U2 Returns to Stadiums in 2027 with Latin America Kickoff, New Album, and a Recovering Larry Mullen Jr.

U2 are heading back to stadiums. The band announced Thursday a global tour titled 'Carnaval De Luz presents: The Greatest Show On Earth,' opening February 23, 2027 in Mexico City — their first stadium run since The Joshua Tree Tour ended in 2019. Six Latin American dates were confirmed immediately, with Europe and North America to follow in the coming weeks.

The tour is produced by Live Nation and will run through 2027 'and beyond,' according to Variety. Beck will open all six initial dates: two nights each at Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City (February 23 and 26), Estádio MorumBIS in São Paulo (March 10 and 12), and Estadio River Plate in Buenos Aires (March 23 and 25).

The run doubles as a 50th-anniversary celebration for the band and a launch platform for Carnaval De Luz, their 16th studio album, due November 13 via Interscope Records — their first album of new material since 2017's Songs of Experience. The Irish Times reports the record was helmed by producer Jacknife Lee and represents a deliberate return to basics after years of albums that 'ping-ponged between numerous producers.'

The album carries notable collaborations. Torn is a duet between Bono and the late Dolly Parton. A separate track, The Mirror Maker (Rosalía), is dedicated to Grammy-winning Spanish singer Rosalía. The tour's namesake single, The Greatest Show on Earth — the band's third release from the record — was co-written by U2 and Brian Eno.

We were once the greatest show on earth.— Bono

The Irish Times describes the song as 'a sombre, reflective tale of lovers fighting to keep faith in one another,' delivered over 'elegiac, juddering guitars from The Edge.'

One question hanging over the tour is the health of drummer Larry Mullen Jr. He sat out U2's Sphere residency in Las Vegas after a neck injury that nearly ended his career. Following surgery in Dublin, he spent many months relearning his drumming technique. He told Rolling Stone he will assess his fitness level on a night-by-night basis during the tour.

Even if I can't play for 2½ hours, if I can play for an hour, that's enough. I've had it so good that I'll accept that.— Larry Mullen Jr., drummer, U2

Mullen recently reflected on the band's origins in a podcast series by The Irish Times, recalling the note he placed on a noticeboard at Mount Temple Comprehensive school in Dublin to recruit musicians.

My parents moved the kitchen table out of the kitchen into the back garden and they facilitated this mad idea with these people showing up in a kitchen in suburban Dublin and playing instruments at high volume. That they allowed that is the thing that is most striking to me.— Larry Mullen Jr., drummer, U2

One country conspicuously absent from the Latin American leg is Chile. According to Consequence, U2 have performed in Chile on all four of their previous Latin American touring visits — the PopMart Tour in 1998, the Vertigo Tour in 2006, the 360° Tour in 2011, and The Joshua Tree Tour in 2017. Chilean newspaper La Tercera reported that negotiations to bring the band to Santiago had been underway since 2025 but ultimately failed. The paper had previously noted that restrictions on the use of Estadio Nacional, where authorities were prioritizing sporting events, were a factor under discussion — though it has not established whether venue availability was the reason the talks collapsed.

Set lists for the tour are expected to draw from the band's full 50-year catalogue, meaning classics such as With Or Without You and One alongside new material. Tickets go on presale for U2.com subscribers Monday, October 19, at 10am local time, with remaining tickets available on U2.com from Thursday, October 22, at 10am local time.

Why it matters — U2's return to stadiums after an eight-year gap — with a new album, an ailing drummer performing night-by-night, and a tour that will eventually reach North America and Europe — is one of the largest rock touring events in years, with ticket presales beginning within days.

Reported by variety.com, consequence.net, irishtimes.com