U2 already have a 2027 world tour planned, and Bono shut down the suggestion that their new album, Carnaval de Luz, begins a farewell. When Chris Evans put that idea to him during a radio interview marking the album’s release on November 6, Bono replied: “Beg pardon? No.”
Bassist Adam Clayton added: “I think that’s a bit premature. I mean, we’re going on tour and all that.” Asked about The Greatest Show on Earth World Tour, Bono said: “I think we should play every show like it’s our last. How about that as an answer?”
Getting the album finished tested the band. Producer Jacknife Lee said The Mirror Maker (Rosalía), whose title nods to the Spanish singer, required nearly 200 takes.
Guitarist The Edge described the uneven progress in a separate interview: “The early sessions for this album were at times super inspiring, and then really not that good at all.”
Bono’s description of that process was blunt: “This band is absolutely relentless. It’s a grudge match.”
Drummer Larry Mullen Jr. explained why he keeps going: “It’s always been a challenge for us, and that’s what makes those moments when it [works] so special. That’s why you keep on chasing it, and why you stay in a band.”