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The Edge has recalled how a 2006 visit to Carnival in Salvador, Bahia, with Gilberto Gil and Quincy Jones shaped U2’s interest in pairing spiritual reflection with celebration. The band’s forthcoming album, Carnaval De Luz, is scheduled for release November 13, 2026, and U2 has announced four São Paulo shows for March 2027.
U2 guitarist The Edge says a 2006 visit to Carnival in Salvador, Bahia, with Brazilian musician Gilberto Gil and producer Quincy Jones helped inspire the ideas behind the band’s forthcoming album, Carnaval De Luz. Recalling the trip in an interview with Brazilian radio station 89 FM, he connected the festival’s mix of spiritual tradition and celebration to a tension U2 wanted to explore in its music.
The Edge said Gil and Jones introduced the musicians to the festivities. U2 watched Salvador’s trios elétricos—mobile sound systems and performance platforms associated with Carnival—from a balcony. Bono later joined Brazilian singer Ivete Sangalo during her performance, an episode also recorded in U2’s official archives.
“We were in Bahia with Quincy Jones and Gilberto Gil, and they said, ‘We’re going to show you Carnival,’” The Edge recalled, according to the report. He said U2 was already drawn to Carnival’s ability to bring together religious tradition and exuberant public celebration, and described that contrast as part of the album’s inspiration.
The report also points to Brazilian influence in the record’s songs. Rolling Stone Brasil reported that bassist Adam Clayton discussed Brazilian roots in “Silencio” during an interview with the television program Fantástico. Bono, meanwhile, expressed excitement about performing the song in Brazil when U2 returns to São Paulo in March 2027. The available material does not specify the precise musical elements Clayton identified.
Brazil’s Role in U2’s New Record
The account links a specific encounter with Brazilian culture to the creative direction U2 describes for Carnaval De Luz. It gives listeners a clearer sense of the album’s stated themes, while the reported Brazilian roots of “Silencio” suggest that the influence may reach beyond the record’s title and broad concept.
The connection also gives the band’s planned return to São Paulo a particular resonance. U2 is scheduled to play four concerts at MorumBIS stadium in March 2027, shortly after the album’s release. The concerts will put the group back in Brazil, the country where the 2006 experience took place, though the source does not say whether the band plans a special Carnival-related performance or staging.
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From Salvador in 2006 to São Paulo
The 2006 visit took place in Salvador, the capital of Bahia, where U2 members Bono and The Edge experienced Carnival alongside Gilberto Gil and Quincy Jones. The reported sequence included watching the city’s trios elétricos and Bono joining Ivete Sangalo onstage. U2’s official archives also document Bono’s appearance with Sangalo, according to the source report.
Carnaval De Luz was announced in September 2026 and is described as U2’s first album of new material since Songs of Experience in 2017. The album is scheduled to arrive November 13, 2026. The report says it also contains a song inspired by Spanish singer Rosalía, who does not perform on the track.
U2’s announced “The Greatest Show On Earth World Tour” is due to begin in Mexico City in February 2027. The listed schedule includes four São Paulo dates—March 10, 12, 14 and 16—before concerts in Buenos Aires and later European cities. The tour dates provide release-related context; the source does not say that every announced show will include material from the new album.
““We were in Bahia with Quincy Jones and Gilberto Gil, and they said, ‘We’re going to show you Carnival.’””
— The Edge, speaking to Brazilian radio station 89 FM
What the Album Influence Includes
The account establishes that the 2006 trip informed U2’s thinking about the album, but it does not explain how that influence appears across the full track list, arrangements or production. Clayton’s reported comments link “Silencio” to Brazilian roots, but the source gives no further detail about the song’s specific influences.
The report also does not say whether Gil, Jones or Sangalo contributed to the album, or whether any of them will appear during the 2027 tour. The stated Rosalía connection is an inspiration for a song, not a guest appearance. Further details about the album’s recording and the concert set list are not provided.
Album Release and Brazil Dates
Carnaval De Luz is scheduled for November 13, 2026. U2’s tour is set to start in Mexico City on February 23, 2027, with four performances at São Paulo’s MorumBIS stadium scheduled for March 10, 12, 14 and 16. The report says Beck is listed for the band’s Mexico City, São Paulo and Buenos Aires dates; Wolf Alice is listed for the later European leg.
Those dates are the next confirmed milestones in the source material. No additional album details, guest appearances in Brazil or specific plans for incorporating Carnival into the concerts are confirmed there.
Key Questions
What did The Edge say about U2’s 2006 visit to Brazil?
He recalled that Gilberto Gil and Quincy Jones introduced U2 to Carnival in Salvador, Bahia. The musicians watched trios elétricos from a balcony, and Bono later joined Ivete Sangalo during her performance.
How did the Carnival experience influence Carnaval De Luz?
The Edge said U2 was interested in bringing together spiritual searching and celebration, and described that idea as part of the album’s inspiration. The source does not detail how the influence appears across every song.
When does Carnaval De Luz come out?
The album is scheduled for release on November 13, 2026. It is U2’s first album of new material since 2017’s Songs of Experience, according to the report.
When will U2 play in Brazil again?
U2 is scheduled to play four concerts at MorumBIS stadium in São Paulo on March 10, 12, 14 and 16, 2027. The reported schedule does not specify whether the shows will include special Carnival-themed staging.
Source: consequence.net
