U2024: A Year in Review

Original Story by Aaron J. Sams (2024-12-31)

Each year at the end of the year we do a little recap of things here at U2Songs. We’ll look at the releases, the radio specials, the reissues, and more in this article. Links to the earlier recaps from previous years are available at the end of the article. We take the opportunity to look back on the material added to the site over the year, and U2’s career over the twelve months, with a focus on their releases.

U2 had a busy start to the year, with the release of Achtung Baby in the Atmos format, their first back catalog release in that format. At the end of the year How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb became the second release in the format, and more are planned for the future.

U2 also returned for 15 more shows in Las Vegas in January through March. Three of the shows were filmed for V-U2 a film that shows exclusively at Sphere. The band also streamed a full show, the final one performed.

Shortly after their time at Sphere, the band spent three weeks putting together new elements for older demo songs for How to Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb, released in the Fall for the 20th anniversary of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. That project was turned into the label in early July.

In late August, the band reconvened in studio with Larry Mullen in what is being called the first session for a new album. At the end of November they began a second recording session for that album. Tentatively, the band are hoping to review the material they have complete in early summer, and are looking at a Fall 2025 release, with a tour to follow in 2026 if all goes well. Bono and The Edge have also been working with Jacknife Lee and Brian Eno and a number of Irish musicians on what has been called a Sci-Fi Irish Folk album, which may or may not be folded into the U2 album. (We have a look at the upcoming albums here.)

Below in the article you’ll find the following sections:

The Discography in 2024: New Releases
The Discography in 2024: Reissues
The Discography in 2024: Additional Promotional Items
The Discography in 2024: Solo Projects and Compilations
U2 in Concert in 2024
U2 X-Radio in 2024
U2.Com in 2024
U2 on YouTube in 2024
Other Bits from 2024
Past Year Wrap-Ups

The Discography in 2024: New Releases

2024-02-05: “Atomic City” (David Guetta Mixes)
2024-04-20: Record Store Day “Atomic City” 10-Inch Single
2024-06-21: “Atomic City” (Tiesto Remixes)

Images: David Guetta Mixes / 10-Inch Single / Tiesto Remixes

“Atomic City” was initially released in 2023 as the Sphere residency started, and the band continued to put out releases of the song in 2024. Up first were the David Guetta mixes in February, which corresponded to the bands appearance on the Grammy Awards. For Record Store Day in April, U2 released a 10-inch red vinyl single which included “Atomic City” performed live at Sphere, backed with the Mike WiLL Made-It remix of the song. (The Mike WiLL Made-It mix had been released digitally in 2023.) Finally in June, the band also released remixes of the song by Tiesto.

2024-07-25: “Mysterious Ways” (Live from Dublin, 1993)
2024-08-30: “Zoo TV Live in Dublin 1993” EP

Images: Mysterious Ways Single / 12-Inch Vinyl

The shows at Sphere were Achtung Baby themed, and early in the year the band put together an Atmos mix of the album on streaming services. In August, they released a 5-track EP on yellow vinyl and CD, featuring five tracks taken from the Dublin 1993 Zoo TV concerts. It featured tracks from both nights, and was released not only in physical formats, but also on digital services, and an Atmos mix was done as well. In Japan, the EP was released on SHM-CD with an additional track, “The Fly”.

When the EP was first announced, the band released “Mysterious Ways” from the EP as a standalone single.

The EP was very successful, with chart positions in the UK including #47 in the Albums Top 100, #6 in the Albums Sales Chart, #7 in the Albums Download Chart, #7 in the Physical Albums Chart, #8 in the Vinyl Albums Chart and #21 in the Official Record Store Chart. It also charted at #13 in the Irish Albums chart, and #8 in the Scottish Albums Chart. In Switzerland it charted at #50 on the Hitparade Hot 100 Albums, in The Netherlands it debuted at #9 on the Top Album charts and #4 on the Vinyl 33 chart, in Germany it reached #9 on the Offizielle Deutsche Top 100 Albums, and in Belgium finished in the Top 200 Albums chart at #15 (Flandre) and #13 (Wallonie).

2024-09-04: V-U2 Film

There’s a saying “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”, and that seems to be the case for U2’s time at Sphere. A number of concerts were filmed at the end of the run of shows, and these were used to create the V-U2 concert film, which can only be seen at Sphere. The film shows several times a week at the venue and has just extended ticket availability into May 2025.

The shows filmed were February 23, February 24, and March 1.

It’s not a full show, running for about 76 minutes. The songs featured are: “Lemon” (Jacknife Lee Remix) / “Zoo Station” / “The Fly” / “Even Better than the Real Thing” / “Mysterious Ways” / “One” – “Love Me Tender” / “Until the End of the World” / “All I Want is You” – “Walk on the Wild Side” / “Desire” – “My Way” / “Atomic City” / “Vertigo” / “Where the Streets Have No Name” / “With Or Without You” / “Beautiful Day”

The film opens and uses one shot for the first five songs, giving the viewer the impression they are seeing an actual concert at Sphere. It is only during “One” that the focus shifts and we see different shots, alternate angles and some close ups. The film is directed by The Edge and Morleigh Steinberg. It was produced by The Edge, Bono, Adam Clayton and Alan Moloney. The film was shot by Sphere Entertainment. It is being described as an exclusive film for the venue.

The film debut in Vegas was marked with special footage on the outside of Sphere and a special drone show above Sphere as drones formed a lit up “V”, and later the “U2-UV” logo above the venue. We took a look at the fan preview and debut here.

2024-09-26: “Country Mile / Picture of You (X+W)” Single
2024-10-24: “Happiness” Single
2024-11-29: Record Store Day How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb Album

Images: “Country Mile” single / “Happiness” single / Re-Assemble 12-Inch

As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb a “shadow album” of older songs was put together in early 2024. The album drew from material in Edge’s archive, most of which had not been released before. The band spent three weeks recording shortly after the Sphere shows and finished off a number of songs from that era. Some of the songs on the album were released without tweaks, some just had minor changes with some added lyrical elements, while others were little more than instrumentals when U2 started work on the project.

How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb was issued by itself on Record Store Day as a limited black and red vinyl pressing. It was also issued on digital services on that day. It was also included in boxed sets (black vinyl or CD), and as a digital deluxe album when the main album was released a week prior.

On the day the album was announced, September 26, “Country Mile” and “Picture of You (X+W)” were released as singles. On November 8, the radio edits of these two songs were also released. Unlike typical radio edits, these are not just the same song with material chopped at the start and end, but rather are new mixes. “Country Mile” has a different opening for instance.

“Country Mile” made it into the UK Airplay charts, peaking at #36. “Picture of You (X+W)” had some success on the other side of the Atlantic, reaching #14 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart, #31 on the Rock and Alternative Airplay chart, and #33 on the Alternative Airplay chart.

“Happiness” was also released as a single commercially ahead of the album. The version released is the version that is found on the album, although en edit was sent to radio.

How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb was pressed in relatively high quantities for a U2 RSD release. The US Record Store Day site listed 20,000 copies would be available. Traditionally this has been the listed number available in the US, and not a total. Sales figures for the UK suggest that over 5,000 copies were sold in the UK alone on Record Store Day alone, and stores online still had inventory to sell after the initial date, so it looks as if this one was produced in big numbers.

How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb did well in sales in the UK, charting at #1 on the Official Record Store Chart, #22 on the Official Physical Albums Chart and Official Albums Sales Chart, #13 on the Official Vinyl Albums Chart. It also charted at #13 in the Official Scottish Album Chart, and #19 in the Official Irish Albums Chart.

While we’ve seen a lot of promotion for Atomic Bomb recently, we were told that once the focus on Atomic Bomb wrapped up we would see promotion for Bono’s film, Stories of Surrender begin, so look for an announcement for that project soon. The film, shot over the last two shows in New York, a show in Italy, and a fan only invite session in New York, was shot for Apple TV. Filming was done by director Andrew Dominick.

The Discography in 2024: Reissues

2024-01-24: Achtung Baby Album (Atmos)
2024-11-22: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb Album

Images: Achtung Baby / Atomic Bomb Mixed for Atmos

Dolby Atmos is a new way of mixing sounds, so instead of a stereo sound, or all the sounds being mixed on one horizontal plane, you can now mix them so you can position sound above, below, and all around the listener. U2 have been using the technology and issued Songs of Surrender mixed in this manner, as well as “Your Song Saved My Life” and “Atomic City”.

U2 have now started to go back and mix older albums for this format. Achtung Baby was done first, in a process that is said to take several months. The sound is broken apart and rebuilt in a new mix, which has resulted in some changes to the original tracks. The second album completed is How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb which was released on November 22, to celebrate the album’s 20th anniversary. Both are available on Tidal and Apple Music to stream now.

The 20th anniversary of Atomic Bomb was also celebrated with several non-Atmos reissue formats. Cassettes, vinyl, CD, as well as two boxed sets, one on vinyl and one on CD (or SHM-CD in Japan). These boxed sets were rounded out with the previously mentioned How to Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb (see above), as well as a disc of remixes, and the first audio release of the “Live in Chicago 2005” show. A number of previously unreleased remixes were included, seeing the official release of “All Because of You” (Redanka Indian Summer Remix), the Redanka Miracle Dub and the Redanka Zootopian Vocal Mix of “Miracle Drug”, and the Asian Temple Remix of “One Step Closer”.

2024-04-05: “Discothèque”
2024-04-18: “Staring at the Sun”
2024-05-03: “Last Night on Earth”
2024-05-17: “Please”
2024-05-31: “If God Will Send His Angels”
2024-06-14: “Mofo”
2024-06-28: “Sweetest Thing”
2024-07-19: “Beautiful Day”
2024-08-02: “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of”
2024-08-09: “Elevation”
2024-08-16: “Walk On”
2024-08-23: “Electrical Storm”

Images: “Discothèque” / “Sweetest Thing” / “Electrical Storm”

The other big project in 2024 was an update of U2’s singles releases on streaming services. CDs and vinyl make up a small portion of music consumption these days. Most are choosing to use online services that stream for a subscription fee. Even online song purchases have dropped off. In the mid-year 2024 report from the RIAA, it showed that consumption of music has shifted to digital, with only 19.8% of album equivalents consumed coming from physical formats, and those only make up 11% of total revenue for recorded music in the US.

U2’s older material has just not been available on these streaming services, and they’ve been working over the last few years to clean this aspect of their catalog up. In 2021 they started by upgrading most of their videos on YouTube to meet current standards. In 2022 they upgraded their singles from 2004 – 2018, which was done all at one time. In 2023 they also did “Stay” and “Lemon”.

In 2024 they continued the single upgrades with the singles from 1997 – 2002, “Discothèque” to “Electrical Storm”. This time the project was given a name, “To Love and Only Love”, named for a lyric in “Electrical Storm”. (We have a separate discography page set up for the collection.) Every week or two a new single was issued, featuring newly remastered tracks. Little of the material was new, it was all material featured on the original singles released in that time frame, apart from a new edit of “Walk On”. The releases were sometimes accompanied by live videos of the songs in concert on YouTube, and on some occasions T-shirts were made available via U2.Com.

We expect the Achtung Baby singles and Rattle and Hum singles may be offered up next time there is a lull between U2 releases, in a similar fashion to what was done this year. That covers another nine singles. The remainder of the singles, from the early 80s, have all been remastered as part of earlier deluxe album collections, and are more likely to be done as a single set like the 2022 release.

2024-10-25: “U218 Singles” Reissues

Image: New Reissues of U218 Singles

In October, a new pressing of U218 Singles appeared for sale at Target in the US. The mastering is the same as earlier pressings of the album, and the big differences are the colour vinyl (neon orange), an OBI strip marking it as a Target exclusive, and a few minor changes to the cover.

In December, a new pressing of the album also appeared at retail stores worldwide. Like the Target pressing there were few differences from previous pressings, although it notably removes the Mercury records logo and the Music Rising logo from the back sleeve.

The Discography in 2024: Additional Promotional Items

And although there was no commercial release of these items, two additional items were sent to radio and DJs for promotion of the 20th Anniversary box set. “Luckiest Man in the World” was sent to radio in Europe as a radio edit of the song, and some of the “Vertigo” remixes were also sent out for promotion. The remixes of “Vertigo” included the studio version of the song, the Trent Reznor Remix, the Jacknife Lee 12” mix, and the Redanka Power Mix. Both the Jacknife Lee mix and the Redanka Mix were also edited and released as a shorter version.

The Discography in 2024: Solo Projects and Compilations

A number of solo projects from across the years have been remastered or reissued and released in the past year. Some, like U2’s own projects have been about getting older material onto streaming services, while some celebrate anniversaries. We have a few of the details below.

2024-04-20: “You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart” 30th Anniversary

Image: “You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart” Transparent Vinyl

Bono co-wrote “You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart” with Gavin Friday and the vocals were done by Sinead O’Connor for the movie In the Name of the Father. This year for Record Store Day, Island records celebrated the 30th anniversary of the single, by re-releasing the 12-inch in transparent vinyl.

2024: Daniel Lanois Album reissues

Images: Daniel Lanois Acadie and Shine

Daniel Lanois was on tour for much of the year with the Daniel Lanois Trio, a tour that started in Eastern Canada in April. At the merch booth at each show were three new pressings of older Lanois albums, all limited to 1500 copies, and all numbered. Two of the albums have U2 content. Shine includes Bono and Lanois’ “Falling at Your Feet”. Acadie includes Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton on “Still Water” and “Jolie Louise”. Acadie comes with a new cover. Lanois also signed copies at the end of each show for those in attendance who would wait around. After the tour wrapped up, remaining copies were made available via Daniel Lanois’ website. (The third album, which has no U2 content was Belladonna.)

2024-08: Rhythm del Mundo “Cuba” EP

Image: Cover of Rhythm del Mundo EP

In August there was a quiet re-issue of the Rhythms Del Mundo version of “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”. U2 had allowed the song to be remixed for an album in 2006 with additional vocals by Coco Freeman. The entire album was not reissued this year, but five tracks were released digitally as an EP, called “Rhythm Del Mundo Cuba”. These are the original mixes of the songs and have not been remastered or edited. But it is the first time these tracks have been available on streaming and digital services, and previously they were only available on CD, which is long out of print.

2024-11-25: “Do They Know it’s Christmas” (Ultimate Mix)

Image: Do They Know it’s Christmas? 2024 Edition

In 1984 Bono and Adam Clayton were part of the first Band Aid single, “Do They Know it’s Christmas?”. Bono returned for the 20th anniversary and the 30th anniversary recordings over the years. He also appeared on stage at Live Aid in 1985 to sing the song with the collective in London.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the song, a new “ultimate mix” of the song has been created, using the master tracks from the 1984, 2004 and 2014 versions of the song. Bono is featured in all three of the original tracks, and his lines are featured here on the new single. Digital versions, a CD and a 12-Inch record were made available. The physical singles feature the 1984 version, the 2004 version, the 2014 version, and the live version from Live Aid, as well as this new ultimate mix. Two additional singles were available digitally – a single version used for radio, and an extended version, with even more Bono.

2024-11-29: Reality Bites 30th Anniversary

Image: Reality Bites 30th Anniversary Edition

Another anniversary being celebrated, this time it’s the 30th anniversary of the film Reality Bites. This was a new release of an album that has been out of print for some time, this release is on black vinyl, and includes the classic soundtrack for the film, including U2’s “All I Want is You”. The album was released by Sony on two discs.

2024-11 : Pressing of Across the Universe

Image: Across the Universe Subscription Edition

Interscope runs a subscription service called the Interscope Vinyl Collective. Each month subscribers get a new vinyl record from an Interscope artist or collection. This 3-LP set, advertised as the “First time on Vinyl” is limited to 3000 copies and are individually numbered. The vinyl includes one record in opaque white, one opaque blue and red, and one opaque strawberry red. The full soundtrack is included on this “deluxe edition” including two tracks featuring U2, Bono with Secret Machines on “I am the Walrus” and Bono and The Edge on “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”. This new pressing on vinyl has 31 tracks. This was the first appearance of any content by U2 in the Vinyl Collective releases.

Although this is the first time the deluxe edition of the full soundtrack was issued, in 2016, there was a reissue of the shorter version of the soundtrack on 2-LPs, featuring 16 tracks. That release, for Record Store Day was limited to 4000 copies, and one record was transparent blue, and the other transparent red. That pressing included both U2 related tracks.

2024-12-10: “One of Us” Single
2024-12-10: “Between the Lines” Single

Images: “One of Us” and “Between the Lines”

Two singles released from the Left Behind soundtrack by Larry Mullen were released as singles in December. “Between the Lines” is sung by GAYLE, who wrote the lyric, while “One of Us” is sung by Donna Lewis. Both songs are taken from the Left Behind documentary film, and both have been submitted for Academy Award consideration. Not only does Larry Mullen contribute to the soundtrack, he’s also a producer on the film. (See below.) Both songs were released on the same day, and both feature the same photo of Mullen on the front cover.

2024-12-12: Love: 1959-1991 Life Soundtrack Album

Image: Love 1959-1991 Book

Mike Peters, front man for the Alarm, has written a three-volume autobiography. The first volume, Love, came out this December. It is accompanied by a soundtrack on CD or vinyl, which contains some snippets from throughout Peters’ life. Here there are a number of U2 pieces in the song titled “The Stand”. During this song, Bono appears via interview footage and conversations from the stage captured live in concert. All U2 appear on the CD at one point performing the start of “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall”, a cover of the Bob Dylan song, performed in Boulder, Colorado. But only about 12 seconds of the audio is included before it cuts away to other things. The songs are mixed with several sound bites and conversations, mixed with live and previously unheard mixes of songs by The Alarm.

2024-12-13: Live at AlUla (DJ Mix)

Image: Live at AlUla (DJ Mix) Cover

A mix set by Davide Guetta was released at the end of the year on streaming services and digital storefronts, featuring a remix/mash-up of U2 on the track “Psychic Harmony vs Mental Obsession vs With or Without You”. The mix was a set that David Guetta played at The Monolith at Al Ula, Saudi Arabia. The set was played in the desert without an audience and filmed for release. It appears that the performance itself was put together in 2023.

U2 in Concert in 2024

We have a limited number of live appearances in our tour database this year. Outside of the shows at Sphere, we only have two. In September Bono appeared at Le Bar Américain and joined the Melissa Maugran Quintet on stage for a brief performance of “Knockin’ on Heavens Door”. On February 29, 2024, the band appeared at Zoo Station at the Venetian for an interview which was aired after the shows ended. During that interview a brief performance of Thin Lizzy’s “Dancing in the Moonlight” broke out. And on February 18, 2024, The Edge stopped in for a karaoke night at Champagne’s Cafe in Las Vegas. He performed a few songs that night including “A Rainy Night in Soho”, “Daydream Believer” and “Should I Stay or Should I Go.” The DJ that night complimented his singing voice and suggested he should consider becoming a professional.

The other dates were at Sphere itself. Fifteen shows were done at Sphere. All of the shows were done without Larry Mullen who was off completing a series of surgeries designed to get him behind the drum kit for the long term. The shows were well attended. Detailed show reviews can be found in our show archive. During these shows only one special guest appeared on stage, with Daniel Lanois appearing at the final show. And although not present on stage, the band did a duet with Neil Finn at the same show, using a prerecorded version of Neil’s voice. Larry Mullen did watch from the audience on March 1, 2024, but never took the stage.

Shows on January 26 and 27 were filmed with additional cameras to capture “Atomic City” for the Grammy Award performance. (What was shown at the Grammy Awards also included footage captured before the residency started, as well as live drone footage from earlier shows.) Shows on February 23, 24, and March 1 were the shows filmed for the U2-V film. The final show on March 2, was recorded, and broadcast on U2 X-Radio initially, before being streamed by radio stations worldwide.

U2 X-Radio in 2024

As a more mature station, U2 X-Radio has settled into a very familiar station, with many of the shows introduced early in the stations run continuing to this day. DJs Jenny Huston and Philly Taggart are heard daily on the station through the week, Rocky O’Riordan, and John Kelly have weekly shows, and Dan Hegarty does a show on Saturday and Sundays. Tassoula Kokkoris’ Stories airs throughout the week. Adam Clayton and Gavin Friday both host a monthly show (Adam Clayton’s Playlists, Gavin Friday Presents)

Discotheque, a weekly dance mix, started out on Saturday nights on the station with DJ Pauli the PSM. His show continued through to the end of the run at Sphere in Vegas, where Pauli was the opening act. The final show aired on March 2, 2024.

Throughout the year several specials aired. On February 27, Dan Hegarty hosted a special 15th anniversary special for No Line on the Horizon where callers were asked to call in and share their memories of the album. On October 6, a similar special was held for the 40th anniversary of The Unforgettable Fire, also hosted by Hegarty, who was joined during the show by host Jenny Huston.

A few other specials included a Record Day special with Jenny Huston, broadcast as part of her morning show, joined by Record Store Day founder Michael Kurtz on the station. Huston also interviewed Gavin Friday in February, and again in October when Gavin released his new album Ecce Homo.

The big event on the station this year was March 17. U2 X-Radio had the exclusive rights to stream the final show from Sphere on the station. They also broadcast an hour-long interview with Bono, Edge, Adam Clayton, Bram van den Berg, Pauli the PSM, and Gavin Friday. That interview was recorded at U2’s pop up experience Zoo Station. (The interview and live performance would later air on other platforms worldwide.)

The station also aired a conversation between Bono, The Edge and David Fricke, discussing the tracks on How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb and the release of the 20th anniversary version of How to Assemble an Atomic Bomb.

Finally, as the year was drawing to a close, Adam Clayton debuted a new show, “Don’t Ask Me I’m the Bass Player” a regular conversation between Adam Clayton and other bass players. The idea had been birthed as part of his other show “Adam Clayton’s Playlists” earlier in the year but was later separated as its own program. He’s spoken with the bass player from Green Day and Radiohead at this point.

U2.Com in 2024

U2.Com continues to look for unique opportunities to bring fans closer to the band. This year there were two different events which offered fans exclusive sneak peeks of the band. In September, an early viewing session of U2-V was held for fans at Sphere, ahead of the official debut of the film. The session was attended by Morleigh Steinberg. And in November U2.Com hosted a number of listening sessions for How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb in advance of the album release, allowing lucky fans to listen to the album in Dolby Atmos format.

U2.Com also carried a number of exclusive interviews and features. Many of the interviews this year focused on the crew as the Sphere shows wrapped up. Exclusive interviews and footage included videos featuring Jacknife Lee, Joe O’Herlihy, Flory Turner, Pauli the PSM, Willie Williams, the U2 Tattoo Project, Gavin Friday, Dallas Schoo, Alastair McMillan and C.J. Eiriksson, the robo-cam team under the Sphere stage, and Cait O’Riordan. A special subscriber interview with Adam Clayton was also made available early in the year as a subscriber exclusive.

In May, U2.com streamed the final show from Sphere, which included the entire final show, as well as the interview with Bram, U2, Gavin Friday, and Pauli the PSM. However, unlike earlier streams, the interview on U2.com was shown in video. It was the only place to see the Zoo Station interview, as well as hearing it. The quality of the show broadcast was one of the highest worldwide as well. The stream, and the Zoo Station video interview was a subscriber exclusive, and not accessible by non-subscribers.

With a membership to U2.com comes an annual gift. Although 2023 was the first time they missed getting the gift out in or before the year in which it was intended. The 2023 gift, a book of lyrics, started arriving with subscribers in early 2024. Unfortunately, as we write this, we are still hearing from a number of subscribers who haven’t received that gift at all. A recent poll in mid-December shows about 20% of subscribers are still waiting for the 2023 gift.

The 2024 book, a second volume of lyrics, still is not out. A recent update did share that the book will contain lyrics from 1991 – 2024 now, to include the How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb lyrics. The book should be going into production soon, and they have provided an update soon, but the 2024 gift will arrive in 2025. And there’s no 2025 gift announced of yet, even though many are starting to begin the renewal process for that subscription year. They have some work to do to get caught up.

U2 on YouTube in 2024

Much of the content in the early part of year shared via YouTube, were short clips from songs performed at Sphere. Longer versions of the clips were often shared to subscribers on U2.com, but in both cases, they remained incomplete songs. We would love to have a few more complete songs shared in the future.

“Atomic City” is an odd one, it is the performance shown at the Grammys, which was billed as the first broadcast from the Sphere. Many thought it would be a live performance, but U2 weren’t even at Sphere that evening, and there was a showing of “Postcards from Earth” happening while the Grammy Broadcast happened. A close look at the footage showed wardrobe changes mid-stream, footage from multiple songs, and two different drummers on stage (at one point you see Larry, at other points it is Bram.)

2024-01-26: “Even Better Than The Real Thing” (Live at Sphere) (02:25)
2024-02-23: “Atomic City” (Grammy Award Performance) (02:30)
2024-02-28: “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” (Live at Sphere) (02:15)
2024-03-05: “Beautiful Day” (Thank You, Las Vegas, Live at Sphere) (02:53)
2024-03-25: “Vertigo” (Live at Sphere) (01:40)
2024-05-01: “Ultra Violet (Light My Way)” (Live from Vegas) (02:49)

As the “To Love and Only Love” singles collection was released through the year, many of the singles received a video on YouTube to accompany the single on streaming services. These videos were taken from previously released live performances, but many of these standalone clips are new to YouTube at this time. A few are less obvious. “An Cat Dubh” / “Into the Heart” accompanied the “Sweetest Thing” single release, as they had appeared on the original B-Sides for the single. Likewise, “If You Wear that Velvet Dress” accompanied “Beautiful Day”, and it had been included as a B-Side for that single.

2024-04-05: “Discotheque” (Live from Mexico City, 1997) (05:10)
2024-04-19: “Staring at the Sun” (Live from Slane Castle, 2001) (03:40)
2024-05-03: “Last Night on Earth” (Live from Mexico City, 1997) (06:31)
2024-05-17: “Please” (Live from Mexico City, 1997) (06:54)
2024-06-28: “An Cat Dubh” / “Into the Heart” (Live from Red Rocks, 1983) (06:48)
2024-07-19: “If You Wear that Velvet Dress” (Live from Mexico City, 1997) (02:41)
2024-08-02: “Stuck in a Moment” (Live from the Rose Bowl, 2009) (05:01)
2024-08-09: “Elevation” (Live from Paris, 2015) (04:03)
2024-08-20: “Walk On” (Live from Slane Castle, 2001) (05:56)

U2’s “V-U2” film at Sphere in Vegas was launched with a trailer on YouTube, where you could watch the Edge at Sphere, watching a film of Edge at Sphere, with a video of Edge at Sphere behind him.

2024-08-21: V-U2 An Immersive Film Trailer (00:32)

YouTube was used extensively for the 20th anniversary rollout of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. A short trailer was available the day the new release was announced, as were two lyric videos. Over the next couple of weeks two additional lyric videos were also shared, as was an upgraded version of “The Making of Vertigo” documentary.

2024-09-26: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb Trailer (00:45)
2024-09-26: “Country Mile” (Lyric Video) (04:59)
2024-09-26: “Picture of You (X+W)” (Lyric Video) (04:19)
2024-10-18: The Making of “Vertigo” (16:19)
2024-10-24: “Happiness” (Lyric Video) (04:30)
2024-11-22: “Luckiest Man in the World” (Lyric Video) (06:13)

Also accompanying the 20th Anniversary release were live videos from the Live in Chicago, 2005 performance that appears in the box set in audio format. The day the show was released, U2 also streamed the entire concert for people to enjoy. (Hint: If you have the link, you can still access the concert at this time, or access it through the Playlist section on YouTube:

2024-10-04: “Vertigo” (Live from Chicago, 2005) (04:32)
2024-10-11: “Where the Streets Have No Name” (Live from Chicago, 2005) (05:48)
2024-11-01: “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own” (Live from Chicago, 2005) (05:10)
2024-11-15: “Beautiful Day” (Live from Chicago, 2005) (04:27)
2024-11-22: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (Archival Q&A) (10:38)
2024-11-22: Vertigo (Live from Chicago, 2005) (Full Concert) (2:18:22)

Finally, to accompany the 20th Anniversary release, the day the album came out a bunch of visualisers were released to accompany other songs from the album. These will remind viewers of screen savers from the 1990s. Seventeen of these visualisers were released on the same day, uploaded all at once.

2024-11-22: Visualisers
“Miracle Drug” / “I Don’t Wanna See You Smile” / “Fast Cars” / “Treason” / “Original of the Species” / “Crumbs from Your Table” / “Yahweh” / “Love and Peace or Else” / “A Man and A Woman” / “Are You Gonna Wait Forever?” / “All Because of You” / “Theme from ‘The Batman’” / “City of Blinding Lights” / “Evidence of Life” / “Sometimes You Can’t Make it on Your Own” / “Vertigo” / “One Step Closer”

If you aren’t familiar with YouTube and are looking at U2’s offerings don’t miss the “Releases” Tab, where you will find all of U2’s audio releases that have been released on streaming services. They are ad supported, but you can listen to most of U2’s releases from the past through this means for free. Also of interest is the “Shorts” tab, where you will find shorter videos as well as unboxing videos for new releases, ads, short interview clips and more.

Other Bits from 2024

A few other things were in our notes to include this year.

The film Kiss the Future features the war in Sarajevo, and how the residents of the city survived by turning to music. That music included U2, who played a concert for the residents in 1997 after the conclusion of the war. This year the film aired in AMC Theatres in the US starting on February 21 and had film showings in the UK (July 1), Ireland (June 27, July 1), Portugal (June 27), Finland (August 26 / 28), Norway (June 30), and Sweden (June 26). It also appeared on television via Paramount Plus in the US (May 7) and on SBS in Australia (September 1.) The film is a must see and takes you back to the PopMart concert in Sarajevo as well as the events leading up to the band getting involved in Sarajevo during the Zoo TV tour.

Adam Clayton has been busy with some side projects this year. On April 19 he made an appearance on Gardeners’ World on BBC Two. The gardening show filmed Adam in Dublin in his own garden, just shortly after the conclusion of the Sphere shows. Adam also narrated and conducted interviews for the Ballroom Blitz two-part program on RTÉ. The documentary series explored the Irish Showbands in the 1960s and 1970s. The show aired on November 27 and December 4 on RTÉ in Ireland. And at the end of December, Adam featured in another RTÉ special, this time a look at the owner of Slane Castle, Henry Mount Charles: A Lord in Slane which aired on December 27.

Larry Mullen not only contributed music to the film Left Behind (see above), he also co-produced the film. Mullen has been taking regular trips into the world of film both as an actor (Man on the Train (2011), 1,000 Times Good Night (2013)) and as a producer (Kenny Scharf: When Worlds Collide (2020)). This time up it’s a film about a group of mothers in New York City, brought together by their children’s dyslexia, and the fight to improve their circumstances in schooling. This is a project close to Mullen’s heart and he revealed his oldest son is dyslexic, and Mullen himself suffers from dyscalculia, a condition like dyslexia, but focused on numbers. The film debuted in late 2024 at film festivals in North America and will have a wider opening in January 2025.

Gavin Friday’s first album in some time came out this fall, called Ecce Homo. Bono, The Edge and Adam Clayton were all present at Tower Records for an album release kick off party to celebrate the album. (Larry was doing publicity for Left Behind and was unable to attend.) Not only has Gavin worked with U2 for years, but he has also grown up with the band, and is one of Bono’s oldest friends. The album features a look back of his own to the early days of Cedarwood Road, called “When We Were Young”. In 2025 he’s going out on tour, and some dates have already been announced.

A DJ who once worked with U2 on remixes of “Magnificent”, Dave Aude made some noise for Pride this year with a cover version of U2’s “Pride (In the Name of Love)“. The song was sung by Andy Bell of Erasure, Crystal Waters, Greg Gould, and others. Several remixes were issued of the song as well, and all proceeds from the track will benefit GLAAD to support their efforts to promote LGBTQ+ acceptance. Fan favourites December, a Glasgow based band, released an album of U2 covers on November 2. The record football:radio includes some obscure covers such as “Always”, “Luminous Times” and “A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel” as well as more familiar songs such as “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and “The Unforgettable Fire”. And while we’re talking U2 covers? Kelly Clarkson did her own “Kellyoke” of U2’s “Mysterious Ways“ and “Pride (In the Name of Love)“ back in January.

U2 got into the covers themselves, covering “Don’t Dream it’s Over” by Crowded House at this years Sphere performances. Although it was U2 alone performing at Sphere most nights, for International Women’s Day, they recorded a version live which featured backing vocals from Neil Finn. The song was shared on their social media accounts including Facebook, Instagram and X. The song was dedicated to Alexei Navalny’s widow Yulia. The performance, recorded the final night at Sphere, was also broadcast on radio stations worldwide later in the month.

Although it debuted as a U2 X-Radio exclusive on March 17, the final show at Sphere broadcast was shared worldwide a month later with airings on radio in the UK, Spain, Japan, Italy, The Netherlands, Ireland, Australia, Mexico, France, Brazil, Germany and Austria. On May 3 – May 5 the broadcast was also available via U2.com for subscribers, and the Zoo Station interview also aired as a video for U2.com. The broadcasts varied in quality with some being heavily edited. The U2.com stream was one of the better streams done for quality and completeness.

U2 were nominated for a few awards this year. Peter and the Wolf, an animated film released last year featuring designs based around drawings by Bono, was nominated for three Emmy awards. In the Children and Family Emmy Awards the show is nominated for Animated Special, Show Open and the Children’s personality category, where Gavin Friday is nominated. Bono makes a brief appearance in the animated film. The Edge and Morleigh Steinberg were honored by the Venice Family Clinic at the HEART gala early in the year. The initiative “represents a community that cares about health, art, creativity and social justice”. U2 found themselves up for the Best Rock award for the video “Atomic City” at the MTV VMA Awards, however, it was Lenny Kravitz that one the award for “Human” instead. And Bono’s Surrender audiobook took home the prize for Audiobook of the Year at the Audie Awards, given by the Audio Publishers Association. And although not an award, its worth mentioning that U2’s “With or Without You” video crossed a major milestone, being U2’s first song on Spotify with more than 1 billion listens.

Edge reciting “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” was recorded at the end of the year during the promotional appearances for How to Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb, and aired a few weeks later. It’s worth a listen / watch before the last of the Christmas season is packed away. It aired as part of “Jo Whiley’s Christmas Wrap” on BBC Radio Two and can be heard here at 23:15. BBC Radio Two also shared video footage of him reading the tale on some of their social media channels.

IMAGE: Cover of U2: Song by Song by Aaron J. Sams

And finally we’d like to mention U2: Song By Song written by me. The book came out in March 2024, and takes the reader on a journey album by album through each of U2’s songs. It includes b-sides and other songs from each era as well. Some supply chain issues caused a delay in getting copies out in the North American market, but it is available now. It was a joy over the holidays to see people sharing copies they had received for Christmas. You can find out more about the book here.

We’d like to thank you for your continued support, not only for my book, but for the site itself. The continued conversations, interest in what we do, and kind words keep us going. We have big plans for 2025, which is our 30th anniversary. We look forward to sharing those plans with you soon. Happy new year to all who made it this far!

Past Year Wrap-Ups

This year’s review is the seventh in a series of year end reviews we have done since 2018. For a look back at the earlier years, please check out our stories below:

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