U2 has put on hold their plans to enter the recording studio for their 16th album due to the ill-health of long-time drummer, Larry Mullen Jr.
The 62-year-old drummer is currently recuperating following neck surgery and had to miss out on performing with the band during their residency in Las Vegas the new MSG Sphere.
Although Dutch drummer, Bram van den Berg, deputised for Mullen Jr in the Nevada desert, Bono and co. aren’t prepared to write new tracks without Mullen Jr by their side in the recording studio.
Bono disclosed in a recent interview with MOJO Magazine that the prospect of a new album is largely “tied” to Mullen Jr’s recovery. Bono insists any new material would lack power and depth without Mullen Jr, who he described as a “psychic force” for the band.
Bono admitted it was “beyond tough” to play their historic residency in Las Vegas without him. He said the last time that he, The Edge and the rest of the band played without Mullen Jr was in the late 1970s when a motorbike “fell on his foot” before a gig, requiring a drummer named Eric Briggs to step into the breach at the last minute.
Bono reflects on the band’s Vegas residency
Source: Piqsels
In April, Bono spoke with Fair Observer in an exclusive interview, based largely on the band’s opening of the MSG Sphere. The MSG Sphere, constructed at a cost of $2.3 billion, is comfortably the most expensive entertainment venue in ‘Sin City’. The Sphere symbolizes the shift in Las Vegas from an exclusive focus on casino gaming to pure entertainment.
Having previously been a city built largely upon its casino culture, in the last decade or two Vegas has diversified into fine dining and unique entertainment experiences. The rise of regulated iGaming has been another reason for Vegas’ diversification, preventing ‘The Strip’ from being affected by reduced footfall. Those who visit a live casino online will attest to the authenticity of the latest live dealer games, operated and broadcast from Vegas-style casino studios 24/7.
To that end, the opening of the Sphere was a symbolic moment for the entertainment industry of Las Vegas. A fusion of intensity and intimacy, U2’s shows have been an unashamed sensory overload. Every U2 show at the Sphere lasted more than 120 minutes, comprising at least 20 songs, more than 18,000 fans and well over a million LEDs. Bono describes playing at the Sphere as a battle between the “visuals” and the music. He said at the start of every show the visuals “overpower the music” but the music “comes back and wins” in the end.
The Edge has been busy with new material too
The Edge was recently interviewed by Guitar Player magazine and he said he was “very excited” with some of the new riffs and material. He described the tunes as at “prototype stage” but seemed confident about the great material that’s in the studio pipeline.
How the new material will sound is anyone’s guess. If you listen to Bono, you shouldn’t expect it to be rock and roll, since he doesn’t label U2 a rock and roll band. It’s true that U2 was originally formed as a rebellion/underground punk act, with plenty of political statements or themes running through their shows.
Bono once admitted the group was “pretending” to be a rock and roll act. Over the years, tubthumping tracks like Vertigo and Desire would suggest the band was pretending very effectively indeed.
With no new live performances currently scheduled for U2 after their 40-show residency stateside, it feels like the ideal time for the band to wait for Mullen Jr and get to work in the studio again.
