U2 in Concert at NRG

Everything old is new again at powerful U2 concert, with an ending surprise

“How long must we sing this song?”

Bono and the members of U2 have been asking that question for a long time — since 1983 when “Sunday Bloody Sunday” debuted as the first song of the band’s third album, War.

In the wake of the terrorist attack at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester and a correspondingly beefed up security presence around NRG Stadium, the question seemed more relevant than ever. “We’re so sick of it,” Bono shouted over Larry Mullen, Jr’s propulsive drumming and The Edge’s soaring guitar.

But then, everything old is new again for the famous Irish foursome. Bono once said, “There’s no reverse gear on this tank,” but the band’s new tour celebrates the 30th anniversary of their iconic album The Joshua Tree. "New Year’s Day" and "Pride (In the Name of Love)" quickly followed Sunday. Then the band began to play the album in sequence: every song from "Where the Streets Have No Name" to "Mothers of the Disappeared."

Highlights included The Edge’s thundering solos on “Bullet the Blue Sky” and “In God’s Country,” Bono’s self-described “shite harmonica play” on “I Trip Through Your Wires,” and Adam Clayton’s classic bass line on “With Or Without You.”

Just as "Sunday Bloody Sunday" feels more relevant than ever, so too do the songs written when conservative leaders in both America (Reagan then, Trump now) and the U.K. (Thatcher then, May now) have reignited debates about whether we should commit to “Carry each other / Carry each other” (yeah, I just album hopped).

While the days of the band dressing up like the Village People and emerging from a gigantic, lemon-shaped mirror ball are long behind — so are the songs from Boy, October, Rattle & Hum, Zooropa, Pop, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, No Line on the Horizon and their most recent work, Songs of Innocence — the stage setup still impresses with both its scale and its simplicity. No pyro, no fancy light shows: just a massive screen, 200 feet long and 45 feet tall, that displayed the band’s performance and a series of short films created by frequent U2 collaborator Anton Corbijn using new footage from places like Death Valley and Zabriskie Point.

The ultra-widescreen and 8k visuals provided a stunning backdrop for the band, at times displaying a dusty road for “Where the Streets Have No Name” or women holding candles during “Mothers of the Disappeared.” The screen also served as a backing band for “Red Hill Mining Town,” courtesy of a Salvation Army brass ensemble that played along with the song.

After U2 reached the end of The Joshua Tree, two songs from the '90s received fresh interpretations. “Miss Sarajevo” from the Passengers album has been renamed “Miss Syria (Sarajevo)” and featured footage filmed at the Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan, where some 80,000 Syrian refugees currently live, according to information provided by the band. "Ultra Violet (Light My Way)", an Achtung Baby deep cut about the redemptive power of love, has been reinterpreted as a tribute to great feminists throughout history, including Texas icons Laura Bush and Ann Richards.

Speaking of the former first lady, Bono made sure to acknowledge both her and former President George W. Bush’s efforts to support the ONE campaign that made it possible for 18 million HIV/AIDS patients in Africa to receive life-saving medicine.

While it’s strange not to hear hits like “Mysterious Ways” and “Desire,” to say nothing of personal favorites like "Out of Control" and "Stay," the band played enough familiar tunes during the encore — "Bad," "Beautiful Day," "Elevation," and "One" — to ensure that no one left unsatisfied. As expected, the multi-generational crowd ranged from eight to 80 — Lynn Wyatt sat a few rows in front of me — and most people seemed to know all the words to all the songs.

But just in case anyone was feeling too nostalgic, Bono had a surprise. The band closed with a new song titled “The Little Things That Give You Away.”

Maybe they still have a few tricks up their sleeves after all.

Setlist:

Sunday Bloody Sunday
New Year’s Day
Pride (In the Name of Love)

The Joshua Tree
Where the Streets Have No Name
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
With or Without You
Bullet the Blue Sky
Running to Stand Still
Red Hill Mining Town
In God’s Country
I Trip Through Your Wires
One Tree Hill
Exit
Mothers of the Disappeared

Encore 1:
Miss Syria (Sarajevo)
Bad

Encore 2:
Beautiful Day
Elevation
Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
One
The Little Things That Give You Away

U2 brought The Joshua Tree to NRG Stadium.

U2 The Joshua Tree 30th anniversary tour

Photo by Danny North

U2 brought The Joshua Tree to NRG Stadium.

concerts

Music feature

Texas country star Cody Johnson's new album goes to 'Banks of Trinity'

Photo by Cameron Powell

Cody Johnson.

There's a moment at every Cody Johnson show where the Texas-born-and-bred country star asks the crowd, “How many of you tonight are watching me and this band live for the very first time?” he told The Associated Press. “And every night, I would say at least 80% of the crowd raises their hands.”

It's not the kind of reaction most veteran artists receive. “And I’m thinking, you know, 20 years is a long time to work for something. But when you see that … What’s the next 20 years look like?” he asks.

The rancher, rodeo competitor, and onetime prison guard started his two-decade career playing honky tonks and dive bars. That led to slow and steady growth for the country traditionalist, but in the last few years, something has shifted. He landed his fifth career No. 1 song with “The Fall.” He was named Entertainer of the Year at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards, the show's highest honor. That was a month after he headlined Stagecoach Music Festival. For an artist with legions of fans, it looked like he was accessing new heights.

“I feel like I’m closing a book and I’m opening another one and it’s all blank pages,” he says of this period. “Let's get to the next chapter." On June 26, that new era began with the release of his latest album, Banks of the Trinity.

Traveling to the Banks of the Trinity
It hasn't been an easy road. Last fall, Johnson had to cancel a bunch of tour dates after upper respiratory and sinus infections caused a burst eardrum that required surgery — an intimidating medical procedure for anyone, but especially nerve-wracking for a musician. “I was scared,” he said simply. But “in a roundabout way, it’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

It forced him to take three months off, which allowed him to be home during the birth of his son. It also rejuvenated his approach in the studio. Before the incident, he thought the album was complete. It was not. The additional time resulted in the inclusion of a few songs that now feel inextricable from the record: “Thank Somebody Country,” “Take Me Back (Leave Me There),” “Cricket on a Hook,” and the resilient “I Have” among them.

“What a blessing to have that kind of song fall in your lap when you’re kind of up against the ropes,” he says of the latter. “I mean, we thought we had the record done. It wasn’t done.”

A title track with real resonance
At the heart of Banks of the Trinity is its title track, which recalls Eagles' cover of “Seven Bridges Road” meets bluegrass and Southern gospel.

Lyrically, it's an ode to Johnson's childhood. “I grew up on the banks of the Trinity [River.] Fishing for catfish, not so much out of pleasure or sport but for necessity to put food in the freezer. Deer season for me was not a trophy thing,” he said.

And while that track inspires a feeling of nostalgia within the listener, he doesn't consider this album a throwback collection. He says it's about showcasing his evolving sonic diversity.

"The rest of the album for me is a musical journey from track one to track 16,” he said. “There’s a little bit of a flavor for everybody. It does kind of hit Motown. It does kind of hit bluegrass. It does hit progressive country. It does it old country. It does a little rock here and there.”

It's the result of a new kind of freedom, one that is at least partially due to his recent accomplishments, including taking home the top prize at the ACM Awards.

“I just did the thing that I’ve aspired to do in my career my entire life,” he says. “A really good place is a really good way to describe where I am.”

And now that the album is out, he's ready to take a breather.

“I will be shirtless with no shoes on a beach at an undisclosed location,” he jokes about the days after record release. “'Cause I have already done all the prep work. I've been working on this album for two years. I’ve done all of the interviews. I’ve shook all the hands. Me and my wife and kids are gonna disappear for 10 days and I’m gonna become, I guess, every Kenny Chesney song ever.”

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