U2 on 50 years and their duet with Dolly Parton

November 15, 2026 / 10:12 AM EST / CBS News

When U2 came knocking, Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. didn't just arrive with new music; the band came bearing gifts, which they proceeded to place over a photo of Bruce Springsteen.

"We just wanna get Bruce Springsteen off your wall," Bono said. "There's some new blood coming through! But honestly Bruce, give the young people a break."

The up-and-coming Irish quartet is celebrating its 50th birthday this year – that's half a century of hits.

In September, U2 went back to the Dublin school where they first came together. Playing Mount Temple Comprehensive was "kind of amazing," said The Edge. "We used the music room in Mount Temple as our rehearsal space."

Bono said he didn't know what to expect from the students there: "I was nervous going out there."

"There were a couple of cheeky signs, like, 'When is Oasis playing?'" said The Edge. "But for the most part they really seem to get into it."

It was at Mount Temple in 1976 where Mullen pinned a note to the school bulletin board looking for bandmates. "I'd no expectations that anyone would show up, bizarrely,"…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/