The Ongoing History of New Music, episode 1094: 50 short stories about U2 (part 1)

As of September 25, 2026, U2 has been around for 50 years. Five decades ago, in 1976, a bunch of kids showed up in the kitchen at Larry Mullen Jr.’s place. Fourteen-year-old Larry had posted a note on the hallway bulletin board at Mount Temple Comprehensive School on Malahide Road in Dublin.

Four of the kids from that afternoon in the kitchen are still in the band. There’s been only one lineup change. On March 4, 1978, Dik Evans left the group, back when it was still known as “Feedback” and then “The Hype.” Other than that, U2 has always been Larry, Bono, the Edge, and Adam Clayton.

There are groups whose names have survived longer. The Blind Boys of Alabama have a history that dates back to 1939. The Oak Ridge Boys were formed in 1947. Golden Earring first got together in 1961.

But how many groups have the same members after 50 years? Right now, the answer is none. Until recently, ZZ Top was the champion, with the same three guys since 1969, but when Dusty Hill died in 2021, that streak ended at 52 years.

To put U2’s longevity into perspective, they were formed just after Montreal hosted the Summer Olympics. They began before the first Star Wars movie came out. Heck, U2 is older than disco. And they’re still making albums, and they’re still touring.
Obviously, we gotta do something to mark this milestone. But how?

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There have been documentaries and books and movies and concert films and box sets. Their story has been told a million times. So what can we do that’s different, yet fun and informative? I thought long and hard about what to do.

And here’s what I came up with. This is part one of a show I’m calling “50 Things About U2 at 50.”

Hang on. This is gonna get dense.

Songs heard on this show:

• U2, Tonight
• Radiators from Space, Television Screen
• U2, Stories for Boys
• U2, 11 O’clock Tic Toc
• U2, I Will Follow
• U2, Gloria
• U2, Pride (In the Name of Love), 2023 version/U2
• U2, Sunday Bloody Sunday (Live)
• U2, Get Out Your Own Way

Here’s Eric Wilhite’s playlist.

The Ongoing History of New Music can be heard on these stations: