Larry Mullen’s Recovery

Original Story by Aaron J. Sams (2024-11-19)

Adam Clayton appeared on Virgin Radio in Italy this morning to talk about the release of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb later this week. Among the topics discussed is the future of the band and an update on Larry Mullen’s recovery.

Shared on the interview today, Adam Clayton said:

“During the time we were in the Sphere, Larry had some surgeries. He has made a full recovery. We recorded some songs with him after the summer. So we have started the process of the next record. We’re not sure when we’re going to be finished, we’re not sure when its going to be released. But we’re doing some more work this month, at the end of November, and in the beginning of December we going to be back in the studio. I think by the middle of next year, we’ll have a very good idea of how many songs we have to finish, and when we want to release it. And then a tour will follow on from that. We feel like, it was very hard for our European fans that we were playing shows in Las Vegas. We realize that for most fans that’s a very, very expensive ticket. And that’s a long way to travel. We know that we have to make it up to our European fans when we come out and tour next time.”

In an interview with the Toronto Star at the start of November 2024 just after the US Election, The Edge also gave an update:

Yeah, I spent the entire lockdown working on new songs and new ideas. Bono and I have been working together on some stuff, and we’ve generated a lot of material, and we’re now experimenting with the textures of the sound. There’s also some U2 recording sessions coming up. We’ve already done one a few weeks ago with Larry. Larry’s feeling good, and he’s playing well. He doesn’t want to overdo it, is sort of being sensible, but is playing really well. So that was a thrill for us.

Bono, and Larry himself, have confirmed that Larry has been back in the studio with the band as well, working on the new album. Recently in Deadline, Larry Mullen had shared, “I’m recovering. It’s just slow. And yeah, I’m anxious to get back, and this was a very good way back in. You know, there’s, there’s plans to go back into the studio and that. So, yeah, it’s exciting, but it is slow.”

Larry Mullen had to pull out of the residency at Sphere in order to have a series of surgeries throughout 2023 and into 2024. After the initial round of surgeries, Mullen was able to go into studio with U2 to record “Atomic City” in sessions held in the South of France and Los Angeles in August and September 2023. Additional surgeries were done after that point. He also spent some time with the band in studio in early 2024 in Los Angeles. The recent discussions mention a more recent session, which was done at the end of summer with Jacknife Lee in Europe.

Larry has been dealing with injuries related to his drumming throughout his career, with rumours in 1986 saying his career was over and he would never tour with the band again. He followed a number of treatment options over the years, and these recent surgeries are being done with the intent to get him back behind a drum kit. He told the Washington Post in 2022 ahead of these surgeries, “So I’d like to take some time, which I will do to get myself healed. And I really enjoy playing and I enjoy the process of playing and being in the company of creative people. I enjoy that.” The reporter who interviewed him, Geoff Edgers shared, “He wants to fix his issues. Because he wants to drum again.”

In the program for the Sphere shows, Larry contributed, “Rest assured, I’m busy dealing with all things physical and making progress towards hopefully getting back and seeing everyone soon.” It sounds from Adam’s update today that progress is being made towards that goal. We continue to wish for a full recovery and send Larry Mullen our best.

Adam’s comments on Virgin Radio can be seen here. The full interview with Paola Maugeri will air on Virgin Radio soon.

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