U2 mark 50 years with performance at former Dublin school

U2 performed at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin on Friday, September 25, marking 50 years since the band first came together after Larry Mullen Jr posted a notice seeking musicians on the school’s noticeboard. Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Mullen played for students and staff in the schoolyard, returning to the place where their early musical partnership began. The band took the stage shortly after 2 p.m. and played a set featuring “I Will Follow,” “Vertigo,” “Beautiful Day,” “Out of Control” and “Silencio,” which received its first live performance. Reports differed on whether “I Will Follow” or “Out of Control” opened the set; the available accounts do not establish the opening song. The full set list was not confirmed. During “One,” U2 were joined by young musicians from Music Generation, a program the band co-funds. Accounts described the performers as including harpists, violinists and violists. Bono thanked the students and the school, and credited Mount Temple with helping shape the group. He also paid tribute to former school staff, including the late Jack Heaslip, who served as the band’s chaplain and spiritual adviser on tour.