Nine years is a long gap between records, even for a band that has spent half a century filling stadiums. On Friday 13 November, U2 release Carnaval De Luz, their 16th studio album and their first set of new songs since Songs of Experience in 2017. And for Paris, the U2 Carnaval De Luz era already has a date in the diary: three nights at the Stade de France next May.
The first verdicts are in, and they are warmer than the band has heard in years. In the Irish Examiner, Dave Simpson gives the record four stars and calls it their strongest work in decades, singling out louder guitars and a stubbornly hopeful mood. At RTÉ, Alan Corr is more measured: an uneven first half, he writes, rescued by a second half that lifts the whole record, and a Bono who sounds re-energised.
Inside Carnaval De Luz: twelve songs and a farewell duet
The album runs to twelve tracks and comes out on Island Records. Jacknife Lee is in the producer’s chair, while long-time ally Brian Eno returns with writing, synths and keyboards on several songs. Larry Mullen Jr. is back behind the drums, a detail both Irish critics were quick to welcome. The latest single, “The Greatest Show on Earth”, sets the tone: big, bright and openly anthemic.
The emotional centre sits at the very end. “Torn”, the closing track, is a duet between Bono and Dolly Parton and, according to the album announcement and her representatives, holds her final recorded vocal. She recorded her part in June, about two months before her death on 25 August at the age of 80. Daniel Lanois adds pedal steel, giving the song a country ache that sets it apart. Simpson hears it as the album’s one sombre moment; Corr finds it moving.
U2 have been testing the new material in unusually intimate rooms. On 3 November the band played a small London show recorded for the BBC, with tickets allocated by ballot. According to NME, it took place in the South Tank at Tate Modern, framed by Eno’s artwork 77 Million Paintings, with Eno joining the band for the finale. The set mixed “Pride (In the Name of Love)” and “One” with new songs, including the live debut of “The Greatest Show on Earth”. NME reports the concert will air on BBC Two on 28 November.
U2 at the Stade de France: three nights in May 2027
For Parisians, the real appointment comes in spring. The Carnaval De Luz Presents: The Greatest Show On Earth tour reaches the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on 5 and 8 May 2027, and a third night, Sunday 9 May, has been added to meet demand. British band Wolf Alice open the Paris shows.
General sale opened on 6 November. Standard tickets range from €84 in the upper stands to €249 for the Carré Or, with standing places on the pitch at €177.50. Availability changes by date and category, so stick to official channels such as the Stade de France box office and Ticketmaster rather than resale sites.
- Dates: 5, 8 and 9 May 2027
- Venue: Stade de France, Saint-Denis
- Opening act: Wolf Alice
- Standard tickets: €84 to €249
The Stade de France has had quite a season. Only weeks ago it hosted American football for the first time, a story we followed in NFL Paris: What Comes Next. Next May, the stage belongs to four musicians from Dublin.
Why the U2 Carnaval De Luz moment matters
There is something fitting about an album named for light arriving just as Paris settles into its darkest weeks. Whether Carnaval De Luz joins the band’s great records is a question for the months ahead. What is already clear is that U2 are not treating it as a lap of honour: new songs, old friends, and a return to the biggest stage in France. After Jay-Z’s Super Bowl news, 2027 is shaping up as a year of very large stages.
Sources
- NME — 2026-11-10
- Irish Examiner — 2026-11-09
- RTÉ — 2026-11-08 (upd. 2026-11-09)
- 102.9 WMGK — 2026-11-10
- Backstage Country — 2026-11-10
- Zoo Station Radio — 2026-11-11
- Louder — 2026-10-29
- Économie Matin — 2026-11-06
- Sortiraparis — 2026-11-06
- Unidivers — 2026-11-02
Cover photo: Photo: Rich Fury / NME
