A simple drum beat. A distant whirring. The industrial, rhythmic scraping of guitar strings. “Unos, dos, tres, catorce!” Bono bellows into the mix, opening the floodgates for an onslaught of distorted power chords.
I still feel a buzz of excitement when I hear the intro to “Vertigo,” the brash, electric lead single from U2’s 2004 album “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb,” which turns 20 this week.
Built around one of the Edge’s most iconic guitar riffs, the song is, in many ways, emblematic of the Irish rock band in the early aughts: big, uninhibited, absurd, hard to resist, impossible to avoid.
“I remember feeling like we had captured the moment at that time,” the Edge told me over Zoom from a bright studio “in Dublin’s fair city.” Wearing his signature beanie and a black band t-shirt, the 63-year-old musician speaks with a subtle Irish lilt, which compliments his kindly, good-natured demeanor.
“This was the same time that we were coming to terms, globally, with the war in Iraq, and there were all of these rumors of weapons of mass destruction, which turned out not to be true. There was so much confusion and unrest, and I think the album captured a lot of that – this combination of lament for where we had found ourselves, and this sense of alarm and loss.”
“How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb” was marketed as U2’s return to the basics. At one point, Bono described it as “our first rock album.” But songs like “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own” – a slow-burning ballad that Bono wrote about his relationship with his late father – also showcased the band at their most tender.
“As is always the case with us, we were trying to do everything all at the same time,” the Edge reflects. “Which is a wonderful trait and a kind of fatal flaw at the same time.”
The album was a massive hit: it reached number one in 34 countries, and won eight Grammys, including Album of the Year. Even critics seemed to like it – a feat for a group of middle-aged rock stars on their eleventh album.
Looking back, “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb” feels like one of the last “big tent” rock albums, a final hurrah before guitar-centred music was swept away by a flood of indie rock and blockbuster hip hop albums. (“Atomic Bomb,” came out the same year as Arcade Fire’s “Funeral” and Kanye West’s “The College Dropout.”)
And yet, two decades and a handful of far less zeitgeist-defining albums later, U2 has managed to maintain its reputation as one of the biggest rock bands in the world.
In March, the band wrapped up a 40-show run at Sphere in Paradise, Nevada. During the course residency, which inaugurated the 18,600 capacity entertainment venue, U2 performed its 1991 album “Achtung Baby” in its entirety, leveraging the venue’s cutting-edge sound and video capabilities – including a 16K resolution wraparound LED screen that spans some 160,000 square feet.
And on Friday, the band will release a 20th anniversary reissue of the “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb,” alongside a “shadow album” of 10 new and unreleased songs.
For U2 fans, these new tracks might feel like a portal into the past, or a welcome retreat into modern rock nostalgia. But for The Edge, they also feel relevant to our current political climate.
“Things have kind of come full circle,” he said, highlighting songs like “Happiness.” “At the time we were writing about what was happening in Iraq, but now, if we sort of transport back to today, with what’s happening in the Middle East, that really could have been written last week.”
Our 30 minute conversation took place just hours after Donald Trump was elected U.S. president – a development that the Edge seemed to take in relative stride.
“I think people will be railing against where we find ourselves, but we’ll get through it,” he said. “We got through the days of some very conservative governments in the UK, we got through the inordinate influence of Catholicism in Ireland, and we will get through this.”
“And, you know, it’s probably going to be a phase for great music and great art.”
U2 has played in Toronto many times, dating back to the band’s first show in the city almost 45 years ago at the El Mocambo. Do you have any strong memories of Toronto?
I was in Toronto with my family when I was a teenager, and we stayed with a family there that were close to my parents. It was fascinating to be in a kind of modern metropolis because Dublin is so historic, but it doesn’t have any tall buildings, really. So to come to Toronto and see this modern metropolis was mind blowing.
The first time U2 played the El Mocambo, we had so few songs that I think we actually played “I Will Follow” and other songs from the first album at least twice. During those days we’d always go talk to our fans after the show, and I remember it wasn’t a huge audience. It was probably 40 people. But the ones that were staying behind were like, “Why did you play the songs twice?” (Laughs). And we were just honest and said, “Look, it’s our first album. That’s all the songs we have!”
Let’s talk about “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb,” which arrived in this charged, post-9/11 moment. Those power chords on “Vertigo” felt like a real reset for the band, especially following the experimentation of the previous records. Was it really your “first rock record”?
We were definitely attempting to do a hard hitting, straightforward rock album, but then we understood we needed to have some sort of counterbalance on the record so that it wasn’t all one flavour. And I think that desire to create the counterbalance probably distracted us a little bit away from that initial idea.
Weirdly, the songs on the shadow album – these are songs that were contenders for the original record but we ran out of time – are in some ways closer to the original intention. They have that really raw, in-the-room feeling. The energy is pretty much all uptempo, full bore, punk rock-influenced songs.
We were taking advantage of the rage that we were feeling at the time, with what was happening in the world, and channeling that into the music, which was always one of the hallmarks of great punk rock – that energy, that anger.
The news coming out of America this morning felt quite disorienting. On my bike ride to work this morning, I threw on “Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables” by Dead Kennedys. That’s my go-to in moments of need. Is there a punk album that you turn to in these tense political moments?
The first album by The Clash means so much to me. They were a band that Bono and I saw as 16- or 17-year-olds during their first tour in Dublin, at a time when we were just thinking about whether we could give ourselves permission to take the band seriously. That was an album laced with the kind of righteous anger and disappointment that I’m sure a lot of people are feeling at the moment. It was a huge inspiration for us.
I want to ask about U2’s residency at Sphere, which was a big deal. The Telegraph called it a show that would “change live entertainment forever.” What was that experience like?
It was quite a rollercoaster ride because obviously the technology is brand new and most of it is bespoke to the venue. So our engagement was at first almost in an R&D capacity – you know, what can we do with this venue that would work for a live concert? And it culminated in us having done a lot of work and creating a lot of amazing imagery, and collaborating with digital artists that we were fans of. And we felt like we had something pretty special to offer.
Talking to the fans and the people at the show afterwards, we got a sense that our ideas had landed – that this was working. And then it just became this thrilling experience where we were trying to enhance the performance with these more spontaneous aspects of the show, but knowing that we had these amazing set pieces – these visual moments that really were connecting.
U2 has always been at the forefront of innovating in the live music realm. I saw the 360 degree tour in Edmonton in 2011, and that was something I’d never seen before – a band performing in the centre of a football stadium. Today, that sort of setup is common. Many bands at your level seem drawn to smaller, more intimate venues as they get older, but U2 continues to dream bigger.
We’re insatiably curious, and we’re always looking to see where the culture is going and what’s happening with new technology. Whenever we meet with our chief designer and set director, Willie Williams, to talk about our next tour, our question to him is never: “What is being done? What’s happening? What’s working?” We always ask: “What’s never been done?”
With our music, each album is like its own set piece, so we’re always looking to find a visual component that brings the music to life. And so just found the Sphere was this incredible proposition because it’s this massive visual canvas. The screen is like two acres.
A few years back, in an interview, you said that U2 is “not a studio band, but a live band that goes into the studio to make albums.” And you said that your songwriting process is often guided by how a song will perform on a stage in front of an audience. I’m curious if the experience at the Sphere changed the trajectory of your songwriting process?
It certainly changed what we thought about performing because it allowed for an intimacy in a way that you just couldn’t possibly achieve in a stadium setting. Imagine pristine sound delivered to every single seat in the house. There’s a film version available that’s pretty much exactly what it was like to be at the show. I got to see it a few months ago, and I felt like I was seeing U2 for the first time. It was a great experience (laughs). And we weren’t half bad!
But yes, I think it has changed. I think if we were making an album that was destined to be performed in the Sphere, it would lead us towards more intimate song arrangements and styles. We sort of grew up having to get everyone’s attention in these festival settings where we kind of cut our teeth as a live act.
I have to ask, is U2 working on any new music? I know that (U2 drummer) Larry Mullen Jr. wasn’t able to perform at Sphere as he recovered from neck surgery.
Yeah, I spent the entire lockdown working on new songs and new ideas. Bono and I have been working together on some stuff, and we’ve generated a lot of material, and we’re now experimenting with the textures of the sound. There’s also some U2 recording sessions coming up. We’ve already done one a few weeks ago with Larry – Larry’s feeling good, and he’s playing well. He doesn’t want to overdo it, is sort of being sensible, but is playing really well. So that was a thrill for us.
And then there are some other, more experimental projects that Bono and I are working on – there’s this sort of Irish sci fi folk thing that we’re kind of playing around with, which may end up on the next U2 album. We’re not sure yet, but we’re excited about that.
That sounds different.
We’re just trying to keep things fresh, and keep ourselves not knowing exactly what is next, because that’s where you get that sense of discovery, which I think is a crucial part of what we do as a band.
I was playing around with AI songwriting just to see where that would take me, and I discovered that there is no U2 genre. You can’t create a U2 song by word prompts, because where do you start?
We have, over the many years that we’ve been making music, touched on so many different styles and ideas. The hallmark of U2 in some ways is not having a genre. It’s so diverse that you can’t really ever pin it down. And I think that’s good. I’m comfortable that we’re in new territory. I always feel a little nervous if it feels too familiar.
That’s really interesting about AI, because I’ve heard you speak about how inspiration has to occur in a sort of organic way, and it often arrives when you least expect it. AI seems antithetical to that.
Absolutely, I agree. That’s the flaw of it. It’s sort of a facsimile of a facsimile of a facsimile. So you get something that sort of resembles something that’s come before, but it can’t be original. So that’s my experience. I mean, I’m just fooling around out of curiosity, but so far I can’t see it having any real value creatively, but it’s good to know what’s out there.
I’m interested to hear what you’re listening to right now. I often think about the idea of “fall music” – music for the time of year when the days are getting shorter and the leaves are falling.
Yeah, I know the mood you’re talking about. One of my favorites groups with this mood would be This Mortal Coil, and particularly their version of Song To The Siren. It’s just stunning, one of my favourite pieces of recorded music. That’s a great autumn song.
Anything new you’re listening to?
We’re in this great place where we’re doing a lot of creative work and just listening to different music to see what seems fresh to U2. I love “U Should Not Be Doing That” by the (Australia rock band) Amyl and The Sniffers. It’s like a beautiful 21st century punk rock tune. It’s got everything that I loved about the form in the first place.
And then I’m fascinated with the folk revival happening in Ireland and North America, artists like Hozier. There seems to be something new and fresh about that music.
Last year, U2 recorded “Songs of Surrender,” an album made up of 40 re-recorded songs from the band’s discography. Before we go, I have to ask – why did you decide to leave off Bono’s famous count-in – “unos, dos, tres, catorce!” – and the other Spanish ad-libs in “Vertigo”?
I mean, that was very spontaneous. You can’t be telling the same joke a thousand times, you know what I mean?
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
