index.php Bono in Conversation.] The Independent (26 September 1997). Retrieved 15 January 2007)
20 October: "Please" is released as the fourth single from Pop.
8 December: "If God Will Send His Angels" and "Mofo" are released as the fifth and final singles respectively.

1998

21 March: The PopMart Tour concludes in Johannesburg, South Africa.
26 April: One month following the conclusion of the PopMart Tour, U2 appeared on the 200th episode of The Simpsons, "Trash of the Titans", in which Homer Simpson disrupted the band on stage during a PopMart concert.{{cite news |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1435008/19980424/u2.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080229161641/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1435008/19980424/u2.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 February 2008 |title=U2 And Homer Share Stage In "Simpsons" 200th Episode |publisher=MTV |date=14 August 1997 |access-date=9 May 2008}}
19 October: "Sweetest Thing" is released as a single.
9 November: The Best of 1980–1990 B-Sides is released.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
22 November: The PopMart: Live from Mexico City video is released.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
20 November: U2 appear on The Late Late Show in Dublin for the Omagh Tribute.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
23 December: Larry Mullen Jr and partner Ann Acheson have a baby girl whom they name Ava after the actress Ava Gardner.

1999

17 August: Bono and wife Ali have a baby boy who is named Elijah Bob Patricius Guggi Q.

2000

9 October: "Beautiful Day" is released as a single, debuting at Number 1 in Australia, Canada and the UK, and at Number 21 in the US.
30 October: All That You Can't Leave Behind is released. For many of those not won over by the band's 1990s music, it was considered a return to grace;[https://www.theguardian.com/friday_review/story/0,,388228,00.html#article_continue Time to Get the Leathers Out.] Guardian.co.uk (27 October 2000). Retrieved on 31 October 2006 Rolling Stone called it U2's "third masterpiece" alongside The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby.{{cite magazine| last = Hunter | first = James | title = Review: All That You Can't Leave Behind |magazine=Rolling Stone |issue = 853 |date=26 October 2000 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/232369/all_that_you_cant_leave_behind |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071002091512/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/232369/all_that_you_cant_leave_behind |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 October 2007 |access-date = 8 February 2008}} The album debuted at number one in 22 countries.{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20100206013542/http://www.therockradio.com/u2/biography.html The Rock Radio: U2 biography.]}} therockradio.com. Retrieved 31 October 2006.

2001

22 February: The single "Beautiful Day" wins 3 Grammy Awards. {{Citation needed|date=November 2009}} U2 perform in a scaled-down setting, returning to arenas after nearly a decade of stadium productions. A heart-shaped stage and ramp permitted greater proximity to the audience.
29 February: "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" is released as the second single from All That You Can't Leave Behind.
24 March: American Leg of the Elevation Tour starts in Miami, Florida.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
20 May: Bono and Ali have their fourth child, a son named John Abraham.
12 June: "Elevation" is released as the third single from the album.
7 July: European Leg of the Elevation Tour starts in Copenhagen, Denmark.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
21 August: Bono's father, Brendan Robert 'Bob' Hewson, dies of cancer on the day of U2's third performance at Earl's Court Arena in London, England. However, "the show goes on", with Aung San Suu Kyi appearing in a new video before "Bullet the Blue Sky".
25 August: U2 play two sold-out concerts at Slane Castle.
10 October: U2 commence the second American leg of the Elevation Tour. Following the September 11 attacks, the new album gained added resonance.{{Cite magazine |title = The RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time |date = 30 November 2003 |url = https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6598735/139_all_that_you_cant_leave_behind |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061214084908/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6598735/139_all_that_you_cant_leave_behind |url-status = dead |archive-date = 14 December 2006 |access-date =2 February 2008 |magazine = Rolling Stone}}; McCormick (2006), pp. 308–309 U2 perform at Madison Square Garden in New York City from 24 to 27 October.
19 November: "Walk On" is released as All That You Can't Leave Behind's fourth and final single. The song is written about Aung San Suu Kyi and dedicated to her.

2002

3 February: U2 perform during the Super Bowl XXXVI halftime show,de la Parra (2003), p. 268 which SI.com ranked as the best half-time show in Super Bowl history.{{cite magazine | url = http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0901/top.10.super.bowl.halftime.shows/content.10.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090130022810/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0901/top.10.super.bowl.halftime.shows/content.10.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 30 January 2009 | title = Top 10 Super Bowl Halftime shows | magazine = Sports Illustrated | access-date = 1 February 2009}}
27 February: U2 win 4 Grammy Awards for All That You Can't Leave Behind.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
13 March: Bono meets President Bush at the White House as the U.S. pledges development boost.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
May: Bono tours 4 African countries with the U.S. Treasury Secretary, Paul O'Neill.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
September: Bono appears on The Oprah Winfrey Show and urges Oprah's audience to take action in the fight against AIDS in Africa.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
21 October: "Electrical Storm" is released as a single.
12 November: The Best of 1990–2000 is released.
December: Bono and DATA begin the Heart of America tour.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}

2003

8 February: The exhibit "In the Name of Love: Two Decades of U2" opens at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
February: Bono receives the 'Knight of the Legion of Honour' medal from French President Jacques Chirac.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
March: U2 perform "The Hands That Built America" live at the Academy Awards.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
April: Bono is on the cover of Time Magazine as one of a group of great European Heroes.
21 June: U2 perform "One" and "Pride" live at the Opening Ceremony of the 11th Special Olympics World Summer Games; Nelson Mandela joins them on stage at Dublin's Croke Park.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
17 November U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle, a concert film from the European leg of U2's Elevation Tour is released. Bono dedicates a performance of "Kite" to his father, who had died on 21 August 2001, several days before the concert.

2004

January: The single "Take Me to the Clouds Above", a house-pop collaboration by LMC vs U2, is released.
16 September: Bono is nominated a third time for the Nobel Peace Prize.
8 November: The new album's first single, "Vertigo", is released. It reaches number 1 on the UK Singles Chart, number 1 on the Billboard charts, and number 5 on the Australian charts.

File:IPod U2.jpeg.]]

23 November: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is released. The album debuted at number one in the U.S. where first week sales doubled that of All That You Can't Leave Behind and set a record for the band.[http://www.rockonthenet.com/artists-u/u2_main.htm Rock On The Net: U2] rockonthenet.com. Retrieved 31 October 2006. The same day, The Complete U2 digital box set is released by Apple on the iTunes Store. It is the first major release of a purely digital online set by any artist. It contains the complete set of U2 albums and singles, and also contains live, rare and previously unreleased material from 1978 to 2004, with a total of 446 songs.{{cite web|url=http://www.u2wanderer.org/?p=356|title=Happy Holidays and RIP The Complete U2|date=20 December 2007|access-date=21 December 2007|publisher=U2Wanderer.org}} The release accompanies a U2 Special Edition iPod.

2005

2005: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and its singles won Grammy Awards in all eight categories in which U2 were nominated.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
7 February: "All Because of You" and "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" are released as the second and third singles from the album in North America and Europe respectively.
March: Bruce Springsteen inducted U2 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4349877.stm U2 stars enter rock Hall of Fame] bbc.co.uk (15 March 2005). Retrieved 17 January 2007; [http://www.u2station.com/news/archives/2005/03/transcript_bruc.php Transcript: Bruce Springsteen Inducts U2 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.] u2station.com. Retrieved 17 January 2007

File:2005-05-17 U2 @ CAA by ZG.JPG

28 March: The Vertigo Tour commences in San Diego, California.
22 April: U2.COMmunication is released to subscribers of U2.com.{{cite web |url=http://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/tagName/U2.com+Limited+Editions/albumId/4100 |title=U2.Communication (22 Apr, 2005) |work=U2.com |publisher=Live Nation |year=2005 |access-date=11 October 2013 |archive-date=4 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704082405/http://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/tagName/U2.com+Limited+Editions/albumId/4100 |url-status=dead }}
27 April: U2 shoot a video for "City of Blinding Lights" at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia. Members of the public are invited into the venue as an audience backdrop.
9 - 10 May: Two concerts in Chicago, Illinois, are filmed for the video release Vertigo 2005: Live from Chicago.
6 June: "City of Blinding Lights" is released as the fourth single from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.
10 June: The European leg of the Vertigo Tour commences in Brussels, Belgium.

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| footer = The band performing at Live 8.

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2 July: U2 perform at Live 8 in London's Hyde Park, opening the show. The band plays "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" with Paul McCartney, "Beautiful Day", "Vertigo", and "One". The performance of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is released as a digital-single during the day and sets a world record as the fastest-selling online song.{{cite web |url=http://news.softpedia.com/news/Paul-McCartney-In-The-Guinness-Book-of-Records-5167.shtml |title=Paul McCartney in The 'Guinness Book of Records' |publisher=Softpedia |date=21 July 2005 |access-date=21 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070428192941/http://news.softpedia.com/news/Paul-McCartney-In-The-Guinness-Book-of-Records-5167.shtml |archive-date=28 April 2007 |df=dmy-all }}
20–21 July: Two concerts in Milan, Italy, are filmed. Ten songs would later be included on Vertigo 05: Live from Milan, a bonus DVD included with U218 Singles.
12 September: A second North American leg of the Vertigo Tour commences in Toronto, Ontario.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
10 October: "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" and "All Because of You" are released as the fourth single from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb in North America and Europe respectively, switching territories from their earlier releases.
November: "Original of the Species" is released as the album's fifth and final single in a digital-only format.
14 November: Vertigo 2005: Live from Chicago is released on DVD.

2006

12 February: An eight-date Latin American leg of the Vertigo tour commences in Mexico.
March: U2 arrive in Australia to prepare for the Australian leg of the Vertigo Tour. The tour, however, is postponed until further notice due to Edge's 7-year-old daughter Sian's diagnosis of leukaemia.
3 April: A duet of "One" with Mary J. Blige is released as a single.
Mid-2006: The band begin work on material for a new album writing and recording with producer Rick Rubin; the material is later shelved.
August: The band incorporates its publishing business in The Netherlands following the capping of Irish artists' tax exemption at €250,000.{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/u2-move-their-rock-empire-out-of-ireland-133364.html|title=U2 move their rock empire out of Ireland|date=6 August 2006 | access-date=8 February 2008 |author=McConnell, Daniel|work=The Independent}} The move was criticised in the Irish parliament.{{cite news|url=http://bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&refer=home&sid=aef6sR60oDgM|title=Bono, Preacher on Poverty, Tarnishes Halo With Irish Tax Move|first=Fergal|last=O'Brien|date=15 October 2006|publisher=Bloomberg|access-date=19 August 2009}}{{cite news |first=Marina |last=Hyde |title= They live like aristocrats. Now they think like them |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/story/0,,1968136,00.html |work= Guardian | publisher=Guardian Media Group | date=February 2007 | access-date = 16 February 2007 | location=London}}
25 September: U2 play with Green Day to open an NFL game in the Louisiana Superdome. It is the first game in the stadium following the heavy damage it sustained from Hurricane Katrina. They play a four-song set of "Wake Me Up When September Ends", "House of the Rising Sun", "The Saints Are Coming", and "Beautiful Day".
31 October: A studio cover with Green Day of The Skids' song "The Saints Are Coming" is released as a single for the charity Music Rising.
7 November: The 13 postponed dates of the Vertigo Tour in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Hawaii commence in Brisbane.
17 November: U218 Singles and U218 Videos are released. The bonus DVD on U218 Singles includes ten tracks taken from the 2005 concerts in Milan.
18 November: Zoo TV Live is released to subscribers of U2.com{{cite web |url=http://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/tagName/U2.com+Limited+Editions/albumId/4097 |title=ZOO2LIVE – U2 Live in Sydney (18 Nov, 2006) |work=U2.com |publisher=Live Nation |year=2006 |access-date=11 October 2013 |archive-date=4 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704065644/http://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/tagName/U2.com+Limited+Editions/albumId/4097 |url-status=dead }}
9 December: The Vertigo Tour concludes in Honolulu, Hawaii.

2007

1 January: The "Window in the Skies" single is released.
June: The band continue writing and recording for the album, this time with Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno as co-writers and producers. A two-week trip to Fez, Morocco, where the six of them recorded, led to the band experimenting with North African influences.
20 November: The Joshua Tree is re-released as a 20th anniversary triple album.

2008

23 January: A 3-D concert film, U2 3D, filmed at nine concerts during the Latin America leg of the Vertigo Tour is released at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
19 February: The single "The Ballad of Ronnie Drew" - a collaboration between U2, The Dubliners, Kíla, and "A Band of Bowsies" - is released. All proceeds went towards the Irish Cancer Society; the song is an homage to Ronnie Drew, who was dying of cancer at the time.
31 March: U2 sign a 12-year deal with Live Nation worth an estimated $100 million (£50 million),{{cite web |title=U2 ties the knot with Live Nation deal |website=The Daily Telegraph |date=31 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407035207/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/2787228/U2-ties-the-knot-with-Live-Nation-deal.html |archive-date=2023-04-07 |url-status=live |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/2787228/U2-ties-the-knot-with-Live-Nation-deal.html}} which includes Live Nation controlling the band's merchandise, sponsoring, and their official website.
Mid-2008: Boy, October, War, and Under a Blood Red Sky are remastered and released. Three different formats of each were made available, featuring remastered tracks, B-sides, live, and unreleased songs.
18 December: The band complete their twelfth studio album, No Line on the Horizon, and announce that the album will be released to the world on 2 March 2009.{{Citation needed|date=October 2013}}

2009

File:The Edge Bono Lincoln Memorial 2009.jpg]]

18 January: U2 perform "Pride (In the Name of Love)" and "City of Blinding Lights" at the We Are One concert, celebrating the inauguration of US President Barack Obama at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
23 January: "Get on Your Boots" is released as the first single from the new album.
27 February: U2's twelfth studio album, No Line on the Horizon, is released.[http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=344832>1=28102 U2 set to release new album in March] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212101915/http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=344832>1=28102 |date=12 February 2009 }} msn.com
27 March: Medium, Rare & Remastered is released to subscribers of U2.com.{{cite web |url=http://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/tagName/U2.com+Limited+Editions/albumId/4096 |title=Medium, Rare & Remastered (27 Mar, 2009) |work=U2.com |publisher=Live Nation |year=2009 |access-date=11 October 2013 |archive-date=6 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206025246/http://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/tagName/U2.com+Limited+Editions/albumId/4096 |url-status=dead }}
4 May: "Magnificent" is released as the second single from the album.
30 June: The U2 360° Tour commences in Europe. The shows feature a 360-degree staging/audience configuration, in which the fans surround the stage from all sides.{{cite web | url = http://www.hotpress.com/archive/5293385.html| title = Paul McGuinness on U2's World Tour | work = Hot Press | date = 4 March 2009 | access-date = 6 March 2009}}
27 July: The Script provide the support act for the band's Croke Park show of their World Tour, performing songs from their self-titled album including "Before the Worst", "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" and "We Cry", among others.{{cite web|url=https://www.hotpress.com/music/the-script-say-u2-support-inspired-croke-park-dream-12854291|title=The Script say U2 support inspired Croke Park dream|publisher=Hot Press|date=31 October 2014|accessdate=22 February 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-script/2009/croke-park-dublin-ireland-63d726b3.html|title=The Script Setlist at Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland|publisher=SetList|date=27 July 2009|accessdate=26 February 2023}}
17 August: "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" is released as the third single from No Line on the Horizon.
25 October: The band's concert at the Rose Bowl Stadium is live streamed on YouTube. With a sellout crowd of 97,014, it is the highest attendance on record for one U.S. show by a single headliner based on box office totals reported to Billboard. The previous record had been set by U2 in 1987.{{Cite magazine | last = Allen | first = Bob | title = U2's Rose Bowl Show Breaks Attendance Records. | magazine = Billboard | date = 30 October 2009 | url = http://www.atu2.com/news/u2s-rose-bowl-show-breaks-attendance-record.html | access-date =8 November 2009 }}
27 October: A 25th Anniversary remastered edition of The Unforgettable Fire is released by Mercury Records.{{cite news|url=http://www.u2wanderer.org/?p=432|title=The Unforgettable Fire 25th Anniversary Edition|date=5 July 2009|work=U2Wanderer.org|access-date=24 July 2009}}
28 October: U2 conclude the 2009 legs of the 360° Tour in Vancouver.
30 October: U2 headline the second of two consecutive concerts at Madison Square Garden to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.{{Citation | last = Pareles | first = John | title = Rock's Hall of Famers Mix It Up | newspaper = The New York Times | date = 31 October 2009 | url = http://www.atu2.com/news/rocks-hall-of-famers-mix-it-up.html | access-date =8 November 2009}}
5 November: U2 are invited by the Berlin Lord Mayor to play a concert at the Brandenburg Gate to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall. They play a six-song set to 10,000 fans.{{Cite news | last = Scally | first = Derek | title = U2 Strike Emotional Chord with Berliners on NIght of Celebration | newspaper = The Irish Times | location = Dublin | date = 6 November 2009 | url = http://www.atu2.com/news/u2-strike-emotional-chord-with-berliners-on-night-of-celebration.html }}

2010

25 March: Artificial Horizon is released to subscribers of U2.com.{{cite web |url=http://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/tagName/U2.com+Limited+Editions/albumId/4094 |title=Artificial Horizon (25 Mar, 2010) |work=U2.com |publisher=Live Nation |year=2010 |access-date=11 October 2013 |archive-date=8 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808141115/http://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/tagName/U2.com+Limited+Editions/albumId/4094 |url-status=dead }}
21 May: Bono has emergency surgery on a back injury sustained during tour preparations, and the band postpones the North American leg of the U2 360° Tour{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment_and_arts/10139846.stm|title=Bono's back surgery puts U2 dates in jeopardy|publisher=The BBC|date=21 May 2010|access-date=21 May 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.u2.com/news/title/bono-discharged-from-hospital|title=Bono Discharged From Hospital|publisher=U2.com|date=25 May 2010}} and their appearance at the Glastonbury Festival.
26 June: The Edge makes a special guest appearance with Muse at Glastonbury to perform "Where the Streets Have No Name".
13 July: U2 announce the rescheduled dates for the postponed North American leg of the U2 360° tour.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/17386/180384 |title=U2 announce return to the stage in homemade video |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=13 July 2010 |access-date=13 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716004334/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/17386/180384 |archive-date=16 July 2010 |url-status=dead }}
6 August: The second European leg of the U2 360° Tour commences in Turin. It marks their first performance since Bono's recovery from his back injury.
25 November: U2 begin the Australasian leg of the 360° Tour at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand.

2011

31 January: U2 announces the last date of their U2 360° Tour will be in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, their first date ever in Atlantic Canada.{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/u2-confirms-moncton-concert-date-1.1008123 |title=U2 confirms Moncton concert date |date=31 January 2011 |work=cbc.ca |access-date=31 January 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203011433/http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2011/01/31/nb-u2-moncton-concert-1153.html |archive-date=3 February 2011 }}
10 May: Duals is released to subscribers of U2.com.{{cite web |url=http://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/tagName/U2.com+Limited+Editions/albumId/4142 |title=Duals (10 May, 2011) |work=U2.com |publisher=Live Nation |year=2011 |access-date=11 October 2013 |archive-date=8 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808134218/http://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/tagName/U2.com+Limited+Editions/albumId/4142 |url-status=dead }}
24 June: U2 headline the first night of the Glastonbury Festival.
30 July: The 360° Tour concludes with a performance in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.
8 September: The documentary film From the Sky Down, about U2 and the making of Achtung Baby, premieres at Toronto International Film Festival.{{cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/1030574--u2-will-be-film-festival-s-opening-act|title=World Premiere|access-date=8 September 2011 | location=Toronto|work=The Star|date=26 July 2011}}

2012

1 May: U22 is released to subscribers of U2.com.{{cite web |url=http://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/tagName/U2.com+Limited+Editions/albumId/4143 |title=U22 (1 May, 2012) |work=U2.com |publisher=Live Nation |year=2012 |access-date=11 October 2013 |archive-date=29 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729123134/http://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/tagName/U2.com+Limited+Editions/albumId/4143 |url-status=dead }}
17 December: From the Ground Up: Edge's Picks is released to subscribers of U2.com.{{cite web |url=http://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/tagName/U2.com+Limited+Editions/albumId/4142 |title=From The Ground Up : Edge's Picks (17 Dec, 2012) |work=U2.com |publisher=Live Nation |year=2012 |access-date=11 October 2013 |archive-date=8 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808134218/http://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/tagName/U2.com+Limited+Editions/albumId/4142 |url-status=dead }}

2013

29 May: Bono and the Edge help celebrate Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark{{'}}s 1,000th show.{{Cite web |url=http://www.atu2.com/news/bono--edge-help-celebrate-spideys-1000th-show.html |title=Bono & Edge Help Celebrate Spidey's 1000th Show |first=Matt |last=McGee |date=29 May 2013 |publisher=@U2 }}
17 June: Bono speaks out for Voices Against Violence Campaign.{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2013/06/17/bono-speaks-out-for-voices-against-violence-campaign/2430655/ |title=Bono speaks out for Voices Against Violence campaign |first=Korina |last=Lopez |date=17 June 2013 |newspaper=USA Today |location=New York }}
18 June: The Obama family meet Bono for a pub lunch in Dalkey.{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/obama-family-meet-bono-for-pub-lunch-29354306.html |title=Obama family meet Bono for pub lunch |first=Nicola |last=Anderson |date=18 June 2013 |newspaper=Irish Independent |location=Dublin }}
25 June: Mark Fisher, U2's longtime stage architect, dies.{{Cite web |url=http://www.atu2.com/news/mark-fisher-u2s-longtime-stage-architect-has-died.html |title=Mark Fisher, U2's Longtime Stage Architect, Has Died |first=Matt |last=McGee |date=26 June 2013 |publisher=@U2 }}
16 July: Bono is made Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture.{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/ali-and-jordan-help-bono-celebrate-award-of-frances-highest-cultural-honour-29425007.html |title=Ali and Jordan help Bono celebrate award of France's highest cultural honour |first=Catherine |last=Wylie |date=16 July 2013 |newspaper=Irish Independent |location=Dublin }}
2 September: U2 attends funeral mass for Seamus Heaney.{{cite web |url= http://www.atu2.com/news/u2-attends-funeral-mass-for-seamus-heaney.html|title=U2 attends funeral mass for Seamus Heaney|year=2013 }}
3 September: Larry Mullen's second film, A Thousand Times Goodnight, wins Special Grand Prix of the Jury at Montreal World Film Festival.{{ cite web |title=A Thousand Times Goodnight wins Special Grand Prix of the Jury at Montreal World Film Festival |url=http://www.irishfilmboard.ie/irish_film_industry/news/A_Thousand_Times_Goodnight_wins_Special_Grand_Prix_of_the_Jury_at_Montreal_World_Film_Festival/2264 |publisher=Irish Film Board |date=3 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129145217/http://www.irishfilmboard.ie/irish_film_industry/news/A_Thousand_Times_Goodnight_wins_Special_Grand_Prix_of_the_Jury_at_Montreal_World_Film_Festival/2264 |archive-date=29 January 2016 |df=dmy-all }}
4 September: Adam Clayton marries Mariana Teixeira de Carvalho, a Brazilian supermodel, in a ceremony in Dublin.{{cite web |url= http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/u2s-adam-clayton-ties-the-knot-with-brazilian-girlfriend-29553750.html |title=U2's Adam Clayton ties the knot with Brazilian girlfriend – BelfastTelegraph.co.uk |work=belfasttelegraph.co.uk |year=2013 |access-date=5 September 2013}}
17 October: A song titled "Ordinary Love" is revealed to be written specifically for the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.{{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' |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=17 October 2013 |access-date=18 October 2013}} Subscribers of the band's official website are able to hear it first.{{cite web |url=http://www.u2.com/news/title/ordinary-love |title='Ordinary Love' |work=U2.com |publisher=Live Nation |date=17 October 2013 |access-date=18 October 2013}}
29 November: "Ordinary Love" is officially released as a single.

2014

16 January: U2 receive an Academy Award nomination for "Ordinary Love".
2 February: U2 release a charity single titled "Invisible", a song incorrectly believed to be included on the band's 13th studio album.
9 September: U2 perform at an Apple product launch event in Cupertino, California, and announce that their 13th studio album, Songs of Innocence, will be released through the iTunes Store to all customers at no cost that day. The first single from the album, "The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)", is also released.
16 November: Bono is involved in a "high energy bicycle accident" in New York's Central Park when he attempts to avoid another rider. Bono is rushed to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center's Emergency Department and undergoes "multiple X-rays and CAT scans" followed by five hours of surgery.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bono-intensive-therapy-bike-injury-20141119#ixzz3JWkKeCJI|title=Bono Intensive Therapy Bike Injury from Rolling Stones Magazine|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=19 November 2014}}
9 December: "Every Breaking Wave" is released as the second single from Songs of Innocence.

2015

11 May: "Song for Someone" is released as the third single from Songs from Innocence.
14 May: The Innocence + Experience Tour begins in Vancouver, Canada.
4 September: The European leg of the Innocence + Experience Tour begins in Turin, Italy.
7 December: The Innocence + Experience Tour concludes in Paris, France. The performance is a rescheduling of their 15 November date due to the terrorist attacks the previous day. The performance is filmed and broadcast as Innocence + Experience: Live in Paris on HBO the same day.{{cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/u2-hbo-reschedule-paris-show-global-terror-threats-article-1.2444114|title=U2, HBO bravely reschedule Paris concert, despite global terror threats|work=New York Daily News|first=Don|last=Kaplan|date=23 November 2015|access-date=5 June 2022}}

2016

10 June: The Innocence + Experience: Live in Paris concert film is released on DVD, Blu-ray Disc and via digital download.{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/65462-u2-announce-innocence-experience-live-in-paris-concert-film/|title=U2 Announce iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE - Live In Paris Concert Film|work=Pitchfork|first=Jeremy|last=Gordon|date=13 May 2016|access-date=5 June 2022}}
December: Bono undergoes open-heart surgery due to a "blister" that formed over time in his aorta as a result of having a bicuspid aortic valve.{{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}} The eight-hour operation is performed by David H. Adams at Mount Sinai Hospital; Bono makes a full recovery.{{cite book |author=Bono |date=2022 |title=Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story |chapter=Lights of Home |publisher=Knopf |isbn=978-0593663691}}

2017

12 May: The band commences a 30th anniversary tour for their album The Joshua Tree in Vancouver, Canada.
6 September: "You're the Best Thing About Me" is released as the first single from the band's upcoming 14th studio album Songs of Experience.
8 November: The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 concludes in São Paulo, Brazil.
1 December: U2's 14th studio album, Songs of Experience, is released.
2 December: The band appear as the musical guest on an episode Saturday Night Live.{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/watch-u2-play-american-soul-and-get-out-of-your-own-way-on-snl/|title=Watch U2 Play 'American Soul' and 'Get Out of Your Own Way' on 'SNL'|work=Pitchfork|first=Michelle|last=Kim|date=3 December 2017|access-date=5 June 2022|archive-date=4 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171204064113/https://pitchfork.com/news/watch-u2-play-american-soul-and-get-out-of-your-own-way-on-snl/|url-status=live}}
8 December: "Get Out of Your Own Way" is released as the second single from Songs of Experience.

2018

23 April: "Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way" is released as the third single from Songs of Experience.
2 May: The Experience + Innocence Tour begins in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
1 June: Sirius XM Satellite Radio launches a limited-time U2-exclusive radio station called "The U2 Experience" on channel 30, which features the band's music as well as interviews with the members.{{cite press release|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/siriusxm-to-launch-the-u2-experience-exclusive-channel-on-friday-june-1-300652669.html|title=SiriusXM to Launch 'The U2 Experience' Exclusive Channel on Friday, June 1|publisher=Sirius XM Satellite Radio|agency=PR Newswire|date=22 May 2018|access-date=5 June 2022}}
10 August: "Summer Love" is released as the fourth single from Songs of Experience.
31 August: The European leg of the Experience + Innocence Tour begins in Berlin, Germany.
13 November: The Experience + Innocence Tour concludes in Berlin.

2019

8 November: The Joshua Tree Tour 2019, a continuation of the 2017 tour of the same name, begins in Auckland, New Zealand.{{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|first=Lars|last=Brandle|date=3 June 2019|access-date=5 June 2022}}{{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=5 June 2022}}
22 November: U2 release a non-album single titled "Ahimsa" with Indian musician A.R. Rahman to tie in with their first performance in India.{{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=5 June 2022}}
15 December: The Joshua Tree Tour 2019 concludes in Mumbai, India.

2020

1 January: A 75-minute cut of the concert video eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE: Live in Berlin is screened on broadcast networks worldwide.{{cite web|url=https://www.u2.com/news/title/u2-experence-live-in-berlin|title=U2 Experience Live in Berlin|website=U2.com|publisher=Live Nation Entertainment|date=22 December 2019|access-date=30 December 2019}}
1 July: A permanent U2-X Radio station on Sirius XM satellite radio launches.{{cite press release|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/u2-x-radio-launches-exclusively-on-siriusxm-july-1-301085960.html|title=U2 X-Radio Launches Exclusively on SiriusXM July 1|publisher=Sirius XM Holdings|agency=PR Newswire|date=30 June 2020|access-date=15 March 2021}}
September: U2's official YouTube channel is relaunched by YouTube, Island, Interscope, Universal Music Enterprises, and Universal Music Catalogue to support the remastering of the band's video catalogue to HD. Weekly releases commence on the channel, consisting of the band's music videos, behind-the-scenes footage, and unseen live videos.{{cite web|url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/u2-virtual-road-series-youtube/|title=Archival, Four-Concert 'U2: The Virtual Road' Series Coming To YouTube|website=UDiscover Music|first=Paul|last=Sexton|date=15 March 2021|access-date=15 March 2021}}
30 October: All That You Can't Leave Behind is reissued on CD, vinyl, and digitally in commemoration of its 20th anniversary. The album was remastered and released in a Standard edition, a Deluxe edition, and a 51-track Super Deluxe edition.{{cite press release|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/u2-all-that-you-cant-leave-behind-20th-anniversary-multi-format-reissue-301126769.html|title=U2 All That You Can't Leave Behind 20th Anniversary Multi-Format Reissue|publisher=Universal Music Enterprises|agency=PR Newswire|date=10 September 2020|access-date=10 September 2020}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-all-that-you-cant-leave-behind-20th-anniversary-box-set-1057243/|title=U2 Announce 'All That You Can't Leave Behind' 20th Anniversary Box Set|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Andy|last=Greene|date=10 September 2020|access-date=10 September 2020}}

2021

15 March: An archival concert series called "The Virtual Road" is announced in partnership with YouTube. Four of U2's past concert films are remastered and streamed on the band's official YouTube channel for 48 hours each over the following weeks. The series began with U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle, Ireland on 17 March (St. Patrick's Day), followed by U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky on 25 March, PopMart: Live from Mexico City on 1 April, and Innocence + Experience: Live in Paris on 10 April.
1 November: U2 join the social networking service TikTok and post a 30-second lyric video teasing the new song "Your Song Saved My Life".{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/u2-join-tiktok-sing-2-your-song-saved-my-life-9654124/|title=U2 Join TikTok With Soaring Ballad 'Your Song Saved My Life'|magazine=Billboard|first=Gil|last=Kaufman|date=2 November 2021|access-date=25 March 2022}}
3 November: U2 digitally release "Your Song Saved My Life" from the soundtrack to the animated musical film Sing 2, in which Bono voices the character Clay Calloway.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/u2-your-song-saved-my-life-sing-2-listen-9654970/|title=U2 Release 'Your Song Saved My Life' From 'Sing 2': Listen|magazine=Billboard|first=Starr|last=Bowenbank|date=3 November 2021|access-date=25 March 2022}}
19 November: Achtung Baby is re-released in standard black vinyl and deluxe color vinyl editions to commemorate its 30th anniversary; a 50-track digital box set follows on 3 December.{{cite press release|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/u2-achtung-baby-30th-anniversary-edition-301424300.html|title=U2 Achtung Baby 30th Anniversary Edition|publisher=Universal Music Enterprises|agency=PR Newswire|date=15 November 2021|access-date=11 January 2022}}

2022

9 April: Bono and the Edge record an acoustic rendition of "Walk On" for Global Citizen's Stand Up for Ukraine livestream, which was organised to urge world leaders to raise funds for Ukrainian refugees.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-springteen-kacey-musgraves-stand-up-for-ukraine-livestream-global-citizen-1335347/|title=See U2, Springsteen, Kacey Musgraves 'Stand Up for Ukraine' on Livestream|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Daniel|last=Kreps|date=9 April 2022|access-date=8 May 2022}}
8 May: Bono and the Edge perform for 40 minutes in a Metro station in Kyiv, Ukraine, at the invitation of Volodymyr Zelenskyy.{{cite web| url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/may/08/u2-bono-and-the-edge-perform-in-ukraine-subway-station|title=U2's Bono and the Edge perform in Ukraine subway station|newspaper=The Guardian|agency=Reuters|date=8 May 2022|access-date=23 June 2022}}
6 October: Media outlets report that U2 are in discussions to sign with Irving and Jeffrey Azoff of Full Stop Management, following the end of Guy Oseary's nine-year tenure as the band's manager the week prior.{{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|first=Dave|last=Brooks|date=6 October 2022|access-date=13 February 2023}}
1 November: Bono's memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, is released. The following day, he begins a 14-city book tour across North America and Europe called "Stories of Surrender" to promote it.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2022/music/news/u2-bono-book-tour-surrender-1235391269/|title=U2's Bono to Launch Book Tour in Support of Memoir, 'Surrender'|website=Variety|first=Jem|last=Aswad|date=3 October 2022|access-date=28 October 2022}}
3 December: U2 receive Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., for their contributions to performing arts.{{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}}

2023

10 January: U2 announce that the album Songs of Surrender, a compilation of 40 re-recorded and reinterpreted songs from the group's back catalogue, will be released on 17 March 2023.{{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|first=Chris|last=Willman|date=10 January 2023|access-date=10 January 2023}}
11 January: U2 release a re-recorded version of "Pride (In the Name of Love)" to promote Songs of Surrender.{{cite web|url=https://www.hotpress.com/music/u2-share-new-version-of-pride-in-the-name-of-love-from-songs-of-surrender-22945773|title=U2 share new version of 'Pride (In The Name Of Love)' from Songs Of Surrender|website=Hot Press|date=11 January 2023|access-date=18 January 2023}}
27 January: U2 release a re-recorded version of "With or Without You" to promote Songs of Surrender.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-reimagines-with-or-without-you-listen-1234669927/|title=U2 Reimagine 'With or Without You' Nearly 40 Years Later|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Tomás|last=Mier|date=27 January 2023|access-date=28 January 2023}}
7 February: Bono attends the 2023 State of the Union Address in Washington, D.C., as a guest of US President Joe Biden.{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/02/07/bono-state-union-joe-jill-biden-guests/11207250002/|title=Here's why musician, advocate Bono is at Biden's State of the Union address|website=USA Today|first=Marina|last=Pitofsky|date=7 February 2023|access-date=12 February 2023}}
12 February: A Super Bowl LVII television advertisement announces that U2 will perform a concert residency to inaugurate Sphere in the Las Vegas Valley in autumn 2023. Named U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere, the residency is to be focused on the group's 1991 album Achtung Baby. The announcement confirms that Mullen will not participate in order to allow him to recuperate from surgery,{{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|first=Jem|last=Aswad|date=12 February 2023|access-date=12 February 2023}} marking the first time since 1978 that U2 will perform without him;{{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}} Dutch drummer Bram van den Berg from the band Krezip is announced as his replacement. Earlier during the Super Bowl, a re-recorded version of "One" from Songs of Surrender soundtracks the NFL's presentation of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/u2-announce-achtung-baby-las-vegas-residency-in-new-super-bowl-commercial/|title=U2 Announce Achtung Baby Las Vegas Residency in New Super Bowl Commercial|website=Pitchfork|first=Nina|last=Corcoran|date=12 February 2023|access-date=12 February 2023}}

3 March: U2 release a re-recorded version of "Beautiful Day" to promote Songs of Surrender.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/listen-to-u2s-new-take-on-beautiful-day-3407865|title=Listen to U2's new take on 'Beautiful Day'|website=NME|first=Rhian|last=Daly|date=3 March 2023|access-date=3 March 2023}}
17 March: Songs of Surrender is released. Additionally, the television documentary special Bono and The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, With Dave Letterman is made available for streaming on Disney+; it documents Bono's and the Edge's travels around Dublin with David Letterman, as well as a concert performance at Ambassador Theatre.
16 April: Bono resumes the "Stories of Surrender" tour with the first of 11 shows for a residency at the Beacon Theatre in New York City.{{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}}
24 April – 12 May: Concert dates and ticket sale details for U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere are announced. Initially, five dates from 29 September to 8 October are announced.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/u2-announce-dates-u2-uv-achtung-baby-live-at-sphere-las-vegas-1235313677/|title=U2 Announce Dates For 'U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere'|magazine=Billboard|first=Gil|last=Kaufman|date=24 April 2023|access-date=24 April 2023}} The following day, seven additional dates are announced, spanning 11–25 October.{{Cite web|url=https://news.pollstar.com/2023/04/25/u2-adds-seven-dates-to-u2uv-achtung-baby-live-at-sphere-run-in-las-vegas/|title=U2 Adds Seven Dates To 'U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere' Run in Las Vegas|website=Pollstar|first=Debbie|last=Speer|date=25 April 2023|access-date=25 April 2023}} Two days later, another five dates are announced, spanning 27 October to 4 November.{{cite web|url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/entertainment-columns/kats/as-demand-at-the-sphere-skyrockets-u2-adds-more-dates-2768704/|title=As demand at The Sphere skyrockets, U2 adds more dates|website=Las Vegas Review-Journal|first=John|last=Katsilometes|date=27 April 2023|access-date=27 April 2023}} On 12 May, eight additional shows are announced, spanning 1–16 December.{{cite web|url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/u2-add-more-las-vegas-sphere-dates/|title=U2 add more Las Vegas 'Sphere' dates|website=BrooklynVegan|first=Bill|last=Pearis|date=12 May 2023|access-date=12 May 2023}}
16–17 September: U2 film a music video for a Las Vegas-themed single called "Atomic City" that ties in to their residency at the Sphere. The shoot culminates at midnight at the Carousel Bar in front of the Plaza Hotel & Casino, where the group are met by a crowd that includes 250 extras.{{cite web|url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/entertainment-columns/kats/u2-premiers-new-single-in-surprise-downtown-las-vegas-show-2905889/|title=U2 premiers new single in surprise downtown Las Vegas show|website=Las Vegas Review-Journal|first=John|last=Katsilometes|author-link=John Katsilometes|date=16 September 2023|access-date=17 September 2023}}
29 September: U2 perform the first show of their U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere residency. The group also releases "Atomic City".{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/u2-share-new-song-atomic-city-ahead-of-las-vegas-concerts-listen/ |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}}
19 October: U2 announce that U2:UV Achtung Baby Live will be extended with 11 additional concerts running from 26 January to 18 February 2024, bringing the residency's total number of shows to 36.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2023/music/news/u2-sphere-extension-adds-early-2024-concerts-las-vegas-1235762100/|title=U2 Adds Early 2024 Dates to Sphere Engagement in Las Vegas|website=Variety|first=Chris|last=Willman|date=19 October 2023|access-date=19 October 2023}}
4 December: U2 announce that U2:UV Achtung Baby Live will be extended for the final time with four additional concerts running from 23 February to 2 March 2024, bringing the residency's total length to 40 concerts. Ticket sales for the shows begin the following day.{{cite web|url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/entertainment-columns/kats/u2-unveils-final-four-dates-for-sphere-production-2959012/|title=U2 unveils final four dates for Sphere production|website=Las Vegas Review-Journal|first=John|last=Katsilometes|author-link=John Katsilometes|date=5 December 2023|access-date=5 December 2023}}
16 December: U2 perform their last concert of the year at Sphere.

2024

26 January: U2 resume U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere.
4 February: A performance of "Atomic City" from Sphere is included in the telecast of the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. After the performance, the band participate in an award presentation, announcing the winner for Best Pop Vocal Album.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/u2-2024-grammys-performance-las-vegas-sphere-1235815240/|title=U2 Rocks 'Atomic City' in History-Making Grammys Performance From Las Vegas Sphere|website=The Hollywood Reporter|first=Kimberly|last=Nordyke|date=4 February 2024|access-date=5 February 2024}}
21 February: The documentary film Kiss the Future is released theatrically with early screenings at select AMC theatres, followed by a wide release on 23 February. The film, featuring interviews with Bono, the Edge, and Clayton, documents U2's involvement with Sarajevo during the 1990s and their 1997 concert in the city.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2024/01/kiss-the-future-u2-documentary-amc-theatres-exclusive-1235810306/|title=U2-Themed Documentary 'Kiss The Future,' Produced By Matt Damon & Ben Affleck, To Screen Exclusively At AMC Theatres|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Matthew|last=Carey|date=31 January 2024|access-date=3 March 2024}}
1 March: Larry Mullen Jr. attends the penultimate show of U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere. The audience chants his name after Bono gives him a shout-out on stage.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2024/music/news/u2-sphere-larry-mullen-jr-las-vegas-bono-1235928431/|title=As U2 Wraps Its Las Vegas Residency at the Sphere, Ailing Band Member Larry Mullen Jr. Attends Friday's Show|website=Variety|first=Michael|last=Schneider|date=2 March 2024|access-date=3 March 2024}}
2 March: U2 play the final concert of U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere.{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/u2-one-daniel-lanois-40-final-sphere-concert-1234979706/|website=Rolling Stone|title=U2 Play 'One' With Daniel Lanois and Break Out Fan Favorite '40' at Final Sphere Concert|first=Andy|last=Greene|date=3 March 2024|access-date=3 March 2024}}
5 April: U2 announce "To Love and Only Love – Deep Dives and B-Sides", a series of 12 remastered singles to be digitally re-released with their original B-sides and remixes.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/u2-digitally-re-release-discotheque-with-b-sides-and-mixes-new-reissue-series-3613858|title=U2 digitally re-release 'Discothèque' with b-sides and mixes as part of new reissue series of 'deep dives'|website=NME|first=Liberty|last=Dunworth|date=5 April 2024|access-date=30 August 2024}}
30 August: U2 release a five-song live EP taken from an August 1993 performance called ZOO TV – Live in Dublin 1993.{{Cite web|url=https://www.u2.com/news/title/zoo-tv--live-in-dublin-1993/|title=ZOO TV – Live in Dublin 1993|website=U2.com|date=25 July 2024|access-date=25 July 2024}}
5 September: V-U2 An Immersive Concert Film, which documents the band's Sphere residency, begins screening exclusively at Sphere.{{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}}
26 September: U2 announce an upcoming reissue of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb for its 20th anniversary, which includes a companion album of tracks from the recording sessions called How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb. Two tracks from that companion, "Country Mile" and "Picture of You (X+W)", are released as singles.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2024/music/news/u2-how-to-re-assemble-an-atomic-bomb-unreleased-songs-1236156849/|title=U2 Announces 'How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb' With Unreleased Songs to Honor 'Dismantle' Album's 20th Anniversary|website=Variety|first=Steven J.|last=Horowitz|date=26 September 2024|access-date=27 September 2024}}
24 October: The song "Happiness" is released as a single from How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb.{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2285255/u2-share-previously-unreleased-happiness/music/|title=U2 Share Previously Unreleased 'Happiness'|website=Stereogum|first=Tom|last=Breihan|date=24 October 2024|access-date=24 October 2024}}
22 November: A remastered 20th anniversary edition of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is reissued on vinyl, CD, cassette tape, and digitally. Coinciding with the release date, the band's Vertigo 2005: Live from Chicago concert video is livestreamed on YouTube.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/u2-livestream-2005-chicago-gig-rerelease-how-to-dismantle-atomic-bomb-3814937|title=U2 to livestream classic 2005 Chicago gig to celebrate re-release of 'How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb'|website=NME|first=Laura|last=Molloy|date=22 November 2024|access-date=25 November 2024}}

2025

4 January: Bono receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Joe Biden.{{Cite news|title=Biden honours Wintour, Bono and Soros with Medal of Freedom|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ced87711zlno|first=Ruth|last=Comerford|access-date=4 January 2025|work=BBC|date=4 January 2025|language=en-US}}
12 April: U2 releases a 30th anniversary reissue of Original Soundtracks 1, their "Passengers" collaboration with Brian Eno, on vinyl for Record Store Day.{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/lists/record-store-day-2025-lineup-vinyl-exclusives/|title=Record Store Day 2025 Lineup: Vinyl Exclusives From Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams, Charli XCX, Post Malone, Wu Tang, John Lennon, 'Wicked' and Hundreds More|website=Variety|first=Chris|last=Willman|date=6 February 2025|access-date=14 February 2025}}
22 May: The members of U2 receive the Ivors Academy Fellowship in the UK for their songwriting, making them the first Irish songwriters to be so honoured.{{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|agency=Reuters|date=20 March 2025|access-date=20 March 2025}}
30 May: Apple TV+ releases the documentary film Bono: Stories of Surrender, which covers Bono's solo performances from his 2022–2023 Stories of Surrender book tour. The film is also released as an Apple Immersive Video for the Apple Vision Pro headset, making it the first feature-length film to be released in the format. Coinciding with the film release, an abridged version of Bono's memoir that follows the narrative arc of the film is released in paperback under the title Bono: Stories of Surrender.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2025/02/bono-stories-of-surrender-apple-documentary-including-immersive-first-feature-version-for-apple-vision-pro-1236302222/|title=Apple Sets Premiere Of 'Bono: Stories Of Surrender;' U2 Singer's Docu To Include First Immersive Feature Version For Apple Vision Pro|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Mike Jr.|last=Fleming|date=26 February 2025|access-date=2 March 2025}} An EP of the same name with live performances of three songs is released by Bono to coincide with the film's release.{{cite web|url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/bono-stories-of-surrender-live-ep/|title=Bono Releases 'Stories of Surrender Live' EP|website=uDiscover Music|first=Sam|last=Armstrong|date=May 16, 2025|access-date=May 22, 2025}}

Notes

References

{{cite book | last =Graham | first =Bill |author2=van Oosten de Boer | title =U2: The Complete Guide to their Music | publisher =Omnibus Press |year=2004 | location =London | isbn = 0-7119-9886-8 }}
McCormick, Neil (ed), (2006). U2 by U2. HarperCollins Publishers. {{ISBN|0-00-719668-7}}
{{Cite book | last = McGee | first = Matt | title = U2:A Diary | publisher = Omnibus Press | year = 2008 | isbn = 978-1-84772-108-2}}
de la Parra, Pimm Jal (2003). U2 Live: A Concert Documentary. Omnibus Press. {{ISBN|0-7119-9198-7}}
{{cite book | last =Stokes | first =Niall | author-link =Niall Stokes | title =Into The Heart: The Stories Behind Every U2 Song | publisher =Harper Collins Publishers |year=1996 | isbn = 0-7322-6036-1 }}

Category:U2