Promotion of Stories of Surrender
Original Story by Aaron J. Sams (2025-05-20)
Last updated: May 20, 2025
With each new project U2 release, a significant amount of promotion and press is done, and each time we attempt to collect links, videos, and more all in one location relating to the project. With the release of Stories of Surrender just a few weeks away, the press for this film has started. You’ll find links below to each item we find. The project includes a film that runs 1 hour and 26 minutes, filmed by director Andrew Dominick during Bono’s Stories of Surrender tour in 2023. Accompanying the film is an abridged version of Bono’s book, now titled Stories of Surrender with a new cover and new introduction by Bono. Additionally, the original book is now being released in Japan for the first time in a translated form.
At the bottom of this page we’re also collecting some frequently asked questions about this project, and try to answer a few.
Dates
- 2025-05-16: Stories of Surrender film debut at Cannes Film Festival
- 2025-05-16: “The Showman” (Stories of Surrender Version) from the “Stories of Surrender” EP released on digital services.
- 2025-05-20: Stories of Surrender book release in UK and Ireland (Penguin)
- 2025-05-27: Stories of Surrender book release in Canada (Anchor) and USA (Vintage)
- 2025-05-30: Stories of Surrender film debut on Apple TV+ (Worldwide)
- 2025-05-30: “Stories of Surrender” EP release on digital services (Worldwide) (A 7-Inch single will also be available)
- 2025-06-03: Surrender book release in Japan (Tankoban)
Interviews
- 2025-05-10: The Observer (Interview with Sean O’Hagan, English)
- 2025-05-10: Corriere Della Serra (Interview with Andrea Laffranchi, Italian)
- 2025-05-14: Deadline (Interview with Mike Fleming, Jr., English)
- 2025-05-15: Deadline (Matthew Carey, English, Includes Video)
- 2025-05-16: Rolling Stone (Andy Greene, English)
- 2025-05-16: Indie Wire (Nick Newman, English)
- 2025-05-16: Entertainment Tonight (English, Includes Video)
- 2025-05-16: Brut (Augustin Trapenard, English with French Subtitles)
- 2025-05-16: El Pais (Gregorio Belinchon, English – also available in Spanish)
- 2025-05-17: Hollywood Reporter (Ryan Gajewski, English)
- 2025-05-19: USA Today (Melissa Ruggieri, English, Includes Video)
- 2025-05-20: Associated Press (Jake Coyle, Video Interview)
Upcoming:
- 2025-05-22 or 23: Bono to appear on Virgin Radio’s “The Chris Evans Breakfast Show” in the UK
Print:
- 2025-06: Bono will be on the cover of the French edition of Rolling Stone in France (June cover, Number 173)
News Stories
- 2025-05-15: “RadicalMedia Heads Talk Cannes, Bono and Bringing Stage Musicals to the Big Screen“ (Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter)
- 2025-05-15: “U2 singer Bono says ‘the world has never been closer to a world war in my lifetime’“ (Jake Coyle, The Associated Press)
- 2025-05-16: “Bono Rocks Cannes With 7-Minute Standing Ovation for ‘Stories of Surrender’“ (Ellise Shafer and Elsa Keslassy, Variety)
- 2025-05-16: “‘Bono: Stories Of Surrender’ Draws 6½-Minute Ovation At Cannes Premiere“ (Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline)
- 2025-05-16: “Bono Releases ‘Stories of Surrender Live’ EP“ (Sam Armstrong, UDiscover Music)
- 2025-05-16: “Bono debuts AppleTV+ documentary at Cannes, criticizes US aid cuts“ (Mike Davidson, Reuters)
2025-05-17: “Bono at Cannes: ‘You wrote this story. The Edge wrote this story. Adam and Larry wrote this story. McGuinness wrote this story’“ (Donald Clarke, The Irish Times)
2025-05-17: “Bono diventa ‘immersive’, la leggenda a Cannes“ (Andrea Guglielmino, Cinecitta News, Italian)
2025-05-19: “Bono: Stories Of Surrender receives seven-minute standing ovation at Cannes Film Festival“ (Emily Boyle, Hot Press)
Reviews
- 2025-05-16: The Guardian (Peter Bradshaw, English)
- 2025-05-16: Hollywood Review (Frank Scheck, English)
- 2025-05-16: The A.V. Club (Brent Simon, English)
- 2025-05-16: Variety (Owen Gleiberman, English)
- 2025-05-16: Screen Daily (Nikki Baughan, English)
- 2025-05-16: Empire Online (John Nugent, English)
- 2025-05-16: The Wrap (Steve Pond, English)
- 2025-05-16: NME (Damian Jones, English)
- 2025-05-16: Deadline (Matthew Carey, English)
- 2025-05-16: The Telegraph (Tim Robey, English)
- 2025-05-16: Time Out (Dave Calhoun, English)
- 2025-05-17: Sentieri Selvaggi (Simone Emiliani, Italian)
- 2025-05-17: Roger Ebert (Roger Ebert, English)
- 2025-05-17: Telerama (Laurent Rigoulet, French)
- 2025-05-17: In Session Film (Hector A. Gonzalez, English)
- 2025-05-17: Loud and Clear Reviews (Philip Bagnall, English)
- 2025-05-17: The Playlist (Chase Hutchinson, English)
- 2025-05-17: France Info (Falila Gbadamassi, French)
- 2025-05-17: Elle Magazine (Ophélie Daguin, French)
- 2025-05-17: Cinematografo (Valerio Sammarco, Italian)
- 2025-05-17: ScreenWeek (Andrea D’Addio, Italian)
- 2025-05-19: Next Best Picture (NBP) (Matthew Turner, English)
- 2025-05-19: Rolling Stone UK (Anna Smith, English)
- 2025-05-19: Sugarpulp (Silvia Gorgi, Italian)
Media
- Press Release (Apple)
- Trailer for Film (YouTube)
- Cannes Film Festival Information Page
- Lyric Video for “Iris (Hold Me Close)” (YouTube)
- “Stories of Surrender“ EP Release with “The Showman”
- Festival de Cannes Video:
Show Archive
- 2025-05-16: Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, Cannes, France
Bono sings along to “The Showman” as he enters the premiere of his film.
Related Links from U2Songs.com
- Stories of Surrender Show Archive
- Surrender Book Entry
- Stories of Surrender Book Entry
- Stories of Surrender Film Entry
- “Stories of Surrender“ EP Discography Entry
Select News Stories from U2Songs.com
- 2022-06-16 Surrender Promotion
- 2022-10-01 Stories of Surrender
- 2022-10-10 Bono at the New Yorker Festival
- 2022-11-03 Bono at the Beacon Theatre
- 2023-04-16 Bono kicks off a new leg of Stories of Surrender at the Beacon Theatre
- 2023-05-13 Stories of Surrender Comes to a Close
- 2023-05-20 Filming Surrender
- 2025-02-26 Bono Stories of Surrender and new version of book in May
Questions about Apple+
The Stories of Surrender will be widely available on May 30 via Apple TV+, a subscription service, available via most smart TVs and internet connected devices. It is exclusive to the streaming service at this time. It will be available worldwide where Apple TV+ is available, subtitles will be available in over 40 languages. You do not need to own an Apple device to access the program. More information about the service can be found here.
Apple TV+ runs free trials, usually offering seven days free, before a monthly subscription kicks in. If you cancel before the seven days are up you do not pay, however, a credit card must be provided and an account setup to sign up for the trial.
The film will be available in Apple Immersive for Apple Vision Pro. If you do not have the Vision Pro there is also a version on Apple TV+ viewable on a regular television screen.
Questions about the new Version of the Book
Bono’s book Surrender is now being released in soft cover for the UK, Irish, USA, and Canadian markets. It now will feature the title Stories of Surrender and is an abridged version of the book. The book includes a new introduction by Bono titled “A Tale of Two Shows: Intro Music” and then includes the following chapters:
- Lights of Home
- Out of Control
- Iris (Hold Me Close)
- Cedarwood Road
- Stories for Boys
- I Will Follow
- 11 O’Clock Tick Tock
- Invisible
- October
- Two Hearts Beat as One
- Sunday Bloody Sunday
- Bad
- Where the Streets Have No Name
- With or Without You
- Desire
- Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
- The Showman
- Pride (in the Name of Love)
- Beautiful Day
- Vertigo
- Every Breaking Wave
- I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
- Love is Bigger Than Anything in its Way
- Moment of Surrender
- Landlady
- Breathe
The book ends with some After words as well. A total of 27 chapters are included in this new abridged version of the book. The original had included 40 chapters. It will also feature a new cover, which matches that in use for the Stories of Surrender film and the “Stories of Surrender” EP.
Questions about the EP
The vinyl version of the “Stories of Surrender” EP will be released on May 30, but distribution may vary with some countries listing June 13 instead. The single will be a 7-inch single on black vinyl and will be available exclusively through the label. That means you can buy it at U2’s own shop (U2.com) as well as at Universal Records online shops (and associated shops) in many countries. This includes The Record Hub in Ireland, Vinyl Collector in France, Platenzaak in The Netherlands, The Sound of Vinyl in the UK and USA, RecordStore.co.uk in the UK and Musicstation.be in Belgium.
The EP is credited to “Bono, featuring the Jacknife Lee Ensemble”, the same group of talented musicians who joined Bono for the stage shows in 2022 and 2023. The songs on the EP were recorded during the sessions to develop the show and are a glimpse into how the project developed.
U2.com also has a variety of merchandise available including T-shirts and posters. Please note these are pre-orders, and often take some time to ship.
Thank You
No page like this is possible without help from other fans. If you spot something you think we should list, give us a shout via one of our social media channels or the site email.
Many thanks to Adele, Joshua and Jason for their contributions to this page.
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