U2 is ready to put on a show. The iconic rock band announced Thursday (Oct. 15) that it will return to stadiums in 2027 for the Carnaval De Luz Presents: The Greatest Show on Earth World Tour, with Beck joining the group for the newly announced Latin American dates.
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In announcing the tour, U2 framed the name as a challenge to deliver an unforgettable concert experience. “The Greatest Show on Earth? Now that’s a throwdown,” the band said in a joint statement. “It’s a dare, to ourselves as much as anyone, to try and have the best night of anybody’s life.”
The group also teased a mix of theatrical flair and rock n’ roll, promising “a riot of color, unreasonable guitar, bass and drums, and tunes you can hold onto.”
The tour will kick off in Mexico City on Feb. 23 at Estadio GNP Seguros, with a second show in the Mexican capital on Feb. 26. From there, Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. will head to São Paulo, Brazil, for performances at Estádio MorumBIS on March 10 and 12, followed by two nights in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at Estadio River Plate on March 23 and 25.
Beck will open all six announced shows. Dates in Europe and North America are expected to be announced in the coming weeks, with the band also working on plans to return to its native Ireland.
The tour announcement arrives alongside the release of U2’s new single, “The Greatest Show on Earth,” the third song to be unveiled from forthcoming album Carnaval De Luz. Cowritten by the band and Brian Eno, the track explores a relationship between lovers struggling to maintain their faith in each other. Its accompanying music video, directed by longtime U2 collaborator Anton Corbijn, was filmed in the California desert and satirizes the band as a religious cult in which women do the heavy lifting.
The song follows previously released singles “Street of Dreams” and “Silencio,” building anticipation for Carnaval De Luz, which is due Nov. 13. The 12-track set marks U2’s first album of new material since 2023’s Songs of Surrender, which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. The forthcoming collection also features contributions from Martin Garrix, Daniel Lanois and Ryan Tedder, along with a duet between Bono and Dolly Parton on the closing track, “Torn.”
For U2, the new tour represents a return to stadiums after the band’s recent run of 40 shows at Las Vegas’ Sphere, where it brought its Achtung Baby era to life through the venue’s immersive visuals and technology. The group last played stadiums on The Joshua Tree Tour, which wrapped in Mumbai, India, in December 2019 after drawing nearly 3 million fans worldwide.
U2’s chart history is just as impressive as its live résumé. The band has earned eight No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 and six top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including two chart-toppers: “With or Without You,” which spent three weeks at No. 1 in 1987, and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” which followed with two weeks at the summit that same year.
Fans hoping to catch the group on its upcoming stadium run can access the U2.com subscriber presale beginning Monday, Oct. 19, at 10 a.m. local time. Remaining tickets will go on sale Thursday, Oct. 22, at 10 a.m. local time through the band’s website.
Watch the video for new song “The Greatest Show on Earth” below:
